The two boys run down the stairs, ready to go on their first ever real adventure as Keyblade wielders. They had spent years training, but their master had only just given them their first real mission out of the Land of Departure. They were tasked to travel to the undersea world of Atlantica to make sure the inhabitants were safe due to a surge in Heartless numbers.
"Xehanort, what do you think it'll be like in this underwater world?" Eraqus excitedly asks as they make it to the bottom.
"How should I know?" said Xehanort, tossing his Keyblade in the air to activate his Keyblade Glider with Eraqus following suit.
"You're the one that's originally from a world with a lot of water; I've been here for as long as I can remember!" Eraqus activated his Keyblade Armor and jumped onto the Glider.
"Yes, but I got away from there as fast as I could. That world was just too small. Let's just go."
"Okay. I'm just so excited!"
As the two wielders reached Atlantica, they used their newly learned magic to allow themselves to traverse the waters more easily than they would normally. Eraqus changed his form into that of a merman with the tail of a betta fish, while Xehanort had changed his into the bottom of a squid.
"Oh, wow. This place is beautiful." Eraqus looked around in wonder at the coral and fish.
"It's just the water; what's so great about it?"
"Just look at it! All the colors an-" Eraqus was cut off as a young merman swam into him.
"Oh, I'm sorry," said the newcomer with bright red hair. "You don't look familiar; where are you from?"
"We're from the La-"
"Lake a few miles away. We found a way to get to the sea so we can explore," Xehanort cut in before Eraqus was able to blow their cover. A Keyblade wielder should never let it slip that they're from a different world.
"That's awesome! I'm Triton, but you can call me Red. What's your names?"
"I'm Eraqus."
"Xehanort."
"Well, I was just heading home from my adventure. Why don't you come with me? The palace is always so dull around this time."
"We'd love to!" Eraqus blurted out, ready to see more of this new place. Xehanort followed them with little feeling other than unamusement; he never wanted to see this much water ever again after leaving Destiny Islands, so why was he stuck there in a world that is just so?
The trio swam through Atlantica at their leisure until they ran into a group of Heartless. Without even thinking twice, the two wielders summoned their Keyblades and attacked as Red just watched in amazement.
Xehanort took the first swing, taking out two Heartless at once as he channeled his frustration from being stuck there. How can Eraqus be so happy about being stuck in a place like this? He wondered as he saw Eraqus ecstatically swimming around smacking Heartless to and fro.
Before they knew it, all the Heartless in the area were defeated and Red was bobbing up and down in excitement. "That was so cool!" he exclaimed as he swam toward them, "How did you do that!?"
"We've been training for years," said Eraqus, as if this was common knowledge.
"At least, some of us have," added Xehanort, who had only just made it to the Land of Departure eight months ago after finally breaking free of his prison surrounded by water. But that is the reason he stuck to the rules so easily, why he knew not to let it slip where they were really from, because, unlike Eraqus who had spent his whole life in the Land of Departure knowing that he will soon be strong enough to do seemingly anything, Xehanort understood the feeling of longing to see other worlds and wished not to cause anyone else that pain and grief that came with constantly waiting. Not everyone could be as lucky as him to be a chosen Keyblade wielder, nor could they so easily up and leave their world without knowing how to traverse the Lanes Between. Especially the people from this world, where they have much different physiology than the other worlds. Humans and anthropomorphic animals were one thing, merpeople and fish that needed water to live and breathe was another.
"You've gotta teach me some of that!"
"Sure," Eraqus said.
"And I have got to get me one of those weapons you have. My father's trident is nothing compared to those!"
"Your father's trident?" asked Xehanort.
"Yeah, King Poseidon's trident. I always thought it was the most powerful weapon in all the seas, but after seeing those, I'm not so sure!"
"Oh, I'm sure it is. Every weapon has its advantages."
"But you were able to take down so many of those monsters. Sure, father's trident can too, but he rarely does anything about them. I'm not sure why. So, when I become king, I want a weapon like yours instead! Then I'll have to do something. You can't just sit around the moldy old palace with a weapon like that!"
"Whatever you say, Red. Let's just go; I'm sure your parents are probably worrying about where you are. It is getting late." Xehanort's amusement seemed to dwindle even more, which Eraqus didn't even know was possible. What's with him? This place is great! And Red is just complimenting us, isn't he?
'You're right. Mother and father have probably already sent some guards to find me by now."
As they swam to the palace entrance, a small crab scuttered over towards them and started angrily chastising Red. "Triton, where were you? The whole palace was worried sick! Don't you realize how late it is!?"
"Calm down, Johann. I'm fine, see. My new friends kept me safe."
"I see that, but you know there have been more monsters showing up as of late! And His Majesty wants to see you now. He told me as soon as you got back to bring you to him."
"Of course. Thank you, Johann. I'll be more careful; I promise." Eraqus saw the young merman cross his fingers behind his back.
The three swam off to the throne room and encountered an intimidating man with long grey hair and beard. His crown was almost coral-like in appearance, but no less valuable and majestic than a land crown.
"Father, you summoned me?"
"Triton, what were you thinking being out so late with all those monsters swimming about?" Red's mother swam into the throne room with relief in her eyes.
"It's ok, mother, my new friends were able to protect me."
"And who are these new friends of yours?" asked his father, looking skeptically at the wielders.
"I'm Eraqus; nice to meet you Your Majesty." He bowed a deep bow, as if he had been practicing this his entire life. He probably had, truthfully. Xehanort followed with unease, not seeming to like being around such uptight people.
"And your name, young man?" asked Red's mother.
"Xehanort," he answered curtly.
"Well, Eraqus, Xehanort, I am Amphitrite and this is my husband, Poseidon. Thank you for taking care of our son."
"Any time, ma'am. That's what we do." Eraqus seemed in his element surrounded by these people. He seemed to know just the right thing to say to make sure the king and queen would not think poorly of him. Xehanort, on the other hand, was not used to such conversations and it showed, so he chose to keep quiet.
The king then rose from his throne and swam over to his son. "Triton, even though you came home safe, you easily could have been hurt, or worse, killed, by those monsters. That is why I cannot allow you to leave the palace until the problem is dealt with; you are the heir to the throne. Now go to your room."
"But fath-"
"Go."
"Yes, father." Red turned around and started to swim away, the two young wielders started to follow until they heard a booming no from behind them.
"Please, stay. I would like to have a talk with you about what happened out there."
"Of course, Your Majesty."
"Triton said you protected him from the monsters. How?"
"Well, you see, Your Highness, we have the ability to-" Eraqus was cut off by Xehanort who summoned his Keyblade in a quicker attempt at an explanation.
Apparently there were guards in the shadows that neither of the boys seemed to notice previously because they rushed Xehanort only to be stopped by King Poseidon's signal to back down just before they could attack. "I see," said the king, "so you are the students sent to investigate our world and save us?"
"You know who we are?" Xehanort asked.
"Of course. What kind of ruler would I be if I didn't know the best way to protect me kingdom. Keyblades are the greatest protection against these monsters. Yes, they can be destroyed with my trident, but I am only one man, and my magic power can only go so long before it exhausts me."
"So what would you like us to do?" Eraqus asked.
"Find the cause of this influx and fix it. My people need you. My family needs you. Please, I will help you in any way I can."
"Of course, Your Majesty; protection is what we do." Eraqus accepted the mission without even thinking. "Do you have any ideas? Clues?"
"There is one idea that's been swimming in my mind. The sea witch Marina; she's been after my throne for years."
"We'll look into it, sir."
The next day, Eraqus woke up first and left the palace to start his investigation. He swam around the city asking questions about the Heartless, like where are they most frequently showing up and when, but everyone had different answers; the attacks seemed to be random according to his research. The only coorelation he could find was that they seemed to attack crowds. But why? Heartless usually weren't picky about how many people; truthfully, they were usually more likely to attack the fewer people around.
Xehanort woke up much later than Eraqus, but, once he was ready, also set out to get information on the attacks, but he chose a different approach. He asked around about the sea witch Marina, but no one could really give him much information, so he started to roam the outskirts. There he ran into a woman with two children, all with the tentacles of an octopus.
"Excuse me, ma'am, I'm here working with the king to fight off the monsters that have been showing up, what can you tell me about them and the sea witch Marina?"
"Why, no, I know nothing of the sea witch, but those monsters have definitely been around here," the woman said with a kind smile. "Just yesterday they attacked my girls and me. Isn't that right, Ursula? Morgana?"
"Yes, mother," the girls said in unison. The one who must have been the oldest started picking on her sister.
"They show up around here a lot, always coming after my girls, as well as our pets." At that, two lionfish swam up and circled the woman's tentacles like puppies. "Oh, pardon my manners, I'm Daphne." She shook Xehanort's hand sweetly. "It's getting late, why don't you come over to our home over here for dinner." Their home was nothing like the palace; Daphne and her daughters lived in a cave with many bioluminescent creatures for light. It was small, too small for the three of them. There were pictures hanging everywhere, though, of the oldest daughter, Ursula, and a few of Morgana sprinkled here and there.
"Why do you live so far away from the city? Isn't it much more dangerous out here?"
"Oh, sweetie, don't you know? Poseidon and his perfect merpeople want nothing to do with people like us. Truthfully, I was surprised when you said you worked for the king. We cecaelias are nothing but a nuisance to them, so it just blew my mind that the king could so easily have one of us working for him."
Morgana began to scream as Ursula pulled her hair. "Morgana, stop that yelling. I guess maybe things can begin to change in Atlantica, and my daughters can live a good life."
"Why don't you come back to the palace with me? We can talk to His Majesty about allowing you and your daughters to stay in the city. No one should be out here alone, especially with the monsters always attacking."
"Do you really think he would allow that?"
"I don't see why not. Especially when he knows the dangers of the recent attacks."
"Alright, girls, get your favorite things, we're going to the palace!"
Xehanort swam back to the palace with Daphne and her daughters behind him. He could tell the merpeople were staring with fear and disdain. Was what Daphne said true? Were King Poseidon and his people really so prejudice against cecaelias? He hadn't felt such hatred coming from them yesterday, but maybe it was because he was with Eraqus who looked similar enough to one of them with his betta tail.
"Xehanort, there you are! I've been looking for you for hours." Eraqus swam up to his friend with some concern. "I was worried about you. Red said you left not long after you woke and that earlier he saw you go to the outskirts alone. I was afraid a horde may have ambushed you."
"No, no, I'm fine. I brought some new friends with me, though. They have been attacked lately by the Heartless because they live on the outskirts, so I was thinking maybe His Highness would allow them to stay here for safety."
"That's a wonderful idea! Helping is what we do!" Eraqus seemed oblivious to the stares and fear. He was never very good at detecting the Darkness, it was only ever the Light with him. The five of them swam into the palace and to the throne room, but as soon as the guards saw Daphne, they attacked.
"Your Highness stop them!" pleaded Xehanort, now seeing that she was not lying whatsoever about the prejudices towards her species.
"Xehanort, what are you doing bringing that woman here!? Are you trying to bring ruin to this palace? Has she turned you into one of her minions?"
"Your Highness, what are you talking about?" Eraqus butted in, able to tell that Xehanort was at a loss for words.
"Marina! You brought Marina to my palace!" As he said that the guards went flying past the wielders and collided with the pillars that surrounded the throne room. Evil laughter followed.
"You fool! You would believe anything I said. You're weak."
Her words stung. He thought he was protecting an innocent woman and her family, but in reality he was dooming Atlantica to fall. Xehanort summoned his Keyblade and charged towards Marina in anger, only to have Ursula tackle him to the throne room's floor. Eraqus seemed to have the same idea, but Morgana attacked him as well. King Poseidon was swimming toward his trident as Red and Amphitrite swam into the room after hearing all the commotion from down the hall. As soon as the trident was in his hands, it glowed with power and he and Marina began to exchange magical blows.
Amphitrite and Red were in shock at the entrance to the throne room while Xehanort and Eraqus attempted to wrestle the girls off of them. Ursula and Morgana seemed to be training for this their whole lives, casting spells upon the boys while still fighting them physically. Amphitrite finally came to her senses and started to swim to help the young wielders, but Marina saw this and she was not going to let her interfere. Marina cast a spell towards Amphitrite, hitting her square in the chest. It was Stopga. There was no getting up from that. Ever. Poseidon froze in place as he watched his wife float to the throne room floor. As soon as she touched down he swam to her and cradled her body, forgetting about the fight that was raging only seconds before, not anticipating what was coming next.
Marina saw her chance and she took it. She cast another Stopga, this time aiming for the king's heart, as if it wasn't broken enough. Red cried out in despair as his father's body, still holding his lover in his arms, fell forward. He quickly swam towards the two and picked up the trident and aimed it toward Marina. As if it was second nature to the young merman, a bolt of energy left the tip of the weapon and hit Marina, killing her just as instantly as she had killed his parents. Ursula and Morgana quickly released Xehanort and Eraqus and swam out of the palace before they could be caught.
Eraqus swam over to Red as he lay over his dead parents bodies, sobbing. "Red, is there anything we can do?"
"Tell me, how did this happen? How did that witch get into the palace?"
"It was a mistake. You see, Xehanort and I, we-we're not really from a lake. We're from another world, summoned here by your father to investigate the rise in Heartless. While doing so today, Xehanort met the woman and she tricked him. She lied to him to get him to bring her here."
"So you are the cause of this?" He glared at Xehanort.
"Red, I'm so sorry. I didn-"
"It's Triton. King Triton."
"King Triton, it's not all Xehanort's fault. I'm just as guilty. I didn't catch on when he told me what she told him. I wasn't suspicious enough. We just wanted to help." Eraqus tried to stand up for his friend.
"Go. Go back to your own world. And tell everyone you know that no Keyblade wielder is ever allowed back in my kingdom. All you do is cause trouble. Get out." The two boys respected the young king's wishes and swam out of the palace, never to return.