Suddenly, there was a scene in front of me, like it was being shown on an infinitely large screen. After staring at the monochrome scene for a moment, I realized what I was looking at. Braxyd and Mickey.
"Do you wish to kill them?" I didn't need to turn to know it was Xemnas speaking from next to me.
I nodded silently.
"You could right now." He looked down at me just as I looked up at him. He almost smiled at the awe in my eyes.
"Simply reach out, and say 'They shall die', and it will be. You are in the realm of the dead Nobodies, after all."
I hesitated a second, unsure of myself. Then, slowly, I reached a trembling arm out. I hadn't felt so much control in forever!
I opened my mouth to say the words, the words that would rid me of my two greatest annoyances, but I couldn't speak. I couldn't kill them.
After a minute, I put my hand down. Xemnas sighed; not a angry or even a frustrated sigh, simply one of acceptance.
"Max," he said. I looked at him, cringing. He didn't look back. "Do you have unlimited power, Max?"
I turned abruptly from him, staring at what would be my feat, if there was anything but blackness. "No..." I said, feeling shamed to admit it, as if I was letting him down. Which, I felt, I was.
"Do you know why you don't have unlimited power?"
I waited for the answer.
"It's because you don't try to control Kingdom Hearts. It's because you fear what the rest of your Organization will think of you or do to you if you try."
I was silent.
His tone became more severe, more angry; empowered. "But if you would only try, Max! You would control Kingdom Hearts! You would have unlimited power! And then you could tear the curtain between this world and yours and withdraw my Organization and I back from the grave!"
I was trembling at the very booming sound of his ever-raising voice. He seemed to notice, and put an arm around my shaking shoulders.
His voice softened. "Max, when you bring us back, we will protect you. None of your Organization will be able to judge you or harm you with us around."
I stared at the black and white scene of Braxyd and Mickey, still playing. I drew hate from it, and from hate determination.
"I will, Xemnas."
"Good."
Everything receded, and I expected to be draw to full conscious, but my body wasn't finished sleeping yet. I began to dream.
It was a strange scene I watched. I saw myself, head down, next to Xemnas. He was surrounded by many Organization XIII members. Some sense deep inside me knew that what I was viewing was of Xemnas and them in the real world; no longer dead.
I listened intently.
Axel and Xigbar walked up, dragging another cloaked figure. They through them on the ground in front of Xemnas, and the clocked figure knelt. I sensed they were exhausted, though from what I didn't know.
"Superior," Xigbar reported, while Axel kicked at the cloaked figure, making them fall silent. "Members V, VI, and II are still being torchered for information, but this one is stubborn. We've tried everything, but they won't tell us anything!"
Dream-Max kept her head down, avoiding the cloaked figures face, as Xemnas took a step towards them.
"Is it true? Will you not tell us anything?" Xemnas used a tone of mock injury.
"Never!" the clocked figure gritted. My eyes flew wide. I knew that voice! I just couldn't place it at the moment...
"Fine then!" Xemnas said, straighting up. "Max." He signaled Dream-Max.
She hesitated, then stepped forward, finally daring to glance at the figure.
"Max... please..." the figure pleaded.
"Silence!" Axel growled and kicked the figure again.
Then the unspeakable happened. Dream-Max bent down, grabbed the figure's head, and with an agonized scream, the figure began to fade, their being shredding into pieces and being whisked away by and invisible wind.
The scream brought be into cold wakefulness. I sat bolt upright, clutching myself for comfort. The clock read 3: 47, blinking lazily. I became aware I was holding my breath, and let it out in a horrified gasp.
As much as I tried, the meeting with Xemnas and the dream stuck in my head. And all through the night I kept hearing that scream, kept trying to place that voice.
Yet I didn't dare to try and remember what my dream-self had done. What I had done.
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