Time is...

[ultimecia]

[glow=purple,2,800]A soft breath would escape the woman's lips, and a simple mist would take shape in contrast of temperature. How long ago was it that she was allowed access to this place, and merged dimensions to the Observatory-- a peaceful sanctuary. Even further into the past, how long was it since she took care of that little girl, and made sure she remained safe, with memory kept in every single cell of hers? That child who would come back again and again, unknowing of the meaning of "Death," but of continuation.

Further still, how long has it been since she has not peered into the future, or past at every second of her life; a flash of oncoming premonitions that have interrupted her sentences midway?

No matter, soon she would be able to see only the present, and reflect on the past. She would be curious of the future which she would not be able to see anymore... for at least several minutes, her mind will know rest.

As she stood there, starring at the sky with probing premonitions-- superimposing themselves on her sights, she couldn't help but smile. Her wings had grown rather heavy as of late, and therefore would drip heavy feathers to disappear before touching soil. Her hair, which was adorned by shells and bells, and encased in horn-like structures would be released from their hold, to fall freely, over her back and shoulders; a silver ocean. Her fingers would twitch a little within the gentle cloth that kept them warm...

"It is time..." she whispered, closing her eyes to focus what she could, "...for time to have a new guardian..."

Her wings stretched until they arched upward, and she raised her aching hands up to the sky. She glowed a soft purple light for a split second, before that color vanished-- now she had to wait for the candidate to accept. [/glow]

[Atticus the Fallen]

"Saying goodbye...?

A voice. A dark, horrible voice like out of the shadows of one's own soul. With it came the presence of something worse. The weight on one's heart when it came would be enough to crack most mortals, but Ultimecia was no mortal, yes? If she could still feel dread in all her experience... heavens knows this would be the source.

"Surely, you've seen this coming for a long time..." it added, accompanied by its owner stepping from a corridor which had just opened behind Ultimecia. He stood there a moment, black wings stretching to dismiss the swirl of darkness leaving only they. Two beings of tremendous power... one with mastery over time, the other with mastery over darkness.

The Fallen watched her carefully as he spoke. "Your time is..." he said calmly, his voice everywhere in this dark realm... "over."

[ultimecia]

[glow=purple,2,800]As soon as she heard that ever familiar substance of darkness, she closed her eyes, and lowered her head to give a light chuckle. At first, she turned her head, and then her body ever so lightly to the side to stare at that creature behind her with a deceiving smile, “Your timing could not have been worse.” she would mutter in that sultry way of her before fully turning to face The Fallen.

Feathers would drop freely from her tired wings, and they would touch ground with difficulty of vanishing; it was obvious her powers were leaving, and she was beginning to feel her age. Her hair glowed a bright silver with the light that bounced from the snowy surface of Castle Oblivion, and her eyes would peer deeply into those yellow hues of the trespasser. A single breath could be heard of her at such a quiet place.

“You are too early.” She shook her head disapprovingly before looking to him again, “… and time is still at my side... My vision is… failing me, so you must forgive me... if I am not too precise on your actions... but you are here to gain nothing, or did you already know that?” [/glow]

[Atticus the Fallen]

"Gain nothing, my dear?" Atticus asked, beginning to stroll forward. His hand lifted slowly, sparking lightly from accumulating power. "I beg to differ... without a guardian, Time will be in flux... unable to move forward nor back... frozen in place for eternity. In other words... the moment of my victory, the moment Kingdom Hearts is at long last driven into shadow and I conduct the deathstroke on Time's Guardian... will last forever. Darkness will live on, safe finally from Light's tyranny..."

Here, Atticus paused, pointing his hand at Ultimecia. "The rest... is silence!!" he called, a blast of dark lightning streaking from his arm at the witch. Clearly, Atticus was wasting no time. He wasn't here to lure the woman to the darkness. He wasn't here to be charismatic or seductive. He came here to murder Ultimecia. And he would not beat around the bush doing it.

[ultimecia]

[glow=purple,2,800]"TIME!" shouted the woman, her eyes glowing a soft gold as the world around her came to a stand still. She could hear the mild zapping of the attack that was aimed at her, but nothing more. She seemed to stand there, but another Ultimecia would walk away from the blast, taking her sweet time in moving just centimeters away from harm.

Time resumed normally afterward, and the blast of darkness would not hit its target... the old image of the still Ultimecia vanishing, only to see her just a distance away from where she was. She was the witch of time, after all... and Atticus had stumbled on her realm... she had no reason to go easy on him.

"How's this?!" she called out, magic arrows the shade of lily appear around her, all aiming dutifully against The Fallen before dashing at him, honing in on his location! [/glow]

[Atticus the Fallen]

Atticus grunted lightly, seeing the witch use her powers to avoid his attack. That was fine... he had already seen it in the mirror. She was destined to fall this day, so it was really a matter of wasting her mana, forcing her hand to use up every ounce of magic power she had to give... then deal the deathstroke.

The dark one whirled around to find her, only having microseconds to react to the incoming arrows. With no time to dodge, he merely crossed his arms over his features and rode it out, the attacks hitting squarely and painfully into his arms, but he shook it off. Throwing his arms to he sides, he flung the arrows to the ground before slamming a fist into the ground. Timing was a difficult thing when you couldn't see from what direction the attack was coming.

The ground below Ultimecia would bulge lightly, then erupt upward in a geyser of darkness, seering and painful. With this distraction in the works, Atticus would rush forward, attempting to grab the woman and lock her in place, so that even her time manipulation would do little more than give her a few extra seconds to think on how to escape.

"Give up, darling..." he'd say to her, his voice frighteningly calm and alluring. "We both know how this will end... why fight it? Look..." he'd try to draw her attention to the sky, where stars were already beginning to blink out. "The Dark Day is here... Kingdom Hearts has fallen... all that's left now... is to send the old guardian of time out with the old age..."

[ultimecia]

[glow=purple,2,800]"Ughn!" Ultimecia was caught, but not on accident-- She had foreseen that her speed was slowing, and if she was to avoid the geyser to escape such heavy damage, she needed to take the strike and deal with the holding of her neck. The witch of time would flinch a little, a few of her silver locks falling out of place.

The dark one would try to draw her attention toward the skies, but she already knew it was to happen... the blackness consuming the worlds. Sadly, this would be taken care of by others... That was not her battle... this one is. As he continued to rant about her fate, she grabbed his arm and flew with him into the skies at a break time speed, almost warping above.

"I decide... when my time is up-- but for now...Playtime is over!" Her voice seemed to echo around Atticus, similar to how he can manipulate the darkness for his voice. "COME GRIEVER!" she would shout, and her image began to morph into something else... Her hands would become crossed over her chest, and a living-lion's head would adorn over her head. Her wings would become demon-like, and from behind, a new pair of strong, beast-like arms would appear... her assistant had arrived.

Atticus would be starring at the little, but all powerful form of the old Witch. Griever, while Atticus rested in shock (if he WAS in shock) would grab both his arms so he would be unable to move, and remove his hand from around her Keeper's neck. The beast pinned him there, as his wings began to flap up and down, carrying both while Ultimecia whispered the next words, "Time CRUNCH!!"

...Soon, the Fallen would feel paralyzed and unable to move, yet still he was suspended in Mid Air. Ultimecia in this form would part from him, and watch him a moment or two, wondering if he had anything to say... before...

'tch... not now' She would hold herself well, but she was losing sight of the future... her vision was not being super imposed by images like it usually was... that precognition was fading. [/glow]

[Atticus the Fallen]

This... was unexpected. His glimpse into the future did not afford him the image of Griever merged with Ultimecia. This was a power he was not at this moment prepared to deal with, and the consequences of that were obvious. He grunted, dragged into the air by the more powerful being. He couldn't launch an appropriate counter offensive. No time.

Suddenly, he was frozen in time and space... a statue hovering over the broken fragments of what was once the Land of Departure. He couldn't move, could barely speak. All he could really do was look at the guardian of time with a quick movement of the eyes and get one or two words in edgewise.

"Time's almost up..." he muttered, observing her pose, her actions. "Not long to go now..."

He could feel it already. The spell was wearing off swiftly. He could already move his arm... and was preparing to make another attack.

[ultimecia]

[glow=purple,2,800]Ultimecia watched those daunting eyes of her enemy, and she smirked softly under Griever's mask. She held out a hand, and at least forty arrows would form at once, all surrounding the dark one where he stood.

"Endless..."

She flicked her wrist, and in two's and three's those arrows would strike at The Fallen, piercing his shoulders, arms, legs, shoulders, chest, back, feet... pretty much hitting every inch of his body with energy arrows.

"...Sleep!"

When the last of the arrows sank into his body, all the pointy magic weapons lighted up, before wrapping Atticus in a loud, burning explosion. Ultimecia watched, and made distance from the blast, as she slowly reverted back to her original form. She held a little at her shivering hands, feeling more of her age... she could not rely in the omnipotent insight she had on the future anymore. It was all fading... yet all she could do was stall, until the deed was done!

'Master...' Griever would sound within the hold of the Witch, 'You must rest... allow me to clean up this mess....

The old woman looked tenderly at her little summon gem, and she lifted the encased beast to her lips, whispering sweetly, "Thank you Griever for all... but you ... have a job to do... now... keep her safe for me... "

'....Master...?' The beast would growl worriedly...

"Go..." Unable to take another word of Griever, her loyal-most trusted partner of all time-- she sent him on his way to his next Keeper.

** ULTIMECIA WARPED GRIEVER SUMMON TO JENOVA IN CORNELIA, SAYING GOODBYES **

After a moment of silence, she looked to the clearing smoke, wondering what she was to find....[/glow]

[Secondary Characters]

In a shadowed corner where for some reason darkness would not touch a lone glowing figure sat, watching and waiting for the madness to end with puffy wet eyes. As Ultimecia began to crumble--this lone figure could see the very thread what held her together coming undone--she sighed, mournful.

The Witch of Time had said that there was nothing one could do to help her, and she was right...but Cosmos had found that, even if cycles repeated themselves, she did not enjoy every outcome, no matter what she learned from these predestined acts.

The price to see this new world come to a climax would be the death of Ultimecia, and as she watched, she could only shake her head.

"And so, my Child of Redeeming Light," said the goddess, her eyes set on the Witch, unblinking and locked on. "you shall see peace in your rebirth, and happiness and joys...won't you?"

[Atticus the Fallen]

"URrkk!!" Atticus would grunt, as every single arrow found its mark. They impaled him, stabbed him, did more damage than he had ever experienced. To say the feeling was excruciating was an understatement. Then, as if to add insult to injury, they began to glow, and then exploded.

He would fall, as his name so prophetically implied. From that spot in mid-air where the damage had been done to the ground, he collapsed, so that when the smoke cleared, the image that Ultimecia would have would be of the Fallen, damaged... bleeding... twitching lightly and involuntarily. Had she... beaten him?

Long moments would pass... Silence still. For the briefest of moments, one might guess that prophecy could sometimes be wrong, that the future was always in utter flux. Perhaps it was Ultimecia who would be the hero of this story?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

... that is, until a sickening snap would issue from the form of Atticus... and slowly he would begin to pick himself up. He pushed himself off the ground, black wings stretching skyward with gut-wrenching snaps of bone coming back into place. His coat was battered and torn, and he was holding at one arm... but still he STOOD. A cough escaped him... his back to Ultimecia as he spoke.

"Impressive... no single person has ever pushed me this far before... but this is where it ends..." he muttered, then slowly turned. The flesh of his arm was exposed through the tears of his coat, and as he reached up with his other hand to rip away the useless cloth, that arm would contort and mutate into something hideous... something that would fracture the mind of a lesser being. Atticus had not yet been pushed as far as to assume his second form... but he was certainly somewhere... between.

"Now... you die..." he said calmly, then rushed forward with a speed unmatched from his previous form. He had doubled in power, in speed, and agility. Atticus the Fallen... was a more effective killing machine. And Ultimecia was his target...

[ultimecia]

[glow=purple,2,800]Dearest Jen,

My heart goes out to you on your journey to memories, in hopes that as you read this, they begin to flourish and nestle your mind with happiness, and warmth. You have grown to be a beautiful flower, my dear, and I am proud to have seen you grow so elegantly. My time is short now, and as you read this, beautiful child, I begin to fade. It is time for you to become my successor; for you to take the mantle as Guardian of Kronos and Griever.

Wildly, the two fought in mid air, clashing and clawing at one another. Performing massive spells, and countering them with even bigger incantations. The Witch of Time was loosing sight of the future, and it would come at random intervals in a minute.

I fight for my life this instant; i have barely any energy left, and although my life is threatened, I cannot help but wonder...

...How you are?

....Have you remembered me, that sad, old woman from your past?

Ahah...Do you still like the color blue?

Silly things to you, I'm sure, but to me, they are fond memories, my sweet child.

"APOCALYPSE!!" She would shout to the heavens, and a symbol stretched out bellow her and quickly covered a wide radius around. Like a flash in darkness, a holy light would flare from the seal, and burn those close to her, along with blind those afar watching. The witch made some distance between her and Atticus, by this time gasping for air.... her eyes losing focus...

My time is short now, my brave Jenova, and I must bid you farewell, but not a goodbye, for we will meet again soon, and when that time comes, will tell me if you still like the color blue?

....please, take care of all while I am gone. Griever will assist you... all you must do, is accept,

...my darling child....

.... and soon...

"HRRAAAAH!!" A bright light seemed to charge itself within her grasp as she saw Atticus dash ever so close, "§hockwave Pulsar!" she called, and toss the speck of blue light in front of the Heartless Leader, launching him backwards against the snowy layered steps that lead to the Castle Grounds. Ultimecia after her attack descended , her wings growing heavy with every flap...

...very soon...

...a new day will begin... and we will meet again, I promise...

...Just Accept.

ÞUltimecia

A breath... The witch needed a breath, so she floated there in the sky looking at the rubble bellow. Time--Time was slipping from her...[/glow][/b]

[Atticus the Fallen]

A slash here, a cut there. She'd make an attack, he'd parry. He'd attack her, she'd stop him as best she could. The blast came and he went flying back, but was able to recover quite well. Skidding across the snowy white rock, his footing became sure again, and he launched himself forward into battle.

She was getting slower, and he could see her attacks coming now. With that massive claw of his, he could easily slice through oncoming arrows, shield himself effectively from even her bigger attacks. He was more durable, able to take some of it head on without hesitation, and when he needed to, he was fast enough to make it count.

Now, it was down to this. She was breathing, unable to put up any more of a defensive. He was coming on like a freight train, his claw raised to make the final blow, ready to pierce through her heart and end her forever. He was inevitable, and his attack was coming like the pointed horn of a bull...

...poised to kill!

[Twilight Path]

"I ACCEPT!!" echoed around them... a voice reaching from distances unknown was warped, and twisted. It was uncertain to Atticus who it was that spoke... but it was clear for the Witch of Time...

[ultimecia]

[glow=purple,2,800]...I Accept...

Ultimecia simply floated there, starring at Atticus as he came...

...She did nothing... she needed to stall no more... she could see no more...

...For those few seconds she had left... she could see nothing, but what was infront of her... not the future... nor the past because she was just not thinking about that.

The Old Witch.... was looking at the now, and now alone...

...for those few... seconds.[/glow]