I looked at the Lunar Bandit, as he looked at me. His eyes told me nothing of his intent, but I was fairly sure they were not pleasant.

He held his left arm up and the disk detached from the tree and flew into his grasp. It then split into two and became two curved blades.

I as a response began to draw both of mine, but stopped. I then drew only one and handed it to Eve. She needed some sort of protection if this turned ugly, because that is what was the most likely course this would go.

She took it with slight hesitation, apparently seeing where I was going with this. She held it flimsily due to the very brief training. I hope she'll be able to handle whatever is to come.

I take a stance and spread my legs and grasp my blade handle, ready to draw it at any moment.

“Well, ain't this just dandy. Fighting spirit. Who needs that bullshit anyway?” The Bandit(let us call him Lunacy for now) said with a few eerie giggles. “Now then...”

His blades combined into a disk and he threw it at us. I moved fast and drew my blade, deflecting the disk and sending it off course. Then it suddenly changed it's trajectory and came back at me. This time I dodged instead and let it fly past me.

“That is not fair! Stand still!” Lunacy yelled, but not from where he was supposed to be, in front of us.

I turned. He was behind us and grabbed his blade disk from the air. I had no clue when he had moved from in front of us to behind us in what was just a few seconds.

“You know what? Screw this! No throwing, only mowing!” He detached his blades and held one in each hand. He leaped at me, and me specifically. I held my sword with both hands and managed to deflect the first blade and sidestepped the other.

He was wide open now. Without giving him any room to react, I swung my sword in an arch... And when my blade connected with his body, he just disappeared. Faded away like mist.

“Where you hittin'?”, I heard the bandit mock me. A small cut appeared on my left arm. A bit of black blood leaked out of the wound. I looked at my side...

And was met with two yellow eyes. “'Sup.”

I took a swing at him and Lunacy just did a back flip to evade it, landing at a distance, giggling eerily.

I spoke up but held my blade in a defensive stance. “What do you want?”

He just looked at me with those eerie eyes. Then he laughed. “Really now? We gonna play this game? But you see, I don't wanna participate.”

“Just answer the question!”, I demand, raising my voice a bit more than usual.

Lunacy just scoffs. “Oh, but that is just it. What is the question? Is it that you wish to know, or something else making you want to know? Is it really the question that must be asked? Or is it that the one with a question is me? Who knows. Rubber ducky!”

“Wha-” I feel a slight pain coming from my shoulder. A cut had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. Another injury I can't explain.

What is going on?

“Can't see it, can you?” The Lunar Bandit remarked, again from a different spot. Now he was sitting on the branches of the tree where we had sat under just moments prior. “I'm really disappointed. I honestly thought The Origin would pose some sort of a challenge.” He sounded disappointed alright.

“What is The Origin?”, I asked, still refusing to lower my guard.

He just laughed merrily. “Really? That dense? Okay, how about we simplify matter for ya?” He jumped up and landed a few feet in front of me. “I am a piece of a puzzle once complete. Without the picture I am obsolete. What is it?”

A riddle? Why would he... Hold on...

“Get it now? You should.”, He said in a degrading tone.

“What do you want with me?”, I asked.

He laughed yet again. “Now that is the real question, isn't it? What do I want with you? Simple.” He charged and swung his blades around at random. I was forced to back down while deflecting the barrage of attacks.

“I want the picture out of the picture, you get me?”, He said, continuing his flurry of cuts and slashes. “Only The Origin can stop us. Stop me! I want to be free and do whatever I please.”

I didn't respond. I was too busy focusing on defending myself.

“So then I got this idea. If The Origin is gone, who can stop us? No, bloody, one!”

Then it happened again. The Lunar Bandit faded to nothingness right in front of my eyes.

Well, well now. Enough playing around. Kekeke.

I looked around for the source of the disembodied voice. I saw no signs of Lunacy anywhere.

Confusing, ain't it?

A sharp pain hit's my leg as a cut appears on my thigh.

The feeling of helplessness.

Another cut appears on my waist.

When you can't fight what you can't see!

Then there was laughter. All around me, yet nowhere in particular. It was true and I knew it. If this guy could turn invisible, my chances just got a serious dent put in them.

Enough games. PARTY ON!

I took a defensive stance. Offense would get me nowhere in this situation. I did not even get a chance to react as I felt the pain of a cut appearing on my back. I flinched and almost fell on my knees, but barely managed to stop my fall.

A realization struck me. I was going to lose. I thought my brain numb but there was no way for me to win this.

And so the mighty have fallen. Let's finish this!

I could only wait for the strike to come. There was nothing I could do with an enemy this unpredictable.

And so I waited...

And then...

*KLING*

I looked back and was more than surprised. Lunacy stood there, both blades locked with my other blade. The one Eve was currently holding in with both of her hands. Her blade was shaking quite a bit, but it held.

“What!?”, Lunacy yelled out. He broke the contact and jumped back a safe distance. “There is another one? Where did the mutt come from!?”

I smile. Looks like Eve's unnoticeable demeanor proved itself very useful in this situation.

Lunacy grunts, very visibly aggravated, and lunges at us both weapons ready. Before I can even take a proper stance, Eve turns around and yet again I hear the sound of blades colliding. I see the lunging Lunacy vanish and glace back to see another one, again blades locked with the white diamond dog.

“How... HOW!?” He jumps back, outraged. I can see that his normally completely round eyes have taken an angry expression. “How does that stupid mutt know where I am? HOW!? That. Does. Not. Make. SENSE!!”

I glance at my battle companion and see that she is shaking. Probably afraid. Can't blame her. Then I see her ears more erratically just like when she saved me from the flying blade disk.

Eve jerks to her left and again blades collide. Without much thought I swing my blade and it too is intercepted. Lunacy is locking blades with both of us with both of his weapons, right between us. Reminds me why dual wielding can be handy.

He is audibly growling in annoyance. He knocks our weapons back and vanishes.

He appears on a tree branch far away from us. “How?”, He asks with a barely restrained tone. “How is that stupid dog seeing through my illusion!”

Illusion? That's what it is! He isn't turning invisible. He is just creating an illusion of himself disappearing or a clone body. It's so simple! But how does Eve know where he is...

Could it be...

“Eve.” I say. She looks up to me. “Get back for now.”

She has a look of uncertainty “B-but-”

“Trust me.” I interrupt her, silencing her. I look at her. “I have a plan.”

I see her reluctantly move back and take cover behind a tree.

“Oh,hohoho! Getting cocky, are ya? Well, we can't have none of that.” Lunacy then disappeared and many images of him appeared around me, surrounding me, circling me. They ran around me, some to the other direction than others in an attempt to confuse me.

“Well? Feeling like giving up? You've been saved only by a lucky streak, but now your luck has run out.”, They all say simultaneously, the voices blending together and melding. I know his tactic now. He attempts to confuse enemies with his illusions.

I just need to work my way around that.

I slowly put my sword back in it's scabbard, let my hands fall on my sides and close my theoretical eyes.

“Whoa-ho, what is this? Ready to submit, to give in? Ya better not be expecting any mercy out of me!”

I ignore his voice. I ignored everything. I cleared my mind. Let the outside world silence itself. I did something my father had taught me. I stood silent and opened my mind only to sound.

And I listened.

Foot steps. Many, but only one sounded... different. All the others sounded hollow, empty. They had no substance.

I waited.

In silence of the mind.

Concentrating on only one thing.

Complete harmony of body and soul.

"Choo-Choo, Here come the murder train!"

…

There!

My hand moved to my sword handle, pulled it out, slashed and returned it in it's sheath in one swift and perfect movement. The entire thing could be missed merely by blinking.

I opened my eyes and turned around to see the Lunar Bandit. He turned as well and looked at himself, then at me.

“HA-HA! You miss-”

Both of his swords shattered. He stared at the remains, eyes widening. A gash appeared on his chest, spilling black liquid to the ground. He fell on his knees and held himself up with his hands.

Eve left her safe spot and came to me, a look of awe adorned her face.

The kneeling Lunar Bandit couched black blood onto the grass. “How... How can such I be defeated...?”

I gazed down at him. “Your illusion is imperfect.”, I say coolly “You may be able to make the illusion of sound, but it is not close to the real thing. I heard your movement because it was different from the others you generated.”

He spat some blood on the ground and breathed heavily.

“You also attacked me, alone. I had help.”

Then Lunacy did something I would not have expected in his situation. He laughed. “Who said...” He couched again. He looked up at me and I could tell he was smirking “Who said that I was alone?”

I heard a faint sound from behind. I could see the air vibrate in the corner of my eye. Then a form came into view. A large, round humanoid form.

“Time to BURN!”, Lunacy shouted.

I grabbed Eve and dived out of the way as the form breathed fire at the spot we stood. I could feel the heat as one of my feet came a bit too close to the fire.

I and Eve rolled on the grass, only I managed to roll on my feet and get a look at the sudden arrival.

Soul Fragment discovered

Type: Fat Bandit

Classification: Heartless

Represents: Tardiness

Status: Enemy

….

….......

…............

… Represents what?

“About time you showed up!”, Lunacy yelled at the Fat Bandit.

“Sorry.”, The Bandit replied with a deep, sluggish voice.

Lunacy looked at the Fat Bandit. “Well what are you waiting for? Pick me up! Can't you see I'm a bit under the bridge, if you get what I'm sayin'.”

The large Heartless scooped the smaller Lunacy and set him on his shoulder. The Lunar Bandit then turned his eyes on me. “Come on, big buddy. Let's finish what we came here to do.”

“...Yeah...” The large Heartless turned and began sucking in air, preparing to breathe more fire at us. Next Chapter: Sad announcement Estimated time remaining: 1 Minutes