War of the Hearts

Chapter XI

"Is there really such a thing? Friends that last forever?" ~Kadoka Hasegawa (Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai)
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Aina was walking aimlessly through Daybreak Town, no goal in mind. She looked up to the sky and saw that the sky was slowly darkening, the gray clouds covering the sinking sun. Up in the sky, she saw Foreteller Aced strike the rooftop of a building, causing Foreteller Invi to jump off of it, summoning her Keyblade by gathering green particles of light together.

They clashed in the sky and Foreteller Invi pushed Foreteller Aced off of her and landed on the side of the wall. Foreteller Aced struck the wall where Foreteller Invi stood but she leapt out of the way, and their blades met once more before he shot her down onto the alleyway. Aina gasped at the sight of her friends fighting.

Aina sprinted straight towards the alleyway Foretellers Aced and Invi fell into to see their blades clashing one more. "Why do you get in my way?" Foreteller Aced demanded.

He pushed against her, causing Foreteller Invi to release her weapon fly back, her Keyblade stabbing the ground behind Aced. "Don't be so conceited!" Foreteller Invi panted. "I'm protecting the balance, just like the Master told us to! You need to come to your senses!"

"If we don't do something, light will expire!" Foreteller Aced shot back. "Then we won't be able to avoid the grim future that awaits. We need to defy the Master's teachings to protect the world!"

"You're saying he was wrong?!" Foreteller Invi cried.

"He's not here anymore," Foreteller Aced picked his Keyblade back up. "I won't let his and Aina's prophecy come true. I won't let the world fall into darkness!"

Foreteller Aced slashed his Keyblade twice, creating an "X" shape with the strokes of his blade that headed straight towards Foreteller Invi.

"You fool!" She screamed as she summoned her Keyblade in hand.

"Invi!" Aina cried as she entered the battle in order to protect her friend, slashing her Keyblade acorss the water and creating a wave that neutralized Foreteller Aced's strikes. However, the force of the attack was still strong enough to ruffle Aina's curly hair, causing her flower hairpiece to fly off. "My hairpiece!" She cried as it landed into the water, the hair accessory breaking apart into eight separate petals.

Foreteller Invi used Aina's attack as a distraction and snuck behind Foreteller Aced to land a hit from behind but he suspected the move and tuned around, meeting her blade with his. Foreteller Invi sent Foreteller Aced flying back as he slid on the cobbled ground, destroying it as he slid back. Foreteller Aced stabbed his Keyblade into the ground in order to halt his movement.

"Ava, over here!" A voice yelled.

Looking to the side, Aina saw that Foretellers Gula and Ava had joined Foreteller Invi and Aina in fighting Foreteller Aced. "Invi! Aced! Aina! What's going on?" Foreteller Ava shouted.

"I found out who the traitor is, regrettably," Foreteller Invi replied.

"No, that's not true!" Foreteller Ava gasped, looking at Foreteller Aced.

"Ava, there's no time to lose!" Foreteller Gula yelled as he summoned his Keyblade in hand.

Foreteller Ava gathered pink light particles in her hand as she summoned her Keyblade and turned to face Foreteller Aced. He got into a ready stance, lifting his Keyblade into the air. "May my heart be my guiding key," he whispered.

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In the aftermath of the fight, Foreteller Gula stood in the alleyway that gave him a good view of the destruction caused by the fight in Daybreak Town. He held the Lost Page handed to him by the Master of Masters, rereading it over once more. "Why aren't you going after the traitor?" A voice asked him.

He turned to see Sunako standing in the edge of the alleyway, leaning against the wall, arms crossed and an amused look in her face. "Sunako..." Foreteller Gula started.

"Shouldn't the fight just now evident that Aced clearly the traitor?" Sunako remarked. "You're supposed to take out that traitor, correct? Now is the perfect opportunity to do so. Aced is hiding in the warehouse, licking his wounds and he's too weak to fight back. Go."

"But..." Foreteller Gula said.

Sunako frowned, "What? Scared that you'll be deemed a murderer by the others if you go and do so? I think everyone with half a brain knows by now Aced is the traitor, and I am pretty sure they wouldn't mind if he was suddenly taken out especially if it means delaying the war."

Foreteller Gula didn't reply to what she just said. "But," Sunako added. "If you still are hesitant, you could say Aced perished due to the wounds inflicted on him due to the recent battle. If you slay him, he still did technically perish to his wounds and the battle is still technically recent."

Foreteller Gula still remained silent and Sunako stretched, frustrated from the lack of reply from the Union leader. "Look," she sighed. "I'm giving you advice on what to do, and if you don't want to take it, fine by me. After all, you should trust no one but yourself."

That caused Foreteller Gula to finally respond to Sunako, as he glanced up into the gray sky. "Trust no one but myself..." he murmured as he pocketed the Lost Page and set off to go wherever he decided to go.

Sunako placed her arms behind her head and leaned against the alleyway wall, looking up at the darkening sky. "That's right, trust no one but yourself," she muttered to herself with a smirk.