In the Jungle, the Mighty Jungle (Gula)

Gula had found himself in what seemed like a jungle world. The ambient sounds of animals going about their day and the wind lazily breezing through the trees calmed Gula's paranoid mind. Here, it felt like he could escape the problems that ravaged the fractured world. Yet, even here, he could not escape completely. The problem ate at Gula's mind and Heart constantly. What was he to do about what had happened? He hadn't even run into many Keybladers. There used to be so many... until he allowed the Keyblade War to happen, of course. Gula clenched his fists and then relaxed them. No, it would not happen again, not on his watch. Gula traveled through the jungle and arrived at a bamboo thicket. So far, he hadn't found any people, let alone Keybladers. The Foreteller quickly wondered if he should quit his wild goose chase and go to another world. However, that momentary pause to think about the next step was the Heartless's cue and they quickly appeared. There were Shadows, of course, as there always was. However, they were joined by odd Heartless that looked like monkeys. Gula conjured his Keyblade and dashed into the fray, casting Ramuh's Boon on his Keyblade to enchant it with electricity.

Minutes later, he destroyed the last Heartless. He took a couple deep breaths to gather his bearings. Those monkey Heartless were weak but tricky, bounding all over the place. Of course, they weren't wily enough to stop a Keyblade Master from beating them. Gula sighed and dispersed his Keyblade, sitting on the large rock in the middle of the clearing. He had been out of the picture for too long. He had to get it together if he was going to beat the Darkness. It was then that he noticed something on the ground. Footprints. Quite a few actually, traveling to the area where Gula had just come from. If that was the case, there had to be a settlement somewhere around here. Perhaps even... no, it was wishful thinking to think anyone wielded a Keyblade here. But he could always check. Gula stood up from the rock and made a few steps towards the camp. Then he stopped. He felt a shiver go up his spine. Something wasn't right. It felt like he was being watched. It could just be some animal, of course, but the thought occurred that perhaps the people going into the forest weren't so nice. Well, there was only one way to check. Besides, he needed the Lux. Gula reeled around and cast a Thundaga spell into the treeline, in the direction of where he thought the thing watching him was. Hopefully, that would take care of that problem or scare them off at the very least.

Gula froze in place and suddenly time seemed to just stop. Everything around him seemed to just feel irrelevant to him. The smells, sounds, sights all just sort of faded away as Gula's ears and brain focused on one thing and one thing only. That voice. That voice that, so long ago, gave him a piece of paper and a singular role: Find the Traitor. That playful, mischievous voice that complained but Gula's serious demeanor all the time. Gula had grown to respect that voice, always following his directions to the letter. But... that man was gone. He had disappeared when the Foretellers started forming the Unions. Had he been called back like Gula? But then who was powerful enough to call the Master of Masters back? Unless... no, Gula couldn't even bear the thought. If the Master of Masters had been alive and well all along... Gula wasn't sure he could handle that. But he had to know. Gula's vision finally focused on the figure sitting in one of the chairs. Those clothes, that voice... it was him. It was really him in the flesh. He seemed to be scolding him or just being sarcastic. It was honestly hard to tell with the Master of Masters sometimes. Even then, Gula was barely focusing on his words as question after question after question flooded his mind. Everything that had happened, everything that led up to the Keyblade War could be answered right here and right now.

Finally, as the Master of Masters finished speaking, Gula finally refocused on the man's face, obscured by the hood of his Black Coat. Rage built up inside of Gula as his fists trembled. "Must be really nice to sit there without a care in the world, huh? Do you even know what happened, Master?!" That... was kind of a dumb question. Gula was never able to explain how but the Master somehow always knew everything that was going to happen. He even knew what would happen in the events leading up to the Keyblade War. After all, he knew about the traitor among them. However, Gula's rage, shock at seeing his Master in ages and obvious distraught was blinding him. Gula tried desperately to make sense of everything. It was clear that had he not died, he still would not have emerged from the War unscathed. "I... I failed... and the Keyblade War happened. Just like the Book said. Everyone died. I don't even know how I'm back again in this... this fractured mess of a World! Who brought you back, Master?!" Gula's pride took a hit but it was hard to escape the truth. The Master probably would have said it anyways. He had failed in his responsibility to find the traitor. But Gula wasn't going to run away from it. He would just have to fix this problem.

Gula's lip curled at the Master. Of course, he dodged his question. It was never, EVER a straight answer with the Master. It had to be veiled in a riddle or a joke or some other form of misdirection. Gula's frustration only grew as he desperately tried to keep a lid on it. All he wanted was answers, but of course, Fate had to play a cruel joke on Gula as the only man who had the answers would never give them freely. Gula barely reacted to Master suddenly being right beside him, having gotten used to his Blink power. Still, the Master's patronizing attitude wasn't helping matters and Gula could only shut his mouth for so long. "And these... scattered remnants are any better? Remnants that, as we speak, are being devoured, slowly but surely, by the Heartless? This is what you wanted? A slow, agonizing death as opposed to a quick one. Well, BRAVO! Once again, you outdid yourself this time, Master. And all it took was the sacrifice of thousands of Keyblade Wielders to make it happen. CHILDREN, mind you. Children who TRUSTED your teachings! Oh and "her"? Let me guess, could it have anything to do with Ava and her Dandelions? Yeah, thanks, but I already know about that. Tell me, where ARE the fruits of the Dandelions' labor? There should be so many more Keyblade Wielders to safeguard the Light, right? To do what they were doing before? So where are any of them?! Master, I have traveled to so many worlds and I have found ZERO Keyblade Wielders. There used to be so many of us. But like the World, I guess that's mostly gone, too."

Then the Master spoke those words. The words of advice he gave before Gula left his Chamber with the Lost Page and his role in the coming days. "Trust no one but yourself." Gula had a funny feeling he knew why the Master was asking that. He didn't look the Master in the eyes, but he still stood resolute. He would not flinch away from his accusation. "Hmph... I didn't trust the Foretellers. Any one of them could have been the traitor. By the time I even revealed what was on that Lost Page, which I'm sure is why you're throwing those words at me, it was already too late. The traitor had already done his or her job and the War began with earnest. There wasn't any point in keeping a piece of paper secret, especially written in such an obtuse manner." Gula then took a long, deep breath, as if steeling himself. "But you know what? You're right on the money. I failed. I failed at trusting only myself. Because..." Gula then conjured his Keyblade and pointed it right at the Master's face.

"... I still trusted you, Master." If the Foretellers saw this, they'd ask if he'd lost his mind. He'd probably get killed for even having the spine to do this. But it didn't matter. Nothing mattered. If he died here, it just meant he wasn't strong enough to fight the Darkness and if that was the case, then so be it. It wasn't like there was anything else worth living for. Gula's Keyblade didn't tremble in his hand, despite the feeling in his Heart. "No more tricks. No more games, no more riddles, no more lies! Tell me who brought you back, Master!"

Gula's rage continued to boil over even as the Master got closer to him. He had expected to be destroyed right then and there for being so uppity and rude to the Master. At the very least left in a state of agony and pain. Or perhaps Gula secretly hoped that that would be the case. It only seemed fitting to be punished for his crimes by the Master. But no, the Master agreed with Gula's deduction, though he was quite serious in his demeanor. In fact, throughout his speech he was remained completely serious. Not only did this calm Gula, but it also worried him. He hadn't seen the Master this serious for this long since... ever, really. Gula wasn't sure if he should feel relieved or scared. The Master continued to talk about how Gula failed leaving and then left his ever famous catchphrase hanging for Gula to complete. However, it took a bit for Gula to briefly untangle himself from his emotions and realize that the Master was waiting for him. Even then, Gula said, ".. be your guiding key." in a half-hearted manner. The Master continued his speech about bonds and how Gula should be careful about trusting in his bonds too much. Well, that wasn't going to be a problem. In fact, one could say that Gula had been cured of any notion of trust. He had been betrayed and betrayed the trust of his Union, thrusting them into a War that only slaughtered them all. Trust, Gula had learned, was a luxury that he simply couldn't afford anymore. However, the Master then went on to say that Gula's failure would allow him to grow and learn. This perplexed the Leopardos Union leader. By all accounts, he was dead on account of his failure. How was he supposed to learn anything as a corpse? Even more, his failure brought up the destruction of thousands of Keyblade Wielders. This seemed like a lesson that could be better learned without the needless death and destruction. All Gula seemed to learn was not to make the same mistake twice, something he had no intention of doing.

The Master then explained why he decided to do things the way he did. His explanation, while long-winded, was actually fairly straight-forward and easy to follow. This only aroused Gula's suspicions. It couldn't possibly be this simple. All his life, Gula tried to get a straight answer out of the Master and he met with failure without end. He supposed that's we he got his habit of interrupting the Master's grandiose explanations with his quick, logical approach. And now here he was, explaining step by step how he tried to keep the Darkness at bay. Gula simply couldn't take the story at face value. Perhaps he just didn't want to. Gula had an inkling that the Master was blessed with amazing foresight, though how he managed that had always remained a mystery. He simply couldn't believe that someone so gifted could have made a mistake that seemed so obvious. The Darkness had to be growing with each Keyblade Wielder if that was the case. Perhaps it was as he said, that he realized the correlation too late. But something just didn't add up. However, Gula had no real evidence to disprove it so he kept his theories to himself in the meantime. He did agree with the Master that Darkness and Light weren't necessarily evil or good. They were forces that could be used to the betterment or detriment of mankind. However, it always seemed that Villains preferred the Darkness over the Light. Truly a mystery of the universe.

"I suppose, in hindsight, it would've been best if it was just you. But then what you have called yourself? Can't really be a Master of just yourself, can you?" The tone of Gula's question was clearly poking fun at what would've been a dire situation. It was small, but it was a glimpse of Gula's sillier side. A side that usually only revealed itself around the Master and his fellow apprentices. However, even then, Gula just didn't really have the heart to commit to the humor. It was an attempt and nothing but. His slight smile just showed sadness, not joy. The masked apprentice just resigned himself to continue to listen to the Master's speech. Apparently, the Master saw no need to fear the Darkness. He had apparently ventured into it with the protection of his coat. Gula also gleaned Luxu's role given to him... well, a small part of it anyways. The Master had apparently sent him off for... something. That was still hazy, of course. Then the Master mentioned that he knew Gula would come back which was another thing that only made the apprentice more suspicious. Even with foresight, he couldn't possibly have known that Gula would come back from death. The Master even alluded to the other apprentices coming back, which only caused Gula to look down. Ira, Aced, Invi and Ava... they all saw him as the Traitor. There was no way he could face them. Too much had passed since those days in the Foretellers' Chamber. Gula's memories drifted to his two fights with Aced, where he tried to destroy the Ursus Leader because he suspected him of being the traitor. Gula had been wrong... very wrong. Even worse, he had been accused of doing nothing while the other Foretellers fought, an accusation Gula couldn't refute then and was still unable to now. If the Master expected them all to come back together as one... Gula believed that was too optimistic.

And yet... the Darkness was still growing and need to be pushed back to maintain the balance. That much he could agree with the Master on. While Gula could only see the World as diminished fragments, the Master claimed they held potential. Within each of them a Heart, which they didn't before. Gula contemplated this. Of course they didn't, they were all one. They didn't have them because they didn't NEED them. According to the Master, the World needed to be made and only with Kingdom Hearts was that possible. Gula wondered how the Master could be so optimistic. Had he not seen the Graveyard? The fields of Keyblades? Then the Master dropped the bomb to end them all. Another Keyblade War.

Another. War.

Since Gula had come back, he felt a growing tension in the World. It was much like before in the days before the First Keyblade War. No one had started fighting, but it would only take one little incident to set everything off. Gula also sensed the roiling Darkness on the horizon. He had hoped this was an anomaly, that there wasn't another War. But not only was there going to be another one, the Master was actually COUNTING on it. What if it didn't work? What would be left? What if there was no one left? What if the Master made a mistake in allowing this to happen? Everything in Gula's Brain and especially his Heart screamed that this couldn't possibly be the solution, that it was madness. Gula took a breath as the Master finished his screed, telling Gula that he still had a long way to go. That... was possibly true. But Gula didn't care. He shouldn't be here, anyways. He should be gone, done for. This was an era not meant for him. Gula looked up at his Master.  "... I think already know that I was wrong. The giant Graveyard is a rather helpful reminder." Gula said rather darkly. "Another Keyblade War, huh? Then there are Keybladers then. I guess that's some solace." Gula looked away and stared off into the jungle. "... So what's the big plan then, Master? Given the lack of Keybladers, they should probably be tested. See if they can handle such a task." Gula had no intention of actually helping bring about another Keyblade War. He had made up his mind when he woke up in the Graveyard. He couldn't... wouldn't allow such a catastrophe to happen again. However, he had to see what the Master was going to do. Just to see if there wasn't going to be another Graveyard after this Second War. Gula hoped with all of his Heart there wouldn't be any more sacrifices.

But as the Master said, Gula couldn't trust anyone anymore...

Gula continued to listen to the Master respond to him. He wasn't entirely sure why he was doing so. A force of habit, perhaps? However, even as the Master spoke, the events of the War played out in Gula's head. How many Keyblade Wielders did Gula watch die? How many hands did he hold as they drifted off to the hereafter? It was so... simple to say that it was unavoidable. That nothing could be done and that they were all destined to die. Gula supposed, in a way, it was a comforting thought to some. After all, if nothing could have been done, then why worry? Unfortunately, it did not provide Gula with any comfort or solace. They were still dead. Gone forever. All except for him and really, did he even deserve to be back? Why not any of the others? What about Ava or Ira or Invi or even Aced? What about any number of Keyblade Wielders who died for something they had only the faintest inkling of? What had Gula done to deserve being back?

Gula's focus drifted back to the Master's words. So... the official plan was that there was no plan. There was going to be no involvement. Gula couldn't really say he was shocked. The Master seemed to prefer letting things happen as opposed to getting directly involved in affairs. He promised a happy ending and yet, Gula couldn't help but wonder. The Master had even stated, with his own words, that his foresight wasn't infallible. Sure, he could see the future, but it was not entirely written in stone. It could be changed in slight ways. Perhaps better than what the Master had intended. Or perhaps Gula was just really hoping that was the case. A flimsy justification to pretend he knew what he was about to do. Again, the Leopardos Union leader was more trying to convince himself than anyone else. Then the Master promised that there wouldn't be a graveyard this time, that it would be only a small affair after the First Keyblade War. Well, of course, it'd be small, there wasn't exactly armies of Wielders anymore. But that still didn't mean the damage couldn't be catastrophic. Anyone who could use a Keyblade held great power even without being Masters. Even a small number of them could wreck untold havoc.

Then the Master dropped another bombshell, as he seemed wont to do right now. He knew that Gula was going to summon Kingdom Hearts before the First Keyblade War. "How did..." he instinctively began, before cutting himself off. It was impossible. Well, more implausible than anything. Sure, the Master could see the future, but to be able to know something like that. He had only told Ava as far as he remembered and he was sure Ava didn't tell anyone else. Of course, if she did, then that only meant that she betrayed his trust, too. But that didn't seem like something Ava would do. Something was off about all of this and the Master was right at the center of it. How did he know something that specific that was said in private? Gula didn't ask, but did file the thought away in the back of his brain for now. The Master tried to reassure Gula that he had get over the pain of the War and move on. Easier said than done. The Master even mentioned wanting his Gula back, the Gula that he was before this whole mess started.

Gula looked up at the Master and sighed, "If you can see the future, than you should know my answer." He turned around and walked away, seemingly in thought. His fingers rested on his chin as seemed to ponder the Master's words. However, this was merely a pretense. Gula had already made up his mind and there was no way he could go back on his vow. Suddenly, he looked up and, in a passable imitation of the Master said, "'May your Heart be your guiding key. I say that all the time. In the end, you have to do what your Heart feels as right.'" Gula even imitated the Master's gesticulations in his quotation. He then let his arms fall to his side. "I'll admit, I guess I never truly understand what that meant. I let a piece of paper guide my actions, not my Heart. But now? After coming back to this time... I think I can actually say that I understand it. In the end, I have to do what my Heart feels is right. And Master..." Gula turned around, head still bowed. "I... I'm sorry. But it would seem our paths must diverge. My Heart... My Heart cries out for atonement, Master. This isn't about setting things back to the way they used to be or wishing I did things differently. So many people died, not even knowing the real reason why they died. Sure, they gathered Lux, but they all believed they were doing the right thing. And I... I led them all to be slaughtered, just as surely as if I killed them myself."

Gula took a deep breath as emotions flooded his Heart, trying to push them deep down. "I'm sure it'd be real easy to just say that nothing could be done. That no matter what happened, it would've ended the same way. And I'm absolutely sure you're right about that. After all, your foresight is legendary. But that doesn't ease the pain I feel. They're still gone, their futures stolen from them and whether or not it was predestined, it's still my fault. I have to make amends for what I did. That is why..." Gula then turned and raised his Keyblade, shooting an orb of light from it that conjured a Corridor of Light. A calm breeze blew through his robes as the Light emanated from the Rift. "I must face the Darkness, with or without your help. I cannot sit idly by and do nothing while what remains of our World teeters on the edge. My Heart will not allow it. And who knows? Maybe the future isn't as set in stone as we'd like it to be. Perhaps there is a way... but well... I'm not going to hold my breath." Gula waited for the Master's response... or a farewell, at the very least. But at least he said his piece. What the Master did with that was up to him. Perhaps he could find someone to replace Gula. Someone who wasn't such a disappointment.