Hollow was leaning against a wall in John's Dojo in the Void. He was watching John as he was unconscious for his exam. Injuries appeared now and then but that's normal with this training. He knows he can complete this. Facing both his inner rage and his past self is a daunting task especially given how powerful both are. Though Hollow knows he'll do it. John is destined for greatness. Heck he believes Cript can see his potential. Anyone that can use the Power of Humanity not only once, but twice and defeat even a decaying Psychopath was not normal.
He looked over to John's right a bit to see Aqua on her knees looking at John in worry. She saw wounds appear on him, heal up, and saw a strange, powerful energy emit from him. She has no idea what is going on. She knows he is in a Mark of Mastery, but it's her first time seeing this kind. Ones that happens in the mind don't normally injure the participant, but this was something else entirely. “What is going on with him, where exactly are we, who..who are you?” Aqua asked Hollow.
“Those questions will be answered in time. When John wakes up we'll answer your questions. For now thought. Want to say hi Cript?” Hollow asked without even looking.
Aqua was confused at what he said before a figure appeared out of nowhere next to her. Scaring the heck out her as she jumped back a bit while summoning her keyblade hovering it over John as if to protect him.
“Ouch, rude.” Cript said upon seeing Aqua’s response to his appearing. “You rang man?” Cript asked Hollow.
“I just sensed you appear here not long after John tapped into Humanity again. He most likely was fighting his inner rage. He couldn't use Void while his rage could. He probably needed it since he was vastly overpowered before. You sensed it and came here wondering why he tapped into it again so soon correct?” Hollow asked.
“Nope.” Cript said, kneeling down to get a better look at John. “I’m wondering is he’s changing.” He said, giving Hollow a bizarre look of confusion.
Hollow spoke again. Only this time his voice was normal. “You mean is he becoming a Delete?” He asked. Confusing Aqua.
“What's a Delete?” She asked.
“Yup, say, how’d you know about those jack asses?”
Hollow gave him a deadpanned look. “I'm in the Void basically 24/7. Do you honestly think I wouldn't have encountered the Voids version of a Psychopath even once after all this time?”
“Oh they are more than that. Turns out Delete activate whenever creation is getting too big for it’s britches. They come it, erase everything and once they move on Admins come in to remake everything. Killed two already, the first had my boss scared, the second… I’d rather not talk about. Still, the look in his face when I managed to get near it. Heh, was so worth the danger.”
“Heh. Well given your...condition it's no wonder it was shocked. Still most would have thought a Delete would have been probably the only thing left that could kill you after what Truth did.” Hollow said.
Cript didn’t turn to face Hollow, but he felt the shift in the air. “And...how did you learn about that?”
“Spend enough time in Void and you learn a thing or two. It's not hard when you know where to listen. The things here can make most of Creation cower for mercy. Some things that are sealed here are actually so dangerous that if it wasn't for your condition you would probably avoid them at all cost.” Hollow said. He has seen many things in Void. Things he hope never leaves.
“Hm...maybe. Can’t say if that’s true, always been the reclass type. Besides, there are still things stronger than me. It just takes… something special to finish me. So, how’s his progress been?”
“Great actually. He defeated his rage and unlocked his keyblades true form. His getting stronger. All that's left to face his past life Drexel. Drex won't use his full power obviously. He could destroy a galaxy with his trump card. This more of a training fight than a battle to the death. Tell me...how are things outside?” Hollow asked. He wanted to know incase he has to change John's training schedule.
“There’s a second Keyblade war in the works, but for me, that’s not my priority at the moment.”
“.....A second war…” A wall next to them suddenly opened up as Hollow sent a blast of void out into the Void. It collided with a small island like rock floating in the void before it exploded with the force of a supernova. Aqua’s eyes widen greatly at the display of raw power of him casually throwing such a blast before Hollow spoke with rage in his voice. “Who is the goddamn idiot that started this. After the last war I never want hear even a thought about a new one!?”
‘The second Keyblade war was said to be started when Nothingness and Kingdom Hearts shared a single being. Zeke was split, being balanced of heart, his body didn’t stick with the dominant heart side, it was sent to Purgatory. He managed to find the door to escape, and thus, the second war was declared by Kingdom Hearts itself.”
Aqua was shaking at the news. “I heard stories about the last war. If a second one is coming what are we goiter to do?”
Hollow calmed down a bit before answering. “Prepare. I'll have to accelerate John's training, and gather the rest of his group.” He held out his hand and showed four images. A male carrying a strange axe with a tattoo covering his ash white skin, a male with two swords on his back with a ghostly figure following him and a ring that radiated power, a tall skeletal figure with six wings two red feathered wings, two bat wings, and two bone wings, and a male holding two black rusted swords that seemed to repale magic itself. “One of them is already here.” He Said looking at Aqua.
“Me?” She said surprised.
He nodded. He then looked at Cript. “What are you going to do about the others? Help them prepare?”
“I gave them some aid but like I said this second Keyblade war isn’t my priority, I have other things I’m working on.”
“Ok than.” Hollow than looked at John. “It's strange. To be able to tap into Humanity twice in such a short time when even your family can barely tap into it once. I know that Ben is going to master it. It's just a matter of time, but John. What do you think?”
“Hm.” Cript hummed in thought. “Hard to tell, void and Humanity? Sounds bizarre, but, it’s a strange world we live in. Hey Hollow?”
“What?” Hollow asked with an eyebrow raised.
“Do you still dream?”
“....No. Not after what happened to me.” Hollow said. “I can't dream or have nightmares. It's just nothing. Just Void.”
“Hm. I sometimes catch myself dreaming. I see grassy fields for as far as they eye can see. The sun is high up in the sky, bright in the blue around it. It feels… so peaceful. I think, this is how creation should be. One vast space, no need for portals to travel worlds, just an endless sky above and eternal earth as far around and deep as life can dig. Simple, not so complicated.”
Hollow was silent for a little bit before closing his eyes. “That was how creation was...before the war. That's exactly how I remember it…”
“I don’t just mean your reality Hollow.” Cript interrupted. “I mean all realities. No more reflections, realities, barriers. One reality for all, one planet for all, one sky for all.”
“Things would be peaceful, or not. Evil. In no matter what form will eventually happen. Give it a few centuries or millennia, or even eons. Still. Your right. Creation might be better like that.” Hollow said.
Hollow than shook his head. “ Anyway. I'm going to have to rethink on how I'm going to train them. This is a start.” He said bringing out six orbs of pure Void. Cript sensed that each had the power of a large star at least. One I particularly was twice that. He took a guess at what this training was.
“So, how you expecting him to survive?” Cript asked.
“John is more durable to Void than you think. How else would he be able to use that old Emperor true Void even barely a fraction of it without it destroying him outright?” Hollow asked. “Let's face it. John and his group are going to come against ‘them’ at some point and the weakest of them is multiversal at least.”
“Face who now?” Aqua asked worried a bit at what she just heard about the ‘weakest’ of this group.
“I'll let you know when John has gathered the others.” Hollow told her. “For now me and you wait for him to awake. Should be soon.”
Aqua nodded her head before looking at Cript. “Um. Who exactly are you? I know your name is Cript but who are you?”
“Oh wow how to phrase that…” Cript said, scratching the back of his head. “Well, I am an Admin. You know legends of how gods came and created all these different worlds and stuff, well that’s partly bullshit. Admins created realities from the void, and life within them, but we let life do it’s own thing and some of us only intervene when needed. Not many admins to be honest, those than can create realities anyway.”
Aqua nodded her head. She was apparently meeting a True God. She noticed a strange device on his wrist. “What is that?”
“This? It’s called an assistant. Aside from being a backpack on your arm it makes combat and getting stronger easier by allowing you to see your strength progress. Kinda turns reality into the biggest video game ever but it helps a lot.”
Aqua’s eyes widened at that. She thought for a few seconds. “How do you acquire one?”
“Various ways, earn one, be born into the right reality and everyone has one. Can’t take one from a corpse though, they are linked to the wearer, wearer is killed it powers down and then can rust, be damaged, and break. There’s been lots of people trying to steal my tech so I take precautions.”
“How do you earn them?” She asked. These things could help her or even her group.
“Hm, well, easiest I guess it to impress me.”
“Easier said than done.” Hollow mutters silently to himself.
“Do you want week long diarrhea? One snap of the fingers and your ass will be planted on the nearest toilet.” Cript threatened. “Besides, impressing me, I take into consideration their power and current strength. The reason you haven’t yet is because you haven’t stepped out of your power or strength yet. Do that, and you’ll catch my eye.”
Aqua giggled a little when Hollow froze up a bit before looking at Cript and nodding. “Gotcha.”
“So, on a darker note, Aqua...I got some bad news about your friend Ventus…”
Aqua froze for a sec before swallowing her fear. “Wh-what happened?”
“Well, as you know his heart was missing, looking for a friend...that friend was a high value target of Core, sure you know him...took that child's heart and many others to forge an imperfect replica of the X-blade. It was destroyed, along with both the boy’s and Ventus’s heart...I’m sorry.”
Aqua was frozen stiff. She started to shake and was about to lose it before Hollow knocked her out with a small chop to the neck. “ Some are surprised when that actually works.” He looks to Cript. “It had to be done. When she wakes she'll be more calm about it after a few minutes. How she'll react to Vanitas is up for debate.”
“I was about to tell her than Vanitas holds part of Ventus’s heart still, and I am sure you know about Zeke’s Absent Silhouette?”
“I know.”
Cript shook his head. “Only Vanitas can beat it and acquire Ventus. His Absent Silhouette gives thirteen prizes upon completion. One Keyblade, eleven random items, and the thirteenth chest holds what the champion desires most. For Joy, it was why Eve is who she is, for Vanitas, it is his missing half, Ventus. Somehow that thing breaks all the rules this reality hase to acquire it’s prizes, the thirteenth especially. For once, I have no idea how it works, and that’s exciting. That thing is more than just an echo, it’s an imprint on reality itself of Zeke.”
Hollow chuckles. “Well Zeke is your reflection. Not that surprising if you just go with it.”
“Yes, Zeke has potential. I can see him replacing me, but, his desires are simple, his family. So long as he has that, he’s content with life and likely won’t fight ever again after this second war.”
Hollow had a dark look. “Than let's pray no one is stupid enough to take them from him. If so...than maybe Ben and John combining Void and Nothingness might be the only thing that could stop him. The Foretellers are strong and have massive potential, but they are nowhere near their true power now. John and Ben have a head start. Dreams and Nightmares are a powerful force.”
“You think they can defy the one crowned as king of this whole reality?” Cript asked, giving Hollow a confused look. “The X-blade isn’t just the weapon to guard and protect the balance of the worlds and Kingdom HEarts, it’s the symbol of the king, each wielder was crowned King, or queen, but that tidbit was lost before it even even got a wielder, when it’s forge was overrun with the first Heartless. Zeke knew this, so despite his power, it’s all him. He never tapped into a drop of the X-blades power. Like his predecessors, he left the throne empty, and the crown unworn.”
Hollow chuckled. “Do you forget? Ben and John are Royalty themselves. A King and Emperor of their own realities and Facts.”
“Ben is in line for Nothing, but not for long will be be the only one. That old fart has been eyeing Kexez a lot lately. I know that look in his eyes, he wants his throne to go to the strongest.”
“Be that as it may. Ben issue going to give that up without a fight. He and his council will get stronger and stronger. When John decides to visit I'll have him give him something. Something that will help.”
“Hm, two kings, one emperor. Wonder what the Foretellers will be?” Cript laughed.
Hollow looked at Cript with a smirk. “Isn't it obvious? The Council of Dreams and Nightmares. Both are a powerful force. Similar to light and darkness, nothingness and void. A force of nature with unlimited power.”
Hollow looks at John. Knowing that he'll become one of the strongest beings in existence. Along with his friends.