The Key Beyond the Skies Part: II

Previous Chapter

https://www.fairytail-rp.com/t39447p550-job-sign-up-thread#392451

After agreeing to help the mysterious Mickey Mouse, Zachary and his Spirits returned to the better comfort of privacy to Zachary's inn room. Oddly, no one paid mind to a walking, talking, anthropomorphic mouse. However, compared to creatures from Seven, he probably was nothing short of normal. With the agreement to help Mickey on his quest and after the attack of the mysterious 'Nobodies', Zachary was determined to help out. Though Mickey wasn't willing to share everything he knew, he insisted it was for good reason. He did feel bad to not be able to say more, but it was something that could wait. Zachary's Spirits, however, were not so easily swayed as they wanted to know what Mickey was keeping to himself, but Zachary trusted the mouse regardless. That and Astral the Star Fairy was already making friends with the friendly mouse creature.

Aquila had returned to the Celestial Realm, his energy exhausted. However, Leo the Lion, aka Ajani stuck around to be of help and listen to more of Mickey's story. They were now in Zachary's room, with Zachary at the desk chair and Mickey on the foot of the bed.

"As I was saying, the Nobodies follow the master of the stronger one that summons them. My quest was to find them and stop them from causing harm to others. But I have no idea which member or members are here. I was trying to track them down when I ran into you. I did see you fight that night, and I was really relieved you could hold your own. You're magic is really, really impressive." the mouse replied with enthusiasm.

Zachary rubbed the back of his neck modestly, unable to stop from smiling. "Oh, why thank you, but I can't take all the credit. Without Leo and the others, it would have been another story..." Zachary commented, looking to Leo.

The white lion remained in the corner, his arms folded as he listened silently and glanced at Mickey. Though he knew the mouse was not responsible for the attack, the mystery around him still warranted his observation and vigilance. Something about the mouse seemed 'otherworldly'...

Mickey could sense the suspicion, so he tried to focus on the more friendlier Zachary and his companion Astral, who sat beside Mickey, unafraid. "Be that as it may, the Organization has more abilities beyond just controlling Nobodies. They are their minions, so we need to be ready for whatever they throw at us." Mickey mentioned.

Sitting at the desk area, Zachary had his chair reversed, his hands on the back of it to look at Mickey. "So what can we expect? Have you seen the attacker? Could you describe him?" he asked.

Mickey gave some thought to this. "Gosh... Well, he would have a cloak similar to mine... but much taller, like your size." he replied.

"That narrows it down..." Zachary grumbled with a roll of his eyes, pointing out that described anyone who was human. "What I meant was, what do you know about the ones who are controlling these Nobodies?"

"Well, simple enough, the Organization consists of thirteen members-- or did at some point, but are constantly changing. Most of them are the higher nobodies I mentioned before. " Mickey explained, "I would be able to recognize them if I saw them. But there is something I should tell you. These Nobodies will try to trick you. While they tend to retain the memories they made as humans, the feelings they display are merely an act. Especially if they further the Organization's goals. So don't be taken aback by their tricks. "

Zachary could see the seriousness in the mouse's eye, which was hard to do since he looked so cherubic in nature. "I'll do my best," Zachary replied. Now curious, he swung himself off his chair and stood up. "Though do you mind if I ask you a personal question? I am expecting you have magic that can beat them? You have seen my magic, right? Can you show me yours?"

Mickey's eyes light up a bit with surprise. "Oh? Well, I suppose I can," he said.

Excited, Astral began to flutter into the air. Aye! Magic-magic! he cheered, wanting to see it too.

He slid off the bed and landed onto the ground with a soft bounce. Carefully, he rolled up his sleeves and stretched his arms to loosen up. "It normally is difficult to defeat Nobodies or similar creatures without special tools. I, however, have one." he stated.

Zachary watched closely as the mouse raised a hand, and bits of light began to sparkle from his hand. With a swift 'chime' and flash, an object magically appeared in his grasp. At first, Zachary thought it was a sword, but the design was unusual. The handle was an odd shape with guards on both sides, the handle in the center. It would stretch up instead of a narrow and sharp 'blade', it was like a smooth pole. At the end, the only part that could be considered sharp was a 'forked' protrusion from the pole, which resembled oddly enough the teeth of a key. The entire item looked like an oversized key.

"A key?" Zachary replied, finding the concept of that as a weapon strange. "That's a weapon?"

Mickey turned to him and nodded, proudly holding the key in his hand. "Yep! It's called a Keyblade! A special weapon that reflects the strengh of one's heart."

Zachary couldn't help but be interested by that. Beyond the lovely star and night pattern of the mouse's Keyblade, he was interested in the concept of a weapon that reflected the personality of the wielder. "Really? Does it manifest your heart and feelings as magic ?" he asked.

"Gosh, I suppose so," Mickey said with interest, looking at it. "Though its full potential is kind of unknown, Keyblades are almost alive. They choose their wielders too. There is alot of magic in it that gives it great power, including the power to vanquish enemies such as the Nobodies-- but also can save others as well. But I won't go too much into that."

Zachary scratched his chin in thought as he looked at the key. "I see... so in general, your magic is kind of similar to what we call 'Requip' magic," he asked.

"Um...I suppose so, " Mickey said shyly, and with that and a flick of his hand-- the mysterious Keyblade vanished from his grip as quickly as it appeared. "Although, I am a capable magician. I do know how to use magic outside of just swinging the key. So you can count on me for magical support."

WC: 1111

Zachary really enjoyed learning about Mickey's magic. He certainly was an interesting mouse, and friendly. Had Astral not been so willing to rest near him, he would of still had doubts. But that was quickly dismissed by Zachary-- that and the vision he saw with his Stargazer eyes didn't show any 'feelings' of malevolence in him. If anything, the exact opposite. Still, Zachary wasn't 100% sure how his eyes worked, and were still not under his control.

If I may ask, what exactly was the magic you used?" Mickey asked, wanting to see Zachary's magic in return.

It was a fair request, and one Zachary didn't feel the need to keep secret. Digging into his pocket, Zachary pulled out the keyring he had-- revealing the series of Celestial Spirit Keys he had. Ironic they both used 'keys' of some kind for their magics. "I'm a Celestial Wizard. I use keys that unlock the gates of the stars and constellations, which allow me to summon spirits from their world to help me. Leo and Aquila are such spirits," Zachary said as he showed Mickey the keys. The mouse looked interested at the different keys, their color or design-- and the insignias on each pertaining to each constellation. "Each spirit has its own key and with it, their own unique powers. While I cannot summon them without the keys, they are loyal friends and those I care about. Anyway, its my kind of summoning. But more importantly, I can use my own magic to make them stronger too."

Taking the keys back to the safety of his pocket, Zachary smiled at Mickey. "I am also dabbling in new magic called the Arc of Cosmos-- but I haven't fully learned its secrets just yet. It's risky magic if used incorrectly, but in a worst-case scenario, I can use other magic to help out if I am without my keys." he explained.

Mickey looked happy to see them and looked up to Zachary. "Gosh, I didn't realize such magic was like that here. Certainly different than where I am from." the mouse said.

"And... where exactly are you from?" Ajani asked, speaking up from the corner where he was lounging against.

A nervous tick of Mickey's ears came back to the focus on the lion who threatened to eat him. Even if it was a bluff, Zachary could only imagine how nervous it was for the smaller mouse to be in the presence of a hulking, large lion spirit. Especially one of Leo's caliber who could easily intimidate the most fearsome of enemies.

"Oh, um-- ah, well, very far away. I'm not very familiar with things in Fiore, as you can imagine," Mickey answered, trying to keep his answer light.

"You certainly aren't," Leo grumbled lightly as he stayed where he was.

A grunt came from Zachary-- more for Leo's rather antisocial behavior. Even though he meant well, he had a hard time with other people for his mistrust in humans for so long. Zachary sometimes wondered how he even was able to make a pact with Leo at all.

"Anyway, maybe we should focus more on the dangers and a plan to combat these 'Nobodies'?" Leo suggested, his tone becoming a bit more neutral for the interest of their meeting going on.

"I guess so," Zachary sighed, realizing there was much at stake and they couldn't get too distracted. Still, it was nice to take the chance to know one another.

A little unnerved by Leo, Mickey turned back to Zachary. "Your lion friend is right. We should focus on the problem at hand. If the Organization does attack again, we need to be ready. " the mouse agreed.

Once more, Astral was completely lost on the topic going on. The cherubic like star didn't follow much of the dire monsters or suspicion in the room, but the little guy went floating up into the air and began to approach Leo-- attempting to turn his grumpy face into something more pleasant. The lion tried to ignore him and listen to the conversation.

"If we knew what their goal was, we could at least hypothesize where they would be-- what they want and target to stop them ahead of time," Zachary thought aloud for them to hear as he held his chin. "Do you have any idea what they want with Rose Garden? "

Mickey looked disappointed and shook his head. "No... I only just arrived to this town, following their trail. I have no idea what they are looking for here, or who. In the past, they were looking for specific hearts-- the light of hearts." the mouse explained.

"The light of hearts...?" Zachary thought, the term sounding familiar, or something that struck a chord with him.


WC: 795

The room was tense with the desire to discover the secret behind the Organization's goal. There was so much they didn't know-- either that or Mickey couldn't share more details. The concern of another attack was clear and very likely to happen sooner than later. Zachary kept running that saying in his head. "The light in hearts." Why did that resonate so much to him?

"Mickey, what is the light that is people's hearts?" Zachary asked the mouse.

The mouse looked up with interest, and thought himself, trying to describe the best way to say it. "Well, it goes back to an ancient legend of the people once had their hearts filled with light, but people would fight over it and darkness began to dwell in their hearts," Mickey explained, "The lights were entrusted to children and survived as others were consumed by darkness and destroyed each other. Why? Did you think of something?"

Leo took an interest as he saw the deep look of concentration on his friend and master's face.

"Well, what you call light-- it is possible they are referring to magic," Zachary said, "This is more of a belief than a legend, but when I was first learning magic, and old teacher was the first to tell me that magic is born in one's heart. If one believes in themselves, knowing its there even if you cannot see or know it... one can learn magic. It comes from unwavering belief. It starts with you. Point being its that same ideology that helps allow one to be able to use magic. Naturally, people take it at their leisure and use it differently, but the same principle applies. " he explained as simply as he could. "Point is if magic comes from one's heart... is that the 'light' they could be after?"

Mickey listened carefully to what Zachary had to say, and the more he did, the more pleased Mickey seemed to be. "Gosh, I think you may very well be right! Though the words are different, power does come from the heart. It certainly would make sense for the Organization, who have no hearts."

POOF!! It was then another interruption came in the form of the sudden appearance of a white owl. Mickey fell flat on his behind as Nyx came out of thin air and perched on the nearby chair. "Sorry for the delay-- Hoot!, the snowy white owl said as she stretched her wings, "But I was researching what you asked and... " the owl soon realized the change of scenery and the fact there was a 'giant, friendly-looking' mouse creature in the room Zachary was lodged in. "I beg your pardon. Am I interrupting anything?" she asked courteously.

"Um... Nope, not really. " Zachary cleared his throat as he looked to Mickey. "Um, Mickey, this is one of my spirits. The owl spirit Nocturna-- I like to call her Prof. Nyx," he said . "Professor Nyx-- Mickey Mouse."

Mickey did look a bit worried by the wide-eyed wise owl. "Ooooh.... not another bird who wants to snack on me, is it?" he asked.

Zachary rolled his eyes and Nyx flapped her wings as if offended. "What foolishness is he talking about? I would never--" Nyx asked but was interrupted by Zachary's sighing.

"It was a bluff by me and Leo. Then, a bad joke by Aquila. Let's just leave it alone and move on..." Zachary said to try and ease things.

While concerned about the constant jokes about eating a mouse, especially with a lion in the room, Mickey smiled at the owl. "It's very nice to meet you, Ms. Nyx," he said with a nod of his head.

"Aww, aren't you the sweetest mouse I ever met," she said kindly-- but let out another hoot at the poor word choice. "Sorry, that was a horrible unintentional pun. Anyway, back to the matter at hand." She soon turned with her talons to face Zachary, the talismans from her wings jingling as she moved. "I researched what I could on those kinds of creatures. However, the closest comparison I was able to gather from them was that they are extremely similar to what we know as a 'homunculus' "

Astral tilted his little head at the word. Ho..mo..colo? he spoke, clearly messing up the word.

"No, little one. Homunculus..." the owl said slowly, then turned to Zachary and the others in the room. Ones who could get the point of her search. "They are often products of alchemy to create purely synthetic human beings. Essentially, living dolls. But they lack complicated emotions and certainly do not possess the intelligence to do complicated attacks like what you experienced the previous night. "

Zachary leaned against the desk as he thought. "I see... that makes sense. It tracks with what Mickey described them," Zachary said and addressed to Nyx. "We learned a bit too. They are called "Nobodies" and they are controlled by a more intelligent "Nobody" that seems to follow a hierarchy system or pack mechanic. Take your pick what to call it. Either way, the knights were right to presume that someone summoned them. "

"How curious," Nyx replied with a pleased hoot.

WC: 869

"Well, if they are looking for magic, or rather the magic that are part of a wizard's heart... it would explain why they were drawn to Rose Garden. Next to magical guilds like Fairy Tail, there be no bigger concentration of magic. Rose Garden is FULL of magic," Zachary added with a gesture of his arms. "But what I don't get is why they would attack in the middle of a busy street. It wasn't like something there worth taking or specifc to draw power except lots of locals walking around. If they wanted people with strong magic, they would of attacked a guild in another town, like the Rune Knights or Sabertooth... "

As Zachary thought, so did Mickey. The brainpower in the room would have began to smell like something burning if they thought any harder, but then Mickey gave a jump at an idea. "Maybe it wasn't them looking for something. If they are following the Organization's orders, they might of been either scouting for something or..."

"Trying to draw someone out!" Leo spoke up. They all turned to the lion, who now stood up from his place he was lounging against the wall. "It wouldn't benefit them otherwise to just run around in the open like that unless they wanted to lure out someone... and of course I can only think of one real 'target' they would want." The lion's gaze came to Mickey. "Maybe they wanted to lure you out to eliminate you, for example."

Mickey jumped at the direction to him. "I doubt that. I been chasing after them for a while, along with my friends," Mickey explained, and shook his head. "If I was really their target, then why not just attack me directly? "

A sigh escaped Zachary as he rubbed his head. They were running out of ways to really find them, or to figure out their goal here in Rose Garden. "Well who else would they try to lure out?"

Leo's gaze came to Zachary with an intent of mentioning something... but then something caught the lion's eye. Out of the window behind the human boy, he saw a strange, white object out of view of the window's sil. It moved like a flag, but it was shifting-- similar to what they chased before.

"GRRROWWL!!" Leo roared and lunged forward.

Zachary gave a frightened scream, Mickey ducked-- and Nyx flew into the air so fast she left some feathers behind in the air-- as Leo plowed past them and charged right for the window. It smashed open as pieces of wood and glass shattered-- and the figure he saw darted away to the left, startled.

On the ledge of the window, Leo landed on part of the tiled roof, and looked to find the same sneaky white creature from before. This time it slithered over to the alleyway below the building, trying to get away.

"LEO! Have you lost your mind?!" Zachary shouted, gripping his hair.

"It's them! The creatures!" Leo growled as he got ready to chase after it. "Zachary, summon a spirit that can follow it! Hurry!" With his roar, he volted from the rooftop and went to follow.

Zachary sighed as he saw the broken window and torn window curtains. "Well, there goes my room deposit," he commented and rubbed his neck from the stress of the fright.

"Your lion friend is right. We have to follow it!" Mickey said as he pointed out of the room.

Zachary nodded and went over to his bed. As he picked up Astral and put him into the hood of his jacket, he moved to the door. "Let's go!" he said. Nyx quickly took flight and landed on Zachary's shoulder, the snowy white owl wanting to see first hand what was going on.

They rushed as fast as they could out of the inn, explaining to the staff there was an emergency and he ran out of the door. The moment he was outside, he took out his keys. He needed someone who could track the enemy, and while Aquila had sharp sense of vision, he couldn't likely find them without visual sight first. However, Zachary had another option he could call forward. "Open-- Gate of Canis Major!" Zachary called out, holding out a key with a wolf's head at the tip. "SIRIUS!!"

A flash of light appeared just as Mickey exited the inn and witnessed Zachary summon a Celestial Spirit. "Oh, wow!" he squeaked.

The smoke cleared to reveal an armored, anthro wolf creature with sharp claws, hulking body and a feral growl and look in his eye as he came out with a howl into the air. As he calmed down he turned and saw Zachary beside him with his key. "Ey, Zachary! Long time no see. Don't suppose you called me out to be your wing-wolf as you go paint the town red, hm?" the wolf said.

Clearly not seeing Nyx on his shoulder, the owl gave a disapproving hoot at the wolf. "Like I would ever allow you to be a bad influence on him, Sirius," Nyx commented dryly.

"Sirius, we got no time for jokes and this is an emergency," Zachary explained, his tone stern but concerned, "Leo is already chasing the creature that was spying on us. Can you find him? ANd when you do, use your nose to follow the trail of the creature. "

"Easy-peasey-lemon-squeezy," the wolf said as he went on all fours, but turned his head. "Speaking of the squeeze, think after as a thank you i can find some lovely ---"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" Nyx hooted angrily, her wings flapping hard that almost smacked Zachary's face. "Now get going or else I will neuter you!"

"Alright, alright," the wolf barked and took off running. "Don't be a kill-joy, old bird!"

As he ran, the owl gave a soft hoot of exhaustion. "Sigh.. the youth of some spirits..." she sighed, and Zachary reached up to stroke her feathers to calm her.

WC: 1005

The squabble between the wolf, the human and the owl made Mickey a bit uneased. "]Um, should I be worried about what just happened? " the mouse asked, a puzzled look on his face.

Zachary turned and raised a hand behind his neck. Nyx on his shoulder just shook her head solemnly and embarrassed. "Sorry about that. Sirius is one of my better scouts but... he has some.. discipline problems," Zachary explained, trying not to use words like 'pervy' or 'perverted' despite how true they were. Astral inside Zachary's hood looked around, clearly clueless and unaware of such bad behavior for being so child-like. "Anyway, let's get going before Leo and Sirius lose their trail!" he said and took off down the street. Mickey quickly followed.

Up on the rooftops, Leo leapt from each one. The man-lion was quick on his feet and was able to keep going. His eye was kept on the slivers of white he could see on the "Nobody" but he was still slippery to track. Leo had wanted to jump down, grab and squish it into submission for endangering others and spying on them. But if they were all part of a collective, then it was wiser to follow them.

After a few blocks of following-- Leo sensed another presence to his side.

"Hey there, pussy cat," Sirius' voice barked. Leo glanced to find the wolf spirit running alongside him on all fours, keeping up with him. "Someone stole your catnip?"

"Enough with your jokes. You're a better tacker, so track that thing down there. " Leo growled.

"Gasp-- the great Leo the Lion admits I am better than him at something? Lady luck really has a thing for me, doesn't she?" Sirius teased.

Leo cast a deadly glare at the wolf. "Just do it, you dumb mutt!"

The wolf had a soft chuckle but did as requested. He got ahead of Leo and caught on to the scent of the target. That was all that it took as the creature went out of view behind another building. Sirius had a lock on him now and he could follow it at his leisure with a sniff of his nose. "I got him. No way he is getting away," the wolf sneered.

"Just don't go sniffing for some woman or something, you pervert..." Leo commented.

The wolf almost tripped over his own feet at the topic. He glared at Leo. "Dude! Two times that happened! Get over it!"

Able to track them with his magic, and overhearing their bickering, Zachary followed them through the streets and followed the trail that Sirius now led. He wasn't worried. Even for all his bad behavior as a wolf, Sirius knew when to be serious when it was important. Entering another alley among the street of Rose garden was starting to get old but Zachary followed the trail and the path that Sirius followed.

It wasn't long till Leo dropped down from the rooftops, joining Zachary on the ground. "We're close. Be ready for anything," the lion warned.

With Mickey and the other spirits with him, Zachary followed Sirius to the end-- finding another enclosed space behind several buildings. This one was an abandoned playground looked to be for the residents in this area. A rusty pair of swings was there, along with an old merry-go-round and slide elsewhere. Further in the back of the wall was a basketball hoop for kids to play with.

As they stopped, they found Sirius ahead of them, sniffing the area with his nose to the ground. "Grrr... it is here, or it was. The trail ends here," the wolf said, looking around. The strange white thing could be hidden among the playground but they didn't see anything that stuck out among the shaded area.

Zachary furrowed his brow as he looked down to the large wolf. "You sure you didn't get distracted and lose the trail?" Zachary asked.

"Now you're just insulting me! I'm telling you, the trail ends here and there is nowhere for that little bugger to go," the wolf growled.

Out of all of them, Mickey didn't lower his guard or think they lost it. He kept looking around, till he caught something. "There!" the mouse shouted, pointing to the top of the slide.

On the top behind its metal surface, was the Nobody. The moment it was pointed out, it slithered through the air and darted to a space on the ground-- and oddly vanished in a black portal-- only to blink out.

"It ran again?" Mickey wondered.

"No. A mere pawn to a game. It seems you brought a whole bunch of Playmates, haven't you, your majesty?" A voice spoke out, laced with sarcasm that put the rest of them on edge.

At that moment, another mass of shadow appeared at the back of the playground in the basketball field. The shadow stretched up, forming a kind of portal shape-- and out of it appeared a figure completely cloaked in black. A black trench coat that went all the way down to his feet and a hood. He stepped out and looked to them.

Zachary took a step back as Sirius and Leo growled, ready to fight from the mysterious person. Even Mickey stepped up, his 'Keyblade" appearing in his hands. Whoever it was, they all knew this person was trouble.

After a moment, the shrouded figure allowed the darkness behind him to fade and he reached up with his hand. He pulled back the hood he had on-- revealing his face to them. What Zachary saw, he didn't expect in terms of color. The man who revealed his face had short, blonde hair and was roughly in his late 20s or early 30s. He had a clean-cut mustache and a devilishly handsome smile. A single earing was worn on his ear as he looked to them.

WC:980

"Luxord!" Mickey cried and brandished his Keyblade, recognizing the sharp man.

"You know him?" Zachary asked, as his Spirits joined Mickey to the mouse's defense.

"I sure do," he replied with a stern expression on his face. "He is one of the members of Organization 13! "

The man in black looked to them as he smirked at Mickey's direction. "You're majesty, It's been too long. Surely is this how you treat an old acquaintance? I figure your time as royalty would teach you general courtesy "

This, however, made Leo, Sirius and Nyx look a bit surprised as they glanced to mickey. "YOU'RE MAJESTY?" Everyone, Zachary included asked in unison.

While not having been in that situation, Mickey readied his key towards the man. "Don't play coy with us. What are you planning in this town? Why would the Organization even come here?!"

The man, Luxord shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "Sadly, I merely drew the short straw on this little errand. But I suppose finding suitable 'players' like your friends there, will suffice. After all, there are so many lights in this world, so many hearts." he said and rested a hand on his hip. "This world is filled with the lights that only a heart can produce. As you can imagine the Organization would be interested to learn of this, and fill up their ranks with the power of those that shine brighter than others... "

"I won't let that happen!" Mickey declared aloud.

WC: 250

Zachary was confused by the conversation going on between Mickey and Luxord. It made him uneasy. The light of hearts and their goals were very strange. All the while Zachary caught Luxord's gaze looking towards him. The man seemed scheming in some ways, but he didn't know much about him to make any judgments.

"Whatever your reason pal," Zachary shouted, "You caused those creatures to appear. You endangered lives. I don't give a rat's reason why-- this stops now!" Zachary urged, still holding the keys to his spirits. With Leo and Sirius out, he was ready to use force to stop the man in black.

An amused chuckle escaped the blonde man . "You have a spark to you, boy, but fair warning-- the game has only just started," he said and swiftly snapped his fingers.

Suddenly, warps of white appeared in front of him. Like warps of voids that opened up and folded in shape-- and out shot out several more of those white phantoms called Nobodies. First, two, then four, then eight, and more. Before over a dozen were around the playground, looking like warped figured.

Leo growled as they appeared.

""See you later, kids..." he said and stepped back, vanishing into a dark void.


WC: 207

Luxord vanished into the dark void, sewing back up and consuming him as he disappeared to the back of the walled in playground, leaving the Nobodies looming closer to them in their snake-like irregular movements. Leo growled in warning as he realized they were closing in. "GO!!" he roared, launching at the first one with his pole arm. With his cry, Sirius too joined the fray with his powerful claws and wolf like speed.

Zachary hesitated to summon another, as both Leo and Sirius required a great deal of magic to keep out. To summon too much would overextend his magic, even with Stellar Evolution. He couldn't use his power as he did before, trying to extend Stellar Evolution on two or three creatures at once.

One of the NObodies, one of the sleek and thin ones began to snake its way towards Zachary. Just as he would respond to get out of the way-- Mickey jumped in. "HIYA!!" he shouted, striking with his Keyblade. The white creature was deflected away as if he was changing course. The magic weapon repelled it away and caused it to vanish into a puff of white dust.

"Don't worry! I'll keep you safe, Zachary," he shouted, brandishing his sword impressively for his height or cute demeanor.

Luckily, Leo was a one-man army as the vicious white lion cleaved with his polearm, roaring aloud and drawing many foes to him, all to knock them away and leave some in half. Sirius sprinted across the playground, hopping over the slide and climbing gear to strike in swift succession to the ones that were hard to hit. The two while as different as 'cats and dogs' could be, easily was a fierce fighting duo.

Luckily, Zachary didn't have to expel more of his magic-- especially on the new magic, he was practicing as the two spirits had defeated the majority of the Nobodies.

WC: 318

With a final roar and strike, Leo struck the last of the small cluster of Nobodies. With the last puff of smoke, they were alone among the abandoned playground. Once the threat was gone, Leo growled with frustration. "That coward! All of this was a diversion! " he roared, stabbing his polearm into the ground angrily.

As Sirius sniffed the air from the enemies he vanquished, Mickey also looked a bit let down. "Luxord is our only lead. What could he hope to gain from this place?" the mouse asked, his Keyblade vanishing from his grip as he talked.

Zachary let out a sigh as Astral, the Star Fairy, peeked out from behind Zachary's hood and jacket. All the while Zachary tried to think. He wanted the light from hearts? Magic? The power that dwelled inside people, and hence his interest in the magic city, but where would he go tot collect the most of it. There was nowhere central in the city that gathered a great amount of it. However, Zachary realized one place that he could go.

"Wait... what if he is going to a place with most magic and people-- and if that is the case, I know exactly where he might go!" he exclaimed.

All his spirits and Mickey turned to him. The mouse's ears perked up at the mention of it. "Really? Where?"

"Rose Garden has a massive amusement park near the north of town. A lot of magical rides are used, and a number of people go there. If he wants to stir up trouble to lure these hearts of light, he would go there... but if he attacks that place..." Zachary said, a nervous tone in his voice showing...

"It will be chaos if that blonde jerk attacks the people there. Still, he is a slippery foe. We must be cautious. There is no time to waste, " Leo said as he pulled his weapon free.

"Do you think he will attack soon?" Mickey asked.

"The park is open but it picks up activity when nightfall comes. They hold a huge fireworks and light show at night. So if he shows up..." Zachary explained, "That would be a suitable target for him."

"Then we gotta get there. Night is only in a couple of hours. Can you show me where this is?"

"Sure, let's go!"

They soon left the playground and back through the alley... to reach the streets and on their way to the amusement park in Rose Garden. Also known as the "Magic Kingdom" (XD)

WC:425
TWCTF: 5960

Afternoon came to Rose Garden and in the northern district of the city, it was alive with activity. While not a market, shops or anything of vital needs or even for wizards, but a place for joy, laughter and children. Entertainment to brighten the souls and make them alight as the lights of the Magic Kingdom did at night. Fireworks went off every night there and magical rides entertained those who rid them. There was food, festivities, events, plays. Many miraculous distractions for the innocents. And the people there were in no small surprise.

They entered the amusement park, seeing the main street that led to a grand castle that stood out among the rest of the town, with families and children moving around the festivities with joy and wonder. Zachary's company was much less now, trying to conserve his magic as best as he could. Clad in his blue jacket like before, he had Nyx the owl perched on his shoulder, and Astral inside his hood for comfort as the little star rested for the moment-- but he was becoming restless as he saw all the wonderful sights and attractions around him. Mickey was also there, keeping close to his side. While the mouse was focused to find this mysterious, troublesome cloaked stranger named Luxord. However, the mouse was more concerned about how Luxord appeared and spoke his plan openly before Zachary. While the mouse wouldn't admit it, he felt something about Zachary sparked the Organization's interest.

Despite the urgency, Mickey couldn't help but smile at the scenes before him. The gardens, fountains, rides, people with cartoon costumes to entertain children. It was a place of happiness-- a place that Luxord wouldn't pass up to target.

"You were right. This is a place that would definitely be targeted," Mickey said softly as he looked at the numerous people here.

Zachary too was on guard, trying not to be too absorbed by the fun surrounding him. "yeah and it would get more crowded at night so hopefully we can find him before he attacks. With any luck we can stop him before sets them loose. And looks like we aren't the only ones who noticed." Zachary gave a soft point in the direction of the gates.

There he could see Rune knights standing guard. Extra security since the attack the night before. They were on guard too, though they had no clue who the attacker was. But Zachary and Mickey did.

WC: 418

By that time in the midsts of the crowd, Zachary realized something was missing. He turned to his hood and realized it was light. "Um, guys one small problem. Where is Astral?" Zachary asked.

Mickey looked in confusion and Nyx hooted in alarm, her feathers puffing out in concern. The creature was a rarity and coveted, and a target for bad people who sought his magic. It was too easy for this little guy to get lost or distracted in this amusement park!

Just as Zachary was starting to panic due to not having his companion nearby, Nyx let out a soft hoot. "Zachary, look. Over at the food stands," she said calmly, despite the concern she had in her breast moments ago. Mickey too turned to see.

What could have easily been mistaken as a low-floating balloon, was Astral as the little star critter hovered by the series of food carts that lined the edge of the walkway. He floated closer to one of them making cotton candy as it spun pink clouds of the stuff. Despite the danger that transpired, the little guy was carefree as he floated towards the machine as the man was distracted. He was entranced by the spinning machine of cotton candy, spinning clouds of pink around. Astral gave a soft hear as he reached out to try some-- but was caught in the ropes and was immediately pulled in.

"GAH! Astral! No-- bad star!" Zachary cried. By then the man running the stand realized something got in and turned it off, but the machine continued to spin a bit, wrapping more of the substance around.

By the time Zachary and the others got their, it stopped and the operator went to see what happened. All that was there was a giant clump of pink cotton candy woven. However after a moment, there was movement and a glob of it came floating out, just like a real cloud. It wobbled and swayed as if lost in the wind like a dandelion seed. After a moment it stopped just short of Zachary.

Zachary blinked at the floating blob, but soon he saw the movement as a piece in the center was removed, and revealed the adorable face of Astral He chewed the left of the cloud part as he floated there, looking like a living cloud of candy. Yummy! Cotton Candy! he cheered, and ate another part close to his face.

A sigh of relief and embarrassment escaped Zachary as he picked off a chunk of the cotton candy and popped a bit into his mouth. "Astral, you imp..." he sighed as he helped try to clean off the star fairy.

As he did this, Mickey watched with a smile on his face as he saw the boy clean up his friend. As Astral was not covered as much-- Zachary caught the look by the mouse. "What are you smiling at?" Zachary asked.

"Oh, its nothing," Mickey said with a soft chuckle, "I'm just glad you and I met. You really are a kind person, Zachary. I'm glad we ran into one another."

"Thanks." Zachary replied, unable to stop Astral from snacking on another piece of cotton candy.

WC: 535

After they got Astral cleaned up, and everything was back in order, they began to search the park again for any signs of Luxord, or any other mysterious shifty figures in black. At least now that Mickey was willing to walk around without his hood, he looked less suspicious beyond being a walking, talking mouse 3 feet tall.

After about an hour of searching, the sky began to glow orange with the setting sun. Zachary bit his lip as he walked, his owl companion still on his shoulder and Astral secure in his hood behind him. Still there was no clear sign of anyone among the colorful crowd of any such figures.

Mickey sighed as he slumped forward a bit. "We haven't found him yet. Do you think he is really here? He could be somewhere else, or..." the mouse sighed.

Zachary looked around more, feeling he was right to consider this place. "Hey said he was targeting the lights of the heart. Besides an abundance of magic, this place has more positivity than anywhere else in town. If he wants to cause trouble with an attack he would do it..." Zachary stopped as he was glancing around. He slowly turned his gaze away, as he caught something. "Mickey..." he said calmly, "Don't react, but I think I found him. "

Mickey's eyes widened, and he almost jolted, but saw the look of 'calm down' on the boy's face as he kept his gaze diverted. "Where?" Mickey asked nervously.

Zachary kept glancing at the corner of his eye. "To my right, at 5-o-clock. The towers on the castle behind me. Don't look directly or he may spot us," Zachary warned.

WC: 280

Mickey was worried as he heard this but slowly looked to the castle towers. As he gazed, he looked past the afternoon lights and the flags on the tower, and perched on the scaffle of the towers was a single man in a black robes. His gaze was out at the crowd in general, observing the flow of people in and out. A gasp did escape Mickey but nothing more. "It is him. It has to be..." he said as calmly as possible.

Zachary put his hands in his pocket as Nyx turned with her 'rotating head' and Astral seemed curious but oblivious to the tension . "Let's split up and go around the castle to keep an eye on him. If he moves, follow him. If anything bad happens, I'll send Aquila or Nyx to find you. Try to keep him in sight but not give yourself away." Zachary explained.

"Gotcha," Mickey agreed and the two separated in the crowd.

As the two seperated into the crowds, the figure on the towers continued to observe the amusement park. He was waiting for the upcoming fireworks that would happen a good hour after nightfall. That would be the best time for him to summon his minions. However, he anticipated resistance and kept a look out for anything unusual.

However, despite the wizard and the mouse's plan-- the hooded figure indeed spotted one. Zachary-- noted by the owl and star on his coat that made him stand out from other patreons of the amusement park.

Seeing this, he began to move to the back of the castle and easily jumped down to the north of the castle.

"We gotta hurry," Zachary urged, causing Nyx to take off flying as he hurred after the cloaked figure.

While separated, both Mickey and Zachary mad their way towards their target, all the while preparing for the fight. The cloaked Luxord was swift and agile, moving like a shadow along the buildings to the less occupied area. By now it had become dark. Slowly, he moved to an area that was otherwise baren of people-- under construction according to the signs over a large arching building called "the Haunted Mansion". He appeared in the courtyard, still cloaked and relaxed in his mannerism.

Despite the clear sense that he detected them, Zachary persued directly. As he turned the corner, Luxord turned to greet him with his hood up. "My, aren't you a persistent one, young man." he commented, and slowly removed his hood with a single hand.

As expected, the blonde man revealed himself with that smug grin on his face. "You radiate confidence... and more I can tell. " he commented casually.

"Enough!" Zachary demanded, his tone angry. "I won't let you attack the people here with your stupid Nobodies. Now leave this place or else!"

Despite the threat, Luxord stroke his chin. "Is this the part where the villain asks... 'or what'? Do I truly strike you as the villain in this performance, when your vermin companion hasn't shared with you his own details. The hearts of such youth today. So bright... and so naive." he declared like an actor giving a performance.

"I said-- LEAVE!" Zachary shouted again.

Little did Luxord know, he made plans long before he reached here.

WC:548

The angry tone of Zachary made Luxord grow quiet as he saw the determination on his face. "As much as I respect your bravada... you are not worth my time," he said as he gave a flick of his wrist, producing what appeared to be a card of some kind. "Now, where is his majesty you were in toe with ? He is the only one who I would call a 'threat'."

However, Zachary grinned at this too. "Then you really don't know much about Filorian Wizards, do you?" he replied cockliy.

From behind the courtyard of the building, a blur of white could be seen moving fast. Luxord's eyes widened as he sensed the movement and sudden 'violence' behind him that made his hair stand on end. A quick glance back made him soon see that up in the air was a large white, lion-man with a polearm. A vicious roar came from the lion as he appeared, but in reality, he was out much longer to sneak up on the enemy. As Zachary had arrived, he had summoned Leo out much earlier, to give him the chance to sneak up on the enemy before he could start trouble.

I'll end this now! Leo thought as he charged, intending to strike as his whole body glowed with light.

However, while surprised by the attacking lion, Luxord smirked all the same and flipped his card. A sudden light was produced by the object, causing the Lion to let out a growl of surprise, the light blinding him. A strange suction was felt by Leo as the charging Lion had went-head on into the attack. Before anything else could happen, he was pulled forward and into the light.

From Zachary's viewpoint, he watched as Leo soon was vanished into the light. When it faded, only Luxord remained. Confused, Zachary looking around, trying to find Leo. He couldn't sense that his gate was closed or not, but Leo was nowhere to be seen. With the same smug grin on his face, he turned to Zachary. "Oh, I'm sorry. Were you looking for this?" Luxord said as he held up the card he held in his gloved hand.

Zachary's eyes widened as he soon saw the small image on the card-- and it moved. Inside the card was Leo, furious as he banged on the face of the card. He looked like a cartoon by the glimpse of it, and he was banging and clawing at the card's surface to try and get out. He wasn't bearable, but Zachary could rightfully guess that the lion was pissed off being stuck in there.

"Oh, you will have to do better than, young man. Sneak attacks are an amature's tactics," Luxord said.

His best summon was immediately taken out of the game and Zachary bit his lip nervously. Compared to Leo, the other summons he had were not as strong, but he had grown as a Wizard. Still, him holding Leo 'hostage' didn't sit well with him. He took a step back, trying to think of a better strategy.

"Star-Shower!!"

Luxord reacted with a jump back as a barrage of lights came flying down. The lights impacted to the ground like small-scale meteorites that pulverized the stone below, all of which Luxord kept a step ahead of.

With a flip from one of the towers, Mickey came flying down, with Nyx the owl beside him as she glided down. With his Keyblade drawn, the mouse looked sternly to the Organization 13 member. "we won't let you have your way with this town! Nor with my friends here!" the mouse said proudly.

Ready to rumble, Zachary took out more of his keys, ready to summon when the moment would come.

WC: 625

Zachary knew he had to stop Luxord before he acted and summoned his minions into the park. If he did, many people awaiting the fireworks would be attacked-- all to lure out stronger foes. If he wanted to fight, he was about to get one. Though he held Leo prisoner inside his card, there was more than one Spirit Zachary could depend on. In the end, while he had magic he could use that didn't involve summoning, it worked best with the aid of a summon to help him fight where he could not. With a flick of his wrist, he produced one of his silver keys.

"Open, Gate of the Fox!" Zachary cried and flashed it before him with a chime, "Tama!"

The key chime sounded and a flash of light illuminated the dark. From the light appeared a beautiful yellow colored fox with violet outlinings, gloves and markings. The graceful fox creature flipped out and landed in a crouch before her summoner, ready to fight.

"Master, I am ready to fight," she said formally.

Zachary directed her towards Luxord. "He's plotting an attack on the citizens of Rose Garden. Tama, attack!" he cried.

"Understood," she replied coldly, her eyes on her target.

While even Mickey had his Keyblade ready, Luxord looked upon the mouse and fox with amusement. "I can understand this child being ignorant, your Highness, but you should of learned-- time is on my side," he said, drawing more cards, showing a defensive stance.

"If you think I am intimidated by card magic, you got another thing coming! I'll knock sense into you and knock Leo out of your hands!" Zachary shouted.

With his defiant tone, Tama took action and moved swiftly. Among the other spirits, she was swift as she jumped into the air and conjured shards of light around her. With a bark, she launched them at Luxord with the intent to slash into him.

"No--careful!" Mickey warned, moving in as well, "It's not Card Magic. It's Ti---"

Luxiord flipped his cards and suddenly they expanded, obscuring him and with its flip he added. The shards of light hit the card but it acted like a shield, forming an odd barrier that just seemed to 'negate' the shards all together.

"W-what the?" Zachary gasped.

"Yes..." Luxord's voice called. From another point in the courtyard, a card flipped, larger and moved to reveal him, his arms folded across his chest. "My specialty... is time. Small fries like you cannot hope to stand against me, " he boasted.

A drop of sweat fell from Zachary's brow. "T-Time magic? No way..." he said, knowing full well the implications of Time Magic, even by fiorian standards.

"Calm down, Zachary. Its not like that... He controls time, but he too is affected by it. It comes in the form of games he uses his cards with, but if he steals too much time to react to it all... he can trap you in his cards!" Mickey explained.

"Enough commentary!" he shouted, and with a sling of his hands, a flurry of cards came flying out-- aimed to strike Zachary, Mickey and Tama. Nyx flew off worried, her hoot and a few feathers left to the battlefield.

Zachary quickly got to cover behind a nearby fountain in the courtyard, and Tama quickly dashed across the field. Luckily she could avoid the cards easily with her superior speed. Mickey used his Keyblade to block them away, working his way closer. However, as the mouse got within reach, about to swing his Keyblade down-- Luxord blinked behind a card vanishing again.

"Too slow," he teased, appearing near the end of the courtyard. "The game has just begun!"

Zachary turned, annoyance on his face as he tried to track the man's movements. "Damn, he's all over the place!" he growled. All the while, Astral remained in his hood. The little star creature remained tucked in, keeping safe as all the fighting went on.

With each card he threw, it seemed his speed was increasing, between teleporting from card to card and a sense of dread coming over them. Even as Tama slung shards of light in many directions, the best merely scratched him briefly before he faded back away.

His grip tightened as Zachary knew he had to break out his other magic.

A stray card knocked into Mickey, sending him tumbling backwards. "Come now, you an entertain me a bit more, can you?" he boasted, still juggling his cards, occasionally flashing Leo's card-- constantly struggling to break free.

"ORION BARRAGE!!" Zachary cried.

Surprised by the shout, Luxord looked-- and was greeted by a barrage of starry-lit beams that zig-zagged through the air towards him. Realizing it came too close for him, he jumped away from Mickey, saving him from an incoming attack.

The blonde looked to find Zachary, his arm extended, the remains of a magic circle around his arm that he fired the spell from. Zachary's new magic-- the Arc of Cosmos, lost magic that allowed him to channel the powers of the cosmos through him. He panted for air as he felt the strain on him, the magic being different from Celestial Wizardry-- as it didn't require the same kind of stamina to summon spirits.

"Oh-ho! So you are more than just a plucky side-character, aren't you?" the blonde jeered with amusement.

Taking that moment, Tama too moved in, attempting to slash at Luxord with her swift and sharp claws.

WC: 911
TWC: 9,277

A grumble eminated from Zachary as Luxord's jeering was starting to piss him off. But now he wasn't focused on the summoning of his minions but his direct form of combat. The cards he used were confusing. THe longer this dragged out, the more he could use his cards against them and trap them as they did Leo. Worse, the more summons he would trap, the gates would be limited, forbidding him from summoning more help. Even Tama, one of his most dependable combat spirits was having a handful with this guy.

But Zachary knew there was one way to truly stop him. His new spell he spent months trying to perfect. The Macro Cosmos spell.

But first, he needed enough time to prepare for it. If he was attacked mid-casting, Luxord would swoop in and strike-- and it be over.

Luxord tossed another volley of cards everywhere, aimed at them all. Seeking to cover her master, Tama jumped over to Zachary and pulled him behind the rim of the fountain where he was hiding. Mickey batted the cards away, and charged in, trying to land a strike on the enemy.

"Careful, Master! You cannot let him hit you," the fox said, keeping him down with her paw.

"And if we waste time, he will get us anyway. " Zachary replied, but soon heard it. THe trickle of water. Looking over the rim, he saw the water fountain now active, flowing with fresh water. A twinkle of an idea showed in his eyes as he turned to Tama. "Tama, I hate to ask this, but can you divert him being me for a bit?"

"Of course, Master," the fox said, and with a poof of smoke like a Ninja-- Tama had transformed into a new form. An exact identical copy of Zachary.

"Keep him busy for a few seconds till I summon one more, and use my Trump Card."

"Be careful," Tama replied with Zachary's face and took off running. As the disguised fox went, firing her own shards of light were easy to mistake as Zachary's "Orion Barrage" making her disguise convincing for Luxord to keep his eyes on her instead of the real him.

With him distracted, Zachary pulled out one more key-- one with a watery-serpent symbol on it and a watery torrent pattern on the key's end. "Open, Gate of the Sea Serpent!" Zachary called, and with a turn of his body, he reached into the fountain and drove the key into the water, which lit up with magic. "CETUS!!"

The water suddenly erupted with a torrential burst, overflowing the fountain outward, and released a brilliant twinkling light. From the water, appeared a long, serpentine creature. As the water parted, it revealed an elegant serpent, with big, beautiful, watery eyes and a sleek form. While one would be surprised by the serpent, her appearance came off as beautiful and enchanting to look upon, including its flippers and fins having a prismatic appearance as well as its tendrils from its head. It let out a shrill cry of energy, happy to be out and willing to act on behalf of its master.

Surprised by the sudden appearance of a fourth enemy, unsure how it was summoned forth when the 'human' he saw was in another location. "Well, it seems you got a few tricks up your sleeve."

Still hidden, Zachary urged his magic forward, focused to Cetus more than Tama who was buying her time. Whether it was Macrocosmos or not, he needed one last power boost to distract Luxord. He doubted it would stop him, but it would make Cetus be able to keep the card-slinging jerk busy long enough.

With a mental prayer to Cetus to let her accept this power, he began to chant. "O Gate of the Serpent, I call to you-- open your threshold once more. " Holding Cetus' key tightly, it began to glow more with his words. "Fill this champion with your light-- shine and transcend the Spirit Within! STELLAR EVOLUTION!!" he cried, and the key released a blinding light.

The elegant sea-serpent released a cry as she felt the surge of magic rush through her body, fueled by both her gate and Zachary's magic. With the shimmer of color and water, her form changed-- growing larger and wider. The spell cast was a spell of temporary evolution, granting the spirit more magic and power than they could muster on their own with the aid and bond of the summoner. With the water passed, Cetus had completely transformed, from a once elegant serpentine creature-- to now a towering, intimidating and stern looking sea-serpent. Her elegant features were replaced by blue, armor like scales, a spear-shaped beak, and vicious eyes and maw, taking on the true form of the legend of a 'leviathan' sea creature.

"Oh, bugger..." Luxord gasped, seeing the massive creature.

"Now Cetus-- Serene Wave! Zachary-- and Tama shouted, to mimic the summoner properly.

Cetus gave a large howl and from what little water he came from, more poured in, aimed to wash towards Luxord. Seeing it, Mickey saw the wave and jumped out of the way, alarmed by the sudden downpour and flooding of water. "Whoh!" the mouse squeaked.

Luxord, however, got caught as he used the cards to create a barrier around him, a clear barrier that easily pushed the water around him.

With Luxord properly distracted, Zachary moved into a better position, ready to try and casting the spell he hoped would even the odds.

WC: 920
TWC: 10,197

Despite the torrent of water that overflowed and blocked Luxord's advance, time was running out. He had spread cards everywhere, and now they began to rise through the air and overhead. With the cards in mind, he spotted the target-- Zachary. He knew how summoning worked and swiftly demanded a direct attack. From above the cards flashed, and shot down array of card-shaped energy bolts to strike.

Zachary looked up in shock to find the incoming projectiles and was hit by the resulting explosion. The blast sent him skyward, unable to stop or dodge the assault.

"And that is check, mate." Luxord said with glee.

Mickey looked in alarm as he saw the cards strike his young friend. He wanted to go and use a Cure spell on him, to help but they were out of time. However...

Poof! The airborne body of Zachary suddenly was filled with smoke and revealed it to be another person altogether-- Tama, who had transformed into Zachary to avoid being noticed. The fox was not a fool and knew the decoy act would cost her. But that was who she was, a spirit so moved and touched by her summoner's love and kindness, she would gladly put her life on the line to protect him. In the past she was often used by royalty to prevent assassination attempts as well.

"What?!" Luxord exclaimed, surprise to find the foxy decoy in place of the summoner.

"O stars far and wide across the heavens, I call upon you-- gather before me with all your brilliance," Zachary chanted from another direction. From well behind Cetus, now powered up as the massive sea-serpent of legend Leviathan, Zachary stood in a magic circle of starlight with specks of light around him, his arms crossed. "Arc of Cosmos Secret Art-- Macro... COSMOS!!"

he shouted and spread out his arms in a wide arch, causing the points of light that had surrounded him to shoot out in all directions. In zig-zagged patterns, they jumped through the air, forming intricuit connections between themselves like constellations. However, as each orb stopped in the air-- they popped and revealed to be physically shaped star objects with red gems glistening inside each center. They hovered in the air in orbits, with Zachary dead in the center of them. With the far reach, even Luxord was stuck in the array. But so was his own cards , spread out and flying in the air as well.

Luxord now could see Zachary, the real one, positioned behind the large serpent. However, despite the facing of the giant sea serpent, the king, and Zachary's wide-range spell, the blonde man didn't seemed fazed. "you really don't know when to quit, do you? Time's up and game's over!" he shouted.

A pulse of energy came out from him, causing all his cards to glow with light. Like points of light now glowed, to gather energy because the cards were like attack points, ready to fire.

But Zachary wasn't fazed. Right now, he sensed it all. Every angle, every point within his field of spell's effect. As long as MacroCosmos was out on his side, he was unafraid and aware of every card's position in the area around him. "Not yet... This game... " Zachary said slowly, and as he did, the stars too glowed with magic power. "... is now in OVERTIME!!"

With that command, the stars-- all of them-- reacted and fired beams of light at the glowing cards. In every direction, at every card, they fired in unison under the control of the caster. From where he was-- Mickey saw the sudden barrage of light, from both cards and stars. Each laser shot right into the cards-- and in effect, shattered them like they were sheets of glass! From Zachary's point of view, it was like his senses had also shattered-- now refracted in every star to know where each attacker was. With his pre-emptive strike and quick thinking, the attack stopped-- and Luxord lost time.

"What?!" Luxord gasped, feeling the backlash of his spell dissolve. The shots at the cards shattered what 'magic' he had too, breaking the spell he used to control the battlefield. "He's that strong!?"

Specks of light and smoke wafted through the air from the resulting attack as the stars once again resumed their orbits around the battlefield. Even Cetus gave a whistle of awareness at the stars. Zachary stood there, defiant and unafraid. "The game isn't over till it's over pal. This is what you get... for underestimating a Fairy Tail Wizard!!" Zachary cried and brought his hands together-- a total of seven fingers extended out towards Luxord. With his gesture, the stars changed formation-- with seven stars hovering overhead. "May the seven stars bring judgement upon you! "

From above the battlefield, those same seven stars glowed brighter-- and interconnected to form the constellation of the 'Big Dipper' or "Chariot" as it is also known. Luxord looked in shock to see the attack from above.

"GRAND CHARIOT!!" Zachary roared, thrusting his hands forward.

The seven stars flashed-- and seven beams of light shot downward to the ground around Luxord-- him caught in the center. The light flashed along the ground in the same pattern-- and erupted, causing a massive flash of light that illuminated the courtyard. Luxord cried out, the blast striking him with no chance to escape...

End.

WC: 898
TWC: 11,098