It had been a few days since the Shield Hero was sent to the cold depths of this musty dungeon. He was feeling at his wits' end, and the baby filolial wouldn’t stop chirping. Not only that, but it was constantly jumping on top of his head, digging its beak into his skin, trying to build a nest for itself to sleep. One night, the bird even stood there, shadowboxing with nothing.
Finally, having enough, Naofumi took the baby bird off his head and scolded it. “Look, you really shouldn’t be using other people’s heads as an arena for combat.” He sat there for a second and pondered on the nature of violence. “What does it mean for the world when children are expected to arrive and fight for stupid shit? Ideologies that were passed on to them from generations before they were even born.” He then thought about Raphtalia and Sora. About how they, too, were children fighting in a world that glorifies violence instead of compassion. The more he thought about it, the more of a nasty taste it left in his mouth. It was akin to a lingering pain, built up over many centuries of conflict, but of the taste buds. “If my mouth had a mind of its own, it would definitely be yelling at me for my thoughts,” The Shield Hero said aloud, but all that replied was the small chirping of a bird.
After sitting in the cell for days, the guards finally came back. A look of satisfaction pierced their faces. Nothing could bring them more joy than torturing the kingdom’s greatest villain. “You ready, Shield?” The guards grimaced at their captive. Naofumi cringed at the thought that people could be so damn stupid.
“Well, if your group here shares the same brain cell, like I think you do, then how bad could it be?” Naofumi grabbed the filolial and put it into his pocket. Luckily, the guards didn’t notice the transition, as they were too busy flaring at the ears.
“Why, you pesky little pest!” One of the guards retaliated to Naofumi’s taunt, enraged at the mockery bestowed upon him by the ‘scoundrel.’ Naofumi just stood up, rolled his eyes, and followed them to the chamber. The dark tunnel from the cell to the chamber was long, but Naofumi was resilient. When they got there, they saw a hooded figure staring at them through a dark hood. Their face couldn’t be made out from the darkness. All they could hear was,
“Care to parley?”
The guards had no clue who this intruder was, so they motioned for Naofumi to get to the table and charged at the hooded stranger. As they charged, the hooded stranger shook his hood off to reveal a man with short blonde hair and a matching blonde beard.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Oh, how I do love games, but not when someone on the losing end is at a disadvantage. Fair and square is the rule I live by.” The stranger then threw the cards from the deck in his hands at the guards, making quick work of them. The action made Naofumi flinch for one second, then relieved the next.
The guards all fell, one by one, their bodies turning into little beings that looked like dark, monstrous insects. The stranger gave them a look of dissatisfaction and proceeded to absorb them into his deck.
After the process was complete, the man in question stood there before letting out a big sigh, followed by a diatribe. “In my opinion, they were not even fit to be heartless and were lesser than nobodies. Such a shame, truly.” He then turned his attention toward the Shield Hero and, through a sophisticated tone, said, “You must be the Shield. We’ve been searching for you. Join us, if you’d please.”
Naofumi stood there, dumbfounded at the situation that just transpired. Through gritted teeth, but with a thankful heart, he just issued a small “No thanks. But, tell me. What’s your name?”
The blonde man in question was taken aback by the Shield’s blunt nature, but realized that since he was traveling with a keyblade master, that naturally meant that he wouldn’t be up to snuff on social graces.
“How rude of me.” He answered, putting his hand to his chin. “I’m Nobody of significance, but you can just call me a concerned citizen.”
Naofumi stood there, not wanting to trust the man, but he did save him from an excruciatingly painful fate, so he left it at that. Still wanting to know how the strange man got so powerful, he decided to get straight to the point and ask him.
“Okay then, what’s your level?”
“Level? That’s drole. I do have a love of games of all sorts, but I do not necessarily abide by all the world’s rules, because I do not truly belong in any of them.” The man laughed. And though his chuckle was grand as he was, there was still an apparent look of sadness strewn across his face.
The stranger then continued, “Well, I suppose that I’ll need a helping hand in convincing you, for I am not one to shove someone into a game by force. Though you seem to have found yourself in an elaborate one, all the same.” And with that, the man left the chamber, through a portal of darkness that enveloped him on his way out.
“How absurd could a situation get?” Naofumi thought out loud. He then felt a jittering in his pocket. Reaching into said pocket, he pulled out the baby bird, and a look of concern stretched across its face. “You’re right, Filo. We have to get out of here before somebody realizes that the guards aren’t back.” He then left the area and continued on his way to find his companions, who were probably worried for him.
“Sora, Donald, Goofy, Raphtalia. Wait for me. I’m going to find you and protect you all with everything I’ve got.”
And with that, the Shield Hero ran out from the underground, labyrinthine tunnels that he had been stuck in for the last few days, and searched for those he cherished most in this world.
