Everything seemed peaceful.
Heatherfield was quiet; a light shower had started; and the moon was slowly starting to give way to the morning.
Yes, everything seemed peaceful.
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Thrusting the covers off of him, 16-year-old Nick Kelly slowly reached for his blaring cell phone, wondering who'd be calling him at 4:30 in the morning. Yawning loudly, he flipped the phone open.
"H-hello?" Nick asked sleepily.
"Nick! Martin's at my house!" the unmistakable voice of Nick's girlfriend Irma Lair rang through the phone. That woke Nick up pretty quick.
"What is HE doing there?"
"No clue! Just get him out of here!"
"I'm on my way!" Nick exclaimed, rushing for his dresser. Two keychains sat there, emanating a mysterious light. Nick took both keychains into his hands and focused. Soon enough, the keychains transformed into Nick's keyblades, Oathkeeper and Fatal Crest. Instead of its normal silver hue, the Oathkeeper now glowed a brilliant gold as a result of a special power Nick had gained after he and Irma had defeated the evil Nerissa.
Keyblades in hand, Nick quickly exited his room and rushed outside.
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Inside Irma's house, said 15-year-old brunette was trying to comprehend why Martin Tubbs was at her house at 4:30 AM – with a Keyblade, no less!
"Martin! Get out of my house!" Irma shouted, but to no avail. Martin just wouldn't leave. In fact, Martin seemed to inch even closer to Irma.
Thankfully, Nick made his entrance that moment, brandishing Oathkeeper and Fatal Crest. "Martin, what are you doing—"
Nick's sentence stopped on a dime as he took note of the keyblade that Martin was holding. It seemed to have a school motif to it. The handle was made up of a pair of clamps, the blade was a very long yardstick, and the tip was a pair of safety goggles. A beaker was dangling from the keychain.
As Nick studied the weapon, the words Scientific Theory ran through his head.
"Nick? Do you know why Martin has a Keyblade?" Irma exclaimed, wanting an explanation.
Nick stayed silent for a while.
"Nick?" Irma said again, only softer.
Five words escaped Nick's mouth:
"The Keyblade Wars have begun..."
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"Keyblade Wars?" Irma and Martin repeated at the same time.
"Yeah," Nick replied, launching into a story. "You see, the Oracle once told me that long ago, there was a trio of Keyblade bearers who eventually became corrupted by the amazing power of their keyblades. The dark sides of their hearts were beginning to show. The fools had no idea of the forces they were messing with. Eventually, they turned rogue, and began hunting down other Keyblade Bearers and taking their keyblades. The rogues began calling themselves the 'Chasers'. They wreaked havoc for many years, until a pure-hearted Keyblade Bearer found the nerve to face down the Chasers. It was a long and fierce battle, but the chosen one was able to defeat the Chasers, but not at the cost of his own life. After the battle, the Oracle sealed the defeated Chasers in the deepest depths of Mount Thanos, and the only way they could be released was if someone of greater power than their own was able to make it to their tomb."
Irma and Martin could only stare on, awestruck by Nick's story. Martin was the first to speak up, twirling his new Keyblade. "So, if I have a Keyblade... does that mean that the Chasers are back?"
"I'm afraid so, Martin," Nick responded. "The real question is, who released them?"
Suddenly, Nick dropped his Keyblades and clutched his chest in agony.
"Nick! What's wrong?" Irma exclaimed.
"Someone's... someone's trying to... to take over my body..." Nick said with all the effort he could muster. Suddenly, Nick screamed out loud, his body enveloped in a dark aura. When the energy cleared away, Nick was no longer there. In his place was a young man who looked a lot like the "Ansem, Seeker of Darkness" that Irma remembered from Sora's stories.
"Ansem?" Irma asked cautiously, taking a step forward.
The man simply laughed. "How long has it been since I abandoned the name of my pitiful teacher. He was a fool."
"So, I take it you're not Ansem?" Irma replied.
"Very perceptive, little girl," the man replied. "I am Xehanort, leader of the Chasers."
"So you're the one who released them!" Irma shouted, materializing Mysterious Abyss.
Xehanort laughed again. "Your efforts are futile, chosen one. Your pitiful keyblade cannot harm me where I am now. And remember, since I've possessed your little boy-toy, if you hurt me, you hurt him."
Irma took a step back. He was absolutely right...
Xehanort laughed maniacally, but was cut short when Oathkeeper and Fatal Crest, which were laying on the floor nearby, flew straight into Xehanort's hands.
"What the...?" he exclaimed, trying to shake off the Keyblades. "I did not summon these infernal Keyblades! Who in their right mind..."
"That would be me, Xehanort," Nick's voice rang out. "You didn't think I was going to let you get away with possessing my body, did you?"
A bright light burst from Xehanort as Nick made his way back. Once the two were separate, Nick charged forward and struck with both of his Keyblades.
Xehanort quickly disappeared in a swirl of dark energy. Before Irma could congratulate Nick, he quickly said...
"That wasn't Xehanort."
"Huh?" Irma replied. Martin continued to stare.
"That wasn't the real Xehanort," Nick answered. "He's still hiding. Where, I don't know."
Nick walked up to Irma, taking her free hand and placing a violet rose keychain in it. "Here, Irma. You need this more than I do."
When Irma looked at the keychain, it suddenly formed into Nick's backup Keyblade, Divine Rose.
"Wow," Irma said in awe. "Thanks, Nick."
"You can thank me later," Nick replied, swinging Oathkeeper and creating a portal to Candracar. "We'd better see if the Oracle knows anything about this."
Irma looked back at Martin, who was still twirling the Scientific Theory keyblade in his hands. "You're coming, too, Martin."
After a bit, all 3 teenagers were in Candracar's royal palace, standing in front of the Oracle himself.
"I know of these Chasers," the Oracle responded after hearing Nick recount what had just happened. "Xehanort used to be my advisor, like Tibor is now. However, he turned to the darkness when he saw the power it holds."
"Figures," Nick replied. "I have a feeling we may need some help if we're going to beat Xehanort AND the Chasers."
"It just so happens that I have a new power for you, Guardian," the Oracle said, raising his hands. Nick's golden yellow tank-top and green racing shorts began to glow, and were quickly replaced by an outfit similar to Sora's.
"These clothes have very special powers, just like the Keyblade Bearer from Destiny Islands."
A glowing yellow orb appeared in front of Nick. "Take the orb," the Oracle said. Nick slowly reached out and grasped the orb in his hand.
"And watch what happens."
Suddenly, Irma was covered in a bright sapphire glow. "W-what's happening?" she exclaimed. She looked over to Nick, who was clutching his chest like before, only this time, he looked positively exhilarated. After a few seconds of this, Irma disappeared from sight and Nick threw his arms and legs out, a bright field of light flying outwards from Nick.
When the light surrounding him cleared, Nick was wielding Oathkeeper along with a new Keyblade that was orange and had a long silver wing at the tip and dangling from the keychain. The words One Winged Angel ran through his head. The silver on Nick's new clothes had shifted to a bright sapphire, and stars of powerful magical energy were swirling around Nick's legs.
"Wow! What happened?" Nick asked. The weird thing was, whenever Nick spoke, it sounded like he and Irma were talking at the same time. (Author's Note: When Nick is in his forms, just imagine Nick and the Guardian he fused with talking together.)
"With these clothes, you will have the power to fuse with your fellow Guardians to take on new forms and gain incredible power. You will have to discover the others' powers on your journey," the Oracle explained.
"Sweet!" Nick responded, holding out Oathkeeper and One-Winged Angel. Focusing, the keyblades shot a series of magic bullets forward, opening a portal back to Heatherfield, where the other Guardians were chilling out at Hay Lin's apartment.
"Come on, Martin! We'd better tell the others!" Nick said, gliding along the floor into the portal, leaving Martin to follow.
"If they cannot stop the Chasers, no one can," the Oracle said to himself.
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Today's featured Keyblades:
Oathkeeper (Nick)
Fatal Crest (Nick)
Scientific Theory (Martin)
Mysterious Abyss (Irma)
Divine Rose (Irma)
One Winged Angel (Aquatic Form Nick)
New Form!
Aquatic FormIn this form, Nick fuses with Irma to gain an incredible increase in his magical powers. He can shoot magic bullets from the tips of his keyblades, and he glides along the ground as opposed to running.