Unknown place, fifteen years ago...
"Meter! What have you done?!"
"Isn't it obvious, my dearies? This world isn't fit for the likes of you!"
"Wait... that keyblade! It can't be!"
"That's right, you wretched Elemental Queens! This is MY dominion now! Seal me away if you must, but this world will be mine and mine alone to rule!"
"I'm afraid that you will never get that chance, Meter. I now sincerely regret making you a Keyblade Master. I should have foreseen that the power given to you would corrupt you in the end. But I will not make that mistake again."
"Don't be so cocky, Himerish. Your precious Keyblade Masters can't do crap to me! This isn't the end!"
"...victory is ours. But at what cost?"
"Himerish, is what she said true? That she will eventually break free and threaten our worlds again?"
"Even if that does come to pass, I swear to you, Luba, that a new generation of Keyblade Masters will be ready to rise against her evil."
"I sincerely hope you're right, your majesty."
Present day, the Keyblade Crossroads...
Eighteen-year-old Nick Kelly looked around, absent-mindedly twirling his keyblade, the Oathkeeper, in his right hand.
"Wait a second. What am I doing back at the Crossroads?!" Nick exclaimed, gazing about the Keyblade Crossroads, which represented the four paths of destiny.
The year before, Xehanort, who had thought been destroyed at the end of the battle with the Chasers, had possessed Will and turned her against the other Guardians of the Veil, destroying Heatherfield and separating the Guardians from each other. Nick had, by some miracle, survived the attack and wound up in Traverse Town, a waystation of sorts for people whose worlds had been lost to the Heartless. After learning of an enemy force that intended to take over the mutliverse, Nick had teamed up with two new friends, Haruka Rose and Maylin Rae, and set out into the worlds, locking keyholes and battling the Heartless and Nobodies much like Sora had been doing. After defeating Lord Diablos, the leader of the villains, Nick had confronted the possessed Will in Hollow Bastion and eventually turned the Dark Keyblade on himself to restore his girlfriend Irma Lair's heart to its rightful place. Not long after, Nick and the gang had found Will in a strange void filled with the remnants of destroyed worlds. Will joined the party and eventually accepted the darkness inside of her, combining her powers with Nick to destroy Xehanort once and for all. Not long after Heatherfield had been restored, Will had declined to return home, opting to go on her own journey to hopefully purge Xehanort's remaining influence from her heart. After parting with Haruka and Maylin, Nick had elected to take the Crossroads and search for Will.
And now, a year after his journey had begun, Nick suddenly found himself back where his search had started.
"This is nuts," Nick growled, swinging Oathkeeper a few times. "Don't tell me I have to start this whole thing over again..."
Before he could vent his frustrations, Nick caught something out of the corner of his eyes. Someone was walking towards him, following the path to Dawn.
Nick's eyes widened to their fullest. There was no way...
But it was. That red bobcut hair and brown eyes were unmistakable.
("Passion –opening version-" by Utada Hikaru plays)
"Jeez, I really wish there was a pool somewhere around here," Will quipped as she brushed her free hand across one of the many keyblades that formed the Crossroads. All of these keyblades had come to rest here when their masters had been struck down. "I'm so sick of all these places not having swimming pools. I mean, seriously..."
Will looked down at the keyblade in her hand, Way to the Dawn. She gasped when she saw someone in the reflection of the weapon. Turning towards the source, her mouth fell open in shock.
"No way!" Will exclaimed. "Nick, is that you?!"
"I was gonna ask you the same thing, Will!" Nick shouted back, rushing over to Will and hugging her tightly. "I was beginning to think I'd never see you again!"
"I could say the same for you!" Will giggled, returning Nick's hug. "I found myself back here on the Crossroads after a whole year of traveling, and I was thinking to myself 'oh, great, I just went in a freakin' circle, didn't I?' and then I see you pop up!"
"I honestly don't know why I came back to the Crossroads, but I'm just glad I found you," Nick admitted.
Will suddenly started blushing as she looked at Nick. "Um, Nick? It's been a while, so would you mind if... if I... um, you know..."
Nick just smiled. "Go right ahead."
Will's smile brightened as she leaned forward in an attempt to kiss her best friend. Will had found herself falling in love with Nick (and Irma as well) after being freed from Xehanort's control. Will had said that she wished she could live her life like Nick had, wanting to follow the desires of her heart.
But before their lips could touch, a bright light surrounded them, and they felt the sensation of being whisked away to another place as the Keyblade Crossroads disappeared from their sight.
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(The past will be reawakened as a new number, in never-before seen detail. Prepare yourself for the awakening of the next number.)
S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents...
W.I.T.C.H.: The Eternal Story
Story Created: August 1st, 2012
Summary: After a year of tireless searching, Nick finally reunites with Will, and the Guardians are back together again. However, their real journey is about to begin. The Oracle of Candracar senses a powerful darkness approaching their world, that of a foe he hoped would never resurface. To that end, he decides to test Nick and Will for the Mark of Mastery. If they can unlock the keyholes of seven Sleeping Worlds that have been disconnected from the other worlds and return to Candracar safely, they will be deemed Keyblade Masters. But this journey will not be easy. A brand new entity, the Dream Eaters, will stand in Nick and Will's way alongside friends and foes both old and new, and no one is certain what will happen along the way. Fantasy and reality. Sleep and waking. Nick and Will. The destiny of all rests in the hands of two...
Author's Note: GOD, has it been a while since I've written for this. I won't bore you with the details, but the last major W.I.T.C.H. story I wrote was Key to Her Heart, an adaptation of sorts of the original Kingdom Hearts, continuing the storyline that "K is for Keyblade" started. And now, we're here with the next chapter in that saga after a little over FOUR FREAKIN' YEARS. And yeah, I'm just gonna forget Keys of Memory ever happened. I don't know WHAT I was thinking when I started that.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own W.I.T.C.H. and Kingdom Hearts. That much should be obvious. W.I.T.C.H. belongs to Elisabetta Gnome and Disney, Kingdom Hearts belongs to Disney and Square Enix, and any other anime, video game, or cartoon series represented in this story belongs to their respective creators. All I own is any characters created by yours truly for the story. But I DO own a copy of Dream Drop Distance, and it is AWESOME!
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Verse 1: Sleep, Perchance to Dream! The First Steps to the Mark of Mastery!
When the light cleared away, Nick and Will found themselves in a very familiar locale: it was Candracar, a place they hadn't been to in well over a year, ever since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka had used Candracar as a crossing point to Timeless River, where Diablos and his minions had attempted to rewrite the past.
"Well, this brings back memories," Nick noted.
"HEY!"
The two spun around at this proclamation, noticing that the remaining Guardians of the Veil were running up to them.
"I can't believe you're actually here!" Irma Lair, Guardian of Water, shouted as she leapt forward and glomped Nick and Will.
"We didn't think you'd ever be back," Taranee Cook, Guardian of Fire, noted as she adjusted her glasses. "Everyone's been waiting for you two."
"You two missed a LOT of cool stuff on your little vacation," Cornelia Hale, Guardian of Earth, giggled as she looked Nick and Will up and down.
"How in the world did you two get to Candracar?" Hay Lin, Guardian of Air, asked, hopping up and down excitedly.
"I guess the Oracle might have called us," Will wondered.
"Indeed I have, young ones."
The entire group turned around and saw that Himerish, Candracar's oracle, had appeared before them.
"What's up, your majesty?" Will asked.
"No doubt you are all wondering why I have called you here," Himerish proclaimed.
"Yeah, the 411 would be greatly appreciated," Irma stated.
"As most of you are aware, the worlds have been at peace for a long time, ever since Nick and Will vanquished Xehanort," Himerish explained. "However, I am now sensing a great darkness approaching."
"Oh, good god, don't tell me he's back again..." Will growled.
"Could it be his Heartless, maybe? Or possibly even a Nobody?" Cornelia wondered.
"That's not possible! Sora already wiped those possibilities out of the picture!" Hay Lin quipped.
"This darkness is symbolic of an enemy far worse than Xehanort," Himerish proclaimed. "An enemy I hoped never to return from her slumber... if my fears are true, the Dark Mother is approaching quickly."
"Dark Mother?" Nick asked. "Who the heck is that?"
"A face from Candracar's past," a new voice cut in. Nick looked to his left and saw Maylin Rae and Haruka Rose walking towards the group, their keyblades ready.
"The Dark Mother used to be Meter, the Elemental Queen of Spring," Haruka explained. Having lived in Candracar from a very young age, ever since her original world had been destroyed by the Heartless, Haruka was very knowledgable about topics and history involving Candracar or elements related to it. "A long time ago, there were four Elemental Queens, each representing an element much like you guys do now."
"But something went wrong," Maylin continued, balancing her Chinese Spirit keyblade on her shoulder. "For some odd reason, Meter went berserk and betrayed the other Queens. She renamed herself the Dark Mother and declared war on Candracar. The other Elemental Queens fought bravely, and they managed to seal her away underneath the world."
"But there was something else people didn't know about Meter before she became the Dark Mother," Haruka continued. "Aside from her duty as an Elemental Queen, only a few people in Candracar know that Meter was once a Keyblade Master."
"Yes, it is true," Himerish noted. "As a Keyblade Master, Meter had a gift like few others. But such great minds are often plagued by a single great question. What is the essence of the human heart that weakens us, or empowers us? The answer, she believed, would be found in the 'Keyblade War'. What if the challenges of our past were, in fact, a map to the light and darkness that battles within us all? Meter had to know, so she renounced her duties as Keyblade Master and chose the life of a seeker. Ever since, in many a guise, Meter, as the Dark Mother, has clashed with protectors of the light. Keyblade wielders like yourselves. And mark my words... she will trouble us yet again. We must be ready. Which brings me to why I have called you here. Nick, Will, step forward."
Nick and Will obeyed, walking close to Himerish.
"Nick and Will, I have called you here to Candracar to show us the Mark of Mastery."
Everyone gasped loudly at that.
"Wait, you want to make us Keyblade Masters?" Will asked. "Is that even possible?"
Himerish nodded. "I possess the qualifications to test pupils for the Mark, as a former Keyblade Master myself."
That alone was a shock to everyone present.
"Wow, the Oracle was a keyblade wielder, too? Shock after shock today, huh?" Hay Lin giggled.
"No doubt you two fancy yourselves masters already," Himerish teased. "But it takes years of training. Only a true master can teach you the proper way. All of you standing before me are self-taught keyblade wielders. An impressive feat, indeed. However, the time has come for you to let go of preconceived notions, let go of what you know about the keyblade, and start your training with a clean slate."
"But that's just a formality, right? I already proved myself," Nick quipped. "Me, Will, the Guardians, we can take on anything! Right, Will?"
Will didn't answer for a few seconds, having lost her earlier sunny disposition. "I don't know," she finally replied, extending her hand and materializing the Soul Eater, a dark weapon she had used while under Xehanort's control. While she didn't use it anymore, favoring Way to the Dawn, she still kept it as a last resort option. "I think that in my heart, darkness still has a hold. Walking that path changed me. I'm not sure if I have the right to wield a keyblade anymore. Maybe I do need to be tested."
"Then count me in! Put me through the test, too. I promise you, Will and I are gonna pass with flying colors!" Nick shouted.
"Very well," Himerish replied. "Then let us begin the examination."
Will looked up to the infinite sky of Candracar, Way to the Dawn materializing in her hand. "Your Majesty, I don't even know why I'm here now. I still have darkness inside of me."
Will gasped when she felt Nick's hands resting on her shoulders. "Everyone has darkness inside of them, Will. It's not something you can avoid. I'm guessing you still think darkness is a bad thing, right?"
Will closed her eyes, not wanting Nick to see that she was about to start crying. "I honestly don't know anymore, Nick. After everything I've done... I don't have the right to think like that..."
"Will, listen to me," Nick proclaimed. "None of that was your fault. All of the bad things you did, you only did because Xehanort had complete control of your body. You weren't acting of your own free will. I want you to listen to me very closely when I say this, okay? Darkness isn't universally evil. The only reason people believe that is because jerks like Xehanort give it a bad reputation. I know from personal experience that darkness is something that can benefit you without making a puppet out of the user. Remember what Irma said when we faced Xemnas three years ago? She said that light and darkness are half of everything, and they can't live without the other. Darkness doesn't have to be a bad thing. You just have to know how to control it without letting it control you."
Nick reached out and affectionately ruffled Will's hair. "And believe me, Will, you have that kind of power more than anyone. You're the only person I've ever met in my life who can blend the powers of light and darkness. You have the strength to control the darkness without letting it control you. That alone should make you think."
Will's eyes began tearing up, and she couldn't resist hugging Nick tightly. "Thank you so much, Nick... you're too sweet to me, you know that?"
"Because I love you, silly," Nick teased. "I wouldn't let my girlfriend cut herself down."
Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin gasped in shock at this statement, obviously having not been there when Will had confessed her love for Nick in the World's End. What was even more surprising was that Irma didn't seem at all fazed by it.
"Irma, you DID just hear that, right?" Cornelia asked.
"He's just following his heart," Irma replied. "Nothing I can really do. Besides, the three of us had a talk about that after we wiped the floor with Xehanort, and I'm perfectly okay with this. I decided that I lost fair and square. And plus, they actually do look cute together, don't you agree?"
Irma flashed a thumbs up to Nick, signifying all was forgiven. Nick quickly responded with one of his own.
"Now, if we are ever to strike down Meter, we need three individuals who have all met with sad fates," Himerish continued. "We must bring them out of sorrow and slumber, and back to the real world. To do so, seven Sleeping Keyholes must be unlocked and a great power retrieved. As you are aware, under normal circumstances, every world is walled off from the next, preventing travel between them. In the past, you have been able to bridge these gaps because the walls were broken, or because you could open special lanes with your keyblades or even the Heart of Candracar. But your new goals, the Sleeping Keyholes, are harder to reach, even from this place in the center of infinity."
Himerish looked up to the skies. "As you may recall, you have all brought many worlds back from the darkness. But some never returned completely. These worlds still sleep, cut off from all outside channels. Not even the Heartless can enter. But these Sleeping Worlds are said to have their own manner of darkness. They are called 'Dream Eaters', and there are two kinds: Nightmares, who devour happy dreams, and benevolent 'Spirits', which consume the Nightmares. The Dream Eaters will guide you, just as the Heartless once did, to the keyhole you seek at the heart of each world."
Himerish again looked at the Guardians. "One dream is connected to another, which means we must choose in which Sleeping World you will begin. I will return the two of you to Heatherfield just before it was swallowed by the darkness and plunged into sleep. Once dreams take you, you must let them guide you to the Sleeping Worlds. As there are seven pure lights, there are seven Sleeping Keyholes. Unlocking these will both grant the two of you new powers and free the worlds from their wakelessness. Complete this task and return here safely, and I will name you both true Keyblade Masters."
"Acknowledged," Nick quipped. "We're ready to go whenever you are."
"Before you head out on your test, I have a gift for the Keeper of the Heart," Himerish stated. "Step forward, Will."
Will took a few steps towards Himerish, wondering what he was getting at.
"Hold out the Heart of Candracar, if you would."
Will did so, the prism-shaped jewel glowing brightly.
"Take out your keyblade."
Still a little confused, Will obeyed, letting Way to the Dawn appear in her other hand.
"Now, Will, touch the Heart to your keyblade and see what happens."
The Keeper did as instructed, placing the Heart of Candracar on the center of Way to the Dawn, and suddenly, a bright flash filled the Congregation Hall.
When the light died down, Will gasped in surprise and shock; combining the Heart of Candracar with Way to the Dawn had transformed it into an entirely new keyblade. The weapon was a bright blue and silver in color. The shaft of the keyblade resembled a sword with four light-green feathers that resembled the Guardians' wings curving around the point of the blade. In the center of the hilt was a little jewel containing Will's element symbol, while the element symbols of the other five Guardians were printed on the shaft of the blade. As Will studied her new weapon, the words Ethereal Light ran through her head.
"Whoa! Did Will's keyblade just get a makeover?" Irma exclaimed.
"The infinite power of the Heart, combined with the keyblade she wields on her road to dawn, has created a new keyblade for her to use. Its powers will suit you well as a twin wielder of both darkness and light," Himerish explained. "Ethereal Light is yours to command, Will. Use it in victory."
"Thank you, your majesty," Will stated, swinging her new keyblade a couple times. "I'm glad you still trust me with a keyblade."
"It is like your friends have said, Will. All of the dark acts you have committed, you only did under the influence of Xehanort. He had complete control of your mind and body. Now that he is no more, you can make your own decisions. I trust that you will command your new keyblade to defend the Waking Worlds and Sleeping Worlds."
"You can count on me."
"Well, are we gonna get started with this thing?!" Nick exclaimed, summoning Oathkeeper. "I kinda want to kick some butt!"
Everyone present laughed at this proclamation.
"Nice to see you haven't changed all that much, Nick," Cornelia giggled.
"Very well, then," Himerish proclaimed, closing his eyes and raising his hands. "Off into the Sleeping Worlds you go."
A bright vortex of light surrounded Nick and Will, and when it cleared, they were nowhere to be seen.
"Good luck, you guys," Irma stated.
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When Nick was able to open his eyes, he saw that he was back in Heatherfield.
"Hey, is this real, or are we dreaming?" Will asked, balancing herself on Ethereal Light.
"Not entirely sure," Nick replied, spinning Oathkeeper in his free hand. "The Oracle said that we'd be starting here first, but I don't know if this Heatherfield is a Sleeping World or the actual Heatherfield."
Before Will could respond to that, she saw someone approaching.
"Um, Nick, I think I can answer that for you," Will gasped as she pointed towards the approaching figure.
Nick didn't need three guesses to figure out who it was. One look at the Dark Keyblade in the person's hands told Nick everything he needed to know.
"Nerissa!" Nick growled. Indeed, it was Nerissa, former Keeper of the Heart, in her teenage form and wielding the Dark Keyblade.
"It's been too long, you keyblade-swinging brats," Nerissa cackled. "I guess he was right about you two being here. I've been waiting a long time for this chance, and I believe it's time for my revenge!"
"Fat chance of that! I'm not giving in to the darkness anymore!" Will shouted. "So you can take that Dark Keyblade and shove it down your throat!"
"Ooh, you're gonna pay for trashing me like that," Nerissa growled.
"Wow, didn't think you'd get so bold in just a year," Nick teased.
"Hey, I've had time to think of new lines," Will giggled. "Now what you day we stomp this chick?"
"Oh, yeah," Nick replied. He hadn't done much fighting on his year-long search for Will, mostly due to Heartless and Nobody activity slowing down considerably since Xehanort's defeat. So he was ready for some action.
"Bring it on, both of you!" Nerissa shouted, charging forward.
Will immediately reacted by lashing out with a dual spinning attack that tore into Nerissa. The peculiar thing about this attack was that on Will's first spin, Ethereal Light was touched with darkness, and on her second spin, Ethereal Light was glittering with light energy.
"How's THAT on you?!" Will shouted.
"You think that will stop me?!" Nerissa shouted.
"Maybe not, but how about THIS for a show?!" Nick shot back, raising Oathkeeper to the sky. As Nerissa rushed forward to interrupt the attack, she was lashed at by three rings of revolving crystals that had started spinning around Nick.
"Hey, you learned some new tricks," Will noted.
"And that's not even the best part," Nick quipped, pointing towards Nerissa and the fact that Nick's attack had caused her to drop the Dark Keyblade.
Without any hesitation whatsoever, Nick charged, picking up the Dark Keyblade on his way, and quickly began a frenzy of slashes with both weapons, giving Nerissa no time to counter or defend.
In one final blaze of glory, Nick struck with both weapons in an X-formation, tearing straight through Nerissa and causing her to evaporate into nothingness on the spot.
"That was... rather anticlimactic," Nick admitted.
"Well, this is just a dream," Will noted. "And either way, it's been a good four years since you and Irma walloped Nerissa the last time. We've all gotten pretty strong since then."
"Good point," Nick quipped.
"Nick, look!" Will exclaimed, pointing to the sky. A shining keyhole had just appeared.
"It can't be a Sleeping Keyhole already, can it?" Nick wondered.
"I think that's our way into the Sleeping Worlds!" Will responded. "Let's unlock that bad boy!"
Nothing more needed to be said. Nick and Will raised their keyblades, each one shooting a beam of light into the keyhole. When the beams hit, the keyhole appeared to shatter like glass, only to reveal a portal behind it that shined brighter and brighter before dragging them into it, leaving this dream version of Heatherfield behind.
As they were pulled into the portal, Nick and Will heard a strange voice.
"This world has been connected."
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Next time:
Verse 2: Awaken, Keyblade Warriors! Traverse Town and the Reapers' Game!
Nick and Will get separated upon arriving in Traverse Town, their first real stop on the Mark of Mastery Exam. But why can't Nick and Will find each other? Maybe it has something to do with the strange youths that are popping up here and there. Either way, the Mark of Mastery Exam has only just begun...