Chapter One: An Inexperienced Sorcerer

Yen Sid straightened the long blue sorcerer's cap on his head. He stroked his short dark beard with his right hand curiously. This was his first time having entered the Temple of the Guardians. His previous attempts to reach them had been denied. However, this time was different. This time he was invited. His magic was novice at best and he knew that he did not yet possess the ability to dimension leap.

His gaze cast around his surroundings. Around him was what he thought to be a sky, splashed with hues of purple, green, and pink. The colors seemed to shift and morph like a kaleidoscope around him. Beneath his feet was a thick white platform floating in this strange interspace. It appeared as though it was ice but it was neither cold nor slippery. No. This ground was solid and steady. It held his weight well. In front of him was a large silver staircase which appeared more fluid than solid. It reached into the sky and then vanished within it, swallowed by the ever changing colors.

Yen Sid approached the liquid stairs and lifted both of his feet upon it bravely, fearful that it may not hold his weight. However, although the stairs shifted and rippled as water would when penetrated, he did not fall through. The silver goo stairs supported his weight firmly. When he stepped, the silver would change to a new color. The first step turned a very bright piercing yellow and the next a hideous puce.

"Curious…" the young wizard said to himself as he stroked his beard.

He was barely nineteen years old and had only been practicing magic for nearly a year. However, he had been aware of the Keyblade for much longer. This legendary weapon was handed to him personally in his youth by the great divine goddess Cosmos in all of her glory. He remembers the day as though it were yesterday. He was a young child of about five and was playing on top of the fantastic giant flowers in his homeworld, Symphony of Sorcery, with his elder brother Balthazar.

Yen Sid remembered Balthazar telling him about magic and that someday he would be the best sorcerer in the world. That was just before the giant heart shaped moon appeared in the sky and caused the worlds to split. When Balthazar had travelled by dragon to the frozen trenches and I remained in my home. Things were different back then. There were not multiple worlds, they were all one. It wasn't until the feud of Cosmos and Chaos came that things began to change. It wasn't until the keyblades arrived.

The goddess of light introduced herself to me. She was friendly, kind, and more beautiful than any creature on the entire world. She wore a long and flowing white dress which radiated under her pale skin, baby blue eyes and blonde hair. Her entire being seemed to glow with purity. It wasn't just her body itself, although that did glow too, it was her entire soul. She was the type of creature that if you could see her, she could lift your spirits out of even the darkest trenches of life. However, his opinion has since changed of her, ever since he realized the evil that she was capable of. She spoke of a great power known as Kingdom Hearts, and that she must fight for it in order to prevent the spread of darkness. As a young child, being a hero sounded fantastic to Yen Sid. Little did he know that it was the hatred of this very goddess whom he would spend the rest of his young adult life serving who would soon be responsible for the disappearance of his dear brother Balthazar.

The goddess had summoned him here today, personally. Yen Sid was transported through a black portal created by the goddess's son, Stevun Aros, whom was known throughout many worlds as the Prophet of Light. This portal was introduced by Mr. Aros as a "Portal of Darkness". Yen Sid found it strange that a creature who so despised the darkness would utilize their powers to travel through space and time. It must have been the only way they knew to travel between worlds. This magic enticed him as the young man imagined a long awaited reunion with his elder brother on a distant and foreign world. However, his powers were not yet this powerful and Yen Sid knew the consequences of a novice magician attempting to meddle with the magic of darkness.

As Yen Sid progressed up the strange fluid staircase he began to see the colors in the sky become brighter. As he approached the top of visibility the reflection from the sky became so bright that the young sorcerer could barely see. Nevertheless, he continued up the strange stairwell until his surroundings vanished from him entirely. All that he could see was a bright flourishing of colors, shifting and dancing, blinding him entirely.

The light got so intense that Yen Sid was forced to close his eyes. When he opened his eyes, he was somewhere new. The sky was still around him and the colors still danced, but they were no longer unbearably bright. He looked around and he was standing within a large stone gazebo. There were several stone pillars holding a large solid gold dome ceiling which could be seen several feet above his own head. On this ceiling words were engraved into the gold, made from unrecognizable letters of a foreign and distant language. In the far corner of the gazebo a large stone chair sat. Sitting in the chair was the goddess herself. Her blonde hair was flowing wildly at her sides and around the armrests of the stone chair. Her eyes gazed at Yen Sid and pierced through him, much like they had that day many years ago.

"Sir Yen Sid" she said to him in a peaceful and serene manner.

Yen Sid instantly got down on one knee and bowed.

"Yes M'lady?"

"You may rise"

Yen Sid rose to his feet and made an uncomfortable difficult shared gaze with the eyes of the goddess.

"You summoned me?"

"It would seem that the matter has come to Stevun and I's attention that you are still not yet a master"

"No, miss"

"You are one of the few soldiers in my army who has not yet earned this distinction"

"That is true, my lord"

"Summon your Keyblade. I wish to see it"

Yen Sid rolled back his long hanging blue sleeve and held his hand outright. In his hand immediately formed a Starseeker Keyblade. It was a long and beautiful weapon. It was outstretched and shaped like a crescent moon, decorated with stars. At the bottom of the sword a keychain dangled in the shape of a crescent moon.

"A strong representation of your homeworld. You still have not changed its Keychain? The one I provided you will make you stronger"

"No madame, this one reminds me of the home I lost" Yen Sid said coyly.

"And I hear talk that you have been speaking poorly of the cause of myself and your fellow Warriors of Light. Stevun reports that you have been arguing against the war"

Yen Sid took a deep breath. He now realized that this summoning was not to reward him but instead decide a suitable punishment. To openly speak against the war and the struggle for the light was considered treason in their society. The clever young man fumbled through an excuse in his mind quickly but could not think of one. Instead, he decided to paint the truth in a more suitable manner.

"I did not mean to offend m'lady. It is just that I do not see the point of continued fighting only in pursuit of power. The more I look around, all I see is destruction. Every day warriors are being sent on missions to different worlds fighting, and destroying these worlds and their inhabitants with them. I fear that when the war is over and the worlds reunite as one that there will be nothing left to go home to. How do I even know that my world is still safe?"

Cosmos seemed confused. This amount of human sensibility and emotion did not phase her. She despised human emotion and would rather think entirely out of logic. Cosmos took some quick thinking and decided that her soldier needed to raise his morale in order to perform more fully. She then waved her arm and in a glow of bright light a music stand formed beside her. Written on it was sheet music and surrounding it musical notes seemed to dance.

"This music book is a portal to your world. Your world is safe. When you have proven yourself a worthy ally to the Warriors of Light, you shall be named a Master and I will send you on some routine missions here"

She then waved her hand and the music stand disappeared into a flourishing of light. Yen Sid tried to contain his excitement and instead stood firmly and kept a stern appearance on his face.

"Yes m'lady"

Cosmos seemed apathetic and waved her arm again. Beside her another Portal of Darkness appeared and she nodded in its direction while holding eye contact with Yen Sid. The young man began to walk toward the portal. Just before he stepped through Cosmos demanded his attention, her voice was cold and full of utter apathy.

"Yen Sid"

"Yes, my lord?"

"If you ever try to speak poorly of our cause again, I will murder you and destroy that stupid little music box and everyone in it"

Yen Sid trembled and he would not turn his back to look at his goddess. He tried to remain firm and content as his Keyblade training had been teaching him but his voice shook with every syllable that came from his mouth. Finally he mustered up the strength to respond simply,

"Yes my lady".

Yen Sid walked through the portal.

Meanwhile in a distant land, covered with ice and glaciers, a young girl with long silver hair, pale skin, and baby blue eyes stood in the middle of an ice field. In her hands she held a small gold oil lamp. As she mustered out her words in the cold environment the oxygen from her mouth formed a small cloud in the cold air. As she spoke one of her hands held the lamp tightly by its handle while the other rubbed its side gently. A large burst of blue smoke soon surrounded her.

"Genie… I request your assistance"