Chapter 1
Yawning, he stretched his arms and legs, feeling the lush grass beneath him tickle his skin. It had been hot the entire day, the bright sun blazing away like it was nobody's business, all the more reason for this teenager to rather be outside, laying in the grass under the trees that provided him shade. He didn't want to be inside today, the classroom always smelled of sweat and enthusiasm, while their teacher droned on and on about this strategy or that part in Gamma's history, it was all too much for him to take when all he wanted to do was laze in the cool shade. He was getting tired of hearing about the war between Alpha and Beta and how it had been going on for ages. He figured they had no intention of ending it any time soon so he had plenty of time to sit around and be lazy, then learn about it later when they end their war, if they ever ended their war.
No, today was definitely not the kind of day the King of Truancy would spend inside. No one could see the black haired youth at this angle since most of the trees blocked the view from any of the school's windows, particularly the Headmaster's. He yawned again just as a breeze blew past him, blowing his black, zipper hoodie over his face. He cracked open an amber coloured eye and grabbed it off his face, scrunching it up into a makeshift pillow before tucking it under his head. The breeze blew again, making the grass sway underneath him, tickling his bare legs again. He folded his hands beneath his head over the sweater and thought about what to do for the rest of the day, if maybe he should practice using his wooden sword or find another spot to nap.
He turned his head over and stared at his training sword, a mixture of feelings rising up inside him. Like his father before him, he was training to become one of the Royal Guards, not that he had wanted it to begin with. Just like him, his grandfather had forced his father into service, and his great grandfather before him had forced his grandfather, and it went on like this for generations of men in his family, only a few having chosen service by their own will or either escaped by becoming wealthy. Sato never understood it, nor did he ever try to, but here he was training to become one of the elite guards that protect the Magistrate. He turned his head again to stare up at the clouds, wondering if his father had laid in the grass like this as well, plotting his next stunt to get out of training or out of a chore. His grandfather never spoke about his father much, but when he had Sato learned things that his father would never have told him, especially things like his father never having liked authority and the means he took to get out of his responsibilities.
Nio, his friend and rival, was always trying to boss him around, especially when she passed him in lessons or exams, and sometimes, even in swordsmanships, forcing him to find new and inventive ways to surprise her when he did beat her. His fighting style changed constantly because of this, earning him a lot of sermons from his teachers when they couldn't keep up with all of the changes, but he new it annoyed Nio even more, which only made her find new ways to annoy him in return. Much to his amusement, they reminded him of Alpha and Beta and how they're always going at each other, back and forth, to and fro, always trying to one-up the other side.
"What in the devil's name are you doing here?"
Sato cracked open an eye, recognizing the voice as coming from the only person that would actually put effort into looking for him, no matter where he hid, and ruin his naps. He turned his head and stared up at her and, surely enough, there she stood as smug and self-important as ever, staring back down at him with that utter look of contempt at her friend. This was the reason why they were friends, she never hid her feelings or try to sugar coat things around him, she was honest, and that deserved not only his respect, but also his trust, even if she did annoy him to no end.
A stream trickled no more than a few feet away from where they were and birds sang in the trees above him. "What does this make? Five times?" The small stream that flowed through provided a refreshing backdrop to the songs of the various birds making homes out of the trees around him.
"You'll never make it into the Guard if you keep ditching training!" Nio nagged at him, shifting her weight onto her other leg and propping both hands on her hips. She went on for another five minutes about how he's wasting time being lazy and not paying attention, and how someone else who wants this more than he does would probably kill for the chance that was handed to a no good, lazy bum like him. This made Sato grin, infuriating her even more, her face scrunching up into that angry look she always gave him. "You'll end up just like your father! Useless, pathetic, miserable and worthless!"
"You just repeated the same thing four times," Sato told her, trying not to show how much he was enjoying this.
"Not doing anything to benefit us or Gamma!"
"Five..." Sato now opened his other eye, taking in the full image of his best friend shooting him a look that would probably have had him burst into flames if she had her way about it.
The wind blew again, harder this time, making her two braids on either side of her heart shaped face sway to the side along with her pony tail, her silver hair almost glaring in the sun light. Nio was half Beta and half Gamma, having inherited traits from both sides of her family, probably playing a huge part in the reason why she kept kicking his ass all the time, in sports, training and even in class. Gamma residents were strong physically, making them some of the best in building, fighting and sports, unlike Betas who were stronger mentally and were excellent magic users, making them experts in sciences, research and technology. The people of Alpha mainly focused on defending themselves and their territory, or on attacking Beta for whatever it was that Beta did to them in return for whatever it was the Alphas did to the Betas-Sato's head began to spin with all the back and forth, probably a good reason why he never liked history all that much.
Sato sighed her name. "That was really rude, talking smack about my father right in front of me. Those are fighting words." He turned over and grabbed his sword with his left hand as he rose to his feet, lifting the wooden sword to chest height as he raised his other hand to his side. He slid his feet two shoulder lengths apart and held up his sword before bringing it down vertically as he used his other arm for balance, as though he were holding a shield. The technique was awkward for most people since it left them slightly open to attack, but it was something he liked to use because it also sometimes caught the opponent off guard, something his father had taught him.
"Remind me then, Satoshi, what it is you value in a fight. Strength? Defense? Or was it magic?" She reached her hand out and grasped at something, pulling it out of thin air and Sato watched as a wooden sword formed in her hand, smaller and thinner than his, neater and tidy, just like she was. It wasn't her preferred weapon and that almost caught him off guard, he had been expecting a long staff or a glaive.
"Strength," he replied, watching her take a basic sword fighting stance.
"Then, what is it you value least?"
"Jeeze, come on, do I have to tell you everything? Magic, obviously." He watched her carefully, trying to predict when she'd make her move, he knew better then to underestimate her simply because she chose a weapon she's unfamiliar with.
"So, you value strength in combat but not magic? Is that the path you've chosen?"
Nio asked as she lunged at him, forcing him to step backward to evade her attack and used the hilt of his sword to deflect it with a loud clacking sound of wood hitting wood. He spun around on his heel and attempted to kick her in the stomach while she was recovering her stance and unbalanced but was too late, she had recovered her stance and had backed off already, making him miss by mere inches, leaving herself open. He noticed her vulnerability that his last move had left her in and took advantage of the opening, moving his other hand to grasp his hilt and slash two handed at her exposed midriff. Her sword, being slimmer and lighter, sliced through the air with ease and clashed with his, pushing away his attack and throwing him off balance before lunging at him again. He switched his grip to a reverse handed one and blocked her attack, pushing her back as well as he returned to his original stance.
She was good and he knew it, how she was always watching him train and how she always watched every move he made whenever they fought, as if she were memorizing his patterns. She was good, and it was something that had always annoyed him, because no matter what he tried she always adapted her moves to counter him and would add new ones of her own. It's what made fighting her exciting and fun, but he knew he had a slight advantage over her this time, his weapon was heavier and longer than hers was.
"So far so good, Sato, you're keeping up," Nio teased him, adjusting her small, blue t-shirt, small enough to expose a part of her tanned stomach over her dark blue jeans. She had changed before coming here, he noted, knowing well enough she'd never have dared to wear that to training like all the other students who wore the minor armor over a school uniform. He never wore the uniform or the armor, it felt too bulky and awkward on him.*
Sato didn't take his eyes off hers, he knew better than to lower his guard simply because she had praised him, however much her words dripped in sarcasm. He had seen one too many trainees fighting against her be taken down in seconds just because she flashed them a smile or said something. It disgusted him how easy some of the guys at the academy were. He watched her carefully, how she moved, held her sword and even how she breathed, every little detail told Sato exactly the sort of state she was currently in, how she was tiring and what she'd do next.
She shifted her right foot and took her eyes off of him for just a split second, long enough for him to take advantage of the opportunity and rush forward with a downward slash, only managing to slice the bottom edge of her shirt as she bent backwards into a one handed back flip, narrowly missing his attack. As soon as he realized he had missed he pulled away and prepared for a second assault just as she returned to her feet and leapt forward at him, using the momentum to slash her weapon in an upward motion, catching him off guard and smacking the tip of her wooden sword against the bottom of his chin. The impact made a loud smacking sound and Sato nearly bit his tongue for it, startled by the bold move. Both stepped back and retook their stances, both breathing heavily.
"One more hit calls the match," Nio told him between breaths. Sato nodded as he wiped a bead of sweat off his brow, the heat was really getting to him.
"It'll be my match anyhow," he replied confidently as he feigned to wipe sweat off his brow again, watching her from beneath his hand as she looked away from him for the second time. He smiled inwardly and lunged again, switching his grip as he swung his sword to slash across her chest, catching her by surprise for the second time that day. The attack forced her backwards so fast she fell onto her back, but his wooden sword undeniably had touched her chest, the tip now resting beneath her chin.
"That was really cheap, Sato, and twice in one match no less," Nio growled at him as she stood up, patting the grass and dirt off her backside.
Sato straightened and raised his sword above his head before flipping it to point downward as he slid it down his back until he found the hook with his hand, attaching his wooden sword to it. He stepped toward his friend and rival and extended his hand toward her only to have it slapped away with an angry scowl.
"I'm not shaking the hand of someone who uses cheap shots to win!" she shouted at him, angry.
Sato rolled his eyes and shifted his weight onto his left leg, propping a hand on each hip. "You're taking this way to seriously, Nio, I was just screwing around. You weren't taking this seriously either, I might add."
"Yeah, because if I had brought out my weapon the results would have been different, but I suppose you weren't that bad, though your techniques could still use some work." Nio tossed her sword into the air and it disappeared. "You better show up tomorrow," she told him with an air of authority, she was bossing him around again. "We're joining the escort for the Magistrate as part of the training."
"Why the hell should I?" He hated it when she took that tone with him, as if he needed another parent around shaking a finger at him.
"Because, if you don't, you'll end up like your dad, old, bitter and a good for nothing drunk that spends way too much time hitting on barmaids and bringing hookers home. That's no way to go through life and you know it, grow up already." She turned on her heel and began walking away from him.
"Hey! Don't you walk away from me you son of a-"
"My mother has nothing to do with this," she shouted back at him with a wave of her hand over a shoulder.
Sato simply stared at her before bursting into laughter, grateful that at least one person respected him enough to be that honest with him. Sighing, he looked up at the sky and prayed silently to his dead mother, asking that she watch over him and give him the strength to continue living his life in his manner, the way she had.
(~)
"Dis world is awreadeh corrupted!" His laugh bellowed around him and his large, extended belly shook and jiggled to and fro as the large man enjoyed his nefarious idea. His blue armor suit had to be custom made just for him since nothing else would have fit his extra large size. "Den, Maleficent will be proud 'o me." He laughed again, this time loudly enough that he alerted guards that had been standing nearby on duty.
"Who does dare trespass into Alpha territory?" one of the soldiers shouted at him, pointing a spear in his direction.
"What do you see?" one of the other soldiers shouted from a distance behind him.
"He's strange and wears even stranger clothing, and he is covered in fur and has dog ears..." the soldier shouted back, never moving his spear or taking his eyes off the large dog man in front of him.
Two other soldiers appeared over the hill behind the first and pointed down in the direction of their comrade and the stranger, one of them shouting an alarm. "It's a Beta spy!"
Waving his hands over his head to get their attention, the dog man shouted back to them. "No no, I am not your enemy, I'm a friend here ta help ya out. What do ya say? I can bash those Beta people real good!" He raised two fists and smashed them together knuckled against knuckle.
"What does thou sayeth? Ye lend us aid against these heathens?" The first soldier looked him up and down as though to gauge his sincerity, looking back at his comrades behind him over his shoulder for confirmation before returning his gaze to the stranger in front of him.
"The name's Pete," he began his introduction, snapping his fingers. A black circle like object formed in mid air and rose up a little higher, sprouting two antennas and growing two yellow eyes, which blinked open and looked around before noticing the soldier below, growing two arms and legs as it stared. The soldier took a step back and then another, uncertain of what he was seeing and lifted his spear in defence. "And dis here, dis lil feller, he gonna put one heck of a damper on dem Beta folks."
One of the soldiers from behind approached the first soldier, also holding up a spear pointed toward the creature that now had fully formed and stood beside the stranger, bouncing from one foot to another. The first soldier turned his head slightly in the direction of his comrade beside him, enough to see him from the corner of his eye but not enough so that he'd have to take his eyes off of the stranger and the strange thing. "I do not think this is a wise course," he told the other.
"But, he has offered us help against the Betas and perhaps the King would wish to hear him out. His Majesty would be pleased if we brought Him another ally and perhaps even a new weapon against His enemy..."
The second soldier straightened and lowered his spear before putting a hand on the first's shoulder, getting his attention and the two exchanged glances before the first relaxed, letting down his spear slowly as well as he straightened. The second approached the oversized dog like person and had to look up in order to meet his eyes.
"Very well, ye shall come with us to meet His Majesty, our King, and He will decide what to do with ye." He moved out of the way and was followed by the other soldier as he gestured in the direction toward the other soldiers that now had gathered at the top of the hill where they had waited.
Pete slapped his hands together in mirth and rubbed them together, a wide grin on his face.
De plan is going perfectly and soon, very soon, dis world will be covered in darkness and Heartless too!
(~)
Absolute darkness surrounded him like a blanket of thick, black silk that filtered out any source of light. He reached for his face with both hands and felt where his eyes were suppose to be, making certain he really did have his eyes open, and he did. He looked around, if he could call it that, and found nothing but more blackness in all directions, and not only could he see nothing in this thick void, he could also almost feel it in his ears as well, a sort of dull pressure. A bell sounded somewhere he thought was behind him, the sound as sweet and warm as a mother's tender voice, the sensations rising inside him mirroring the familiarity of the sound, calling to him, commanding him to turn in its direction and look at it.
He turned and found a shaft of light as warm and inviting as the sound that had brought it illuminating a spot on the black floor several feet in front of him. It called to him as enticingly as the sound had, making him move toward it without his even realizing he had begun to move at all. As he approached the golden light he noticed, for a split second, that the movement almost felt as though it were not him, as though he was simply an observer inside whatever it was that carried him toward the light. Once he was close enough to feel the warmth on his face, or the face of his host, he could make out a black form within the light, covered entirely by it and yet still remain in complete shadow.
Another bell rung, this time all around him, stronger than before and the sensations it brought were of a different sort, almost feverish and impatient, demanding his complete and undivided attention. He was also confused and somewhat frightened by the feelings the second bell brought, like a feeling of watching someone who was in a hurry and had only moments to tell you something very important as though they could disappear at any moment. He wondered which of these swirling emotions actually belonged to him and belonged to his host.
The keyblade of darkness. The keyblade of light. The bearer, Sora. His counterpart of darkness. Born from the darkness. The one who tries to do everything on his own. The one who feels guilty for surviving. The one who risks everything to try to right a wrong.
The voice seemed to come from all around him and from nowhere at the same time, like the bell, from a point in the distance and from inside his head, or the head of his host. Confused and feeling utterly helpless, he tried to move but found he couldn't, the feeling of disembodiment stronger than when he had just woken up in this strange place.
"Who's there? What do you want?" Sato shouted into the darkness around him, the sound failing to carry passed his lips. His question fell on deaf ears and left him with a feeling of frustration that his questions were ignored and yet he was forced to listen to this sermon.
He fought against the will that kept him immobile and forced himself to look down at his feet, his eyes widening in recognition of the circular window beneath him. He watched the brown, spiky haired boy inside it standing amongst another group of people, people whose faces he could not see because they were shrouded in shadow. Inspecting the boy at the center of the image Sato watched as he reached behind him over his shoulder and grasped at something, pulling it up and over to hold out before him and his companions. Sato stared at the object in the boy's hand and his heart skipped a beat, a momentary image of the object sitting enshadowed in the light flashed in his mind before fading away. The object was strange, for a blade, and he's seen many swords to know that this was no ordinary sword, if it were a sword at all. The blade was shaped like a giant key forged of silver and gold, beautiful and ancient, and he could almost feel the magic it emanated, an ancient magic that felt as old as existence itself. The object kept him mesmerized, almost entranced, and it was all he could do to tear his eyes away from it.
The keyblade reacts to the will of its bearer and will teleport from a void when not being held or carried. This keyblade allows the bearer to fight the creatures.
"What creatures?" Sato shouted again. "Hello?"
You will face these creatures soon, Satoshi, for those touched by the user can also fight them.
Sato began feeling lighter, the pressure that had been building up in his ears easing slowly, and he instinctively knew that the voice would be leaving him soon, leaving him with questions still yet unanswered.
"Wait! You still haven't answered my questions!"
Darkness has befallen our world, but you must not be afraid. You must forge your path toward your destiny for only you can find what has been lost, and save it.
What once was will be again.
It has been written.
"Wait, I have so many questions, please, I just need to-"
"Sato!" A voice cut through the darkness so sharply that light flooded all around him, making his eyes burn furiously.
"WAIT!" Sato sat up straight on his bed, beads of sweat rolling down his face, chest and back. He sat there immobile for what seemed like an eternity to him as he blinked, trying to register where he was now and allow his eyes to adjust to the bright light around him. He finally inhaled and breathed raggedly, his body relaxing as he finally recognized where he was, in the barn where he had been sleeping instead of going home. He turned his head to find his friend standing a few feet away from him, a look of grave concern and what looked like to be fear on her face as she stared down at him from the entrance.
"Are you okay?" she asked him.
"Yeah, sorry, just a bad dream. What's up?" he grunted before grabbing for his shirt and pulling it over his head. He fell back down onto the blanket he had laid out on the barn's straw covered floor. He'd become accustomed to being woken up rudely by his friends, two in particular, but it always did somewhat get under his skin when they happened to walk in right when he was having that dream, the same dream that had been plaguing him for longer then he could remember, or even cared to. He didn't like having his friends see him this vulnerable, but he was at least grateful they knew well enough not to ask about it, at least not all the time. Sighing, he closed his eyes and tucked a hand under his head as he listened to his friend.
"Can't you hear the town bells? They've been sounding the alarm all morning. Satoshi, Alpha won the war, Beta has been defeated," she told him.
"What does this have to do with me?" he asked, trying to find sleep again.
"They're coming here, to conquer us. Sato, aren't you listening? Don't you understand what any of this means?" She was almost shouting now and likely flailing her arms in frustration like she always does when he refused to entertain one of her harebrained schemes. He felt something strange at the pit of his stomach though, something heavy like a stone, and the more she talked the heavier the feeling became. There was something in her voice he didn't like, something even stranger than the feeling in his stomach, something like...raw fear. Sato opened his eyes and sat up again, turning to face in her direction, noticing in almost dread that she had in fact not been flailing her arms like she usually did. Her expression was serious.
"Sato, Gamma is preparing for war..." The look on her face validated his fear, and the heavy feeling in his stomach now felt like he had just swallowed a boulder when the reality of her words finally began to register in his mind.
"I don't understand, what do you mean they've been defeated?" Sato asked her, albeit a bit harsher than he had intended.
"Beta was defeated overnight and no one knows how yet, we've only just gotten word from our scouts that came back from Beta territory barely alive, and the ones from Alpha haven't come back at all." She stepped toward Sato and dropped down onto his blanket beside him, both now staring passed the opened barn doors into the morning light. "Sato, I'm scared..." He knew Raven had always been the kind to act brave and tough, even around him, and he had been fond of her for that, but for her to admit fear only forced how serious the situation was onto him. "Do you think they'll kill us?" She brought her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, burying half her face behind her jeans. Sato knew she was trying hard not to cry.
He couldn't stand to see her like this, he never liked seeing any of his friends like this for that matter. He stood up and stood by the barn entrance and stared outside, the carefree and fluffy clouds that had covered the sky yesterday were now different shades of grey, becoming darker and darker further in the distance toward Alpha. He clenched his fists as a familiar feeling rose up inside him and settled in the pit of his stomach, a feeling of heaviness mixed with fear, anxiety and something like impatience. He recognized those feelings from his reoccurring dreams. "I won't let that happen, I won't let them hurt anyone, not you, not any of my other friends, not anyone!"
Raven stood up and went to stand beside him, her expression grim. "What the hell could you possibly do? You barely pay attention in class, I doubt any soldier from Alpha is going to see you as anything else but bait. Sato, we have to-"
"I know!" Sato shouted before turning to look at her. "Don't you think I already know I'm as useless as he is? You and Nio make it a point to remind me every day." He stepped out of the barn and began walking.
"Sato, I didn't mean...Wait," Raven shouted after him. She caught up to him and fell into step as they walked toward their academy together. "I just meant that...Oooh, I don't know! I mean, what the hell will we be expected to do? Do we run and hide or are we going to have to fight?" She turned to stare at him. "Sato, I don't think I want to fight. I didn't join the academy so I could go to war, none of us did, it's not-"
"Then why did you join?" Sato asked before stopping and turning on his heel to stare back at her. "Look, I understand you're scared, so am I, so is everyone, but if we stick together we'll be fine. I promise, I'll do everything to keep our group safe, and so will you and so will everyone else. Stop acting like you're all alone Raven, you're not. I'm here, Nio is over there waiting for us, all of our other friends are waiting for us. We'll be fine," Sato told her as he placed a hand on her shoulder, he said it as much for himself as it was for her.
"How can you be so sure?"
Her hair swayed in the wind again, the gust carrying dead leaves and pieces of grass to swirl around them before moving on. The wind felt colder than usual for this time of year, and the smell it brought was strange, almost metallic. A tree's branches and leaves rustled in the distance and a flock of crows flew above them, cawing out to one another in flight. He wanted to tell her why he was so sure but wasn't certain she'd understand, or even believe him for that matter. Giving her shoulder a squeeze he turned around and continued in the direction of the academy.
"I just am, so come on, we'll be late."
It wasn't long before Sato met up with his group after having received his orders from the academy. All guards and trainees were to assist the military with its operations in defence, not something Sato relished but was willing to go along with in order to not be useless, it was better than being forced and right now he needed something to do other than sleeping. He was reluctant to admit it but he was glad for the assignment.
He quickly found Nio and joined her, falling in line beside her. Looking at her from the corner of his eye he cold see she looked cross and some of her hair pulled up into a messy ponytail, like she had been dragged out of bed. She wore the full academy issued armor, the black cuirass made for females with the blue and white striped shirt underneath, black greaves and sebatons over black leggings, and black gauntlets and vambrase over black fingerless gloves that reached nearly halfway up to her shoulder. This was the reason why he never liked wearing the armor, it was simply too much for him, and no matter how many times they reprieved him he still refused to wear it. He returned his gaze back to the front, wondering if he should say something to her.
Before he got the chance the commanding officer finally appeared and stood in front of the large group in full uniform and armor. He stood there and made eye contact with each person standing on the front line, almost making Sato wished he had fallen in in the back with the rest rather than beside Nio where he stood out like a sore thumb, being the only one not wearing armor. He waiting until the Commander's gaze finally fell on him and for a split second Sato thought he saw him roll his eyes before continuing down the line. Sato snorted at the Commander's reaction, somewhat pleased with himself. When the Commander had finally completed his inspection he began speaking, his voice strong and booming over the noise around them.
"Good morning Squad Nine," he bellowed out.
"Good morning, Sir!" the squad responded in unison.
"I am Commander Bashir, your Commander and Master for the entirety of this mission. I'm certain you've heard rumours by now, maybe even bits and pieces of the actual facts, but let me set the record straight before move on to anything else.
"At twenty three hundred hours yesterday evening, a group of Alpha soldiers crossed the border into Beta carrying a weapon unknown to them, or us. Since their entree into Beta territory, they have destroyed every village, town and city, leaving each of them in a blaze of flames, ash and absolute carnage." Another officer approached the Commander and whispered into his ear, causing the Commander's expression to change momentarily to something akin to shock, but he quickly recovered his composure and nodded before dismissing the other officer and returning his attention to his squad. "We do not know where or how the kingdom of Alpha came to acquire this weapon, but we know they have it and are using it in order to spread their destruction. Beta sent everything they had against them but it was all in vain, costing Beta not only a victory, but the lives of many soldiers, men, women and children in the wake of their enemy's advance.
"Now, we have just received confirmation that Alpha has turned towards Gamma and are marching into our territory even as we speak. But unlike Beta, we have the advantage of information and a warning thanks to the efforts of our scouts who barely made it back here alive, but made it with news that will aid us in our fight against our enemy and possibly save a great many lives.
"Their weapon consists of a great number of creatures, creatures that seem and even behave like animals but that are nothing like animals we have ever known, if they are even animals to begin with. We do not know much beyond that, but they must be stopped at all costs.
"In less than an hour we will mobilize into units and meet up with the archers in the north, and each unit with carry with them a supply of Nightingales, arrows fabricated from the wood of the Elyurias and feathers from the Nightingales themselves, the very Sovereigns of Silence. These arrows will aid in repelling the enemy and using the element of surprise, they won't know these arrows are flying toward them until it is too late.
"We will defend our home, our country, our land. We will be united in our common goal and not be divide by petty differences. We will stand together against our enemy and we will win. We must win.
"We're not ordering you into battle or into danger, we're not telling you to go and die for us, we're asking you to serve your country and your people, your families, and help us defend them, to defend our freedoms not from tyranny, oppression or persecution, but from annihilation.
"We're fighting for our right to live and for our right to be free. And should we win this war, that day will not be known for the day we defeated the kingdom of Alpha, nor will it be known for the blood spilled, but as the day that we declared in one voice:
"We will not go quietly into the night!
"We will not vanish without a fight!
"We're going to live on!
"We're going to survive!
"And though our enemy is strong and many, will we not run away!"
"Sir, yes Sir!" the squad shouted in unison before erupting into roars of cheers and encouragements.
By the end of the speech Sato's heart pounded in his chest and it made him want to believe in those words. Fists pumping into the air amid shouts and hoots, the sound almost deafening as the Commander watched on, nodding his head in silence.
A female officer wearing similar armor as the commander approached and stood beside him, gesturing that the squad quiet down and listen to what she had to say, not bothering to introduce herself though most of the squad recognized her as an instructor at the academy.
"Listen up, I want everyone to remember that this isn't a training mission, so if someone screws up there won't be an officer around to save you or give you asspats. This is serious, this is real, so you need to be on your guard and remember your training. Your best defence is each other, and your best offence is your team work, so keep your head out of your backsides and you may actually survive this long enough to graduate from the academy. I expect every single one of you back, that's an order. If anyone should fail, I will personally hunt you down into the deepest regions of hell and bring you back up just so I can kick your sorry ass. Have I made myself clear?"
"Sir, yes sir!" shouted the squad, most of which, to Sato's surprise, were grinning. He had a hunch the academy was filled with sadists after all.
"Now, your weapon's grid will appear before you and you must select your preferable weapon. Please choose wisely, there will be no turning back or second chances if you end up in battle, take only that which you are familiar with and are able to use to the best of your abilities."
A transparent, octagon shaped grid appeared before him with several choices for weapons, ranging from long range to melee, from magic to none magic, and even spell books and grimoires for the more advanced magic users. He tapped the blade section and scrolled down the list of various daggers, great swords and sabers until he found what he was looking for. Tapping his selection, the grid disappeared and in its place a heavy steel sword appeared, roughly the same shape and size as his wooden sword, only heavier due to the metallic nature. It hovered in mid air in front of him and he wrapped a hand around its hilt, bracing himself for the weight he'd feel when the anti-gravitational spell would wear off. When the spell wore off he tested it, finding it to be comfortable enough to carry.
He was so focused on his sword that he almost didn't notice the strange sound behind him. He swung around on his heel and came face to face with a blue humanoid creature wearing a helmet, its yellow eyes seemingly staring right through him as it shifted its weight from one leg to another constantly. It lifted its hands and seemed to reach for him just when a heart appeared on its chest, making it burst into a puff of smoke, vanishing. A second appeared a few feet away from him and grabbed for another squad member but was quickly dispatched by another arrow, and moments later a third was felled just as quickly.
Sato moved away from the commotion and turned around to where Nio had previously been standing only to find her spot vacant. He looked northward and cringed at the sight of the dark, storm like clouds roiling above the Gamma/Alpha border regions, noticing something rise up toward the clouds in a sort of swarm like movement before disappearing from his view. Furrowing his brow, he turned to look for his friend, not wanting to look up anymore as there were no more blue skies to see, the clouds above him just as dark and ominous as the clouds to the north. The seriousness and reality of the situation dawned on him and for the first time, he was truly frightened for his own life and that of his friends.
More and more of the creatures appeared seemingly out of nowhere and everywhere at once, dropping out of the sky or sprouting out of thin air and attacking people at random. The squad leaders tried to organize the panicked group but it was futile, most of the people here were barely older than himself, and some were no more than new trainees. Amidst the screaming and chaos, Sato moved through the group in search of Nio, shouting her name above the noise hoping that she'd hear him.
For every creature struck down two more appeared in its place. He searched harder, pushing past people and avoided stabs and arrows, He turned around in time to see an instructor struck down by a creature, a heart appearing on his chest before rising up into the sky and vanishing along with his body. Sato stood there and stared in shock, unable to move from where he stood as he realized what the swarm that rose up to the skies in the north was. He looked up to find that the same swarm rose up to the sky above him as more and more people were struck down by the creatures.
Sato turned around to find that he and a small group were surrounded by several of the creatures with no way to escape. He turned to face the creatures while some of the others did as well in their respective directions.
"Stay together!" Sato shouted at them when a few of the newer trainees lunged at the creatures, only to end up like the many others who took on the monsters. Sato watched carefully and came to the realization that their weapons were not only inadequate but quite possibly entirely useless other than the arrows. He opened his mouth to shout another order but was shoved down to one knee when several trainees pushed passed him trying to avoid a monster's attack. "God damn it!" He rose to his feet and ran toward another trainee that was about to be attacked and lunged at the creature with his sword raised high above his head, bringing it down with a slash only to have it go through it and making it vanish. He didn't know if it head been defeated or simply that it moved to another location, but he didn't have time to think about it.
"Sato!" he heard someone scream behind him, making him whirl around just in time to see a fellow classmate vanish before his eyes before her attacker veered on him. Sato's face contorted with anger and rage as he slashed at the monster approaching him and watched it vanish.
"Damn it! I have to find the others...I promised her!" With clenched fists he made his way through the chaos, shouting Nio's name until his throat became so hoarse and raw it hurt to shout. People ran in all directions and it was everything the commanders could do to keep them together or even under control, but Satoshi couldn't really blame his squad for their reaction, the majority of them never having joined to end up in war, much less die here.
He almost gave up finding her in all the insanity around him when finally out of nowhere he felt a hand on his shoulder. He swung around with sword ready and clashed with Nio who had raised her sword just in time to parry his. When he recognized her he relaxed and sighed in relief, having nearly thought her among the dead or dieing.
"Sato, we have to leave, there's nothing we can do here," she told him, placing a hand on his shoulder again. He just stared at her without speaking for what seemed like an eternity, feeling just as sore and bad as his friend's expression told him she felt as well.
"Whoever did this, whoever is responsible, hell will be the least of their worries," he said finally, through clenched teeth.
He pushed passed Nio and other trainees, weaving a way through the throng until they managed to break through, escaping the madness they left behind. As much as it pained him he knew it was better to retreat and live to fight again another day rather than stay here and fight a hopeless cause. They were vastly outnumbered and overwhelmed by that surprise attack, not having expected any of the creatures to reach them until at least a few days from now since it took that long to travel across their territory to reach their city, that is if they had managed to get passed the archers. Sato's heart sank at the realization that it may mean all of their archers were defeated, which is what the swarms of hearts he had seen in the distance would have been.
With a heavy heart, he lead Nio and himself to find shelter until they could plan on how to best find their other friends, if they still lived.
(~)
He was hot, sweaty, and his hair was a mess, some of which had fallen over his face. They had been running, fighting, falling back, hiding, running, attacking all day and night long, so much so that he had completely lost track of time. He was surprised to find the sun rising though, in the East, the fiery ball of flames a hazy, dark disk behind the thick clouds and smoke that blocked out most of the light. Sato turned away from the sight, the colors making him want to throw up.
They had found a bakery and had broken inside to take shelter to hide from what Sato had begun to refer to as 'soldiers', not that the creatures were covered in armor, they only wore a helmet, but he had nothing else to call them and had grown tired of referring to them as creatures or monsters. They looked around and found the shelves and baskets filled with various breads, sweets and pastries, along with a cooler that held drinks and water, making their mouths water. Nio turned to look at Sato, a sort of look he knew meant that she was asking him to break one of his credos, 'Thou shalt not steal'. She tilted her head slightly and without even exchanging words he understood exactly what she was saying to him. He sighed and nodded, knowing that considering the situation, he doubted the owners would mind much if they helped themselves to some of the food and water.
Nio stood and looked around, finding something that made her raise an eyebrow. She picked it up and chucked it at Sato, nearly making him drop it as he caught it by surprise. He stared down at the oversized cheesy bun in his hand, chuckling before biting down into the soft bread. He gave her a thumbs up before she disappeared into the back of the store, staff in hand in preparation for whatever may be back there. He listened carefully for any signs that she may be in trouble but heard nothing unusual, settling down for what may be their only moment of respite in a long while, enjoying what may also be the last decent meal he may get for just as long. Moments later Nio appeared from the back of the store and brandished two bags they could carry on their backs.
"Nio, what are you doing?" he asked in between bites.
"Do you know how long we'll be gone? Or how long this war will last?" she asked him as she began stuffing water and juice bottles into the two bags before grabbing various buns and wrapping them in paper before stuffing those onto the bags as well.
"No, I suppose not."He got up and accepted the soda bottle she handed him as he watched her organize the space in their bags better, adding things like little packs of dried fruits and nuts they also sold in the store. He decided that next time they held survival training in class, he'll pay attention to the lessons."I couldn't find a first aid kit but maybe we can find one in a pharmacy on the way, assuming we can find it before they find us," she said with her back turned to him as she plucked a honey bun from a basket on a shelf near her, shoving half of it into her twisted the cap to his soda bottle just as something in the back of the kitchen fell to the floor with a loud clang, making the both of them freeze and stare in the direction of the kitchen, Sato's hand instinctively reaching behind him for his sword, pulling it up and over his shoulder as he walked toward the kitchen, setting his bottle quietly on a counter as he passed followed a few steps behind him after having had summoned her staff to her hand, careful not to bump into any of the metal racks standing against the walls as they passed them and into the kitchen. Sato put his back to the door frame and gestured for her to wait behind him. He took a step forward and peered into the kitchen, having a clear view of the majority of the room all the way to the back door which stood ajar. He saw movement from the corner of his eye and turned in that direction toward the back of the room, watching two soldiers move back and forth, seemingly agitated about something as they made grunts and throat sounds. Sato gestured again for her to be careful as he took a careful step further inside so he could see what had their attention. He noticed a large stove just a step away on his left as he entered the kitchen and hunched down behind it, gesturing that Nio stay where he had been standing previously against the door frame as he peered above the stove's top toward where the soldiers growled and hissed back, making more pots and pans fall clashing to the floor, causing the soldiers to jump back a few steps. Sato sank farther back against the wall between the stove and the door frame as he listened to the angry cat the soldiers had the misfortune of cornering, making him hope it was one of those angry wild Coons that ran around the streets of the city. It hissed and growled again and Sato glanced up at Nio with a half smile, nodding his head in the direction of the commotion, getting a nod in return as he watched her power up her staff weapon, the sphere on the end beginning to glow hotly. She moved it so that it was more into the store and away from the kitchen so the light wouldn't catch their attention before she had the time to complete powering it up, glancing back to watch Sato pull a pot off the stove above him. She looked at him questioningly and he mouthed a meow to her, he obviously didn't want the animal caught in her attack. She smiled and nodded, giving him a thumbs up, signaling that she was stood up slowly and watched the soldiers before stepping out, throwing the pot in the cat's direction before retuning to his spot against the wall, listening as the cat screeched and startled, leaping from the pot rack it had been cornered in and across the counter, knocking more objects to the floor in a loud clatter. Nio moved against the wall inside the store as the cat tore pass her before stepping into the kitchen and releasing her spell onto the unsuspecting creatures. There was a flash of light and it was over.
"For once, I get to be the hero," she said as she placed one hand on her hip, holding her staff up triumphantly.
"Yeah yeah, good job hero," Sato replied, clapping his hands. She tossed her staff and it vanished into thin air, going back to wherever it was she kept her weapons as he followed her back into the store front. "We should get out of here before more come, that damn Coon made a lot of noise."
Sato raised his sword above his head to sheathe it but found that he couldn't, trying several more times to find the opening of his sheathe. He turned around with his back to Nio and held his sword where the opening should be, cursing before finally asking her for help. Nio stopped and turned around, staring at Sato's back without saying a word.
"Damn it, Nio, would you help me?"
"Sato? she asked, her voice sounded concerned.
"Would you help me before I stab myself?"
"Sato, I really think you should look at your-"
"What in hell's blazes is wrong with this thing?" Sato shouted, bringing his sword down so he could remove his harness to see what was wrong with it. He caught something black moving as he lowered his sword and he startled, nearly letting it drop when he realized the black object was attached to his hand. He stared at it for another moment and let what he was seeing sink in, Nio coming to stand beside him as she stared at it as well. She looked up at him with a worried expression when he didn't move for long moments, only standing there and staring at the black thing in his hand.
"Sato? Are you okay?"
He raised the object and looked at it closely, inspecting its obsidian body. The ridges and grooves went from hilt to tip, intricate carvings covering every inch in a sort of ancient ruins sort of way, like the pictures of ancient swords he had seen only in history books. He followed the length of it until he stared at the end of the sword, memories of past dreams surfacing. The teeth, if he could call them that, were shaped like the heads of ancient hydras he read about in books. He raised the object slightly higher and noticed on the end of the hilt, dangling by a black chain, was a small black, obsidian charm carved in the shape of exactly what he suspected the carvings to be, a hydra with three heads.
"What is it?" she asked again, her voice finally catching his attention as he glanced at her quickly and then back to the object.
"It's a…well, I'm not quite sure what it is, but would you believe me if I told you I've been dreaming of this for probably as long as I've been alive?" he asked her, his tone almost hushed. "I think I wished for it into existence, Nio."
"Wait, you're telling me you just wished and you got a giant, black key with a handle?" She sounded more than worried now, she sounded concerned that maybe he had hit his head and wasn't thinking straight.
"It does look like a key, doesn't it? A keyblade, that's exactly what it is, even the voice in my dreams called it a keyblade."
"Oh, so now you're listening to voices in your dreams?"
"Nio, explain magic and spells to me, the existence of those creatures and how just by touching people they make them disappear. Explain your being able to summon weapons out of thin air and magical arrows. Explain our entire world." He began unbuckling his harness and pulled it off.
"I can't. Do I look like a book?" She placed both hands on her hips and looked at him angrily.
"And I can't explain this anymore than you can explain anything else, I just don't know. I've been having this reoccurring dream for as long as I can remember and every time there's this voice telling me about keyblades and creatures, and that this blade could defeat them." He dropped his harness to the floor, no longer seeing a need for it. He was never really good with magic and wondered if it really would disappear like her weapons did. "Well, suppose I have to try." Holding it up, he just tossed it into the air in front of him and watched it fade away out of sight. "Woah."
"Oh geeze, like it's the first time you've seen that." She rolled her eyes before going back to the bags.
"Anyway, I noticed there's a back room behind the counter, maybe where the staff keep their belongings. I'll go check back there if I can find a first aid kit," he said as he turned toward the back of the counter. "You better finish up with those bags soon though, we have to leave soon while there's still light out," he shouted back at her as he found a staff room after all. He rummaged through the various lockers, not finding anything that they could use.
"Won't they be too heavy to carry with all that stuff?" he asked her as he began looking through boxes. "Nio?" He waited for an answer, raising a brow when none came. He turned to look through another box and froze when he heard her faint whisper of his name before something fell to the floor.
He rushed out of the room and stared into the store front, a soldier standing where Nio had previously been. It didn't notice him right away but moved about the room in an almost confused manner, entirely unaware or even uncaring that it had just taken the life of his best friend. His face contorted in anger again he reached for his sword but found nothing, instead an almost throbbing heat in his hand made him remember that he no longer had a sword, at least none like he had moments before. Lowering his eyes and glaring at the soldier in front of him passed the counter, Sato called for it again and it appeared in his hand, its strange shape and black body something foreign to him but that he'd use to destroy every single soldier he happened to see nonetheless, especially now after what they had just taken from him.
Stepping from behind the counter he approached the soldier without even thinking about it and raised the keyblade, bringing it down upon the monster before it had enough time to turn around and register what or who had killed it. The blade sliced through the body and instead of it disappearing like they had before, a heart appeared at the center of its chest and tore itself from the soldier's body before floating upwards and through the ceiling. The soldier's body vanished much like the people it had likely taken, like they've all taken, like Nio.
"God damn it!" Sato shouted as he raised the keyblade and slammed it down into the floor before falling to his knees. "Why damn it? Why didn't this thing appear before when I actually could have used it to save all those people?" he cried out to an empty room.
Even if you wish it, even if you demand it, no one can control when or where a keyblade will appear, nor to whom it will appear to. They are not the source of your strength, but rather a means to channel the strength you already have within yourself. Do no despair, Keyblade Wielder, for you now have the means to protect those you care for most.
"What the hell am I suppose to do now?" he waited for an answer but got none,
He slumped against the counter and sat there for what may have been hours, but he didn't bother keeping track. Thoughts raced around in his head, none of them in any particular order but he wouldn't have noticed. The cat they had saved earlier finally came out of wherever it had been hiding, keeping low to the ground as it approached him slowly, sniffing the air. He looked down and stared at it staring back at him, wondering if it had belonged to the people who had owned the shop. The cat moved toward the items that had spilled out of one of the two bags, pawing at a bottle that had fallen over earlier. The bottle rolled over and he noticed it was the kind Raven liked to drink, that really sweet, pink Dream Soda. She always seemed to have one with her.
"Raven…" He narrowed his eyes as he stared at the bottle, wondering why it was there on the floor. He thought about Nio and how she had been meticulously stuffing the bags, always trying to do everything perfect. He furrowed his brow and wondered if she had meant to pack a bottle for when they had found Raven. "Damn…" The thought nearly brought him to tears but he fought them back, deciding now was the worst possible time to be mourning anyone when Raven and so many other people needed him now.
He reached for the bottle as he stood up, startling the cat back to wherever it had been hiding before and he reached for a bag, shoving the bottle into one of the side pouches. He looked through both of the bags and decided he'd carry just one, not wanting to be encumbered when he'd need to defend himself or someone else, though he felt a pang of regret leaving the other one behind, knowing Raven would have not minded the treats it held within. Sighing, he dumped some of the items out of the second bag and tried to fit as many as he could into his, not minding the extra weight as he was well use to carrying something heavy on his back, having gotten used to having to lift his drunken father into bed or a sofa when he'd fallen over.
He spend several minutes fixing his bag and tidying up the place before he slung it over his back, grabbing his near flat soda off the counter and walking out the door toward what he hoped were his friends.
(~)
It wasn't long before they found the source of chaos in Gamma, a round, large, dog like person leaning against a wall of a building on the city's outskirts. He stood and glared as the dog man gave a group of those creatures orders, each one disappearing as another appeared in its spot.
"Hey!" Sato shouted out toward the dog man before he began feeling something wrap around his legs, rising higher and higher. "Hey, what the hell?" He looked down and found himself sinking into the ground when something grabbed at him from below and pulled him all the way in.
"Huh?" the dog man frowned, looking in the direction he thought he had heard something. "I coulda sword I heard somebody over thar." He looked around before laughing so loud his belly shook. "Dis world, is now part of de darkness!"
His laughter could be heard for blocks.
(~_~)
Not yet Satoshi Ryuu. Your time to strike Pete has not come. Once you become more powerful, you can take Pete on. But for now, rest, train, and listen to Merlin. He can help you control the darkness within your heart. While that is your greatest strength…it is also, your greatest weakness. May the allies that travel with you, assist you in controlling the darkness.