#implied invira

[iceepsy]

The Keyblade War. part 4

Aced died next. The expected fight.

Edit: had to remove the links

Ira’s blade clangs against his once more, sending out heated sparks of metal. His ornate mask is in tatters; the long mane has been haphazardly cut, synthetic hair flowing freely. In another time, Aced would have mused how similar it looks to Ira’s real hair. It makes him look like the barbarian from the world of apes. Ira’s horn has long been broken.

He respected Ira; why are they fighting? Under the hazy light of the moon, the only answer he can give is the prophecy clouded their minds, like he warned all those years ago. In his likely last moments of life, he may as well admit (to him and no one else) maybe he harbored deeper emotions than respect towards Ira. The thoughts buzzing in his skull tell him his feelings would never be validated. Ira...respected him, that much Aced was sure; they were comrades. Despite the others singling him out as the traitor, Ira assured him when he was injured and so close to collapse. Never before had he been grateful that his mask covered his blush.

Aced had always wondered what happened between the boy and Ira. Multiple times, he caught Gula staring daggers at the older man-or so he assumed given the masks blocked their eyes. “The leader was looking for him,” was all Invi mentioned at one point.

After the confrontations, Gula kept more to himself, frantically pushing his union members collect Lux. He was scheming something; stubbornly, Ava wouldn’t tell. She admitted later to tending his injuries before he took off. The way her eyes averted told a larger story. Those two...had always been close but Aced knew something, like a fallout, happened prior to Gula’s change in behavior. Though Gula showed up to meetings, his disheveled blonde hair peeking from under his hood, he pushed himself far into a corner away from himself and Ira; he said little; and he kept close to Ava. Still, there was an unspoken distance between the youngest foretellers. No matter the reason, Gula collected Lux at a startling pace; Aced did the same, also urging the Ursus union to keep up as a sign of retaliation and strength. Ira soon followed with Invi and Ava tagging behind.

It wasn’t until the final battle that he realized Ira found something that caused him to look at Aced with cold eyes. Ira blocked him from killing a meager wielder. At that point, Aced released all his harbored hatred, rage, jealousy. For all he respected Ira, enough was enough. Why was he picked? Ira can’t lead; he blurts the first thing that comes to his mind, regardless of the consequences, and then awkwardly attempts to maneuver himself out, always looking to Invi for help. Invi, with such duty, always soothed him but any damage Ira caused was already done.

He, should have been leader. Aced - charismatic - who convinced Gula, Gula, of all people to join him in an alliance. Ira is the closed off person locked in his clock tower. In the beginning, just after the Master left, Aced tried to follow the Master’s wished in support of Ira. 

“Hm? Oh, I had Invi take care of that,” Ira responded once, while pouring over the prophecy yet again. In another case, Aced asked about the outbreak of interunion fights. Ira paused before speaking slowly, “Invi mentioned no such thing. I’ll have her look into resolving such conflicts.” Those comments had caused Aced to bristle. He was second-in-command was he not? It should not be in Invi’s jurisdiction. Unfortunately, Ira’s the leader and what he says goes. He knew those two were always close, being the longest trained of the Master’s apprentices. Frustratingly, once the Master left, the only person Ira confided in was Invi. Did something happen between them? ...Something that he didn’t - doesn’t want to - know about?

Aced’s mask cracks and crumbles against his touch, frost settles in his breath. Invi tried to intervene earlier between him and Ira; her magic wrapped and curled around his leg akin to her motif. It caught him, biting, freezing part of his foot before he had time to cast fire. Aced cursed; he’s learned the hard way many times before; Invi’s ice does not melt easily. In retaliation, he left his own mark on her, throwing and smashing the hilt of his keyblade into her face. Coming between the hostile pair, Ira, to his surprise, broke the ice and asked Invi to step down. As always, Invi without question, nodded and ran in the other direction.

“I mean it when I say a fair fight, my old friend; it’s an unfortunate fate that we must fight.” Aced growled in response.

Ira sends another gale, returning Aced’s mind back to the task at hand. Despite Ira spending most of his time cooped up in the tower, his wind magic is still as sharp as ever. Aced blocks with pillars of earth but some of the gusts still manage to slice through. And boulders he sends are deflected by the cyclone swirling around Ira. The ultimate defensive barrier indeed. 

Aced may be slow, he himself admits, but he’s not dumb. Large boulders may be sent off course, but finer particles can still cause a disturbance. Ava and Gula used the same trick when teaming against the new leader. Ava’s fire and Gula’s lightning greatly hindered the swirling storm. Being young apprentices back then, they were ultimately defeated when Ira through back same force they powered. Aced’s not like that; he can handle any little pebbles that Ira throws back at him. With his opponent distracted from the sand storm, Aced charges, pushing Ira into a deep crevice with a crunch. The tornado disperses, showering the two in dust. 

He-he did it. Like Gula, the unicorn foreteller relies on open spaces for maximum effect. Surrounded by walls of rock, his winds are but little gusts. Yet, in the midst of victory, the thought of killing Ira makes his stomach drop. His bestfriendlovedone? Aced’s a warrior even so it makes him nauseous. What comes next is a terrible feeling, a light-headedness that screams for Aced to breathe. He can’t. Palm pressed on Ira’s torso, he struggles for words. 

Ira’s still, staring up at him before closing his eyes. He’s mouthing what seems to be a prayer. He abruptly kicks Aced away. He swiftly summons his keyblade again.

Aced clutches his throat, staring at Ira, who is leaning heavily against the wall. He can’t move. Ira frowns and shakes his head. 

He can almost hear muffled words of, “I can’t. Not like this.” He hears a pop and a rush of air. Aced takes in a deep breath.

Suddenly, Ira jumps, as if flying, out of the crevice they’ve trapped themselves into. A gust of air follows him. What else can he do but follow? He jumps toward the sun, intending to cut it down akin to the legends said in a time when there were many more in the sky. The rush of air pulls him down, but Aced is stronger than that, hitting rocks out of the canyon to use as stepping stones.

And like that, as suddenly as it came, the sun melted his wings. Aced...he falls...like Icarus blinded by light. [though he’s stronger than wax, nothing can beat his sun.]

The boulders he threw onto the field are sent hurling down at him, trapping him in the vacuum of the canyon.