1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Death and Rebirth.

The man stood on the slowly rising elevator. The man was clad in a white sleeveless tunic, with some shoulder armor, and black pants, dotted with light armor. In his belt was a dagger with a glowing blue blade and a glowing gold handle. On his back was a white sword. His left arm was entirely black, with golden glowing lines spiderwebbing over it.

The elevator reached the top, merging with the floor. The prince was now standing on an octagonal shaped rooftop. He looked around. There. A man with glowing golden wings was floating.

"It's over, Vizier!" The man shouted, drawing his weapons; sword in right hand, dagger in left.

"Why do you even try to harm me? I am immortal!" the Vizier proclaimed. The other man merely slashed at him.

"Immortal perhaps. But not invincible!" He yelled. He caught the Vizier on the arm. The Vizier snarled, and backed up.

"You will pay for what you have done to my people!" The man said, twirling his sword.

"Done to them? Things will be better now! You should thank me!" The Vizier yelled in response.

"They live among mindless monsters in service to your madness!" The man retorted.

"It is the price of progress!" The Vizier returned.

Suddenly, a large portion of the wall fell down. The man was caught in the middle. He lay there, pinned by rubble. The Vizier stood over him. "Quick and clever… You would have made a fine addition to my army… But adding you to my collection of corpses will have to suffice!" He thrust deeply with his hand. His hand entered the man's chest. In a flash, he had ripped the man's heart from his body. He marveled at how it still beat.

"Farewell… prince." The Vizier crushed the heart. The man was rapidly dying.

_"This will not be over just now."_ The voice echoed in the Prince's mind. Then suddenly-

Far away, in another world and time, a man stood in a ruined hall.

"Where are you, Zeus? I have no time to play." He roared.

A thunderbolt flashed. The man nimbly dodged. A man in a white robe emerged from the shadows.

"You are a fine warrior." Zeus intoned. "However, I now confess my mistake. I made a poor choice, choosing you as the new God of War. Had I known you would betray me, I would have chosen Ares."

"You have no choice." The man reached back, drawing a bow. He drew back the string, and fired an ethereal arrow at the king of gods. Zeus merely leaned to one side, causing the arrow to miss him. The man quickly abandoned the bow, and drew a long whip. He flew towards Zeus, the end of the whip singing. Zeus grabbed the end of the whip, and swung the man in a circle, before the man collided with a ruined pillar.

The man rose again. In an instant, he had bared a set of claws.

"These weapons you carry… you wouldn't have gotten them from the others, would you?" Zeus asked. The man ignored the question, and flew at him. Zeus dodged the strike and kicked the man in the back. The man stood. This time, he reached behind him and drew a pair of swords.

"Your trademark Blades of Glory will not aid you here, Kratos." Zeus intoned. "Not even the God of War can defeat the God of God's!" He vanished. The man, Kratos, was left stunned. Then something slammed into him from behind. He lay there, immobilized by the electricity running through him from Zeus's thunderbolt.

"You had a good fight, Kratos." Zeus raised another thunderbolt. "But I am afraid this ends here." The thunderbolt fell, and Kratos roared in pain.

"_This will not be over just now."_ The voice echoed in Kratos' mind. Then suddenly-

A man dressed in a white outfit, hood obscuring his face, stood on the edges of the party.

A pair of wealthy nobles stood in the crowd. A pair of women walked up to them, dressed succulently, and full figured. One of the nobles merely ignored them, but the other noble allowed himself to be drawn into the crowd to dance. During a spinning move, the girl disappeared.

The noble in the crowd glanced around. He was alone, without bodyguard or date. He looked behind him, feeling a cold shadow-

He turned again. He placed a hand to his throat. Blood…

He fell over, dead. Directly behind him, hidden blade still wet with blood, stood the man with the white outfit.

"Catch him! Retrieve him now!" The remaining noble barked.

The man leapt in the air, downing a guard with a blow between the eyes. Another guard came at him, knife raised. The man merely grabbed his hand, and slammed the knife into the guard's stomach. Another guard tried to stab the killer with a spear; the spear was snatched and used to stab the wielder. The man looked at the remaining guard, who was immobilized with fear, and ignored him.

The living noble ran for his life. The man in white followed. He leapt over a boat and jumped to a rooftop. He saw the noble running towards his destination. He followed, leaping across rooftops. When the noble had reached his destination, he waited on a rooftop.

"Guards! He's behind me! You have to stop him!" the noble yelled. The guards came running after him. The noble and his men were just on the other side of a large arching doorway that led into a courtyard.

"To the entrance. Don't let him see you. Wait for my command." He instructed. The guards obediently followed orders. The noble walked slowly to the doorway. He looked up, and saw the man in white.

The man in white leapt from the rooftop, landing easily on the ground unharmed.

"Oh, bravo, what an impressive display!" The noble applauded sarcastically. The man in white bared his hidden blade, and started to approach the noble. "A pity you could not let your father live to see it." The man in white, hearing the taunt, stepped back. "And as for your mother, once I've dealt with you," The noble continued, "I promise I'll give her my full attention."

The man in white raised his hand, and fired a round out of a hidden pistol. It struck the man straight in his heart. The bullet was in the shape of a cross.

The assassin stepped back, and ran through an alley. He had almost made it to the shelter, when something slammed into his back. He fell over.

"Nothing in life is permanent, least of all life itself." An old man appeared. You should have known that, Ezio." The old man lifted a sword, and slammed it into Ezio's head.

"_This will not be over just now."_ A voice echoed in Ezio's mind. Then suddenly-

The boy stood at the gates of the castle. Standing next to him was a fearsome looking beast.

"Do you have any plans?" The beast asked. The boy shook his head. He looked at his weapon. In his hand was a wooden sword.

"Let's just go in." The boy said, and started jogging towards the entrance. They had barely reached the doorway when they were set upon by heartless. The beast stepped forward, crushing the heartless beneath his claws. They boy stood back, knowing that without his true weapon he could not defeat the heartless. However, one small heartless got past the Beast, and headed towards the boy. The boy smacked at it with his wooden sword, but the heartless merely shook its head, and continued to chase the boy. Then the beast was there, and he gripped the heartless in his claws, shredding it to bits.

The boy and the beast navigated the halls of the Heartless Castle of Hollow Bastion for a long time. After a long trek, they reached a room. There, a dog and a duck were arguing with a teen, roughly the same age as the previous boy, perhaps a year older.

"you…" the teen said as he turned to face the boy and beast.

"Quite right." Someone behind the boy said. The boy turned, and saw a figure of a woman standing there.

"Belle!" the Beast roared. He ran towards her, but the figure faded into a shadow Heartless. The Beast charged at it, but the doors to the room closed behind him, locking him from the room.

"Its time you learned your place, Sora." The teen said. He pointed a key shaped sword at Sora, the boy. A beam of light shot from its tip, about to impale the boy when-

-the dog stood in front of the boy, holding its shield, and deflecting the blast.

"You… you would betray your orders, your king?" the teen mocked.

"I'm sorry, but Sora is my friend too!" The dog snapped in response. He then called to the duck. "Sorry, Donald, but can you tell the king I'm really sorry?"

"Wait, Goofy!" the duck said, running to the boy's side. "We'll tell him together."

"Bah… Your heart is weak." The teen said, smirking. Sora merely looked at him.

"The heart may be weak, and it may give in, but as long as I have friends with me, I will always live on in their hearts." Sora proclaimed. At that moment, there was a flash of light, and the key shaped sword appeared in Sora's hands. The teen was shocked, and speechless.

"I'm sorry, Riku." Sora said, wielding his Keyblade. "Its over."

Riku, the teen, merely snarled. He was covered in darkness, and when the darkness cleared he was wearing the armor of a Heartless. In his hands was a bat winged sword, Soul Eater.

"DIE!" he roared, dashing across the room, and slamming his weapon into Sora's chest. Sora fell backwards, hitting the floor with a thump. Blackness closed in.

"_This will not be over just now."_ A voice echoed in Sora's mind. Then suddenly-

The Prince sat up. _What… I thought I was dead… _After he got over his shock, he took stock of his surroundings. He was in an entirely white room. There was a a small curtain on the wall: other then that, the room was entirely empty. There were no windows. There was only a doorway and the curtain, and whatever was behind it. The Prince got up. He walked to the curtain and pushed it back. There behind the curtain, were three objects he had hoped he wouldn't ever have to use again. Yet here they were, and it probably was not safe to leave them.

The Prince picked up the first item, a dagger with a glowing blue blade and a glowing gold handle. It was the Dagger of Time. It had various time-manipulating abilities, depending on the amount of the Sands of Time contained in it. He had last had it during his failed battle with the Vizier; it did not surprise him somehow that it had once again found its way to him. It seemed to have a way of doing that. He slid the dagger into his belt.

The Prince picked up the second item. This was the Water Sword, a deadly weapon, the sword with which he had slain the Dahaka, the Guardian of the Timeline. It was a proven blade. However, he had left this weapon on the Island of Time, hidden deep in the past. What on earth was it doing here? Nevertheless, he slid it onto one of the two sheaths on his back.

The third object made him visibly stop. It was a black sword, with a golden-edged rim, with strange runes carved upon it. This was the Blade of the Sands, something that had power even over the Sands of Time. A dangerous sword, he had found it deep in the ancestral tombs of the Sultan of Ahzad more then seven years ago. He had rewound time after finding it, far past the point where he had found it, so in actuality, he hadn't found it. He had vowed never to find it, as it was the weapon that he had taken to wreck vengeance for the death of his lover. He openly hesitated at this weapon. However, the Prince shrugged off the memory with effort, and slid it also upon his back. He was wearing the sleeveless white tunic that he had been just wearing.

He noticed a line of golden dashes on the floor leading out of the room. The Prince rose from his place, and began walking down the dimly lit hallway.

Kratos, the God of War, awoke on a cold floor. _Uhh… What hit me? Oh yeah: Zeus, that bastard._ The man winced, before sitting up. Unceremoniously stabbed into a nearby wall were a pair of swords. Kratos pulled the weapons from the wall, ramming them into the sheaths on his back. His two Blades of Glory were his favorite weapon: he didn't like anyone else touching them.

_What the hell? Is this some weird new section of Mount Olympus that I haven't seen before? No, it can't be: I died, cleanly, skewered by a thunderbolt._

Kratos preferred not to over-think things. He merely started walking out of the room, down the dimly lit hallway.

Ezio the Assassin awoke instantly. He remained in his sleeping position, discovering what he could about his surroundings with his ears, and the feel of the floor. Then he opened his eyes.

_Cold metal tiles, bad for climbing, good for running. I am alone in this room. The room is around fifteen feet by thirteen feet. My weapons and equipment are in a rack six steps to the side. I am at one end of a room._ Ezio stopped his mental description to strap on his weapons. A sword went at his hip. On both of his wrists were hidden blades. On his left hidden blade was a built in pistol. On his right, a grapnel gun. On his back was a short blade. Several throwing knives were in various slits on his outfit. A large cross-shaped throwing star hung by a chain around his neck.

_Well now, where am I?_ Ezio wondered. He had barely completed that thought when he noticed a hallway leading from the room.

Seeing as the only way to go was out, he began walking down the hallway. After a few moments, he noticed an intricate system of rafter's.

_Stealth is a must in the ways of the assassin._ Ezio thought grimly. He vaulted onto the rafters, and began creeping out of the hall.

Sora awoke slowly, blinking sleep from his eyes.

"Huh… Guys?" He called. He was alone in his white chamber, without even a rack for his weapon. However, his weapon was not a kind that would take kindly to being placed on a rack.

Sora stood, eyes darting about, searching. _No heartless… nothing… No sign of Riku, or Donald or Goofy._ He stood up, his yellow sneakers making squeaking noises on the tiles floor.

Sora summoned his weapon, a large oversized key-shaped sword known as the Keyblade. His particular keyblade was the Kingdom Key.

_I wonder what's going on…_ Sora thought dazedly. He gazed about him. His chamber had pure white walls, so white that it was difficult to tell where the wall started and the floor began. There was a single hallway leading out of the room. The hallway was far darker then the room; the room was lit by a floating orb of light, while the corridor seemed to be shrouded in shadow. Sora grimaced, and shouldered his keyblade.

_There's only one thing to do!_ Sora thought determinedly. He started walking down the dimly lit hallway.

Prince hadn't walked for very long before he came to a large, circular room, containing the entrances of five hallways, including the one he had just walked from. The room was dimly lit, like the rest of the hallways, and he was getting a feeling that he was not alone. The shadows could conceal an enemy. He stopped in the exact center of the room. He could hear footsteps coming from one of the hallways. In reflex, he drew his Water Sword, keeping his Blade of the Sands and his Dagger of Time sheathed.

The footsteps hesitated, and then, with a primal roar, a large, muscular, bald man sporting a single red streak on his face came roaring out of the hallway, swinging a pair of swords that glowed faintly. Prince could just make out the inscription on their handles: Blades of Glory.

Prince neatly blocked the man's gigantic swing with his Water Sword. He could feel the raw strength in they man. _What… what IS this man?_ Prince wondered as he rolled backwards and took up a defensive posture, drawing his Blade of the Sands as well, spinning them in his hands.

"Who are you?" the big man asked, as he swung his swords again. Prince swiftly ducked under the swing, and tried to counter.

"I am the Prince of Persia," Prince said, swinging his Blade of the Sand at the man, "And a King of Blades!"

The man chuckled. "You may be the Prince of Persia, and you may be a King of Blades," He blocked the Prince's counter with his left hand Blade of Glory, "But _I_ am Kratos, the God of War!"

"I have slain monsters and demons, not to mention a so-called Goddess. A God of War _would _ be the next step up." Prince taunted, sliding back from the man as they circled each other warily, each regarding the inherent skill in the other's blade work. "We shall see."

Above the battling pair, Ezio watched the battle with interest. He had never seen two such skilled warriors. In all fairness, he had to admit that they may even be his equals. However, they were dangerous, and he did not know if they were responsible for his presence here.

_The brute, the one who called himself Kratos, is less of a threat to me._ Ezio thought quickly. _While the Prince is agile enough to chase me through any environment, Kratos' style would be to charge recklessly. He would be easier to escape from. The Prince is the more immediate threat to me, and he must be eliminated. _Ezio drew a throwing knife from his outfit. He hefted it and took aim. Suddenly, movement caught his eye.

A teenager with a large, key-shaped sword was staring straight at him. His eyes were wide, as if he was surprised to see him there. Then the teen's eyes narrowed slightly in determination, and he gripped his keyblade.

In a split-second decision, Ezio threw the knife at the teen. However, at that moment, the teen yelled the word "Firaga!" and a fireball sprouted like a flowering bud from the tip of his Keyblade. The fireball intercepted the knife, causing it to drop to the floor, heated to a glow.

The teen jumped, and grabbed onto the rafter. Ezio kicked him down, and dropped onto the shoulders of the one called Prince, knocking him over.

"Face the wrath of Ezio the Assassin!" Ezio hissed, as he unsheathed his hidden blade and prepared to strike. Suddenly, the boy with the keyblade tackled him over. Ezio barely managed to kick him off of him. Ezio drew his sword. He gave Kratos a slight nod. Kratos looked confused for a moment, and then he nodded as well. They would work together.

Sora slashed at the big man standing over the one that the white-hooded assassin had knocked over. Sora held out his hand to the man. He took it hesitantly, and Sora helped him up. The assassin then started running at Sora, but the man Sora had saved blocked his strike, and kicked him in the stomach, sending him backwards.

"Back to back!" the man yelled. Sora complied. "What's your name?" the man asked.

"My name's Sora." Sora responded. He felt the man's back brush his as they took up a back to back defensive position. "You?"

"I am the Prince of Persia." The man said simply. The assassin, called Ezio, and the big man, called Kratos, were circling around them. Then Kratos charged, scything his blades of glory in a sawing motion.

The Prince pushed Sora out of the way, and then ducked under the strikes and tripped Kratos. Ezio flew at him, and Sora fired a Thunder spell to keep him occupied.

Kratos fell to the ground, tripped by the Prince. Suddenly, he grabbed Prince's leg, and swung him to and fro, spinning him before hurling him across the room. Ezio lifted his left arm, and pointed it at the fallen Prince. There was a loud bang and a puff of smoke from his arm, and then-

Everything stopped.

Kratos couldn't move. He tried lifting his Blades of Glory, and found that he actually _was_ moving, but at such a slow speed that it was nearly impossible to tell. Ezio and the teen called Sora were likewise afflicted. However, the one called Prince was not. The golden lines on the black-colored skin of his left arm were pulsating faintly.

Prince stood quickly faster then Kratos had ever seen him move. Both of his swords, both the legendary Water Sword and his deadly Blade of the Sands, were in their sheaths on his back. However, in the Prince's hands was a weapon that Kratos had not noticed before. A beautiful dagger, with a glowing blue blade and a glowing golden handle. The Prince's finger was firmly holding down one of a few buttons on the dagger's handle.

The Prince ran at him at high speeds. He slashed him over and over. Kratos tried to roar in pain, but he couldn't move. His body was covered in a thousand cuts. Ezio was trying to assist him, a ball of metal having emerged from his device of his wrist in a puff of smoke. The ball of metal was moving sluggishly across the room at a more visible speed. The Prince merely walked over to it and picked it up out of the air. He placed it right above Kratos' shoulder. Then he started approaching Ezio.

Abruptly, normal time was restored. The ball of metal slammed into Kratos' shoulder, piercing into the meat of his arm. The roar Kratos had been attempting to let out finally came. Sora flinched, and started running at him with his keyblade ready. Kratos shrugged off the wounds as easily as he could: there was still a battle to be fought, and to hell with his wounds! He rammed the kid out of his way with a punch to the kid's face. His nose sprouted blood, but somehow the kid managed to keep his feet, and fired a ball of ice at Ezio. Ezio's face was coated in ice, and the time it took to get it off of his face cost him his distance from Prince. When he did get it off, his face looked like it had been burned by the intense cold. The Prince closed with Ezio, and they dueled. Kratos swung his right hand Blade of Glory at the kid, but the kid blocked, and slashed at Kratos. Kratos kicked him back. The kid, Sora, landed on his feet, and leveled his keyblade at Kratos.

_Great…_ Kratos thought, raising his Blades of Glory, _Just great…_

The Prince felt a twinge in his left arm. He was battling against the demon inside him with all of his strength as he crossed swords with Ezio. Suddenly, Ezio dropped his sword, and plunged his hidden blade into Prince's arm.

The Prince's left arm had been infected by the Sands of Time, the same power which had enabled him to use the Dagger of Time a few moments ago to slow down time for everything around him. However, if he tapped into the power of the Sands that were contained in his arm, he would be transformed into a Sand Monster.

Ezio's hidden blade glowed golden for a moment, then strange markings, like mist runes engraved themselves on his hidden blade. Ezio, seeing the development, yanked his weapon back out of Prince's arm.

"What… what are you?" Ezio muttered. The Prince raised his blade.

"You're worst nightmare." He muttered.

"You wish." Kratos retorted, standing, blood pouring over him, making him look like a crimson warrior. "Who's the kid?

"Someone from the light." Sora responded. However, his facial expression was dark with anger.

"Well, I see you've all been getting along." A female voice said.

Everyone stopped fighting immediately. Walking into the room was a girl in a white dress.

"…Namine?" Sora asked. "No, you're different."

_She looks like a blonde version of Kaileena._ Prince thought.

"Why do you walk like Athena?" Kratos muttered.

"Who are you?" Ezio asked.

The girl paused, examining the four warriors. Prince's cursed arm was dribbling a golden fluid, the blood of a Sand Creature. Sora's nose was bloody. Kratos was suffering from many minor cuts: small, but numerous and oozing. Ezio had a few bad lacerations on his face, barely visible under his hood.

"Welcome, Warriors of Light." The woman said softly. "I have called you here."

The four warriors gave her a blank look. Then Sora stepped forward.

"My name is Sora." He said in a friendly manner, despite the blood oozing slowly from his nose. Kratos started to take a step towards Sora, but Prince gave him a look, his finger resting on the handle of his dagger. Kratos stepped back, frustrated.

"Why have you called us here?" Ezio asked.

"You are the only ones who can defeat the encroaching darkness."

"Darkness?" Sora's eyes went alert. "You mean the Heartless?"

"What are the Heartless?" Kratos asked.

"And who _are _you?" Prince asked.

Ezio remained silent.

"My name is Seiris Nhel. I am known to some as the Goddess of Order." The girl, Seiris explained. "My brother, Saerkis Vhal, the God of Chaos, has unleashed a strange power on my land, called the Deepness. It has ravaged my people and my land." She placed a hand on the wall of the ruined castle. "While this was once a place of happiness and strength, a place where the people would come for counsel and protection, my brother has ruined it, and the people have retreated to their own lands."

"And what does all of this have to do with us?" Kratos demanded.

"There is a prophecy." She said softly, in her low, melodious voice, "That tells us that four warriors of Order will be summoned to our world to combat the Deepness, and the four warriors of Chaos will attempt o destroy them. It says that unless they defeat my brother, Saerkis Vhal, this world is fated to fall into the Deepness. And then the Deepness will spread to your worlds, and devour them as well."

"Hold on!" Kratos held up his hands. "You think that _I_ am some 'Warrior of Light'? You've got to be joking." He snorted, and turned around. "I'm going home."

"You cannot go home." Seiris said softly.

"Tell me how." Kratos said, grabbing the front her dress and lifting her off her feet. Ezio stood, impassive to all appearances, but Prince and Sora cried out, and started forwards, but Seiris merely blinked, and Kratos was hurled backwards as if he had been slammed with a hammer.

"You fool!" Seiris said hotly, "Do you not realize the seriousness of this predicament? The Deepness is the enemy of all life, and unless it is stopped now, before it devours this world, there will never be another chance for the union of warriors that is necessary to destroy it!" her eyes narrowed. "And never, ever, EVER, touch me in that manner AGAIN!" as she spoke, she began hovering, her blonde hair seeming to float. Her eyes blazed white, and a pair of ethereal white angel wings appeared behind her. Her blue dress seemed to rise in a breeze that only she could feel, wisping around her figure. Prince immediately knelt: his head bowed, his hands on the hilt of his Water Sword, unsheathed, and stabbed into the ground in front of him in the classic knighting pose.

"It's like I am finally seeing true beauty for the first time in my life!" Prince cried.

And it was. Seiris was beauty, honor, and everything good in the worlds personified. As she stood there, Ezio slowly knelt, with his head on the floor, his hands spread to the sides.

"Here, at least, is beauty that even Da Vinci would not be able to capture with his skill." Ezio murmured.

Sora stood, mouth open, keyblade dropped on the floor, for a good minute before falling to his knees, face uplifted.

Kratos, however, was a god in his own right: The God of War. He stood, injured, bleeding, reckless, and defiant. Standing there, before her, his Blades of Glory whipped from their sheaths, held before him in combat pose, the scene was that for myth: A glowing goddess of immeasurable power and beauty, the Goddess of Order; and a warrior, the apparition of man, their champion, their God of War. They stood opposed to one another, before Kratos' Blades of Glory began glowing faintly. A line of power ran over him, and he stood tall, his skin still covered in blood but no longer injured, healed of his wounds. For a moment it seemed as if he might attack.

Then, Kratos lowered his blades.

"Ah, hell." He grunted. "I might as well. I've got nothing better to do."

He grudgingly placed his swords back in their sheathes, and went to one knee, one hand resting on the floor in front of him, and the other in a fist over his heart, in salute.

The first part of the prophecy was fulfilled.

The Warriors of Order had joined.

Far away from the ruined palace known as Order's Sanctuary, located deep inside a place where there was only a swirling dark blue mist and lightning, there was a strange area. It was inside the eye of a vortex of slow-spinning blue mist. There, inside the calm center of the storm, was a strange sight. Five men stood in a circle. They stood on a circular platform of dark gray rock. In a dais above the quintuplet, there was a stone throne, wreathed in ice and tendrils of cold wind. There was a wall of ice separating it from the five figures standing together, confused, but the five men seemed less interested in the throne and more interested in each other.

"So, do any of you know why we are here?" one of the men said. He was tall, with short brown hair, and he was chewing on a clove of garlic. He was wearing a black-gray hooded long-sleeved shirt, and wore a pair of thin leather gloves. His pants were dark gray. His eyes betrayed nothing. Strapped to his back was a black short katana, with the word Justice inscribed on one side of the blade, and the word Mercy inscribed on the other side of the blade. He also had several throwing knives, a few vials of what were assumed to be poison, a punch dagger, an arm blade, a short blade, and a whip. Strapped to his hip was a tiny crossbow, about the size of a man's hand.

"No idea." Another man said. His chest, shoulders and upper back were scrawled with glowing green lines, inscribed over his gray skin. Two large horns protruded from his forehead. He had long black hair. In his hands was a pair of large two handed broadswords. However, he could wield them with only one hand. This was a demon.

"Who are you?" another man asked. He wore a long black coat, with silver shoulder pads. His hair was long and silver-white, despite his face and lean body, which looked around twenty-five years old. His face was the image of perfection, a cruel perfection. His face was too perfect. In his hands he carried a katana far too long. The blade was around twelve feet.

"Name's Durzo Blint." The first man, the one with the black sword answered, still chewing his garlic. For some reason, the garlic left no scent. "I'm the best wetboy ever born." **(Introducing: Durzo Blint, from the book "The Way of Shadows")**

"Wetboy?" the second man, the demon, asked.

"Think of an assassin for hire." Durzo said smugly, "Then think of him infinitely better. Assassin's have targets because assassin's sometimes miss. Wetboy's have deaders because their target is already dead the moment the contract is taken. The rest of their short life is merely a formality."

"Interesting." The man with the ultra-long katana smirked.

"And who are you?" the demon asked the man with the katana.

He answered calmly. "Heaven's Dark Harbinger, the Calamity. The One-Winged Angel. Sephiroth."** (Introducing: Sephiroth, from "Final Fantasy VII")**

The demon grinned. "I am Thak Farelle the Demonspawn."** (Introducing my personal character from "World of Warcraft": Thak Farelle)**

Another man, one who had been keeping quiet, walked forwards. His skin was a dark color, and his short hair was red and gold. He was dressed in a black outfit that seemed like a strange kind of armor. He had a white cape with purple designs down the edge.

"I am Ganondorf, the Dark Emperor." He said. His hands crackled with dark energy, so dark that it looked as if it was hued dark purple.** (Introducing: Ganondorf, from "Zelda" and "Super Smash Bros. Brawl")**

The final, fifth man approached. He breathed with a hissing noise. He wore a black cloak with the hood up. His hand was that of a skeleton. Gripped in that hand was a large scythe. He emanated fear, death, and hatred. His aura was so strong that everyone, even Sephiroth, stepped back.

"I am hunger… I am thirst…" the figure wheezed. "I can be stabbed a thousand times, and not die… I can drink a river of blood, and not burst… I can lie a thousand nights on the ice, and not freeze… I am the Reaper." He raised his head, and they saw a skull with little balls of flame as eyes. **(Introducing: the Grim Reaper, from… anything)**

"Well, I see you all have been introduced."

All the five warriors whirled around. There, sitting on the stone throne, was a figure.

"Who the hell are you?" Durzo asked.

The figure raised his hand. The wall of ice shattered into a thousand tiny fragments. There, sitting on the throne, was a man robed in red. On his head was a crown of flames. As he sat on the throne, he stared at the warriors with satisfaction.

"I am Saerkis Vhal. The God of Chaos. I have need of your skills." He said.

"You wish to _hire_ us?" Sephiroth asked in disbelief.

"Your payment will be well worth it." Saerkis Vhal stood. He raised his hand. A quintuplet of orbs emerged from his hand, each one glowing with a strange energy.

"Immortality." He said with a terrible smile.

Durzo Blint snorted. "I've had enough of immortality. I've lived for five centuries, thanks to my black ka'kari. I don't need another."

"What about that woman you love, Guinevere Kirena, Momma K?" Saerkis Vhal smiled.

Durzo Blint stiffened. "How do you know about that?"

"I know everything about you five." He responded. "Including how immortality would be a great advantage to your goal, Sephiroth."

Sephiroth looked startled, but said nothing.

"And for Thak Farelle, wouldn't it be nice to evade those annoying men of the Alliance, as well as those pesky Night Elves?"

"Your knowledge is great." Thak muttered.

"And Ganandorf, wouldn't it be nice to have an eternity to blast the world into Subspace? No time limits?"

Ganandorf snorted. "You might think it's like that, but you've got it wrong. I have only one goal in mind, one which you are no part of." He leaped at Saerkis Vhal, his hand glowing with dark energy. He rammed his fist forwards-

-and was stopped. His hand was gripped by Saerkis Vhal, and he was holding him in midair. Then the God of Chaos spun, and hurled Ganandorf into the throne. Ganandorf was thrown backwards from a pulse of power that surged through the gray stone of the dark throne. He landed on his back at the edge of the circular platform.

"You will obey my orders… or be terminated." Saerkis Vhal said coldly.

One by one, the five dark warriors bowed.

The second part of the prophecy was fulfilled.

The Warriors of Chaos had assembled…

… But why were there five warriors of Chaos and only four warriors of Order?

**All right! Here it is: the ultimate crossover. This story was originally based on Final Fantasy Dissidia, but it evolved as I wrote this chapter to become something else entirely. Originally, I had planned it to be a huge tournament, with the Prince of Persia, Sora, Kratos, and Ezio all competing against each other, but then I felt the urge to add in Sephiroth and Ganondorf, and from there it somehow evolved into this. **

**I can't believe I'm writing this. Most of the time, whenever I get an idea for a story, I write down a description, like a movie trailer, and then I usually never go back to it. But for this, I actually started writing! Yaay me! Alright, enough blabbering about my personal writing issues. This is a story about the warriors of Order battling against the warriors of Chaos, not about me slaving away at a computer.**

**My inspiration for having Prince in the story is the fact that I LOVE the video game Prince of Persia Warrior Within. He kicks butt. I added him in two of my Kingdom Hearts Fanfiction.**

**Ezio is there because, like (hopefully) everyone, I really enjoyed Assassins Creed II, just as I loved AC 1. Plus, he's just awesome.**

**Kratos… I always wondered who would win: Him, or Prince? I haven't really played that many God of War games, but I know what happens in most of them.**

**Sora: KINGDOM HEARTS IS AWESOME. I am the ultimate KH and ORG XIII FAN.**

**Plus: have often wondered who would win: Prince, Kratos, Ezio, or Sora? All of them are pretty good fighters.**

**I just HAD to add Sephiroth as an evil guy. You know how it is. HE's all "One Winged Angel."**

**I have the feeling that no one knows about Durzo Blint, but the book "The Way of Shadows" written by Brent Weeks, and its two sequels: "Shadow's Edge" and "Beyond the Shadows" are all amazing. However, in case you **_**have **_**read the book, he was awesome as Kylar's master, and I was actually considering adding in Kylar. However, I realized that Kylar would never work for my bad guy. They should really make a video game or a manga about them. Also, I wanted to have a battle with Wetboy vs. Assassin because of the way Durzo looks down on Assassins, believing them to be less skilled then wetboys. I wonder what Ezio and Altair would say about that!**

**Ganondorf is my favorite character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. And he's all dark and emo. Plus, I want to see him battle the fifth warrior, whoever that may turn out to be.**

**Thak Farelle the Demonspawn was my personal customized character in World of Warcraft (Thanks to the Skin Editor program), a game that I (regrettably) have lost access to because my stupid disk got crushed by my chair. I am very bad at keeping my things safe.**

**And as for the Grim Reaper… Well, let's see who can deal with him.**

**Saerkis Vhal and Seiris Nhel were originally inspired by Cosmos and Chaos from Final Fantasy Dissidia, but Saerkis Vhal was also shaped by Darken Rahl from the book "Wizard's First Rule" written by Terry Goodkind, and from its TV adaption series: "Legend of the Seeker". Seiris Nhel was influenced by Galadriel from "The Lord of the Rings", but is more obviously like Cosmos from Dissidia.**

**I would also like people's opinions of what lands they should travel through: Jungle, Ice, Volcano, that sort of thing. Also, I would like a few ideas as for the fifth warrior of Order. I was considering Luke Skywalker (because it would look strange seeing Luke Skywalker and Ganondorf battle), or someone else equally random, but your ideas will be greatly considered.**

**Please review, because reviews are like the best thing ever. **

**- Chris Talonflight**


	2. Chapter 2

**And here it is: the second chapter of the Deepness. **

**I would like to take a moment to thank my reviewer: **

**Hayden-Strife: I sincerely am glad that you enjoy my stories! I still need a few ideas as for the fifth warrior of Order. feel free to suggest. As for Durzo Blint, well… let's just say that he's in for a big surprise this chapter.**

**I do apologize for taking so long to update. However, I was busy finishing my other fanfic, Kingdom Hearts: Sound of Rising Storm. I've finished it now, so while you're waiting for this story to update, you might as well read it. Its part four of a five-part series, so try to start with the first one, Kingdom Hearts Light of Happiness. Also, I got distracted by writing a Naruto fanfiction which I haven't had an opportunity to post yet, but I will in the near future.**

Chapter Two:

The quad of warriors stood over a large, ethereal map of the area. The map was a 3D representation of the land, with Order's Sanctuary at the far left of the circular representation. Spread throughout the middle portion of the map, there were cities, villages, and more then one group of soldiers. To the far right on the map was a mountain range. These were known as the Ordered Lands. It was also a real-time visual of events that were happening.

"This castle and a few lands surrounding it are the only one's yet untouched. However, in these lands, chaos and corruption are brewing, and local rulers have begun marching to war with each other." Seiris explained. "You will have to navigate them in order to enter the next stage of your journey." As she spoke, she traced a glowing ethereal line of white-blue light across a path on the ethereal map. "This is the route you should take." She explained. "It will take you about a week to reach the edge of this area, and that is without any detours, trouble, or injury. And it is very likely that injury may happen. Strange creatures sometimes are glimpsed in the area, and soldiers are quick to detain anyone suspicious looking." She traced an ethereal red line that diverged from the blue line. "This route is an alternate route." She explained. "It is a longer route then the first one, but if you find the first route blocked, the red route is the route you should take." The red line rejoined the blue line near the start of the mountains.

Seiris waved her hand above the ethereal map. The map changed from a view of the Ordered Lands to a view of a mountain cluster. The four warriors recognized the leftmost peaks as the same ones that they were able to see on the map of the Ordered Lands. You could just see the blue-white ethereal line. Seiris traced a route, skirting peaks, through passes. We could see herds of mountain goats on the lower slopes, but our rout took us past them. We reached a snow-bound peak, and then the line ran down the slopes.

"These are the Cold Lands." Seiris said. "They are very dangerous. Among these slopes lurks something deadly. I do not know what it is, exactly, but I do know that it is dangerous in the extreme. Should you meet this… creature, I hope that you all survive." She said it with real concern. "Once you enter the mountains, you must endure the cold temperatures, and brave the ice-beast."

The edge of this new map showed the start of a lush jungle. Right on the border between the snow and the jungle heat, there was a small town. The blue line ran right through it.

"In this town, you will be able to purchase the necessary equipment for the jungle." Seiris spoke. Then she waved her hand again. The next map was that of half jungle, half desert, with a great chasm dividing the two. "This is the Divided Lands. There are people who live in the jungle, and the desert. Nomads, mostly, but if you find some, you must treat them with respect." She warned. "The nomads who live in the jungle and desert are vicious. Each warrior is trained from birth to become the best at handling a sword. They are known as the Sword Lords **(reference to the Ceurans from "Beyond the Shadows")**."

She waved her hand yet again, and we saw another map. This one, however, was of a strange place. The ground was white stone, like ivory, almost. Over the stone flowed a thin layer of water, a little lower then an inch. Dotted around were small, sculpture-like shapes. Scattered around in no particular order were ethereal beams, twisting and curling, each around 20 feet long. In the far side of the area was a altar. **(Reference to the map "Order's Sanctuary" from Final Fantasy Dissidia)**

"This land is called the Brink. It shifts, depending on the movement of the Deepness, always staying one step ahead. That altar is the sign that you are about to enter a land taken by the Deepness." Seiris spoke softly. "On that altar you must place your greatest treasure, be it weapon, pendant, flower, or anything. When the sacred fire appears to accept your sacrifice, it will grant you immunity against the Deepness."

"What will happen if we go into the Deepness without immunity?" Ezio asked.

"You will become a hideous mockery of your former self, and you will go insane. And you will be torn to pieces if your new form is not strong enough to survive against the feral beasts that the others who enter will become."

"Sounds… cheery." Sora muttered. Prince smirked at that, and Kratos put his face in his hand.

Ezio was still curious. "So when we enter the Deepness… What will we find?"

Seiris waved her hand a final time. The map changed. Along the right edge of the map was a area of grayness. Then, abruptly, it changed into a blue, shifting mass of smoke.

"This is the area infected by the Deepness. At first, in the outskirts of the Deepness (the gray area), you will be in a place known as the Mistland. There, a group of people dwell, killing off any monsters that venture out of the Deepness. Mistland is filled with a grey mist, the harbinger of the Deepness."

The left side of the map was slightly clearer. The blue mist swirled around an altar. Standing at the altar, one could just make out five men standing on front of a sixth man.

"Five men bowing?" Seiris shouted. "But… HOW? The Prophecy said Four!"

The first of the bowing men wore a long black coat, with silver shoulder pads. His hair was long and silver-white, despite his face and lean body, which looked around twenty-five years old. His face was the image of perfection, a cruel perfection. His face was too perfect. In his hands he carried a katana far too long. It must have been around thirteen feet.

The second man wore a black cloak with the hood up. His hand was that of a skeleton. Gripped in that hand was a large scythe. He emanated fear, death, and hatred.

The third man seemed the most normal. His brown hair was short, and he was tall. He wore a black long sleeved shirt with a hood, and a pair of dark gray pants. Prince noticed a strange symbol on the back of his shirt. He had a black short katana strapped to his back, several throwing knives, a few vials of what were assumed to be poison, a punch dagger, an arm blade, and a whip. Strapped to his hip was a tiny crossbow, about the size of a man's hand.

The fourth man was a demon. His chest, shoulders and upper back were scrawled with glowing green lines, inscribed over his gray skin. Two large horns protruded from his forehead. He had long black hair. In his hands was a pair of large two handed broadswords. However, he could wield them with only one hand.

The fifth man looked strange. His skin was a dark color, and his short hair was red and gold. He was dressed in a black outfit that seemed like a strange kind of armor. He had a white cape with purple designs down the edge. He seemed angry with the man that they were bowing to.

"This is a strange development." Seiris murmured. "The prophecy only spoke of four. What has Saerkis done?"

"Perhaps he, knowing of the prophecy, decided to summon a fifth warrior to try and outnumber your champions." Prince pointed out.

"Yes. That must be it." Seiris murmured.

Prince, Kratos, Sora, and Ezio emerged from the Order's Sanctuary fully healed and armored.

"So where the hell are we going?" Kratos snarled.

Sora lifted a small disc-shaped device. A hologram of the Ordered Lands sprung from it.

"We have about two miles until we hit the first town." Sora informed. "We should probably be able to buy horses there, or maybe they'll have buses and cars."

"What's a car?" Kratos asked.

"Well…" Sora said slowly. "It's a way you get around. It has for seats, two in front and two in back, inside a boxy thing on wheels. In the front of the car is a device called an engine, which makes the wheels turn? Think of a horseless carriage." He summarized.

"Sounds terribly efficient." Prince noted. "But for me, I prefer a normal horse." Ezio nodded his agreement.

"Horse?" Kratos snorted. "Any of you ever ridden a Hell-Dragon?" he asked. When all he received was blank stares, he tried again. "How about a cloud? No? A Cyclops, at least?"

"Aren't Cyclops those huge monsters with only one eye?" Prince asked. "You can ride those?"

Kratos nodded. "And their fierce in battle, too. I tell you, they're VERY bad tempered."

"I once fought a Sand Cyclops once." Prince mused.

"What's a Sand Cyclops?" Sora asked.

"Well, in order to explain that, I will have to start at the very beginning." Prince said. "Long ago, over seven years ago, I unleashed an ancient power known as the Sands of Time. The Sands will turn any living being into a hideous mockery of its former self; quite similar to what the Goddess said about the Deepness, in fact. Anyhow, I was tricked into unleashing it. When I finally got everything back to normal, my love had died, and I was badly injured; the only reason I survived was because I had found this sword." Prince tapped his Blade of the Sands. "I ended up rewinding time to before the whole thing happened, and causing none of it to occur. I changed the future. However, I learned that at the same time I had cheated Fate, and the Guardian of the Timeline, a hideous monster known as the Dahaka, started to hunt for me, to kill me, to give Fate his due. After seven years of travelling, running away, I ended up killing this monster. That was when I found this weapon." Prince tapped his Water Sword. "However, when I returned home to my city, I learned that the same man who had tricked me into unleashing the sands of time had opened them and unleashed them upon my home." Prince drew his dagger and looked at it. "This dagger is the key to unlocking the sands of time. It is the Dagger of Time, an ancient artifact that can manipulate time, as long as it contains Sand to power it." He replaced the dagger in its sheath. "I… _died, _in the battle with the man. Then all of a sudden I was here."

"You know…" Ezio said slowly, speaking for the first time since they had left the castle. "I am an assassin, and I was just finishing a job when a man came up from behind me and killed me. Then all of a sudden, I was in that castle."

"I had just retrieved my keyblade from my friend/enemy Riku." Sora said. "We were battling Heartless (those are people's hearts that have been taken over by darkness) and then he suddenly killed me. Then, I opened my eyes and I was here." Sora spun his keyblade. "This weapon is a beauty."

"Zeus had just fried me with a lightning bolt, that bastard." Kratos admitted. "Then I found myself here."

"Sora, why is your weapon a giant key?" Prince asked.

"It's the Keyblade." Sora said, as if it explained everything. When all he received in response was blank stares, he elaborated. "It contains the power of light, and also enables me to use magic. Plus it can unlock or lock anything."

"But why bother carrying a big bulky thing like that?" Ezio asked. "I mean, a set of lock-picks does me fine in opening and locking doors, and a normal sword suits me just fine as well."

Sora looked at him. "It was entrusted me by the King of my worlds. Besides, it's bonded to me. I couldn't get rid of it if I tried." Sora dismissed his keyblade, and then summoned it again. "I can summon it at a thought. And it's actually pretty handy, believe it or not."

"How about you, Kratos?" Prince asked. Kratos grunted.

"I've had these swords for as long as I can remember." He retorted. "My Blades of Glory have always seen me through."

"Hmph." Sora smirked. "They didn't do you much good against Seiris Nhel."

Kratos groaned. "I have a weakness for beautiful women, all right?"

"That's what _she_ said."Sora quipped.

"Watch it, boy." Kratos growled. "Don't make me kill you."

"You guys walk too slow." Prince complained, forestalling a battle. "I'll race any takers to the town."

"That's two miles!" Sora complained. Kratos, however, bravely accepted, and after a moment, Ezio did too.

Sora sighed. "I'll just walk. I'll meet you guys at the town square."

"Whatever." Kratos waved him off. "Let's go."

Prince smiled. _What a group: I feel like I'm inside a legend: the Prince, the Assassin, the God, and the Boy. I wonder whether Kratos and Sora will ever get along. He's not a bad kid, but he's naïve. Pretty good fighter though. At least I won't be bored. _Prince thought while resting his hand on his dagger.

Ezio's thoughts were of a more practical manner. _I wish the brute would shut up, and the kid would stop being so naïve. The Prince is a good man, though. I still have to see what his blood did to my right hidden blade, though: it made it turn gold, and I wonder what those markings are about. I hope it's not really damaged._

Kratos' thoughts were, well, Kratos-ish. _I just wanna get this thing over with so that I can go and pound Zeus into a pulp, and maybe bang Aphrodite again. The kid's annoying; the assassin is a silent stalker; the Prince talks with a funny accent, and I feel like the only one in this group with balls._ **(I wonder what the others would do to him if they heard that…)**

The Prince, Ezio, and Kratos all started running. Sora sighed, and started half-heartedly jogging.

Sora's thoughts: _I sure hope that this doesn't take too long. I didn't even eat breakfast._

After a time, Prince and Ezio arrived at the town. Kratos had spotted a herd of deer, and had immediately drawn his swords and started running after them. Ezio and Prince had merely shaken their heads and kept running. Prince had beaten Ezio by a few feet, but only because he had secretly pressed a button on his dagger, that sped up time for Prince a very little unnoticeable bit, but enough to give him a slight edge. In reality Ezio would have won: Prince hadn't slept well at the castle, and was still a little tired.

"Sora said he would catch up with us at the town square." Prince flipped hair out of his eyes. "I sure hope that Kratos knows where to find us."

"If you want my honest opinion, I kind of hope they don't find us." Ezio admitted. "Kratos is a brute, and Sora is far too naïve for this work."

"He CAN be a brute," Prince said, "But Sora and Kratos were the warriors that Seiris assigned to help us. She must have had a reason."

"If its brute force and killing, then why not just send Kratos and leave Sora out of it?" Ezio murmured. "And if it's about making friends too easily with potential enemies, then forget Kratos and just give us Sora?"

"Maybe it's both." Prince smirked. "Come on. I have a little money, so let's see if we can find a money changing station."

Ezio grunted. Prince clapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, sourpuss."

Meanwhile, Kratos was walking towards the town, laden with deer skins. He had surprised the herd of deer, and had killed several before they managed to escape. Even so, he was jogging at a good pace.

_Maybe I can sell these to a dealer. _Kratos thought. _We're going to be going into the Cold Lands after this, and I would prefer to have money to buy a coat._ _Not that the cold bothers me, but I would prefer not to get frostbite if I can help it._

Sora had spotted Kratos up ahead, and started to run to catch up with him, mistaking him for Prince. However, when he saw that it was Kratos, he merely grimaced, and ceased running.

As Sora watched, however, he saw a man walking on the road towards Kratos. The man had short brown hair, and was tall. He wore a black long sleeved shirt with a hood, and a pair of dark gray pants. There was a strange symbol on the back of his shirt. He had a black short katana strapped to his back, several throwing knives, a few vials of what were assumed to be poison, a punch dagger, an arm blade, and a whip. Strapped to his hip was a tiny crossbow, about the size of a man's hand.The man drew the arm blade, and silently walked up behind Kratos.

Sora knew a threat when he saw one, even if he was naïve enough to try and turn the threat to an ally. As much as Sora jibbed and disliked Kratos, he didn't want him to die. So, Sora did what Sora did: he summoned his keyblade, and fired a Blizzara spell. The ice-ball slammed into the back of the strange man, and he stumbled. Kratos turned, surprised, and saw Sora and the strange man battling.

"Die, you bastard!" Kratos yelled, drawing his Blades of Glory. He swung, but the man merely drew his sword. Holding off Sora with his arm blade, he blocked Kratos' swing with the katana.

The strange man pushed Sora back with a burst of strength, before ducking under another strike by Kratos and kicking his feet out from under him. The strange man ran, sprinting at an impossible speed.

The map/disk that Sora carried suddenly started glowing. A picture of the strange man appeared, along with Seiris's voice.

"Durzo Blint." Seiris spoke. "Wetboy of Cenaria, carrier of the black ka'kari, immortal. Best fighter in that world, with the possible exception of his apprentice, Kylar Stern."

"What's a wetboy?" Sora asked.

Seiris's voice spoke again. "An assassin that never misses."

"Well _that's_ encouraging." Kratos grunted. "Let's go."

"Right." Sora nodded. He paused, looking at the deerskins. "Kratos, where did you get those?"

"Killed 'em." Kratos shifted the pile of deerskins up farther on his shoulder. "I'm gonna sell them and get some money; something that goddess of order sure didn't think to provide."

Watching them from the shadows of the trees that lined the path, Durzo Blint reached for a clove of garlic.

"Well damn." He muttered. "I didn't think that they were together." He chomped down on the clove. "But if there are two of them, there's bound to be more. I wonder what will happen if I follow them…"

Prince and Ezio were also engaged in making money. When their search for a money-changer proved fruitless, they happened upon a group of soldiers who were putting on a fighting match for the benefit of the crowd… and also for plain old bloodlust. From what the Prince and Ezio had seen of the town, it was little more then a black market establishment: blood flowed freely, and the soldiers were more interested in drinking and killing each other then doing their jobs. It had been a simple matter to bribe the gate guard with the few pieces of gold that Prince had. Ezio smiled, and nudged Prince, who nodded. Ezio stepped up to the platform, and called out to the soldiers, daring them to allow him to enter.

"What makes you think you can best us?" the captain said. "This is a battle to the death. If you enter, you must kill your opponents! What gives you the right to act like you are better then us: trained soldiers?"

"I do not act, captain. I _know _I am better and superior to you in _every_ way." Ezio said smugly. He was purposely emphasizing his words, complete buoyancy and confidence laced in his tone.

"Your arrogance is nauseating." The captain grunted, but motioned Ezio to enter. **(Cue song "Dance with the Devil" by Breaking Benjamin)**

After a few rounds through the crowd, betting that Ezio would win, Prince could see that Ezio already had two guards lay motionlessly by his feet; lying in the dirt with blood staining their armor and tunics, and some more blood pooling into puddles. Patrolling guards that just happened to walk near and heard the others ran in to help with their swords drawn.

Ezio was easily outnumbered nine to one, yet he tilted his head to glance towards Prince and flashed a smirk, and countered an attack with ease. He was using the short blade against all the men that had him surrounded. The assassin was toying with the men. When one would lunge at him, he would easily block and kick them away or hit the hilt of the sword into their stomachs.

Prince smirked. _Show off._

And then one of the guards managed to get him from behind. Ezio yelped in surprise and pain as the blade of the guard's steel ran across his back and another gripped the front of his tunic and shoved him off his feet.

Prince's heart dropped into his stomach, and his whole body tensed as Ezio fell to the ground and the armed men moved in on his fallen form. _Get up, Ezio. Get up! RUN!_ Prince urged frantically, ready to jump in with weapons flying. Even the crown fell silent, as they watched the deadly fighter fall.

Ezio quickly pushed himself onto his feet once more, his teeth in a tight grit and his short blade tightly gripped in his right hand. The man that had thrown him onto the ground wore a smirk and was the first to attack. Ezio averted the attack, pushing the long sword to the side and quickly bringing his blade back and slit the man's throat in one fluid motion. Men around him flinched and backed away for only a moment before their nerve returned and swarmed around him once again like annoying flies to a horse tail.

_If I had to choose one word to describe Ezio at the moment it would be: Merciless._ Prince decided, as he watched the battle with appreciation. It was one thing to be able to fight passably, but only one in a hundred fought as good as Ezio (or Prince, or Kratos, or Sora) did.

The assassin brought his blade down into and through a guard's helmet all the way to the hilt. the tip of the blade could be seen coming through skin of the man's chin with a menacing _crack_ and a choked and gurgled cry before he ruthlessly yanked the blade back out, spraying a small mist of blood before going after another man without hesitation. Bodies lay motionless in the dirt; blood pooled around in random areas like it had just rained. The civilians slowly and cautiously resumed talking; some gasping in horror while others simply stared with wide eyes… and in the middle of it all stood the assassin, in a nonchalant, calm and impatient demeanor. Ezio didn't bother to move. _What the hell is he doing?_ Prince wondered. _We have enough money. He can leave now. _And the stupid assassin still did not move!

Two more guards approached, grim faced. They stood on either side of Ezio. I quickly went around, collecting money from those who had bet that Ezio would have lost. Ezio had singlehandedly killed all of the so-called champions of the army in fair combat. The two men on either side of Ezio started to drag bodies away. Then the second guard attacked from behind, but Ezio easily redirected the attack away from him and kicked the guard onto one of the bodies and the man gave a disgusted or horror filled yell. While the guard was falling forward the first guard took the chance and attacked only to have the sword knocked out of his hand, grabbed by the collar of his tunic and thrown back as if he were trash. The man stumbled backwards and fell over the second guard just as he was pushing himself back onto his feet and they both fell in a pile of limbs.

Ezio smirked, bowed, and walked off the platform. Prince collected the last of his bets, and followed Ezio out of the crowd.

"Very nice blade work, Ezio." Prince commented. "I liked that last move where you threw them into the bodies."

"…thanks." He grunted. He staggered slightly from his back wound.

"Come on." I put my arm under him to support him. "We'll find an inn, and you can rest while I get a healer."

"… Yeah…" Ezio gasped.

Eventually, Prince got Ezio to an inn, and paid the keeper. He then, making sure his blades were ready, walked out to the town square.

In the square, he saw a pair of familiar faces haggling with a dealer, apparently trying to sell some deerskins.

"What do you mean, only five silver pieces!" the bigger man roared. His hand started inching towards one of the large swords strapped to his back.

"Sirs, I am only giving you the current market value!" the evidently frightened merchant said.

"Look sir, I apologize for my friend." The smaller figure said. "Just give us the five silver pieces, and we'll be on our way."

"No way!" The big man shook his head. "These are fine quality deerskins!"

"Excuse me." Prince said, tapping the big man on the shoulder. "But five silver pieces in the real value of…" Prince counted the deerskins. "…Seven deerskins. The merchant is correct."

"Prince!" the smaller figure, Sora exclaimed.

"You…" Kratos muttered. He turned to go. "Whatever. YOU bargain for the money. I give up."

Sora smirked, and received his coins. Prince motioned for him to follow him, and led the pair back to the inn. The innkeeper blanched noticeably when he saw that every one of his customers was carrying weapons. Kratos glared at him, and the innkeeper immediately scurried away to attend to some other business.

"Either of you know how to treat wounds?" Prince asked. Kratos looked at Ezio's back wound, then said that he only knew some rough first aid. A wound like Ezio's was beyond him.

Sora merely raised his Keyblade. A green glow surrounded Ezio for a moment, and the ugly slash that opened up his back suddenly knit together, shutting without even a scar. Ezio's face took on a healthier color, and his breathing steadied and deepened.

"What was that?" Prince demanded, feeling the tingle of magic in the air.

"It's a third-level healing spell." Sora explained. "It's called a Curaga."

"Is that Latin?" Kratos asked.

After the usual explanation, they all sat in a circle, silent, each occupied by their own thoughts.

"So, what have you guys been doing?" Prince asked the pair eventually. Sora shrugged, and Kratos merely grunted.

"We got attacked by one of the men that Seiris called the Chaos Warriors." Sora eventually admitted. "The one called Durzo Blint."

"I see." Prince said. "Did you kill him?"

"He got away." Kratos said, pulling out a whetstone and sharpening his Blades of Glory. "But he was strong. Very strong. Strong enough to push me back in a contest of strength."

"He was using magic." Sora said.

"Really?" Kratos said. "That was why he was so strong?"

"I've used magic enough times to know when someone else is using it." Sora explained. "Before, when he was just fighting me, he wasn't using it. But when he blocked your swing, I felt the pulse of magic in it. That was why he was able to push you back so easily. He used his magic." Sora paused for a moment. "I can't be sure, but I think it's a type of magic rarely seen in my world. It's known as the Talent."

"Talent, huh?" Prince mused. "So we're up against a magic-using assassin."

"Wetboy." Sora corrected.

"Whatever." Kratos shrugged. "When I find him, he's not going to be able to beat me again." He smirked. "After all… I am the God of War."

Sora smirked. "Yeah, we know."

"Anyone want food?" Prince offered. "I can go get some, and bring it back."

"Sounds good to me." Kratos said.

"Same here." Sora said.

"And I'd better bring Ezio back some, too. He'll need it when he wakes up…" Prince frowned. "However… I wonder whether we've seen the last of that wetboy."

"Maybe we did, maybe we didn't." Kratos shrugged. "But worrying won't get us food, will it?"

Prince smirked, and waked out. He carried the money from Ezio's battle excursion in a small pouch on his belt, and it clinked as he walked.

Prince was headed towards the town square, having seen a few vendors there. However, as he walked down a side street on his way to the town square, he noticed a group of men, poorly dressed, and wearing short swords eyeing him. He narrowed his eyes.

_Uh oh._ Prince thought as the alley in front of him was blocked by a pair of similarly dressed men.

"Hand over your money." One of them said. He appeared to be the leader.

"And hand over those fancy swords, too." A second man called.

"And that knife." Another one called.

"Now, what have we here?" Prince said out loud. "A group of idiots who can't tell when their overmatched."

That angered the thugs. Needless to say, they tried to kill him.

Prince blocked a strike, reversed the attack, and slit the thug's throat. Another one charged him, and he tripped him, planting his sword into the chest of the downed thug. Another one ran at him, and he blocked their strike, opening up their stomach with his other sword. Then he threw his Blade of the Sands at yet another charging thug, killing him instantly. He did a back flip, and each of the two thugs which had simultaneously charged him ran onto the other's sword. Prince retrieved his second sword, and stood.

Prince turned, Water Sword and Blade of the Sands dripping blood. Only the leader and another man were standing there. The thug dropped his sword and backed up, terror on his face. The leader stood there, sword drawn.

Prince wiped the blood off of his blades and placed them back into their sheathes. He drew his dagger of time, and pressed a button.

The leader and his lackey froze, turning a sandy white. Prince moved at supersonic speed, courtesy of accelerated time, and slashed the leader into ten separate pieces, and scattered them with a final slash. Then he returned time to normal, sheathing his dagger.

To the remaining thug, it appeared that his leader had just spontaneously ripped apart on his own. And the Prince of Persia was standing not two feet away, a smirk on his face.

"Please…" The thug stammered in terror. "Please… I'll do anything you want! I'll pay you! I'll do anything!"

Prince allowed the demon inside him to rage for an instant. His face changed, turning black with golden lines spider-webbing over it. His eyes glowed a golden-red.

"Tell the others." He hissed his voice demonic. "Tell them justice had come." Then he turned on his heel, and resumed his walk to the plaza.

From one of the roofs that lined the alley, Durzo watched. Next to him, another man stood. He was a young man, the one dressed in a black trench coat, with long silver-white hair and the ultra-long katana. Sephiroth.

"He fights well." Sephiroth observed.

"He knows about my Talent." Durzo bristled. "And he uses time magic. Even I can't manipulate time."

"You can become invisible." Sephiroth brushed off the statement. "I'd say that evens the odds."

"But what use is invisibility if he can freeze me in time before I can turn invisible?" Durzo countered. Sephiroth smiled grimly.

"Being an Ancient," Sephiroth said slowly, "I have some magic skill as well. I can't alter time… but I believe that I can nullify his magic affects on me."

"So can the Reaper." Durzo brushed that off. "I can't take him alone."

"And you want _me_ to kill him?" Sephiroth chuckled. "Saerkis Vhal assigned this portion of the journey to _you._ Killing as many of them as you can while they are in your territory is YOUR responsibility, not mine."

"If I fail to kill the Prince, then Saerkis will be mad at you for not helping me." Durzo returned, sneering. "Then you'll get what he gave to Ganondorf that time."

"I really don't like the fact that you continue to bring that up." Another voice chimed in. Sephiroth and Durzo turned, and saw Ganondorf leaning on the chimney of the building, watching the pair.

"So?" Durzo snorted. "It was funny." He turned, and watched Prince in the square, purchasing some type of food.

Sephiroth was interested in the food that Prince was buying. "Is that ramen?"

"I believe it's Lo Mein." Ganondorf observed.

"I thought it was ootai." Durzo shrugged.

"What's ootai?" Ganondorf asked.

Durzo sighed. "Never mind." He muttered something that sounded like "hopeless."

Sephiroth was about to say something, but then stopped himself. The One Winged Angel's black wing slid from beneath his coat, exposed to the air. He frowned as he examined his feathers; _my wing feels dry. I should give it some exercise._

"Have fun with your area, Durzo." Sephiroth nodded. "I need to give this wing some exercise." With that, Sephiroth flapped his wing, and soared up into the night sky. He hovered above them for a moment, then vanished into the distance.

"'One Winged Angel'." Durzo muttered. "How does a guy fly with only one wing? Even I can't pull that off with my Talent."

"For however strange that one may seem," Ganondorf spoke, referring to Sephiroth, "He's a deadly fighter. You can see it in his eyes. I will relish the opportunity to see him in action."

Durzo merely grunted, and watched the approaching figure of Prince as he returned through the alleyway. He turned to Ganondorf. "You want to get in some practice on this guy?"

Ganondorf smiled wickedly, and dark energy glowed in his hands. "I would enjoy that."

"Okay." Durzo said, his agile mind thinking fast. "Here's the plan…"

Prince froze in the alley.

_Something's off._ He thought.

Then things started happening fast.

A ball of purple-black energy slammed into his waist, knocking Prince's Dagger of Time from its sheath. The weapon flew to the side, falling through a gutter, lying just beyond reach.

Prince quickly regained his feet, and drew his swords. A figure approached from the shadows on his left side. A strange man, with gray skin and red hair, wearing black armor and a white cape, approached. His hands glowed dark purple with dark energy.

"Ganondorf." Prince growled.

"Prince." He nodded.

"Idiot." Another voice said. Prince didn't even need to turn to know that Durzo Blint was approaching from his other side.

Prince spun, spinning his swords in a saw-like motion. Durzo and Ganondorf fell back. Prince leapt towards Ganondorf, swinging his Water Sword in an uppercut.

Ganondorf reached out his hand, and the sword was blocked by the ball of energy in his hand. Prince swung again, and Ganondorf dodged under the blow and slammed his fist into Prince's chest. A gout of purple flames rose from the wound, and Prince yelled in pain at the searing punch.

Prince flew through the air from the force of the blow. However, Prince was agile as a monkey. He spun in midair, kicking downwards and connecting with Durzo's shoulders. He landed on his feet a few feet behind Durzo.

Durzo reached out with his Talent, several Talent-hands forming fists in the air. They sailed at Prince, striking him. Prince covered up with his swords, but Ganondorf was right there, and he kicked under Prince's defense and sent him sprawling in the floor.

Prince flipped up and attacked, vaulting over Ganondorf and slashing quickly. Ganondorf blocked The Blade of the Sands with a strange looking jet-black mace, but the Water Sword gashed his shoulder, causing Ganondorf to stumble and fall. Prince then launched himself in a full lunge at Durzo, locking blades with him, then ducking under his slash and elbow-slamming him in the side, sending him flying to the side. Durzo sailed through the air. Then suddenly he drew the black-bladed short katana from his back. He stabbed it into the wall, and spun, perching balanced on its handle before launching himself upwards into the air. Prince gave himself a grim smile. No one was his equal at midair combat.

Prince ran up the wall, jumped off, rebounded off of the opposite wall, and met Durzo in midair. He lashed out, and the Blade of the Sand caught on Durzo's black bladed katana: Retribution. The slight hook in the blade was caught behind the curved blade of Retribution!

Prince pulled, and Durzo ducked. Prince's slash went right over Durzo's head.

Then a black-purple fireball slammed into Prince. Prince fell, landing hard on his back. Durzo fell back as well. He slammed into the ground with a cry and an audible _crack._ His ribs had shattered.

"You may be an excellent warrior." Ganondorf said, walking up to Prince's prone form. Prince got a good look at the black mace that Ganondorf was carrying: It seemed to be made out of human bone, but the mace-head was in the shape of a dragon. "But I am an emperor of darkness!"

"That's what you think." Prince grinned.

"Why are you smiling?" Ganondorf frowned.

"You two are dead men." Prince said.

Then he changed.

His skin turned pure black, and then glowing golden squiggly lines ran over it. There seemed to be a chain embedded into his left arm. Suddenly, the chain extended. There were blades covering it.

"Feel my wrath." Dark Prince hissed. "Prepare to be cast to your doom."

Ganondorf gaped at Dark Prince. Dark Prince ran at him, kicking him backwards with enhanced strength. Ganondorf was flying straight for the wall. Ganondorf quickly slammed a hole in the wall with his dark mace, and landed in a room full of gray stone pillars. Ganondorf looked around. Dark Prince was nowhere to be seen.

_Where is he? _Ganondorf thought. He lifted his mace as his eyes scanned the room.

From where he was hiding behind a pillar, the Dark Prince smiled.

Dark Prince's chain wrapped around Ganondorf's mace and he yanked on it. Ganondorf flew towards him and Dark Prince smashed his face with his fist. Ganondorf stopped himself in midair by grabbing the ceiling, and then charged. Dark Prince blocked his swing with his chain, and then wrapped it around his neck. However, Ganondorf used that to flip Dark Prince over and into a pillar. Unfortunately for him, Dark Prince hooked his chain into the pillar, and used his momentum to swing back into Ganondorf. They were then thrown to the floor.

The Daggertail chain of the Dark Prince flicked like lightning in a stormy sky. Ganondorf was angry and almost scared now, and wasn't using skill now like he had before; he was merely hacking and slashing wildly. He wasn't all that skilled: he just knew a few really useful guards and counters; when it came to an even battle, he wasn't that tough at all.

Ganondorf knew when he was overmatched. In a battle of pure power, he could have crushed the Dark Prince in an instant with his immense dark power. But the Dark Prince refused to give him a moment of respite to gather his dark power: he was constantly there, slashing with his chain. Every attack Ganondorf tried with his mace was reflected. It was a battle of speed, endurance, and skill; and, although Ganondorf could have crushed the normal Prince, the Dark Prince was something else entirely.

It was time to make a retreat.

Ganondorf slammed his hand into the ground. Instantly, a wall of black-purple flames rose around him, pushing back the Dark Prince. The Dark Prince spun his chain in a circle around him quickly. Instantly a circle of blowing sand appeared around him. The wall of fire and the wall of sand collided. There was a bright flash, and then the Dark Prince was standing alone in the room.

_He got away._ The Prince's demon half thought with a tinge of regret. _A pity. It's so hard to find worthy adversaries that you will actually let me kill._

"Don't get used to it." The real Prince said. He exerted his will, and forced the demon down, returning to human form.

_Why ever not? _The demon asked. _You must admit: you weren't going to defeat those two without my help._

"Maybe not." Prince conceded. "But I could have at least kept my clothes."

Prince looked down at himself. Whenever he entered demon form the clothes on his upper body always disappeared. Luckily, his pants and sword harnesses still stayed.

_Shirtless men impress the ladies._ The demon pointed out.

"I thought you didn't like it when I got involved with women." Prince muttered.

_That was back when you were going to kill the Vizier._ The demon pointed out. _Now, not only did we establish that he is far too strong for you to kill, but we are in no position to kill him. Once we return to our world, after however long this insane quest may take, our entire land will probably be overrun with the sands of time, and your precious love Farah will be a sand creature. I highly doubt we will be in any position to save the world then. It all depends on how much stronger you get during this journey._

"Thanks for illustrating the bleakness of my future." Prince muttered, and retrieved his dagger of Time.

Prince replaced his weapons in their proper sheaths, and walked down the streets toward the inn.

Above him, Durzo watched.

_Damn him!_ Durzo thought angrily. _He shattered my ribs! If I wasn't immortal, I wouldn't be here right now! Even my rapid healing wasn't enough to save me!_

Durzo smote the roof with agitation. _I can't take him out. Even me and Ganondorf together failed, and he didn't even use his time magic. It's all because of that stupid demon!_

Durzo froze in realization.

_Demon…_ He grinned. _If he's a demon…. Then Thak Farelle and the Reaper should just _LOVE _him._

Durzo Blint, the famous wetboy of Cenaria, cloaked himself in shadows, and vanished into the night.


End file.
