Long before our time, in the land of fairy tales, were countless worlds of all different kinds. Each had their own unique set of customs and people and all worlds intermingled with each other, mixing and creating new ways of life every day. These worlds were connected by pathways of pure light which protected travelers on their journeys towards other worlds. Some sought new prospects and some wanted adventure. These worlds pleased all in their search, every form of life accepting of another. Many called it a paradise, but for those who lived in this time, it was simply life; no more, no less.

Preserving these ways of life and pathways was a single entity known commonly as Kingdom Hearts, or the Heart of All Worlds. Many say it was a light so bright, that no darkness could live and no evil would ever corrupt its' mighty luminescence. However, for the sake of protection, Kingdom Hearts had a counterpart. While Kingdom Hearts was the ultimate light and the greatest protector of good, the weapon of great destruction, the final judgment, the X-Blade, existed to maintain order in the event that a darkness arose that had the power to withstand the light. This was a mistake.

Stories had been told throughout all worlds that whoever shall come upon Kingdom Hearts' light and wield the destructive X-Blade, they shall gain true power and be a God amongst all worlds and all their creatures. Some dismissed these as tall tales, but those who believed these words began to change. The lust for power was too strong in them and their newfound greed tempted them to make weapons in the image of the X-Blade; Keyblades.

On the day of the great Festival of Purity in the prosperous kingdom of Tener, this group struck and claimed countless lives, taking everyone by surprise and claiming the kingdom as their own, renaming it Tenebrae. The darkness was strong in these individuals and it began claiming others, leading to conquests and the destruction of many worlds. One king decided to take action, believing that Kingdom Hearts had abandoned their cries for help, and amassed an army of his own, defenders of light. They wielded their own Keyblades, forging them with magic and purity rather than with force and corruption.

The two entities fought, their paths of war leaving trails of death behind them, until they met for one final battle under the light of Kingdom Hearts. The war waged on, baiting the X-Blade into plain sight and forcing it to take action against both the forces of light and darkness alike. They rebelled against it, fought it, and all who had done so had lost their lives. The field of war had been littered with the Keyblades of countless fallen warriors, a remaining testament to the scale of the losses. The conflict had shattered the X-Blade into twenty pieces and scattered them throughout the cosmos and had submerged the Heart of All Worlds into an abyss of darkness, expecting to never see the light of day again.

The tale of this war states that the last remaining light in the Hearts of children brought the powerful protector back from the depths, only to have it destroy the pathways it had once created in hopes of keeping the worlds safe and stifling any further conflict as massive as the war. Now, all worlds live separated, their Hearts beckoning a return to peace, but never being answered.

All the result of the fabled battle; The Keyblade War.

A soft afternoon breeze rolled through the gardens, a smell of flowers and freshly trimmed flora swirling in the air. The songs of birds perched upon branches filled the air as the chattering of people below went on and on; a great symphony of conversation. This was a popular place for the denizens of this world and for good reason; it was beautiful and calm, especially on days where no clouds lingered in the sky, allowing the sun to hit the entirety of the small paradise of the gardens. Amongst all the cheerful population, on a small patio of a white house that overlooked the gardens, sat a grandmother and her granddaughter.

"Grandma, is that how the story really ends," the child asked her elder with sadness in her voice. The old woman nodded and cleared her throat to speak. "I'm afraid so, dear. Not every story is a happy one. Our lives are ever changing and if we remember that, we'll never be caught off guard." The young girl pouted in thought, not completely understanding of her grandmother's wisdom, but this brought a smile to the woman's aged face. Although young, her kin may remember that fact for the rest of her life and may one day understand it. For now, though, the girl seemed to want more. She wanted a better story.

"Mmm, grandma… Is there any more to the story? Are there any happy parts? I like those types of stories." The aging woman thought for a moment, her eyes looking at the sky above, and then nodded. "Oh, why yes, my love. There is much, much more to that story than most people know, but you're far too young to understand it all. Besides, it would take all day to tell it!" The child's eyes widened with wonder at the thought of a long story with a happy ending. "Grandma," the child sternly spoke with a demanding tone, "You have to tell the story! If you don't, then I'll just… not visit you!" The elder chuckled at the thought of her own granddaughter commanding things from her; what a sight to behold for children to do such things to the elderly.

If she were an unmerciful woman with blood of vinegar, she would tell her to leave now, but she decided to play along and humor her kin. "Oh, I suppose you've won. Sit down, now. We have much to go over." The older woman patted the seat next to her own and the girl, with renewed vigor and happiness evident by her wide smile, climbed up to the seat and stared intently at her grandmother, awaiting the story of her life. "Mmmhm. Yes, I believe I know where to begin with this. Ahem!"

The tale of war between the forces of light and dark was only a snippet of the true legend of the Keyblade War. For, you see, there stood yet another force in the fog of war, its motives shrouded and secret even to its own members. This group strong enough to face the great powers of the cosmos was known as the Militia; simple, but the name was known and they were feared by the other warring forces as warriors who stood for nothing, yet fought as if everything was on the line.

From all of the destruction and carnage, there stood one young man who had the heart and strength to stand up and fight against the needless bloodshed. He influenced many to his cause, for he believed that if he struck at the core of the problem, then both forces could come to their senses and end the fighting on their own accord, with little force. This young man rose from the bottom of the ranks and displayed courage and skill in the face of all adversity. He gripped the blade of destiny and sought peace through reason. He was a beacon of hope for those who hadn't a thought of what the good fight was.

His name was known, his name was inspiration, and it was valor, life…

His name was…

"Travis!" The bold voice of his father echoed through the inner chambers of his mind; it was a voice he had come to know meant irritation and the coming of discipline. He must have fallen asleep again; the third time now, and three times was enough to set his father into a speech on self-discipline and strength of mind. "I'm sorry, dad, I just-." He tried to explain why he had dozed off, but as a father, more importantly a leader, excuses were of no use and he was cut off. "How many times have I told you about this!? I'm tired of lecturing you, Travis. You've been this way since you went to school. You need to find a way to remain awake during your lessons. If you can't even do that, then how could you possibly imagine keeping guard on a headquarters for twenty-four hours or more?"

It wasn't any use to argue, because as a lowly private and a son to a father and a leader, he was always wrong; doubly wrong, at all times. All he could do was lower his head in shame, averting his eyes to avoid contact with the burning glare he had grown up to know. "I'm sorry, dad… I'm trying, I really am… I'll do my best to stay awake this time." "You best! Otherwise, I'll have you find out that being my son does not grant you any special privileges above any other individual here."

I never said he started as a courageous, inspirational soldier…

Kingdom Hearts: The Fabled War

Chapter 1