Before Sora and friends fought the Heartless. Before the Birth by Sleep incident. There were The Masters.
The sun began to creep through the mountain tops and slowly shined over the fields and lakes of the world, known to its inhabitants as the Land of Departure. The inhabitants are only a few individuals who were chosen to protect not just this world, but all worlds, from any malevolent forces that bring an unbalance to nature. They are, the Keyblade Wielders.
Once upon time there were thousands of wielders that roamed and lived on many worlds. Now however, now only five remain to carry on the ancient wielders legacies. This is the story of not just these five individuals, but also the beginning of a chain of events that will have an impact on the generation of wielders to come. This is the story of The Masters.
Sid awoke early, even before the sun came up to practice his magic. He donned his combat uniform which consisted of a blue and black shirt with chain mail magically imbedded into the fabric to provide some protection from physical and magical attacks. His pants, a slight yellow color with blue trim, and enough pockets to carry a dozen ethers when needed. However, the real combat portion of his uniform were the wrist guards. When he needed to wear his Keyblade Armor, all he need to do was bring the guards together and will the armor from them. His extensive training however should prevent him from ever needing to wear it, perhaps when he was traveling the Lanes Between but he hardly ever ventured from this world.
Why had Sid awoken so early that caused him to wear his combat uniform? Well, even as a recently promoted master, he still needed to hone his skills if he ever wanted to surpass or become an equal to the man that trained him, Master Virt.
"FIRAGA!" yelled Sid. A giant ball of fire erupted from his Keyblade and soared through the air. Once it was some distance away, he controlled it to turn around and head back towards him.
"Okay come on," thought Sid, "I can do this!"
The giant ball of magical fire was only seconds away from hitting him. Sid could feel the heat from it already starting to agitate his skin. He waits for last possible second before using the counter attack.
"BLIZZAGA!" he shouts loudly. Ice and snow flow out from his Keyblade at a tremendous velocity and hit the giant fireball, now only a few feet from Sid. The fireball came to a stop once it impacted the second spell but then slowly began to break through it.
"Agahhh!" Sid was almost at his limit. This will end badly for him if he isn't carefully in the next few moments.
"No giving up now!"
"ABSOLUTE ZERO!" shouted Sid, "BLIZZAGA!"
A pillar of ice and snow shot out from the Keyblade, consumed and extinguished the fireball and curved upwards towards the sky before crashing down on the ground. The once summer breeze Sid felt when the sun came up was now cold. Sid fell to the ground, exhausted and out of breath.
"Guess…I…over did it…" he said while gasping for air. He sat and waited for a while before rising up and smiled at the scene before him. "We're getting stronger Star Seeker."
He looked down at his Keyblade, a grey and slightly blue weapon with a star at the end of it, where a blade tip for a sword would be, and as his keychain.
He was still admiring his Keyblade when all of a sudden the bells from the castle began to ring.
"That could only mean one thing," thought Sid happily.
The bells rang when the Grandmaster had a mission for the Masters. Since the others were away on their own missions right now. The Grandmaster was calling for Sid.
Sid raced back to the castle, the fatigue he felt before was gone now and replaced with a smile on his face.
Sid stood in front of the Grandmasters throne that was accompanied by two smaller thrones on either side of it. The Grandmasters throne was empty but it was only a matter of time before he showed up and sat on it with a mission for Sid.
Sid was excited. He had only just recently became a master along with his fellow trainee, Xehanort. Both had come close to failing but overcame the day long trial. The senior masters had them going through obstacles near the forest and mountain base until the evening of that day came when it was time to show the Grandmaster what they accomplished during their decade of training. He was pleased to see that the younger generation would be up to the task to protect the worlds just as the generations before have.
Finally the doors leading to the west wing of the castle opened and out of them walked Grandmaster Caliburn.
"Yen Sid," Caliburn said in a powerful yet fatherly voice. "Sorry for making you wait but I just needed to make sure the information I've received was accurate." Caliburn sat on the center throne. Yen Sid had never seen the two other chairs occupied even though he knew who they belonged to. Although Caliburn was the Grandmaster of the Keyblade wielders, two other masters helped with training new wielders and guarding the worlds. One such wielder was Yen Sid's master and teacher, Master Virt.
"No need to apologize Grandmaster, I'm just anxious to know what mission you have set for me," Sid said with a little excitement in his voice.
"This mission may very well be the most important you've had to date," said Caliburn.
"Finally, anything to put my Keyblade and magic to good use," thought Sid. "Maybe I'll be fighting Corruptors while defending a city, or saving a village from Heartless!"
"You should not come across any resistance on this mission," said Caliburn. Yen Sid's excitement was immediately drained. "However, if you should come across danger, an old acquaintance of mine will be meeting you at your destination. He is very well trained in combat and he's the one that informed me of the circumstances of this mission."
Sid couldn't believe he was being paired up with someone. He thought this would be his first solo mission as a Master. The Grandmaster knew just how strong he had become.
"But Grandmaster, I'm more than able to handle any trouble should I come across it!" exclaimed Yen Sid, now with slight annoyance. Training with the Keyblade for 9 years would make any wielder ready for just about any challenge.
Sensing the tone in his voice, Caliburn looked down at Yen Sid and only gave a slight smile. Had Yen Sid not been looking at the Grandmaster carefully, he would have missed it. Caliburn only continued to stare at Yen Sid for a few moments. Finally he spoke.
"I know you are eager to go out on more dangerous missions by yourself Yen Sid," said Caliburn, "and yes it is the job of a Keyblade wielder to go out and defend the worlds that are under attack from those who would do them harm, but every wielder must know patience and learn to not go looking for danger. They must understand that light can be found in any dark place and should they come across an adversary far above them in power, then they must rely on friends and comrades to help them up when they stumble. Otherwise, you may find yourself heading towards the darkness."
Sid listened to what the Grandmaster said and he knew he spoke the truth. Rushing towards the enemy just to prove he was stronger would only lead to bad outcomes. Sid gave a nod to Caliburn.
"Now then," said Caliburn as he rose and began to walk towards Yen Sid. "You will go meet my friend Oswald at a most peculiar world where dragons are said to exist."
"Oswald? Dragons?" repeated Sid while scratching his head.
"Yes, Oswald is dear friend of mine and the senior masters, however he can be a bit eccentric when it comes to the matter of 'breaking things', he spoke those last few words while rubbing his eyes with his fingers and breathing out loudly. "He's responsible for the permanent damage to the old east and west wing of this castle, but alas I'm getting ahead of myself, I'm sure you'll have much to talk about on your mission." "
Sid nodded in agreement before asking about the dragons. "But in the text I've read, are they not supposed to be a myth?"
"My boy, you must always expect the unexpected in any world," said Caliburn. "I know you've only gone to a few worlds so far in your time training as a wielder, but what you might think are myths in one world may very well be normal everyday life on another."
"More wisdom from the Grandmaster," thought Yen Sid. Sid may be a Master but he still had a lot to learn. He gave a slight smile at Caliburn. "I understand Grandmaster."
"I've prepared a portal to the Land of Dragons out in the courtyard," said Caliburn. "The Lanes Between seem to be experience some disturbance which is common from time to time so this is the safer alternative."
"Yes Grandmaster, I'll leave at once," said Yen Sid. He turned towards the west wing and began to walk only to stop a few feet from where he once stood. He turned and looked at the Grandmaster who was smiling at the Keyblade wielder.
"Uh… Grandmaster," said a confused Sid.
"Yes, did you want to ask me something Yen Sid," said Caliburn noticing the error Yen Sid made.
"What is my mission exactly?"
"Like I said before, this is the most important mission you've had yet," said Caliburn. "You're to find a new Keyblade Wielder."
Yen Sid smiled and ran out the door, he was once again excited.