Tales of Hope -Kingdom Hearts-

IMPORTANT – While this is based off of Kingdom Hearts it does not involve canonical characters, but rather it is a new story based in the same world. It does mention characters such as Ansem and Xehanort, who have both done extensive research on Darkness, which is important to the story.

Things to note in this part:

Chrysos – pronounce the name like 'crisis.' The name means 'golden' in Greek. Protagonist.

Adyte – derivative of Aditi, meaning freedom. Look up the etymology if you want to. Pronounced 'ah-DEITY.'

Azriel – 'Help of God' in Hebrew. Serves as a kind of Traverse Town of sorts, where refugees of Heartless Attacks are gathered. Pronounced 'az-ray-ill.'

Aedan – Means 'fire' in old Celtic mythology. Pronounced 'AYY-oh-din.'

Daliastar – Derived from Dalia, meaning 'fate,' and Astar, meaning 'Star.' It means Star of Fate.

Heartless – None in the early chapters, because Azriel at the moment holds no interest for the Darkness.

Chapter One: Azriel

Part One

A man who does not deserve to live…

These words echoed in the ears of a young man, standing on the edge of the iconic clock tower in Azriel. His name was Chrysos, the last living survivor of Adyte, a World eaten by Darkness. The young man, nineteen years of age, loomed over the far away streets of the World Azriel. This place was supposed to be a sanctuary, where the remnants of Lost Worlds are gathered, yet they are struggling every day for new life. Deep down, the streets are littered with the homeless refugees, who came here upon the promise of salvation, only to be left with Hell. You can hear them, crying everyday, wishing for a hope.

'If only we brought some money with us…' they cry, they moan. All of this is to blame on the lord of Azriel, a terrible man who keeps the World and its people under his thumb. Easily with his military force, this man could throw anyone who opposed him into the deepest Darkness of Space, where they would no doubt be consumed by the Heartless. This twisted man was known to the public of Azriel as Aedan, King of Fire. Such a title was given to Aedan because of his lineage, one that consists of Sorcerers of Flame. Using this ancestor's name alone was he able to claim Azriel under his rule the day he landed there after his own World was destroyed. People can still remember what kind of place Azriel was before Lord Aedan's rule.

The World was peaceful, and people supported each other through the times of need. Acts like this were what separated hope and despair. Even when their Worlds were gone, they still had the promise of starting anew. Today, this Azriel is to eat or be eaten, and whoever has money has the right to live it seemed. An ugly thought, many agreed, but the citizens could not help any other way.

Chrysos watched the city like a hawk. He was alone in this World. And it was the fault of a tool many would have believed to be used for good. In his right hand, he held a small white light. The instant Chrysos willed it, a sword in the shape of a key formed from the light. Its color had faded, as with its power, because the Strength of Heart that had originally fueled it is long gone. The Hope Key it was once called. Yet to Chrysos, it only brought pain and misfortune.

Chrysos looked at the great clock behind him. The face of the clock seemed to beckon him, compelling him to draw nearer. Chrysos did so, and as the light of the clock's face exposed his silhouette, gunshots in the distance are heard. A young girl, clad in a white coat and black slacks and boots, jumped from building to building coming nearer and nearer to him. Behind her, several armored men followed, each carrying a halberd bearing the mark of Aedan, making them Knights of the Flame.

"Hey, you there!" she called out. Chrysos immediately took notice of this girl, who was repeatedly turning and shooting at the Flame Knights. 'What a stupid girl,' thought Chrysos. 'Her gun can only hold the Knights off for so long. Those bullets won't ever penetrate that armor'. On Chrysos' back was a rather long broadsword. The weapon was gray and looked like stone. "Listen," she called out again. By then she had reached the clock tower, and was standing behind him. In his ear she whispered, "Help me out, okay?"

After she asked of his assistance, the Knights reached the ledge of the clock tower as well, standing before Chrysos and the girl. One Knight charged at the two, fiercely chopping downward with his weapon. At this moment, the young man took hold of the girl and jumped to the ledge above, dodging the attack with ease. He continued this until he reached the flat area, the very top of the tower. This area covered about twenty feet all around, squared off, and seemed wide enough to be perfect for a battle. Soon following, the Knights came upon this battle area as well. One by one, they activated a mechanism igniting a coat of flames to power up their halberds.

"Of all the luck…" the girl said exasperatedly. "These guys are some of the higher-ranked of the Flame Knights. It won't be easy to off them…"

Chrysos let the girl down and placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword. As the Knights charged at him, Chrysos rapidly slammed the weapon into the ground, causing a deep fissure in the flooring, knocking the men off balance. He walked to each one, hitting them with the blade with extreme force, throwing them off of the tower. The girl watched in amazement as this show of inhuman strength played before her. Excitedly, she was about to approach him. However, before she could react, the stone blade was a mere centimeter from her throat.

"H-hey…What…what are you doing?" she asked nervously. This man helped her, right? Why is he so hostile? she asked herself. Chrysos did not answer. His eyes narrowed, intensified, and seemed to pierce her soul. Those eyes, they seemed so cold.

"I don't have time for you," he stated coldly. "Get off of my tower."

Chrysos put the stone blade away, hanging it over his back once more. The girl held her throat, half-scared to death, but at the same time, amazed at this young man's feat of power. "You…you live here?" she asked. The young man ignored her, staring off at the moon. "My name is Lucia…I'm part of the rebellion, Daliastar…"

Chrysos turned around, slightly surprised. "Daliastar?" After a moment, he turned back to the moon. It had nothing to do with him, as far as he was concerned. Daliastar meant 'Star of Fate,' as a symbol of hope to the people of Azriel. Already they have been labeled as a terrorist group by the Fire King Aedan, and its members have attacked several Officials' Buildings. They are quite the thorn in Aedan's side.

"That's right; Daliastar! We named it after our home World," she replied. Obviously she wanted this young man to join the Daliastar cause.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked quietly. In his mind, he wanted this young woman to leave, let him rot in his own Darkness. 'Why is she loitering about here?' asked he, angrily. 'Damn woman…'

"Because you should join."

"I don't have time for this."

"You could be a great help to us."

"I'm leaving."

"You're marked by them now."

That was all she said to stop Chrysos. Lucia stood firm on the clock tower. "They know your face; they know this clock tower."

"And whose fault is that?" he asked angrily.

"The Knights won't stop coming here until you are dead."

Chrysos remained silent. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally said, "It would be better if I were."

Lucia sighed. There was no helping this man right now. "I won't try to convince you further. But if you ever need help, use this." She tossed him a small, round device. It fit perfectly in his hand. On the side of the contraption was a small grooved button fit for the thumb. "It's a specialized phone we call a Starlink. Press the button and you would be able to communicate with me and other Daliastar you've added to it."

"I don't need this."

"Keep it. It's a gift," she said rather cheerfully. Giving him one last smile, Lucia jumped off of the tower, falling through the night. She disappeared in the darkness.

Chrysos looked at the machine before pocketing it. This Starlink probably won't ever be used, but he has no choice than to keep it. Should he cast it aside, a Knight may pick it up, and find the Daliastar base. Everyone in there would be killed. "That damn Lucia." He jumped down the tower, and into a small opening in the clock face.

Inside was nothing but many interlocking gears and machinery, keeping the clock functional. It was a strange place to sleep, but it provided shelter to him. The tower had been abandoned for a long time, but it still had the room and bath for the manager of the tower, who had died a long time ago. Chrysos did not feel bad about taking the home of a dead man, but he felt bad for taking a home away from the many homeless people of the streets below.

"I hate this city…" he whispered sadly. It had been a few weeks since he had come from Adyte, traveling across a road of Darkness that had opened up during the Heartless attack. As soon as he had arrived on Azriel, Aedan's revolution began. It started with a large red and gray ship, docking into the Azriel port with the other Gummi Ships. It was called the Star Phoenix, the flagship of the Aedan's fleet, and the only one left from the attack on his home World. One would say he was a victim as well, because he already lost his old kingdom, one built upon for so many years, but his childish and brutish behavior started him declaring rule over Azriel. He killed innocent people he didn't like, he killed people who defied his tyranny, and he killed people just for standing on the same road as he. Out of the Star Phoenix came the horrible thing that gave him control, the Knights of Flame. It was a large ship, and down from it descended two-hundred and thirty-seven Knights. A matter of days had passed before Aedan claimed complete dominance.

It wasn't long before the Daliastar Group appeared. You'd think they were thought of as heroes. They never involve the innocent, but it's because of that the innocent are involved. Aedan now holds every citizen hostage because of the Daliastar Group. Since then, Daliastar had ceased major operations for now, trying to keep the innocent alive. Of course, it was already too late, because three people were already executed. The executions were held publicly, and the people of Azriel were forced to come, so that Daliastar wouldn't try to rescue anyone. If they had, then the audience would have been killed by the Knights instead. Both the Daliastar and the Flame Order became symbols of hate amongst Azriel.

Chrysos had finished his shower. As he left the bath, a breath of cool air gently brushed against his body. It was time for sleep, if he could sleep that is. He entered the bed and closed his eyes. An hour had passed like this, and no sleep came to him. Frustrated, the young man kicked about a little. He wasn't relaxed, for the guilt of Adyte was keeping his mind unsteady. He shut his eyes even tighter.

Throughout the night, whispers echoed in the tower. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"