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by Xeynar on Mon Sep 26, 2016 9:49 pm
Rayn's own vision progressively blurred as his friends battled Kain. Like Jason, he was fighting back unconsciousness and using the last of his physical strength to hold himself in the ring, refusing to be knocked outside of it by some stray magic spell or the aftershocks of a powerful blade made by one of the others. But as he did so, he began to see less and less of the Coliseum, and of the battle against the Dragoon. Some other place he'd never seen before seemed to fall into place, piece by piece until Rayn found himself in a dreamlike state.
Was it a combination of his own weariness and waning consciousness causing him to see this? Perhaps, and perhaps not. But what he saw was something he would not soon forget. It looked like some sort of forest plateau, the kind of thing one could only dream up in a fantasy. On the plateau itself stood a Castle... or was it a Temple? It looked like it could be called both. It possessed Castle walls, but contained outdoor paths marked with shrine-like gates. It was a picturesque blend of East and West, architectural styles that normally clashed, only here they coexisted in harmony. The "Castle" was not the only feature of the plateau. Around the grounds Rayn could see sandy, circular areas marked only by white stones. Nearby those, he could make out storage racks holding Keyblades of varying sizes and length. It was like gazing at the location from the perspective of a bird. And, like a bird, Rayn's viewpoint seemed to quickly close in on the facility, like a bird swooping in for a landing.
When they were in closer view, Rayn realized that the "Keyblades" he saw on the racks were not real Keyblades, instead they were replicas carved out of wood. He guessed they were kept here and used for sparring and training to avoid inflicting serious injuries. In these areas, Rayn noticed people. Some looked to be sparring in various fighting zones, while others watched on intently, as if studying them and mentally taking notes. They all had one thing in common: their attire. Every one of them wore a variation of the same training gi: shirts of a cyan-blue hue, trousers of a darker indigo-blue, and either brown or black pairs of shoes and gloves. Other than that, many had more personal additions to their attire. Some wore unfamiliar crests stitched onto the front or back of their shirts, while others might have worn them as part of a headband or bandanna. The various crests were unique, possibly representing their family or the school they trained in. But there was one crest they all shared, worn somewhere on their clothes along with the personal ones... the very same crest that was seen on the cape of Rayn's Armor of Kings, and also the crest he now noticed on banners hanging on various spots on the walls and posts.
Is this... the Keyblade Society?
Rayn only recalled hearing it in passing from Jason, but never learned any of the specific details. Seeing it in such vivid detail... Rayn now understood why Jason held it in such high regard, and he had to admit that this experience was giving him a newfound respect for it as well. Then, all at once, sparring matches stopped all around the training grounds, and students began to gather at one arena in particular. What could be so important as to interrupt training for everyone else? But then, he saw what it was. In one arena, there stood two individuals, not students like the others. These two were both full grown men, one of which Rayn only saw from the back. He was just around average height, possessed short blonde hair that looked eerily reminiscent of Rayn's, only instead of being spiked it was instead combed straight back and parted just ever-so-slightly. He wore his own training gi, which lacked any personal crest and instead just bore a larger version of the Keyblade Society crest on the back. He also held a Keyblade in his hand, a real one, and on top of that it was Rayn's old Dragonheart to boot.
Could this be...?
The man's opponent stood tall, very tall. He was above average height, in fact he could probably be a professional basketball player if he wanted to. His face was clean-shaven, and didn't even possess any scars, meaning he was either a rookie or a Master that was very skilled. And given the respect that everyone, even Tod, showed the man... well it was obvious which of those descriptions were correct. He also wore a gi of similar color, only his did possess a personal crest depicting a pair of dragon wings. He, too, held a real Keyblade in his hand. It was very sword-like, the blade thin and curved like a Japanese sword but possessing Key-like details that resembled fangs, while the blade's Keychain depicted a kanji symbol that Rayn couldn't read. His hair was longer than Tod's, darker in color too. But like Tod it was combed back, and then held there in a ponytail. As if he wasn't unique enough, the man wore a large, heavy-looking white cloak over his training garb.
"So, the time has finally come." the long-haired Master said in a voice that was somehow both soft and powerful, "Then... you know what you must do."
At this, Tod appeared to nod, but the gesture was slow and seemed full of sadness. These two clearly knew something that Rayn did not. In fact, others watching also looked solemn, as if they too knew something was about to happen. But there were no explanations, and no further words. Instead the two men suddenly bent their knees, both holding their Keyblades in a very unfamiliar stance. The actual "blade" section was grasped in their left hand, while their right hands hovered over the Keyblades' hilts. After a moment of staring at it, Rayn suddenly realized that the stance was identical to that of a Samurai holding their katana in preparation for a draw. The men lunged at each other, each one attacking so fast they could easily match Jason's Light-speed.
After both Keyblades collided, both fighters jumped back a few steps, before each continuing the attack. Their blows almost seemed like a ritual, like this fight had been choreographed beforehand. In martial arts, this was known as a Kata. Rayn never imagined that such a fighting style could be applied to Keyblades. Both men then came at each other with identical techniques. Their hands moved faster than the eye could see, their blades sparking at the sheer speed and friction of their numerous clashes. Their speed was unbelievable. Rayn and Jason both fought at this speed during their match, but each had to use magic of some kind to achieve it... Rayn with a Haste spell and Jason with Light-speed. But these two... they weren't using any magic. At all. This was all pure skill and physical prowess. And it wasn't over yet.
As if following a script, the Master jumped back a few feet and held his Keyblade in a thrusting stance. Recognition seemed to flash in Tod's eyes, and he followed suit... except he chose the stance that the two had started the battle in. It was here that Rayn finally saw Tod from the front. They really did look similar, albeit Tod was older, probably in his thirties at this point. He also had facial hair, a short mustache/goatee combination around his chin and upper lip. He also possessed a scar, a cross-shaped one where one line started above his right eye and went at a downward angle over the bridge of his nose for about the length of an index finger. The second line started closer to the center of his forehead and made a downward angle just over the bridge of his nose and stopped just above his right cheek.
"Show me the one technique capable of countering the Nine-Headed Dragon... by countering it here and now and striking me down!" then the Master went on the attack. Whatever this technique was, it was a doozy. He moved so fast he could have possibly outmatched Jason's Light-speed. He was fast enough that his attack actually looked like it was coming from nine-different angles all at the same time. He was aiming nine specific strikes against nine specific points on Tod's body, not that Rayn could truly follow it, but that was his best guess. However, as soon as the Master came closer, Tod himself went on the move and... truth be told, Rayn couldn't see anything that happened next. There looked to be a flash of sorts, and the next anyone could tell, Tod was suddenly standing in a different spot as if he'd teleported or something, while the Master he sparred with was briefly sent flying only to crash onto the arena ground in a heap... a massive cut from Tod's Keyblade drawn diagonally across his chest from hip to shoulder.
What... what even was that? One second the Master is about to inflict several killing blows at once and then... this?
It truly was awe-inspiring. Tod's speed in the moment of his counterattack was nigh on Godly. Rayn would even wager it far-surpassed Jason's Light-speed. But... how? That just... didn't seem possible. As if this couldn't be any more unbelievable, Rayn also remembered that neither man used any magic whatsoever. So that Godlike speed that Tod reached... was purely his own skill and prowess.
Before Rayn could see anything that happened next, he was suddenly conscious again in the Coliseum. His previous injuries were healed by a Curaga from Shien. Although it healed him, Rayn could still feel the soreness of his previous injuries. He staggered to his feet, barely registering what was happening around him. He was completely unable to get what he'd just seen out of his head.
"He moved so fast... what was that style? What was that technique?" Rayn blurted out loud to himself. He was flabbergasted, for almost the first time in his life he wasn't afraid to admit how amazing someone else was. In this case... it was Tod and that Godly-fast technique Rayn witnessed in the dream, if that was even a dream in the first place. It felt far to real and vivid to be a mere dream.
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