When I opened my eyes, I had no idea where I was.

Most of my surroundings where nothing but shrouds of blackness, though I could see a faint white tint, as if light was shining down from the heavens themselves to illuminate the darkness that threatened to consume me.

I looked down, and I saw that I was standing on a stained-glass window-like platform. Embedded on the mural that decorated this floor was a girl about my age, with bright red hair and brown eyes.

So much to do, so little time to do it.

Wait, who said that? I'm pretty sure that I'm the only one here.

Take your time and don't be afraid. The door will not open yet. Now, step forward. Can you do it?

Still not sure what was going on, I figured I'd humor whoever this voice belonged to, and took a few steps forward. Once I did that, a stone pillar rose up through the platform, not wrecking it for some reason. Hey, I'm most likely dreaming, so it's justified, I guess.

Untold power sleeps deep within yourself.

A large, red shield appeared on the pedestal.

If you allow it to take form...

Another pedestal rose to my left, this one holding a long, blue staff.

...it will give you strength.

A third pedestal rose, this one holding a very sharp-looking sword.

Choose well.

Okay, now I was starting to get confused. After a few seconds of thought, I walked up to the sword to see if I would get any more clues.

The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction.

That done, I walked over to study the staff.

The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin.

Finally, I took a look at the shield.

The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all.

All right, now that that's over with, which one do I choose?

I've always seen myself as a protector to my friends, so I think I'll pick the shield.

My mind made up, I walked up to the first pedestal and took the shield into my hands.

The power of the guardian. Is this the power you seek?

Yeah, it is.

Suddenly, the shield disappeared from my grip in a bright flash. Did I do something wrong?

Your path is set. Now, what will you give up in exchange?

I thought about it, eventually coming to the conclusion that I wasn't really a magic guy, despite my upbringing. I'm very open-minded, you see, and I do believe that magic exists in this world (in fact, I've seen magic first-hand many times), but it's not something I'm good with myself.

I walked up and touched the staff.

The power of the mystic. You give up this power?

I nodded, and the staff disappeared from my hand.

You've chosen the power of the guardian. You've given up the power of the mystic. Is this the form you choose?

Yeah, I think so.

Just then, the pillars sunk back into the platform, and the shield reappeared, much larger and strapped to my right arm.

You've attained the power to fight.

Okay, how do I use a shield to fight?

Deciding to try it out, I swung horizontally, and the shield cut a wide swath through the air. Hey, we're on to something here!

All right, you've got it! You learn fast. Use this power to protect yourself and others.

I was so absorbed in trying out some combos with this unusual weapon that I almost didn't notice the shadow creeping up on me.

There will be times when you must fight. Keep your light burning strong.

The shadow thing leapt at me, but I countered with an overhand swing that smashed the shadow into the floor, where it dissolved into little dark tendrils that quickly vanished.

Once the shadow had vanished, I noticed a door had appeared behind me.

Well, all in who's going in, I suppose.

I walked up to the door and pulled it open, noticing that it was a lot heavier that it appeared. Radiant light shined from the door until I couldn't see anything.


(A hero races through the green fields. The sun races through a blue sky filled with white clouds. The ways of his heart are much like the sun. A hero runs and rests, the sun rises and sets. Don't give up on the sun. Don't make the sun laugh at you.)

The Blue Time Ranger is proud to present:
W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX
Story Created: December 17th, 2015
Story Rated: T for Teen

Story Summary: All is well in Heatherfield in the aftermath of the battle with Nerissa, especially after dealing with Will's distrustful father. But when a strange event occurs and swallows Heatherfield in darkness, the Guardians of the Veil are informed of an ancient evil that is plotting to take over the many worlds that exist out there. Now, W.I.T.C.H., alongside their new friend who has been gifted with a strange weapon, must journey through the worlds in hopes of restoring Heatherfield to its former glory. But what strange, devious plots will they uncover along the way? Will the Guardians ever reach home? And most importantly, what is the secret behind Nick's new weapon, the keyblade?

Author's Note: Another remastered story, huh? I seem to like looking back at old stories and thinking that I can do better with them now. Yeah, for those of you who remember the original Key to Her Heart from my old account... yeah, I'm not exactly proud of it, so we're starting over, basically. Starting from scratch. This story is basically going to be based mostly on the original Kingdom Hearts Final Mix (thank you, 1.5 HD ReMIX!) but with elements from other Kingdom Hearts games showing up every now and then.

Timeline Placement: This time, we're going by comic time (I used the cartoon 'verse in the old stories). This story takes place after issue 26, when the girls finished dealing with Will's a-hole father, but before issue 27, when the Ari of Arkhanta problems began. (I haven't read past issue 26, sadly, because that's where the books ended in America.)

And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing. That also goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. And I am not infringing on any copyrights (not anymore). I'm just doing this for the entertainment of my readers. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?


Episode 1: And So the Adventure Begins

("Dearly Beloved ~re:Chain of Memories ver.~" by Yoko Shimomura plays)

When I woke up that morning, stiff as a board from sleeping on my side yet again (when will I ever learn?), I had no clue that the life I knew was about to be turned upside down.

Fourteen-year-old Nick Kelly sat up in his bed, gazing out at the vistas of the city of Heatherfield. Nick had short brown hair and matching eyes, was very adventurous, and tended to be extremely impatient.

Yeah, I'm just your average kid in a seemingly-average world. Or so I thought until about a year ago.

Nick searched through his belongings, evidently trying to find something that should have been there the previous night. After a few seconds, Nick huffed, knowing just who the culprit was.

"Marie, did you take my MP3 player again?!" Nick shouted.

I met a group of friends at Sheffield High, and apparently, they're a group of super-powered teenagers who have been tasked with saving the world from... well, basically anything freaky.

"I had to do a report," Marie, Nick's younger-by-a-year adopted sister, stated as she jogged down the hallway. "You know I couldn't take care of it with dad snoring the way he was. I needed some peace and quiet, because that report was nasty."

"Just... ask next time, 'kay?" Nick quipped. He knew better than to say something that could possibly hurt Marie's feelings, since she had often confided in him that she was still unsure of her place in the Kelly family due to her being adopted (Nick's mother had been sterilized in an accident after Nick had been born).

I kinda figured they'd start saying things like "forget what you just saw here" or... I don't know, using some kinda Men in Black-type memory wiping thing. All I could do was promise to keep their secret. And apparently, that was good enough for them.

"Okay," Marie giggled. "I... I didn't mean to upset you, big brother..."

"Blame my sleepiness," Nick replied, affectionately rubbing Marie's shoulder. "I did just wake up, after all."

Suddenly, Nick's eyes jerked to the calendar that hung from his wall. "Wait, what's today?"

"Um, Wednesday, I think?" Marie answered.

"Oh, jeez, Cornelia's gonna let me have it if I'm late!" Nick exclaimed, rushing back into his room to grab everything he needed. "I promised her I wouldn't miss her photo shoot!"

Will Vandom, Irma Lair, Taranee Cook, Cornelia Hale, and Hay Lin... my new friends call themselves "W.I.T.C.H.". Fitting name, right?

Once Nick had taken his shower, he swiped his breakfast from the table and immediately ran out the front door, hoping he could make it to school on time. "I'm out, mom!"

And as I ran to school, hoping to not be late for Cornelia's photo shoot as I promised her, I remained oblivious to the danger that was approaching the city of Heatherfield... a disaster that would change my life forever...

As Nick rounded the corner that would take him on a straight path to Sheffield Institute, someone stepped in front of him, causing him to bounce off and fall flat on his face.

"Hey, man, what's your damage?!" Nick exclaimed, just then noticing that the person he'd slammed headlong into was completely covered by a tattered-looking brown cloak.

"Um, buddy, you do realize that Halloween's a few months away?" Nick quipped.

"I've come to see the door to this world."

That statement left Nick confused. "Wha...?"

"This world has been connected. Tied to the darkness, soon to be completely eclipsed."

"All right, whoever you are, you're freaking me out," Nick shot back, ready to give this ruffian a reason to shut up, only to look up and see that he had disappeared, and for some reason, everything around Nick had frozen completely, almost as if time had stopped for everybody but him.

"I'm not going crazy, am I?" Nick wondered.

"You do not yet know what lies beyond the door," the hooded man proclaimed, reappearing behind Nick.

Nick immediately spun around and shifted into fighting stance.

"Will you stop popping up like that?!" Nick shouted.

"There is so very much to learn. You understand none of what this will mean."

"Well, do you wanna try and test that theory, Mr. Hood?!" Nick growled. "Because one more crack and I'm gonna knock you so flat on your ass that you're going to need a chiropractor!"

"Hmph. A meaningless effort," the hooded man proclaimed before disappearing. "One who knows nothing can understand nothing."

Nick looked around, seeing no trace of the hooded man. It was almost as if he'd never been there. Time seemed to start up again, leaving Nick very frazzled.

"Just what the heck was that all about?" Nick wondered as he continued his mad dash to Sheffield.

If only I'd realized what that man's arrival was heralding... Looking back on it now, it was only the first sign of things to come...

"Right on time, Nick," Cornelia Hale, Guardian of Earth proclaimed as Nick stepped into Sheffield Institute's main gate. "You seriously look like you ran a marathon just to get here."

"I promised I'd be here for your photo shoot, and I don't break my promises," Nick proclaimed. "But really, I think I might need new shoes. These ten-year-old things are just about on their last legs."

"Well, how about we go shoe-shopping after school?" Cornelia asked. "We just might be able to find something."

"I think I'll take you up on that offer, if I'm not drained from that test later," Nick replied.

"Not looking forward to biology, huh?" Cornelia giggled.

"To say the least," Nick quipped, blushing a bit.

Yeah, I've... kinda got a pretty huge crush on Cornelia, if you couldn't tell. I'm keeping my distance for now, though, because... ugh, I really don't want to think about him. Let's just say Cornelia had a bad breakup and I want to knock that guy flat on his ass for ditching her. I mean, what jerk decides his duty is more important without even CONSIDERING his girlfriend's feelings?!

Later on, Nick met up with another member of W.I.T.C.H., Will Vandom, Keeper of the Heart, to discuss the strange dream he'd had this morning.

"Really?" Will wondered. "Then again, is a dream like that any stranger than the nutballs we've faced off with?"

"Pretty much," Nick replied. "It's just... that voice was talking like I was destined for great things. I'm really just a bystander when it comes to the adventures you've had."

Will smiled at Nick. "Hey, I'm sure you've had adventures of your own back in Fadden Hills, right?"

"Oh, don't I know it," Nick laughed. "I don't know if I ever told you about this one time when Jeremy and I decided to climb the monkey bars into a freakin' tree..."

Yeah, I used to be from Fadden Hills, just like Will. Mom, dad, and I moved here to Heatherfield about a year and a half ago, right after we adopted Marie. Mom said it was because she wanted a change of pace, but now I'm not so sure.

By the time fourth period science class had started, Nick was beginning to feel sleepy. He figured it was because of the strange dream he'd had.

"You okay, Nick?" Irma Lair, Guardian of Water, asked upon noticing how tired Nick looked. "Were you up all night binge-watching Toonami again?"

"I actually watched it all the other night," Nick quipped. "I just had a weird dream and it kinda drained me."

"Guess we're lucky that today is a free study day so we can get anything we need to done, huh?" Irma giggled. "You wanna take a quick nap, go right ahead. I'll cover for ya."

"Thanks, Irma," Nick replied, resting his head on his shoulders and closing his eyes.

"Why do you let him do that, Irma?" Taranee Cook, Guardian of Fire, wondered, a sweatdrop appearing on her forehead.

"Hey, I sympathize with him," Irma replied. "I'm not the biggest fan of science, either. He needs a respite from all this big worded mumbo jumbo!"

"If you say so," Taranee sighed, returning to her homework.

When I opened my eyes, I definitely wasn't expecting to see the plaza in the center of the city. Did Irma lift me out of class again?

Just then, I looked down at my arm, having felt something that wasn't there before, and I saw the Dream Shield strapped to my arm.

Hold on. The door won't open just yet. First, tell me more about yourself.

Oh, the voice. So, I'm back in the dream again? Now I'm worried, since dreams are always different, so if this one's a continuation of the dream I had this morning...

...wait. What did that man say?

"This world has been connected"

But... what could that man have to do with any of this?

My thoughts were cut short as three women appeared in front of me, each sitting on one of the benches in the plaza.

Though I'd never met them personally before, I recognized them from what W.I.T.C.H. had told me about them. Cassidy, Halinor, and a young Yan Lin, three of the previous generation of the Guardians of the Veil.

Now you can count me officially weirded out.

I decided to walk up to Halinor first. She looked up at me, and asked me a question.

"What is most important to you?"

I thought about that for a few seconds before giving my answer.

"My friends."

"Is friendship such a big deal?" Halinor asked before disappearing.

This voice is testing me, I realized. It wants to know what I'm like, to know if I'm worthy of something.

That in mind, I walked over to Yan Lin, who was waving her hands around. Guess she was a lot like Hay Lin in her youth.

"What do you want most out of life?" Yan Lin asked.

That one was easy for me to answer. "To be strong, so I can protect people."

Yan Lin giggled. "Strength to protect what matters, huh?"

And with that, Yan Lin vanished as well. Just one more, I guess.

Bracing myself, I walked up to Cassidy, my brain subconsciously me telling me how much of a cutie she was.

"What are you afraid of?" Cassidy asked.

"Losing something that's important to me," I replied, the answers coming easily to me now.

"Is losing something really so scary?" Cassidy wondered before disappearing.

You want friendship. You want to be strong. You're afraid of losing something important. Your journey will begin in the dead of night. Your road won't be easy, but a rising sun awaits your journey's end.

Yep. It's never easy, that much I know. Sounds good to me.

The day that you will open the secret door is both far away and closer than you think.

A bright flash surrounded me, and then I was back in the dark void on another stained-glass platform, this one adorned with images of the five previous Guardians.

A horde of shadows surrounded me, intent on ripping me to pieces, but I simply stood my ground, readying my Dream Shield for a fight.

The shadows came at me from all directions, but I defended with the Dream Shield and struck back when I could, and surprisingly, I was able to fight quite well considering the size of this freakin' shield. Though, to be honest, the Dream Shield felt really light, almost as if it wasn't there at all. Again, I'm dreaming, so I figure there's an explanation.

Once all the shadows had been taken out, I looked around the void, wondering where I was supposed to go next.

But you must be careful. The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow will become.

I then heard a strange noise, and spun around to face what appeared to be myself, only all black and wielding a different weapon, a sword with a blade shaped like a demonic wing.

Okay, that's different!

My shadow self charged for me, swinging its weapon in a wide arc. I literally had only a second to bring the Dream Shield up to keep myself from getting skewered.

Deciding to act rather than just flail about, I pushed my shadow away and struck out with the Dream Shield, knocking it flat on its back.

Kinda like what I'd prefer to do to...

...ack, don't think about the jerk right now, wait until after you've beaten the shadow that wants you dead, Nick!

I waved my free hand in a "bring it" motion, and this seemed to bait my shadow into charging.

I waited until it was close enough before pouncing, grabbing it by the shoulders so I could flip over it and flop down on it, driving my Dream Shield into its head as I came down.

I took a few steps back to put distance between us, not really surprised when I saw my shadow get back up like that bonk to his head hadn't hurt in the slightest.

All right, guess it's time to step it up.

My shadow lunged for me, but I performed a quick spinning attack to keep it at bay. This didn't seem to faze it, though, as it just began to strike at the ground, creating shockwaves of darkness with every slash of its creepy weapon.

I decided to wait it out, just let the shadow have its temper tantrum and go in to attack when it's tuckered out.

Sure enough, after a few more shockwaves, my shadow stopped in its place, attempting to regain its strength.

That was my opportunity to move in for the kill, so I lashed out at my shadow with everything I could muster in this dream-like state, not giving it any chance to retaliate or break out.

After the beatdown was finished, I raised the Dream Shield to strike the final blow. Time seemed to run in slow motion as I struck with a mighty overhead chop, slicing the Dream Shield straight through my shadow and causing it to split in half.

That did the trick, as my shadow exploded into wisps of darkness soon after.

And that's the end of that. Or at least, I thought it was...

Before I could even grasp what was happening, darkness began to flood the platform, and when it reached me, it unfurled many dark tendrils that actually tried to drag me down into the murky blackness like some cliché horror movie monster would do to its victims.

But don't be afraid. And don't forget... your heart is the greatest weapon you can muster.

I attempted to reach out for something, but the darkness surrounding me continued to expend all of its effort to submerge me into it.

As darkness completely closed down my vision, the voice spoke one more time.

Remember... you are the one who will open the door.

"Hey, Nick, stop shaking so much! You wanna fall off?"

Nick shot to attention upon hearing Irma calling his name. He looked over at the Guardian of Water and saw her concerned expression.

"You okay?" Irma wondered. "You were shaking a bit there."

"Just another dream again," Nick replied, shaking his head a couple times to clear the cobwebs from his mind, though the last line of the strange voice stuck.

As Irma turned back to her homework, grumbling about science being stupid, Nick found himself unknowingly sketching a picture of the stained-glass platform he'd been on in the dream onto an empty piece of paper.

"You are the one who will open the door," Nick whispered to himself, echoing the mysterious voice's final line. "But... what door?"


"Your greatness, is everything okay? You look like you're lost in thought."

The Oracle looked up, his eyes perennially closed as always, towards Orube, a warrior from the planet Basiliade.

"Do you sense the vibrations of energy?" the Oracle asked. "Gaze towards the stars above us."

Wondering just what the Oracle was talking about, Orube looked up, noticing the brilliant sky of Candracar, only to see that something was wrong.

The stars that made up the sky were vast in amount, nearly infinite in their splendor. Yet, many of those stars were fading away, blinking a few times before disappearing completely.

"What?! The stars are fading?!" Orube exclaimed.

"It is as I thought," the Oracle proclaimed. "The Heartless have struck again."

"H-Heartless?" Orube gasped. "Aren't they the darkness that come from people's hearts?"

"Darkness given form and strength," the Oracle explained. "They know nothing but destruction, taking hearts from anyone they come across."

"So they're the ones responsible for destroying my world," Orube growled. "They can't get us here, can they?"

"As long as the Veil stays, the Heartless cannot enter Candracar," the Oracle responded. "But that still leaves us a problem. If the stars are blinking out one by one, the Heartless must be stepping up their attacks. And this can only mean another disaster is about to befall our worlds."

"Should I call those girls?" Orube asked.

"Not yet," the Oracle responded. "We are not sure if they are ready for a catastrophe of this magnitude. Either way, there is one thing we must do before anything else."

"What is that, your greatness?" Orube wondered.

The Oracle stood, gazing to the disappearing vistas above him.

"We must find the 'key'."

Orube gasped in surprise when she heard that. "T-the... the 'key'? Your greatness, you do know what happened to the last person from here who wielded the 'key'?"

"I sense a new wielder is about to be chosen," the Oracle proclaimed. "One whose destiny has not been decided yet."

Before Orube could raise any further questions, a small pool of darkness appeared in front of her, and a small shadow creature rose up from it.

Orube backed away, unfurling her claws in response to the new enemy. "The... the Heartless?! I thought you said they couldn't enter Candracar as long as the Veil was still up!"

Orube slashed outwards, raking at the Shadow who had lunged at her and cutting it into trails of darkness...

...only to have three more pop up from the floor.

Before long, the entire area was flooded with Shadows, leaving Orube no room to escape.

As Orube slashed like wildfire at the Heartless, she knew that something truly terrible had happened for the Heartless to be able to invade Candracar, supposedly the safest place in the multiverse. Her question was, who or what had created enough of a tear in the veil to allow evil through?

Multiple Shadows converged on Orube, ready to pounce and steal her heart for themselves. But just as they lunged...

"Force, know my plight! Release the light! THUNDER!"

About fifteen points of light flared to life in the sky above Orube, and not a split-second after, each point of light dropped a wicked thunderbolt downwards. The wayward lightning strikes made short work of the Heartless that had lunged.

Orube turned to face her savior and saw a thirteen-year-old girl of Chinese descent, with long, wavy black hair tied into two ponytails and two odangos (apparently a Japanese term for hair bun). She was wearing a ceremonial kimono and was carrying a very strange, key-shaped weapon.

The handle of the weapon was dark blue and the guard encircled the handle like a white, squat teardrop where the top of the guard was a white heart. There were also two dark blue arches with a hole in the center of each, one on each side of the top of the guard. The shaft consisted of two separate blue poles that ended at the "teeth" that resembled half of a gear. A dark blue circle, surrounded by a light blue, then another dark blue circle around that which is the inside of the teeth piece, were attached to the shaft by another light blue arc. The outer side of the circles was a half circle with a point at the peak and two small spheres within the half circle, one by the peak and one in the center of the arc. The top of the shaft was a dark blue, six-pointed star within a light blue circle. Its token was a gold carabiner with a rusty chain attached and a green spellbook as the charm.

"Wha... you wield the 'key'?" Orube gasped.

"No time for games, Orube!" the girl shouted. "We need to mop up this infestation!"

The girl leapt at the swarm of Heartless, swinging wildly with Spellbinder and clearing through the flood quickly.

"Jeez, where is she?" the girl groaned. "She's late!"

"Oh, keep your shorts on, Maylin!" another voice resounded. "These stupid Heartless aren't making things any easier!"

Maylin Rae turned around before looking upwards and seeing her companion drop from the ceiling, her own weapon clutched tightly as she slammed it into the ground, creating a pink shockwave that decimated the rest of the Heartless. The new girl stood up, letting her wavy brown hair flip around as she opened her strawberry pink eyes. After a second, she dusted off her clothes, a simple pink t-shirt and jeans.

"Took you long enough, Haruka," Maylin quipped.

Haruka Rose smiled brightly, resting her own weapon on her shoulder. The weapon's handguard was designed to look like stained glass. The blade was made of a purple material with a rose design, resembling a rose in a purple glass bell, and the bloom of the rose served as the blade's teeth. The weapon's rainguard was designed to resemble the thorny leaves of a rose bush, and the keychain consisted of a slim chain, with a pink rose as its token.

"Well, it's not my fault that I got stuck with fighting all the BIG Heartless like that centaur one with a lance longer than the Kresnik," Haruka teased.

"Stop teasing me, you doof!" Maylin growled. "We need to focus on the big picture here, namely, why the hell are there Heartless in Candracar?!"

Haruka thought for a few seconds, swinging Divine Rose around as she did so. "That must mean someone tore a big hole in the Veil. My question is, who?"

"There is no time for idle thought, my dears," the Oracle proclaimed. "I am glad you have arrived. A new wielder of the 'key' is about to be chosen."

"Aw, your majesty, you can just call it the keyblade, you know," Maylin giggled.

"What would you have us do?" Haruka wondered, snapping to attention.

"I want the two of you to go to a world called Traverse Town and find someone named Iona Hikawa. She will point you in the direction you need," the Oracle explained. "And if you should happen to find the chosen one, stay by his side. He will need all the support he can be given in the battle that is to come."

"Roger that!" Maylin proclaimed as the Oracle raised his hand and created a portal to Traverse Town.

"Let's go, Haruka," Maylin quipped. "I've got an itch to smack those Heartless down."

"Just like you, huh?" Haruka responded as she and Maylin walked into the portal.

Orube watched in confusion as the two left Candracar. "Your greatness, can we really entrust the future of the worlds to the ones who wield the 'key'? You know the legend says a wielder once wrought chaos and ruin upon us."

"But another says that its wielder brought great light to us," the Oracle replied. "Have faith, Orube. The new chosen one's story has not been written yet. We will see what he does with the power he is granted."

Orube sighed in resignation. "I just hope you're right."


Later that day, during a break in his art class, Nick decided to show Hay Lin the sketch he'd done of the area in his dream, hoping she could shed some light on the situation.

"Wow, that's pretty trippy, huh?" Hay Lin, Guardian of Air, noted after Nick had shown her the sketch. "What do you think it means?"

"That's actually what I was hoping you could help me with," Nick answered. "Because if I have three dreams, and they're all part of the same thing, it's gotta mean something."

And so, Nick and Hay Lin began to talk, Nick sharing what he'd experienced in the dream, most notably conversing with three of the previous Guardians, and Hay Lin giving her thoughts on what each particular sequence may have meant.

"From what I can tell, maybe this voice is trying to prepare you for something, since it's persuading you to make choices based on your personality and preferences. You said you chose the shield, but gave up the staff, right?" Hay Lin explained, sketching notes onto her notebook.

"Yeah, because I want to protect my friends, even though I don't have magic powers like you and the rest of W.I.T.C.H., and I gave up the staff because I don't actually have those kind of powers," Nick explained.

"And when the previous Guardians asked you those questions, the voice wanted to know more about you," Hay Lin continued. "I bet whoever that was wants to see if you're worthy of something."

"Worthy of what, though? That's the question that's been bothering me," Nick stated.

Before Hay Lin could elaborate any further, a loud CRACK resounded, followed by a flash that lit up the art studio.

"Oh, fantastic," Nick groaned as a deluge of rain began to fall from the darkened skies.

"Wait a second," Hay Lin gasped. "It was bright and sunny just two minutes ago! How could the weather have changed so fast?!"

Nick looked up at the clock; just two minutes until school let out. "Get the others and let's meet up at the front gate. I've got a really bad feeling about this."

Sure enough, the sudden storm began to grow worse once school was over, with strong winds and frequent lightning flashes. Nick and the girls were already standing in the midst of the chaos, wondering why mother nature had decided to spaz out.

"This isn't good," Cornelia quipped. "Something here just feels... off. Like it's the end of the world or something..."

"And I can't stop this rain from drenching us!" Irma exclaimed, waving her hands around. "It's like my powers are all... not working!"

"That's gotta mean that something evil's at work," Will proclaimed. "Let's transform and check things out."

Will reached into her backpack to procure the Heart of Candracar before raising the glowing crystal into the air.

"Guardians, unite!" Will shouted, causing a swirl of energy to surround the five Guardians of the Veil. Once it cleared, they were all in their Guardian outfits, unencumbered by mother nature's wrath.

"Let's get going," Will stated, and the group rushed out of the school grounds and into the city itself.

Along the way, W.I.T.C.H. began to encounter strange creatures that were attacking the panicking citizens of Heatherfield.

Though the girls were slightly confused, Nick and Hay Lin recognized the creatures almost immediately.

"Wait a minute, those things were in my dream!" Nick exclaimed, catching the girls' attention. "When I got my weapon, those things started popping up and attacking me!"

Hay Lin looked up to the sky. She knew about the creatures, since Nick had told her about his dreams. "You think your dream's connected to what's happening?"

Before Nick could answer that, a loud scream caught his attention. Nick spun around and saw Marie standing a few feet away, though she was hunched over, like she was exhausted.

"M-Marie, how'd you get here?!" Nick exclaimed, rushing over to his sister to make sure she was all right. "You need to go back home where you'll be safe! This is not the right time to be searching for something!"

But when Marie looked up at him, Nick noticed that something was very wrong.

Marie's eyes, normally sparkling and full of life, were dull and lifeless, almost as if her spirit had been taken from her.

"Nick..." Marie called out in a very sleepy-sounding tone of voice.

Another lightning bolt cracked down from the sky and sent Marie flying towards Nick, who attempted to catch her...

...only for the world around Nick to freeze when Marie was close enough for Nick to catch.

Nick attempted to catch his sister, but the instant he touched her, she vanished into nothingness, like she hadn't even been there in the first place.

"W-what? Where'd she go?!" Nick exclaimed.

"INCOMING!" Irma shouted, pointing ahead at a much larger shadow creature that had just formed from the ground.

Nick put his arms up in a futile defense, knowing he didn't have the Dream Shield to protect him this time.

However, as the Neoshadow struck, a bright flash drove it off. When Nick dared to look, he saw a bright white light surrounding his right hand. The light eventually formed into a peculiar key-shaped weapon resembling a classic skeleton key.

"What the...?" Nick gasped, suddenly hearing the mysterious voice in his head again.

Keyblade... keyblade...

Nick cast a curious glance at his weapon, then looked back at the Neoshadow. It was staying still, apparently afraid of the keyblade.

Nick saw this as his chance, rushing forward, and with all the dexterity and skill from his dream battle, performed a powerful overhead strike that sliced the Neoshadow in half before causing it to evaporate into specks of darkness.

"Whoa..." Irma gasped.

"Hey, maybe that's what the voice guy was trying to prove you were worthy of!" Hay Lin exclaimed.

"And I've got a feeling that this baby can do something about these shadow freaks," Nick quipped. "Let's get moving, girls!"

So W.I.T.C.H. continued to move through the storm-ravaged Heatherfield in hopes of finding some answers, and while more of the shadow creatures assailed them during their journey, Nick was able to mow them down with ease thanks to his new weapon.

After a while of futile searching, the group eventually found themselves in the plaza, which is where the events seemed to be centered around. What must have been hundreds upon hundreds of Shadows were marching out from the plaza.

And to the group, it was easy to see why. A gigantic creature, towering over the highest building in the city, was creating pools of darkness on the ground from which more Shadows would emerge.

"Hey, Gigantor!" Nick shouted, waving the Kingdom Key threateningly at the monster. "You've got some nerve coming here and messing with our city like you own it or something!"

Darkside looked down at W.I.T.C.H., studying them with its eyeless gaze.

"I'm only going to give you one chance to leave before I come up and tear you a new one," Nick proclaimed.

Darkside simply roared, rearing its arm back to swipe at W.I.T.C.H., only for Nick to swing out and parry the strike with Kingdom Key.

"That's what I thought," Nick growled, laying into Darkside's exposed arm with a few quick slashes until it dipped back.

Darkside clutched its palm, gathering energy into its hands before firing it in the form of multiple dark spheres, all of them aimed at Nick.

Will was quicker on the draw, waving her hand and unleashing multiple bolts of pink lightning that stopped the dark spheres cold.

"Hey, buddy, you mess with one of W.I.T.C.H., you mess with all of W.I.T.C.H.!" Will shouted, throwing another pink lightning bolt straight into Darkside's face, causing it to stumble back and drop to its knees, giving Nick the perfect vantage point to charge and strike at Darkside's head a few times.

Once it got to its feet, Darkside simply shook off the pain and began to amble towards the group, every step creating pools of darkness on the ground for more Shadows to emerge.

"We'll mop up these tiny losers, Nick," Irma quipped, summoning a quick wave to send some of the Shadows flying. "You just focus on the big cheese!"

Nick flashed a thumbs up to Irma, then turned back to Darkside, who was rearing back to throw a punch.

Nick again parried the strike, but didn't expect Darkside to throw a punch with its other arm. Nick barely got Kingdom Key up in time to block the second strike.

"All right, so you're gonna play dirty now, huh?" Nick stated, waiting for Darkside to start moving again; he'd noticed that after every two or three attacks, Darkside just stood there for a few moments, as if it needed to rest.

After a couple seconds, Darkside decided to throw another punch, but this one Nick decided to jump backwards from, and this caused Darkside's arm to get stuck in the ground.

Sensing his opportunity, Nick hopped onto Darkside's hand and began to run along its arm to the creature's face, where Nick was free to lay into Darkside's face, ending with a jumping slash that knocked Darkside flat onto its back.

Nick did a few hops back so he could gain momentum, then rushed forward, ready to strike the decisive blow.

Cornelia, seeing Nick charging forward, decided to help out by slamming her hand to the rain-soaked ground and creating a pillar of earth for Nick to leap off of. Nick did so, hopping onto the pillar and jumping forward, landing on Darkside's face so he could send the Kingdom Key straight through the creature's forehead.

Darkside twitched for a few seconds before going limp and evaporating into little specks of darkness that eventually faded away.

"And dark boy is down!" Irma exclaimed.

Before W.I.T.C.H. had a chance to celebrate their victory, however, a large tremor rocked the surrounding area. Nick looked up and saw that a gigantic sphere of darkness had popped up in place of the sun.

And it seemed to be pulling him into it.

Nick slammed the Kingdom Key into the ground to hopefully gain some traction as the wind continued to pull him towards the giant sphere, but with the ground as soaked as it was, the keyblade simply wouldn't stay in the ground, and the wind eventually pulled Nick into the air, where he could do naught but helplessly find himself sucked into the darkness, much like in his dream.

The darkness was closing down his vision; he could barely hear the panicked screams of his friends.


Traverse Town. A quiet village eternally drenched in dusk. A waystation of sorts for people who have lost their worlds to the Heartless.

Maylin was the first to step out of the portal into a back alleyway. "Well, here we are!" she proclaimed.

"Oh, no," Haruka gasped.

"What? What's the matter now?" Maylin groaned.

"Look!" Haruka shouted, pointing to the sky above them. "One of the stars is going out!"

Sure enough, one of the stars blinked a few times before vanishing completely.

"How many more worlds are these Heartless freaks going to destroy?" Haruka sighed.

"We don't have time to be wishy-washy right now, Haruka," Maylin responded. "We need to find this Iona chick and FAST."

"Where do you think she is, though?" Haruka asked, waving Divine Rose around a few times.

"That's the problem," Maylin groaned. "You'd think that with all the phenomenal cosmic power the Oracle has, he'd be able to tell us exactly where this Iona girl is, but noooooooooo, he has to be all vague and stuff!"

"Maybe he's trying to use his power to keep the Heartless at bay," Haruka answered as she and Maylin walked out into the First District. "If Heartless got into Candracar, that means something happened to the Veil."

"I'd at least like a guide to go on!" Maylin exclaimed. Haruka knew that Maylin was never very patient.

"Well, when it comes to the Heartless, I don't like leaving anything to chance," Haruka replied.

Far away from where Maylin and Haruka were talking, Nick finally managed to open his eyes.

"Ugh... what the hell just happened?" Nick wondered. "Did I... did I get sucked into the darkness again?"

Now that Nick was fully awake and aware of his surroundings, he definitely noticed that the sights surrounding him definitely didn't belong to Heatherfield.

"Wait a minute, this is... where did they go?!" Nick exclaimed.

Picking himself up, Nick ran out of the alleyway into the First District, surprised to see himself in another world.

"This is strange... I just hope the girls are all right..."

Deciding to take a look around in hopes of finding something to go on, Nick began to walk around the district, talking to anyone he came across. Mostly, the conversations were the same, all having something to do with the fact that Traverse Town was a refuge for anyone who survived the destruction of their worlds.

After a while of the same story over and over, Nick figured he'd look around the other districts and see if there was anyone who could help him.

First, Nick decided to rest for a bit in the nearby Accessory Shop.

"Hey, how can I help..."

Nick looked over once he'd entered the Accessory Shop, noticing a spiky red-headed woman standing at the counter.

"Oh, it's just a kid," the woman proclaimed.

"Hey, I'm no kid," Nick growled. "My name's Nick, and don't you forget it!"

"Whoa, whoa, simmer down, I didn't mean to insult you or anything," the woman replied. "So, what's with the long face, Nick? Are you lost?"

"To be honest, I don't know," Nick sighed, balancing Kingdom Key on his shoulders.

"Well, how about you try looking around town?" the woman stated. "Maybe you'll find a clue or something."

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Nick replied. "I just figured I'd rest up a bit first. It's been a hell of a day for me."

"Well, then, good luck with whatever it is you're doing," the woman stated. "By the way, my name's Kiva Andru. If you run into trouble, just come to me, okay?"

Nick nodded to Kiva as he stepped outside of the Accessory Shop.

"Okay, this is going to be a lot more stressful than I thought," Nick groaned.

Nick? Nick, can you hear me?

Nick almost leapt into the air at the sound of the familiar voice. "Wait. Taranee, is that you?" Nick asked.

Yeah, it's me. Where are you?

"Honestly have no idea," Nick answered. He had almost forgotten that Taranee possessed a degree of telepathy as one of her Guardian powers. "All I do know is that it's some place called 'Traverse Town'. Where are you? Please tell me you're all right..."

Don't worry, Nick, we're all fine. Will managed to open a portal to Candracar before the city was consumed. Problem is, we can't get to you right now, since the Oracle's using all of his power to hold the Veil together. Those shadow things we fought came through a new tear in the Veil, and as long as the Oracle's keeping the Veil closed, we can't get there.

"I'm just glad you're all safe," Nick answered. "I'll try to get there just as soon as I can. Seems like this problem's not just limited to our world..."

When Nick felt Taranee's presence fade from his mind, Nick decided to head to the Second District.


A young girl with black hair and golden eyes can be seen lying unconscious on the outcropping of a stone mesa, outlooking the path to a grand castle in the distance.

"Ugh... what happened?" the girl asked, looking around and noticing that she definitely wasn't in Heatherfield anymore.

Little did she know that someone was watching her from afar, a gastly evil presence from within a sentient mirror...


"This is weird beyond weird, if you want my opinion," Nick growled, swinging Kingdom Key to take out more of the shadow creatures who had attacked him in Heatherfield. "What exactly is going on here?!"

"They'll come at you out of nowhere."

What now? Nick thought as he whirled around to face the source of this voice, a girl about his age with waist-length purple hair and matching eyes.

"And they'll keep coming after you as long as you wield the keyblade," the girl proclaimed. "But why would it choose a kid like you?"

Nick steadied himself, realizing that a fight was probably about to erupt.

"Now let's see that keyblade."

Nick immediately brought Kingdom Key into a fighting stance.

"Hey, hey, I don't want to fight you," the girl stated. "My name's Iona Hikawa. I've heard legends about the keyblade, but I never thought it would choose someone like you."

Iona extended her hand. "Now just hand it over. I don't want a fight."

Nick stared at Iona for a few seconds. "You're serious," Nick growled. "This is the only link I have to finding out what happened to my world, and possibly the only way to fix it. And you want to take that away from me?!"

Nick lifted his arm and pointed Kingdom Key straight at Iona. "Well, if you think you can take my only hope away from me, you'd better be ready to get knocked flat on your ass. I'm not afraid to fight a girl."

Iona sighed heavily. "Fine, then."

Iona reached into her pocket and produced a strange, piano-like device.

"Pretty Cure Shining Star Symphony!" Iona shouted, playing a few notes on the piano keys as shining purple energy wrapped around her body, forming a cocoon-like sphere of light. After a couple seconds, the cocoon shattered, revealing that Iona had transformed into a new outfit.

"The star of hope that glitters in the night sky, Cure Fortune!"

Nick readied himself.

"You wanna be stubborn? All right then, have it your way," Cure Fortune proclaimed.

Nick charged forward to attack, only for Cure Fortune to leap away, gathering energy in her hands.

"Pretty Cure Starlight Ascension!" Cure Fortune shouted, throwing her hands towards Nick and shooting out a cluster of star-shaped energy bursts. Nick stood steady, batting away each star with the Kingdom Key and dodging the ones he couldn't deflect.

Nick made it a point to be in the same spot where Cure Fortune landed so he could deliver a powerful strike that sent her crashing into the wall of a nearby shop.

"Okay, so you're not as bad as I thought," Cure Fortune proclaimed. She picked herself up and rushed at Nick, lashing out with a series of kicks.

Nick dodged and blocked when he could, trying to find an opening in Cure Fortune's attack pattern. Just as Cure Fortune reared back for one final strike, Nick saw his chance and lashed out with a rising slash attack that sent Cure Fortune stumbling backwards.

"You're mine!" Nick shouted, charging forward.

"Guess I have no choice," Cure Fortune proclaimed, bringing out what appeared to be a card. "Form Change, Anmitsu Komachi!"

Nick stood his ground as Cure Fortune's outfit became a light purple Japanese kimono.

Cure Fortune raised her Fortune Tambourine as petals began to swirl around her. "Sakura Blizzard Dance!"

All of a sudden, Nick found himself caught in a tornado of petals that eventually threw him back into the wall of the Accessory Shop.

Yet Nick still stood, not intent on giving up.

"You just don't give up," Cure Fortune stated.

"Yeah, well, my friends always liked that about me," Nick quipped before shaking off the pain in his back and rushing back at Cure Fortune.

"Good to know," Cure Fortune teased before producing another card. "Form Change, Pine Arabian!"

Cure Fortune's outfit then became an Indian-style dancer's dress.

"You keep changing your clothes," Nick quipped. "You're not secretly a fashion model, are you?"

"Well, I get around, mostly," Cure Fortune replied before spreading her hands out. "Oriental Dream!"

Golden energy surrounded Nick, and he made it a point to jump away just in time as the light turned into a pillar of energy that shot into the sky.

"That could have been bad," Nick noted.

"You know, you're actually pretty strong for someone who just got chosen by the keyblade," Cure Fortune admitted.

"That's why I need its power to find out if there's a way to restore my world!" Nick shouted. "I've got friends and family waiting for me!"

Suddenly, Cure Fortune saw flashes of someone very dear to her. Sighing in defeat, Cure Fortune floated back to the ground and reverted to her normal self.

"I'd... I'd almost forgotten..." Iona sighed.

Nick looked in confusion at Iona.

"I... I lost friends and family to the Heartless, too," Iona admitted.

"Heartless?" Nick wondered. "You mean those shadowy things that've been harassing me nonstop since I got the keyblade?"

"Yes," Iona answered. "They're born from the darkness in people's hearts. That's what attracts them. If someone's heart is stolen from them, they will become a Heartless as well."

"So, why are they following me, then?" Nick asked.

"The Heartless are attracted to the darkness in people's hearts, and darkness rests within every heart," Iona explained. "They prey the worlds, searching for more hearts to increase their numbers."

"You sound like you've dealt with them before," Maylin noted.

"Because we have," Hime Shirayuki answered. Maylin and Haruka, during their search for Iona, had actually come across Iona's friends and fellow Pretty Cures, who seemed to know something about the current situation. This particular group were just outside the door separating the first and second districts. "Those jerks took something very important to us!"

"Calm down, Hime," Yuuko 'Yuyu' Omori stated, getting Hime to relax. "Okay, you two know how there are many other worlds besides your Candracar and this town, right?"

Maylin looked shocked at that simple response. "Wait, wait, how do you know about the other worlds?! They're supposed to be a secret!"

"Because they've never been connected until now," Yuuko answered. "When the Heartless came, everything changed."

"When they took our world, we had no choice but to flee," Megumi Aino continued. "Our first thought was to go to Hime's world, but that world had been taken by the Heartless, too. We're really lucky that the Embassy allows us to come here. We had to look for a way to bring the Blue Sky Kingdom back."

"We may have found our way, now that we know of the keyblade," Yuuko proclaimed.

Suddenly, the district door was slammed open. Maylin was the first to brandish her keyblade as a bunch of armored Heartless began to flood through the open gates.

"Ack, not these things again!" Haruka exclaimed, swinging Divine Rose down and crushing a few of the Soldiers easily.

"All right, it's vengeance time!" Hime exclaimed, bringing out a strange device as Yuuko and Megumi did the same.

"Pretty Cure Rolling Mirror Change!" Megumi, Hime, and Yuuko shouted, being covered in bright cocoons of pink, blue, and yellow light, respectively. When the cocoons shattered, the three teenagers were in their Pretty Cure forms.

"The big love spreading throughout the world, Cure Lovely!" Megumi shouted.

"The blue wind dancing in the sky, Cure Princess!" Hime shouted.

"The light of life flourishing on the earth, Cure Honey!" Yuuko shouted.

The three did their group pose afterwards. "Infused with happiness, charged with glee, we are Happiness Charge Pretty Cure!"

"Okay, plan time," Cure Princess proclaimed. "What do we do?!"

"I'll go find Iona," Cure Honey replied. "Hime, Megumi, you two keep the Heartless at bay."

"Roger!" Cure Lovely exclaimed.

"You two had better keep searching for that boy with the keyblade," Cure Honey stated to Maylin and Haruka. "He's probably in this city somewhere."

"Got it! Haruka, let's go!" Maylin proclaimed, rushing into the First District, leaving a very flustered Haruka to catch up.

"She never waits for me, does she?" Haruka groaned.

Cure Honey ran down the steps to the Accessory Shop, quickly noticing Iona talking to Nick.

"Iona! We've got trouble!" Cure Honey exclaimed.

"The Heartless?" Iona asked.

"A whole flood of them just invaded the Second District!" Cure Honey answered. "Megumi and Hime are holding them off!"

"Where'd those other two go? The ones who were looking for me?" Iona asked, bringing out her Fortune Piano and transforming back into Cure Fortune.

"They're trying to find the boy that was chosen by the keyblade," Cure Honey stated, only just now noticing that Nick was holding a keyblade. "Hey, you're the one those two girls have been looking for, aren't you?"

"What's going on?" Nick wondered, readying the Kingdom Key.

"The Heartless are here," Cure Honey explained. "You were right about them, Iona. They followed the keyblade right to us."

"No time to mope on that right now," Cure Fortune replied. "Come on, kid. Sounds like we're gonna need you."

"Just let me at those jerks," Nick growled.

"You sound just like Hime," Cure Honey giggled.

The three ran for the Second District, only to find it almost completely flooded by Shadows and Soldiers.

"Oh, this isn't good," Cure Fortune groaned.

"Dang it, these things are everywhere!" Cure Princess shouted, using her Princess Machine Gun to send a bunch of Soldiers flying. "We swat them away and they just keep coming back for more!"

"Let me have a go at it," Nick proclaimed, holding Kingdom Key aloft.

Cure Princess was the first to gasp when she saw Nick's weapon. "The keyblade!" Cure Princess shouted.

Nick didn't need to be told twice, and hopped off of the banister so he could slash at a Soldier that had just leapt at Cure Lovely.

"Yeah, you freaks," Nick growled. "I've got a bone to pick with you."

Nick held the Kingdom Key to the sky, where it began to glow with a bright golden light. Just as the swarm of Heartless began to march forward, Nick swung hard, creating a bright wave of light energy that effortlessly vaporized the entire horde of Heartless.

However, this was not to last, as even more Heartless began to appear.

"Ugh, this is hopeless!" Cure Princess growled.

"We don't have time for the small fry," Cure Fortune proclaimed. "We need to find the leader and take him out!"

"Leave that one to me," Nick answered. "Can you all hold down the fort here?"

"Just try not to take too long, okay?" Cure Honey teased.

"Oh, once I find that leader guy, he's as good as swiss cheese," Nick answered, brandishing the keyblade and charging down the side path to reach the Third District, slashing through more Soldiers along the way.

Upon reaching the Third District, however, he noticed two more girls attacking a swarm of Heartless.

And they were both wielding keyblades.

"Hey, need some help?" Nick proclaimed, catching the girls' attention.

"Took you all long enough," Maylin answered. "I figured you'd have already mopped up by..."

Maylin turned around, only to cut her sentence short when she saw Nick.

"Hey, hey, you're the chosen one!" Maylin shouted.

"Like I haven't heard that one a thousand times," Nick teased.

"The Oracle sent us to find you," Haruka explained, slashing at another Soldier. "He told us to follow the keybearer."

"When you've already got keyblades yourselves?" Nick laughed.

"INCOMING!" Maylin shouted, pointing to the sky. Pieces of an armored suit fell from the sky, crashing with much pageantry to the ground, eventually floating upwards and forming into a suit of armor with detached limbs a la Rayman.

"I'm guessing that's the leader," Nick quipped. "Well, then, let's take 'em out!"

"Hey, kid, I like your style," Maylin giggled as the trio prepared to face off with the Guard Armor.

The giant Heartless struck first sending its arms out in a piercing forward motion, though Haruka was easily able to defend against the strike.

"Maylin, hit him while I've got it distracted!" Haruka shouted.

"Roger dodger!" Maylin replied, producing a strange-looking coin.

Nick intercepted a strike from the left foot so Maylin could concentrate.

"Force, know my plight! Release the light! THUNDER!" Maylin shouted, tossing the coin into the air and striking it with her keyblade, Spellbinder, as it fell down. The coin's ancient letters shined brightly before creating seven or eight points of light around it. Each point of light unleashed a wicked thunderbolt, all of them screaming through the air to strike the Guard Armor directly in its torso, forcing it backwards.

Nick took this opportunity to strike, slashing the two legs away from him before hacking away at the vulnerable torso.

Just then, the Guard Armor began to spin wildly, forming a sort of tornado around itself.

"Get back, kid!" Maylin shouted, grabbing another magic coin. "Force, know my plight! Release the light! WIND!"

Maylin struck the coin with Spellbinder, and a current of wind wrapped itself around Nick just in time to protect him from the spinning Guard Armor.

"Nice save," Nick quipped.

"Don't mention it!" Maylin giggled.

Haruka, meanwhile, was fighting the Guard Armor's rogue legs. She continued to sidestep away to avoid the shockwaves that the armored feet produced with every step before jumping in to strike.

"Okay, this is getting us nowhere fast," Haruka groaned. She then leapt back before jumping into the air and slamming Divine Rose down hard, creating a radial shockwave that destroyed both of the Guard Armor's legs.

"All right, two down and three to go!" Haruka exclaimed.

The Guard Armor responded to the destruction of its legs by lashing out to grab Nick in its clawed arms, cutting right through the barrier of wind surrounding him.

"Hey, let me go, you overgrown knight suit!" Nick shouted.

The Guard Armor complied, brutally slamming Nick into the ground. Nick was able to get up after the attack, but was obviously wounded, clutching his right shoulder and breathing heavily.

"Don't worry, kid," Maylin shouted. "Emergency nurse aid, coming up!"

Maylin clutched another coin in her hand, smiling before tossing it into the air. "Force, know my plight! Release the light! HEAL!"

Maylin struck the coin with Spellbinder, and Nick was surrounded by a soft green light. Once it cleared, the pain in Nick's shoulder had vanished completely.

"Thanks," Nick stated.

"No problem!" Maylin replied. "Now let's finish this thing off!"

Nick nodded and turned back to the Guard Armor, ready for whatever it would pull next.

The Guard Armor eventually started spinning again, but this time it began to hop up and down while spinning, creating tremors every time it impacted the ground.

After about eight tremors, Maylin decided she'd had enough. "Time to chill, jerk! Force, know my plight! Release the light! FREEZE!"

When Maylin struck the coin, a field of snowflakes surrounded the Guard Armor before freezing it into a block of jagged ice and causing it to drop like a stone to the ground, shattering the ice and stunning it.

Haruka wasted no time in rushing over and slashing at both of the prone arms with Divine Rose, destroying them with one final strike. "All right, kid, finish him off!"

"My pleasure," Nick proclaimed before charging straight for the Guard Armor's vulnerable torso.

The Guard Armor attempted to pick itself up, but Nick was faster on the draw, ripping forward with one mighty slash.

The torso began to implode from the inside, explosions rocking its body. After a while, it froze completely, its head falling off and crashing to the ground. The remains of the Guard Armor eventually evaporated into nothingness, its only remains being a giant, glowing heart-shaped object that floated into the sky before vanishing.

"YES!" Maylin cheered, spinning Spellbinder in her hands as she did so. "One Heartless commander served up extra crispy!"

"So, I hear you two have been looking for me," Nick stated, walking up to Maylin and Haruka.

"Yep," Maylin giggled. "Don't you feel special now?"

"The Oracle told us that a new bearer of the keyblade was to be chosen, and that we were supposed to find him and stick together," Haruka explained. "It was right about the time your world was swallowed by the darkness."

"Wait, swallowed by darkness?!" Nick exclaimed. "What does that mean?!"

Haruka sighed heavily, knowing Nick wouldn't like this part. "The Heartless must have found the heart of your world and stolen it. When a world's heart is taken, the world is effectively destroyed."

"But just because the heart of the world was taken doesn't mean it's gone forever," Maylin countered, noticing that Nick looked like he was about to cry. "If we can find the world's heart and release it from whoever took it, your world will be restored."

"And there are ways we can help other worlds," Haruka continued. "The keyblade is able to open or close any lock in existence, even the doors to the hearts of the world. Basically, if we can find a world's keyhole and lock it with the keyblade, that world is safe from the Heartless."

"Say, you wanna come with us?" Maylin asked. "We have a cool starship that we use to travel between worlds."

Nick just looked up at the starry sky, lamenting the loss of his world.

"Nick, go with them," Iona proclaimed, walking up to the three with Megumi, Hime, and Yuuko right behind her. "Especially if you want to find your friends."

"What about all of you?" Maylin wondered.

"Ah, we can hold the fort," Hime replied. "Things are pretty calm now that the leader boy's out of the picture."

Maylin looked at Nick, who was still sad.

"Hey, you can't come along looking like that, got it?" Maylin proclaimed, catching Nick's attention. "Our operation runs on happy faces, understand?"

Nick looked down, then up at Maylin, bursting into an extremely cheesy grin.

Maylin and Haruka just stared blankly at Nick for a few seconds before bursting into hysterical laughter.

"Oh, god, that's hilarious!" Maylin giggled.

"Sure, why not?" Nick stated. "Looks like I've got traveling buddies now."

"Name's Maylin Rae!" Maylin proclaimed.

"Call me Haruka Rose," Haruka stated, holding Divine Rose proudly.

"And I'm Nick Kelly," Nick replied.

As Maylin leaped over to hug Nick, they had no idea that they were all being watched from a far away land. Many figures were stationed around a circular pedestal, where a pool of dark green energy was displaying the aftermath of the battle in Traverse Town.

"That little squirt took down the Heartless?!" a figure proclaimed, a young man wearing a police outfit with unkempt hair. "Who would have thought it?!"

"Such is the power of the keyblade," a tall man with fairy-like wings replied. "The child's strength is not his own."

"Why don't we just turn him into a Heartless?" a young woman wearing pirate garb asked, cackling loudly. "That'll settle things quick enough."

"And those girls with him are the Oracle's lackeys," a small, monkey-like figure replied. "They're all deadbeats from the look of them."

"You're no prize yourself, monkey man," the officer shot back.

"Why, you..."

"Enough," a new voice proclaimed. Everyone gathered in the area looked over to the large mirror in the corner, where a sinister silhouette could be seen.

"The keyblade has chosen him," the man in the mirror proclaimed. "Will it be he who conquers the darkness? Or will it swallow him? Either way, he could be quite useful."

Back in Traverse Town, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka were joined by the members of Happiness Charge Pretty Cure, who had decided to see them off on their journey.

"You guys had better make sure that you're prepared for the journey ahead of you," Iona stated. "We don't know how far the Heartless have spread."

"You guys stay together and keep each others' spirits up!" Yuuko giggled.

"Yeah, as long as you stick together, you'll be unstoppable!" Hime exclaimed.

"Good luck, everybody," Megumi stated. "I hope we can meet again sometime soon."

And with that, the Pretty Cures dashed off to parts unknown.

"Well, if we're all ready to go, let's get going!" Maylin proclaimed. "Our ship is just outside the gate!"

"Do you two really have a starship?" Nick wondered.

"Well, it's a ship, and it travels through the stars, so boom, starship!" Maylin teased.

"Seriously, Maylin?" Haruka groaned. "Well, technically, it's a 'gummi ship', but it's made out of the materials that allow us to travel between worlds, so it still counts, right?"

"Wait, before we go..." Maylin interrupted, fishing one of her magic coins out of her pocket. "Nick, this is for you."

Maylin took a few steps forward to give Nick the coin. When Nick accepted it, he felt a sudden surge of power as the coin shined and vanished. Wondering what had just happened, Nick spun the Kingdom Key around and slashed it downward, creating a brief spiral of fire around him.

"Wow, you learn quickly!" Maylin giggled. "Now you can use magic, too. Haruka, give him the other thing, 'kay?"

"Wha...?" Haruka wondered. "Oh, that thing!"

Haruka handed Nick a glowing white gemstone. "This is an Ability Crystal. Sometimes you find these in strange places, and using one will grant you a new skill. Go ahead, try it out!"

Stuck for a suitable thing to actually use it on, Nick suddenly spotted a Soldier approaching the group. Grinning wildly, Nick charged for the Soldier like an all-star slugger after the game-winning hit. Nick began to spin circles around the Soldier, the keyblade creating gleaming after-images in its wake. The Soldier didn't stand a chance, literally being sucked into the path of the spinning keyblade and destroyed.

"Awesome!" Maylin exclaimed.

"I'm calling that one the 'Vortex'," Nick proclaimed.

"Abilities allow you to do all kinds of awesome tricks," Haruka stated. "Guess we should look for them along the way, huh?"

"Well, is that everything?" Nick quipped. "I've got friends who are waiting for me, after all."

"Let's make sure we're ready, first," Maylin stated. "Don't wanna run into an unfair situation with the odds stacked against us, right?"

As Haruka and Maylin began to make small talk, Nick glanced at the Kingdom Key, seeing his reflection in its gleaming blade.

Don't worry, girls, I'll be back soon, Nick thought, a determined expression flickering to life.

"Well, if we're all equipped, let's get goin'!" Maylin exclaimed.

Surprisingly, Maylin suddenly leaned closer to Nick. "Aren't you lucky, Nick?" Maylin giggled. "You get to travel with two pretty girls!"

"He normally hangs around with five pretty girls," Haruka countered. "I don't think it's something he's going to count on."

Maylin burst out laughing when she saw Nick's rising blush. "Wow, he's blushing!"

"Something I feel I need to tell you about Maylin," Haruka noted. "She gets flirty incredibly easily. It's actually kinda funny sometimes."

Maylin just huffed in response to that comment. "I also don't take cracks well, so how about you get your behind to the gummi ship before you get zapped?!"

Haruka knew Maylin wouldn't actually threaten her; it was just so fun to tease her. "I may as well. I am the designated pilot, after all."

"And don't you forget it," Maylin proclaimed proudly.

Nick just mused on the wackiness of his new friends as the group walked through the now open town gate into a swirling vortex of multi-colored light.

To be continued...


On the next episode...

Nick: All right, and now our adventure has begun!

Maylin: That's odd. Our first stop's a school. Seriously, we couldn't get anything flashier than a school?!

Haruka: I don't know, Maylin, what these people can do in this school might change your tone.

Maylin: Wait, is this a fighting school?!

Haruka: Something to that effect.

Nick: You two have seen some strange places, have you? And this is only the first stop of many.

Haruka: Oh, you'd be surprised.

Nick: Next time on W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX, "The Shining Beacon"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: The worlds are our ocean!