AN: In honor of Kingdom Hearts 3, I've decided to revamp an old story. The story does make references to my Beyond The Mirror Trilogy, but it's still AU from that continuity. Enjoy.
Chapter One
-Into The Darkness-
Seagulls cawed in the distance as the morning sun rose over the horizon. A boy opened his bedroom window and looked out to the large island he called home. He had shoulder length, silver hair that slightly fluttered in the humid, misty breeze. His eyes were a vital sea green, reflecting the vast ocean.
Even though it was merely morning, the boy could already feel the sun's piercing heat, but it was typical weather. His even, light tan was proof of that. He stretched before sliding on a pair of dark, navy jeans. The boy glanced outside the window one last time before deciding to leave. Snatching his black and yellow vest from its messy resting spot on the bed, he pulled it on and headed out the door.
His name was Riku. An average boy living an average life, and he hated it. After being on Destiny Islands for fifteen years, he had more than enough of his fill. It was always the same thing, day in, day out. He wanted a change, and he was going to get that change. He and his friends, Sora and Kairi, had built a raft, so they could travel someplace far away. Where, they didn't know, but they had to try. Anything to break free from the status quo they were living.
Riku glanced up at the sky. "I know in my heart that there are other worlds somewhere out there."
His thoughts wandered to the rumors of how a child managed leave the Islands many generations ago, and he recalled the strange visitors ten years prior. A man, by the name of Terra, had him swear an oath with the promise that he'd see the outside world someday. Then there was the woman with blue hair. She had Sora promise to protect him. The final straw was Kairi's mysterious appearance during a meteor shower when they were little.
I have all the proof I need. Riku headed toward the docks. I just need to take the dive.
….
In the mysterious depths beneath the earth, a boat glided across the green, soul-filled waters of the Phlegethon. Riding inside was a girl. Her name was Eris, the eldest child of Hades and Persephone. She rested her pale, cold hand against her chin, her black hair fluttering around in the still air like a wild flame. She shifted her gaze around at the dark, rocky walls of her home and yawned. Her eyes were black and empty like a bottomless void. She narrowed them at the skeletal figure rowing the boat.
"Come now, Charon. Surely you could give me a slight hint of my father's whereabouts?" Her tempting, siren-like voice faintly echoed as the words smoothly rolled off her tongue.
Turning his head, Charon's hollow sockets focused on her, and he spoke in a gruff, male voice, "Please, Princess, I've told you all I know. If you are truly curious, I suggest you try and ask him yourself."
He returned his attention to the river ahead of them.
Like it's that easy. She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, just take me to Thanatos."
Charon sighed. "As you wish, Princess. But remember not to bring me into any of your crazy antics. I just row the boat."
Reclining back, she folded her arms and listened to the murderous screams from the tortured souls of Tartarus. A small smirk edged the corners of her mouth.
He stopped the boat. "The Elysian Fields, Princess."
Eris stood and straightened her red, robe-like dress, which was held together with a gold, apple-shaped pin. She walked onto the shore, the bottom of her dress billowing at her feet in tendrils of red smoke. Looking up, she stared at the paradise in front of her. The Elysian Fields was in direct contrast to the rest of her home with rivers, lakes, lush forests, and bright rays of sunlight. The only thing that came close was her mother's garden.
Just another day in the Underworld. She continued on her way.
She had lived in this realm of the dead all of her life. The tensions within her family had grown so venomous since the viral outbreak that she and her siblings were forbidden from leaving the Underworld.
Eris scoffed to herself. It's not fair. We're not godlings anymore.
As the Crown Princess, she had been put in charge while their parents were away. Persephone had left to maintain the seasons in the mortal world. Hades always became restless during this part of the year, but lately he had found a new hobby to keep himself occupied. Eris didn't know where he went, but whatever it was, it kept him away from home for days at a time.
Closing her eyes, Eris took a deep breath and inhaled the sweet sulfur air before murmuring, "What are you up to?"
She stopped at a single tree growing at the start of the large, grassy field. Sitting at its base was her first brother, his attention fully engrossed in a floating scroll. Eris cleared her throat.
He didn't look away from his reading. "Yes, Sister?"
She put her hands on her hips. "Well, Thanatos? Did you do it?"
"Eris–" An aggravated groan escaped his dark, gray lips, and he stared up at her with narrowed icy, blue eyes. "You know how I feel about…."
"I don't care about that. Did you or did you not?" She stomped her foot on the ground. Every time I need a favor from him, he always breaks out into his morals about mind reading.
He tilted his head down, his blue hair shadowing over his pale, almost gray face, and remained silent. Eris scowled, and he preceded to fiddle with the bottom of his black chiton that rested over his bony knees.
She pursed her lips. "Brother…."
Nodding slowly, he folded his thin, lanky arms, and faced her. "Yes. Happy?"
"Ecstatic." She grinned. "So, what are you waiting for? Spill."
….
Riku's head felt dizzy while he lay across the hard, cold ground. The darkness had taken most of his energy, and he could barely move. The sound of rushing water filled his ears, and a large spray of mist washed over him. For a second, he thought he was still on the Islands, but then he opened his weary eyes. He cringed from the bright sunlight and slowly reopened them as they gradually adjusted.
He groaned while lifting himself on his knees and blinked. Where am I?
Wherever he was, it definitely wasn't home. He was in some kind of strange valley. Surrounding him was a huge waterfall, but the water was rising up instead of falling down. Ahead, there was an arrangement of rocks that were levitating in the air and moving of their own accord.
Riku sat still, his eyes slightly wide. A new world. I actually made it to a different world.
However, there were two things missing, or rather two people. He glanced around him.
"Sora! Kairi!" Frowning, he called out for them again, but when he didn't hear an answer, he sighed. This is bad. I hadn't planned on us getting separated.
Standing, Riku decided to explore. He slowly made his way up the rocks until he reached the top of the waterfall. The sky was a pink haze, and the sun was either rising or setting. In the distance was a huge castle. It was hovering in the center of a vast ocean that went on for miles, and there didn't seem to be any other types of civilization nearby.
"And what do we have here?"
Turning, Riku glanced over the woman who appeared before him. "Who are you?"
She approached him, her long, black robe flowing in sync with each step, and she smiled. "My name is Maleficent, child. There is no reason to be afraid."
He narrowed his eyes at her and folded his arms. "I'm not a child."
"Forgive me, Riku." Maleficent laughed. "I did not intend to insult."
"How do you know my name?" he said.
She held her smile, and placed a pale, sickly green hand on his shoulder. "I know many things, Riku. I have been waiting for you."
He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
….
Another world? How is that possible? Eris made her way to the throne room. If that's what Daddy's up to, why didn't he say anything? And who is this Maleficent person?
Just as she reached the entrance a pair of bright, green hands pulled her to the side.
Eris saw that the hands belonged to one of her sisters. "Hey, Macaria, what are you–"
"Ssssh." Macaria put a finger to her lips before crawling over to a dark corner under one of the large windows of the throne room.
Eris furrowed her brow when her sister gestured to the window and followed. However, Macaria's red, fiery hair lit up their hiding spot, and Eris corrected the situation by blowing her hair out like a candle. Taken off guard, her sister scowled at her, her blue eyes flashing red for a moment. Eris silently giggled before peering through the window.
Inside, she saw their father speaking with a strange man. He had blond hair that was spiked in an unusual fashion, and even his clothes were odd. A burgundy cape was draped around his shoulders with a collar that covered his mouth. The rest of him was dressed in black with silver chains.
"So waddaya say?" Hades placed an arm around the man's shoulder. "Do we gotta a deal?"
The man closed his eyes. "If it helps me find the person I'm searching for…."
Hades ran a gray hand through his blue-flamed hair. "Of course it will. Just do this little job for me, and everythin' else'll be taken care of."
Eris furrowed her brow. What is Daddy doing?
Hades and the mysterious man came to terms, and after signing the contract, the man left the throne room. Once it felt like he was alone, Hades waved his hand. A large pool of black matter appeared, and stepping inside, he vanished.
Eris' eyes widened. Huh?
It wasn't odd for him to disappear into thin air. They were gods after all. However, the strange black pool remained in the room, swirling around lifelessly.
Where did he go? Eris flew through the window. "Macaria, tell Thanatos that he's in charge until I get back."
Macaria sprung to her feet, her hair returning with a flash. "What? Wait, where are you going?"
"After Daddy." Eris rolled her eyes. "Must you ask such stupid questions?"
"But you don't know what that stuff is. It doesn't look safe." Macaria climbed through the window and eyed the pool with a frown. "Besides, I'm pretty sure Daddy doesn't want us following him."
She scoffed. "If you're feeling so put out, then why don't you get Melinoe and spy on that man? I'm sure you can uncover some info from him."
"Yeah, right." Macaria put her hands on her hips. "Ever since the incident with Hera, Melinoe refuses to leave Zagreus' side."
Eris sighed, recalling the memory. Their spiteful aunt had lured their naive, baby brother out of the Underworld with an arrangement of birthday gifts, and the poor boy was beaten within an inch of his life. Their mother managed to recover him before it was too late, but the event only added more fuel to the fire of the family's internal war. Melinoe had been the most distraught and achieved her revenge by plaguing Hera's temples and ceremonies with blood-thirsty specters.
"What if something bad happens to you too?" Macaria pouted. "Come on. Just listen to reason for once."
"I highly doubt this is a trick from those morons upstairs." Eris shook her head. "Something about all of this is suspect to me. I'm gonna make sure Daddy is okay."
She looked down and saw that the black puddle was closing up. Her sister thought it was dangerous, but it was just swirling darkness. Darkness like her, her family, and her home.
I'm not afraid. She jumped into the void.
Eris felt like she was falling through mist, but just as quickly as the sensation came, it left. She hit the hard, cold floor with a loud thud. Groaning, she sat up and gasped at her surroundings. The room was full of pipes and mechanical contraptions.
In front of her was a large, heart shaped hole in the wall, and a mixture of red, blue, and green smoke swirled inside. She could tell that something waited beyond it, but whatever it was, it didn't pique her interest enough to investigate.
Standing up, she continued her search for her father and headed down the staircase to the lower level of the room. There were torches of blue fire leading across the room to the other side, and encased along the walls were crystalized coffins. Some were empty, but a few had young girls imprisoned inside.
Eris walked over to one of the cases. Trapped inside was a girl with dark hair. She was dressed in a yellow gown, and from what the goddess could tell, the girl was under a spell of eternal slumber.
What kind of place is this? Hearing voices, Eris wandered over to the large door ahead and pressed her ear against it.
"That little squirt took down that Heartless! Who'd have thought it?"
Her eyes widened. Daddy.
Eris slightly cracked the door open and peered through. She spotted her father standing amongst a group of people.
"Such is the power of the keyblade. The child's strength is not his own." The man who spoke was mortal, but judging by the serpent shaped staff in his hand, he must've been a magical one.
"Why don't we turn him into a Heartless?" An obese creature, that seemed to be half human and half octopus, cackled with a mature, feminine voice. "That'll settle things quick enough."
Another mortal man, who appeared normal except for the silver hook he possessed in place of one of his hands, scoffed. "And the brat's friends are the King's lackeys. Swoggle me eyes, they're all bilge rats by the look of them."
Laughter rang through the room from what seemed to be an animated potato sack. "You're no prize yourself."
Eris blinked. First it's that strange man in the Underworld, and now these weirdos. What's Daddy doing with them?
Hearing a whooshing sound behind her, she turned around to see a huge black monster with a huge mouth and two, crazed looking eyes. It hurled itself at her, and she quickly dodged out of the way. The monster burst through the door, startling the group inside. The man with the snake staff destroyed the monster with a blast of red light from the staff's eyes, and everyone's attention turned to Eris.
Hades rushed over to her. "Eris, what in the cosmos are you doin' here?"
She let him help her to her feet. "I could ask you the same thing."
"You're supposed to be in the Underworld watching your siblings," he whispered, his tone firm.
Eris put her hands on her hips. "I was until I saw you talking to that guy in the throne room. What's going on? Who are these people?"
The sack creature stepped forward. "And what do we have here?"
The man with the hook folded his arms. "A stowaway it seems."
Hades stepped in front of her. "She's no one. Don't worry. I'll take care of her."
The man with the snake staff grinned. "You appear very protective of this girl, Hades. Is there something you're keeping from us?"
Eris saw the octopus woman glance between her and her father. She can probably tell we look related.
The woman cackled. "My, isn't this priceless. Hades, I never took you for a family man. What a lovely, little Princess you have there."
Murmurs erupted amongst the group at the mention of the word, Princess.
Hades frowned, his skin and fire turning orange. "Hey, don't get any bright ideas. She's not one of them."
"I believe I should be the judge of that."
Footsteps echoed through the walls as Maleficent entered the room. Her eyes scanned over every person before they settled on Eris.
Hades glared at her. "Maleficent, don't you dare."
Eris raised an eyebrow. So, that's her.
"Calm yourself, Hades. I have no intention of touching your precious daughter. Any child of yours would, without any doubt, be less than pure." She chuckled before her tone became more serious. "However, this girl has seen and heard too much. She cannot leave."
Hades stared at her. "Excuse me?"
Maleficent nodded. "She will remain in Hollow Bastion and aid us."
He narrowed his eyes at the witch. "Sorry, babe, but I don't believe that's your decision to make."
She gave a small smile. "It is if you wish to continue your alliance with me. Too many loose ends wandering about make me ill at ease. Once we have achieved our goal, your daughter is free to leave. Now, Hades, what will your decision be? Do you still desire to be a dominant piece in this game?"
Eris watched her father mull the choice over. He was there for a reason, and it was clear that he didn't want to jeopardize his plans because of her interference. However, he also didn't want to give into the demands of an arrogant mortal, who seemed to believe that her powers made her more important than she actually was.
"Fine. She'll stay for now," he said.
Maleficent snapped her fingers, and two, black, armored creatures appeared beside her. "Your daughter shall be escorted to the library and stay with our other guest."
Eris moved to leave, but her father placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.
He leaned down and whispered, "We'll discuss this later."
His tone had a stern edge to it that implied that he was holding in his rage.
I'm in trouble. She nodded. "Yes, Daddy."
The creatures behind Maleficent headed toward the exit, and the witch gestured for Eris to follow. Doing so, she did her best to study the path to the library, so she could find her way around later.
I wonder how long they intend to keep me here? She frowned.
When they reached the entrance, one of the creatures opened the door, and she entered the library. Examining the room, she saw a boy reclining against the bottom of the staircase.
His attention was fixed on the large window. "This world's very different from the Islands. Still, this discovery means nothing without my friends. I'll fix this."
The library doors slammed shut, startling the boy, and turning, he noticed her presence.
"Who are you?" he said.
Hmm, he seems to be the same age as me, and he looks normal compared to the others. But his hair. It's silver. Not typical for a measly, insignificant mortal like him. She folded her arms and gave him a cold stare. "Depends. Are you the other guest Maleficent mentioned?"
The boy shrugged. "I suppose. I'm Riku."
She held her head high. "Eris."