Chapter 1
"A Touch of Darkness"
The world was a massive place. It's a thing that we all know because it's common sense, but so few realize the actual scope of it.
Acres of trees cover vast plains of earth with their precious metals hidden so neatly beneath the surface. Water spread and flowed through air and cloud, drawing friction to the sky and beginning anew each time. Ice eschewed itself into wherever possible, stopped only by the heat of fires both above and below. And all held between a fragile balance of light and darkness, that what we could see before us, and what layed to be discovered.
The sheer vastness of the world alone boggled the mind when actually considered, but, as with all things, real life took priority to such frank summations.
The matters of the world always seemed so inconsequential when stacked up with whatever was in front of you.
These were the semi-philosophical but no less hysteric thoughts of one Taylor Hebert as she broke nail and skin to escape the hellscape that had become her locker.
"LET ME OUT! PLEASE! JUST! PLEASE" Taylor screamed again and again for what seemed like an eternity, banging and slamming and trying to get out outoutoutoutoutout!
"Please...let me out." The words came out as harsh whispers, throat numb from pain and the surrounding sickness beginning to feel like it was falling forward.
'Oh god, I'm...I'm going to die here.'
Even as the thought came, Taylor still tried to bash the door open, but while her energy refused to come, the thoughts had no such issue.
''I'm alone. Alone and ignored and scared and no one cares.'
'The world is going to move on without me, nothing will change.'
'I can't get out, nobody will get me out.'
The world... was so quiet.
She could hear the sound of herself not being there. It made no difference.
[Trajectory]
She could here The Trio moving over to some new sap, going through the exact same things they had put her through, nothing but a punching bag to toy around with.
[Agreement]
She could hear her Father, grieving before going forward, even more a shell than he was before.
[Destination]
She could here everyone talking and laughing at the girl who couldn't even get out of a locker.
They made her sick. They made her...
[Agree-!
"Do you truly wish to be forgotten?" A deep voice suddenly asked, sounding from her ear.
It was enough to break Taylor from whatever haze had settled over her, but also made more of the putrid garbage threaten to envelope her.
"What, please, get me out. I can't get out, get me out!" Taylor rambled and pleaded to the voice, voice hoarse and aching, but she did not care.
"Hmm. Your mind is in no state to be speaking with us properly. Let us fix that."
Whatever Taylor had been expecting, panicking mind or no, it certainly wasn't for the locker to suddenly fall away into pitch black darkness.
She stared dumbly around herself for a moment, before realizing the crushing restraint of the metal locker and its vile contents were gone, and so too was the ground.
Before she could even let out a breathless scream however, her feet collided with an invisible floor, sending shock waves through her unstable spine and legs, proving too much for her to continue standing. As she fell to her knees, she looked up, and saw her savior.
Spoiler: He was, undoubtedly, a Cape
His eyes were blood red, standing out brightly in the darkness surrounding the both of you. All 10 of them. From the ones staring unflinchingly down at your form through the near face-covering mask, to the gleaming rubies on each of the lions on his body. The costume itself was incredibly lavish, with gold seemingly sewn in streams throughout the limbs before exiting out in sharp diamonds at joints or tips. Combined with the staff leaning held tightly in his hand and the purple flashing just in sight long enough to be noticed before blending back to darkness, he cut an incredibly imposing image marked with regality.
And where Taylor should have felt scared in this unknown place, should have been scared of this obviously powerful cape... she couldn't be.
The cape felt like danger...but not to her.
"You, saved me." Taylor spoke finally, realizing she had been staring for an unknown amount of time, with the cape merely staring back.
"I did." It was a simple answer, but it responded throughout the space they were in, final in its verdict.
It made Taylor flinch.
"W-why did you save me? No-one... no one else was doing anything." Taylor began before trailing into a whisper, mind going back to the struggle and mess and nobody helping!
"You have answered your own question, Child."
"My n-name is Taylor." She stated with a cough between words. The pain in her throat still hadn't dissipated, but being wherever she was made her feel...not better, but farther away from any kind of discomfort.
"Hmm. A Good name, you may call me Lowe." The man, Lowe, stated as he crossed his arms slightly underneath his front lion chest piece, continuing to stare at your form unblinking as you shakily made your way to unsteady feet.
Still, one question had to be asked.
"Um, Lowe? Where... are we exactly?" She was hesitant to actually question the person who saved her, but it had to be asked.
The answer she got answered everything and nothing while still filling her with dread.
"The Realm of Darkness, of Course. Now, let us Chat, Taylor."
END OF CHAPTER
What the hell am I doing writing yet another story you might ask? Well I'll tell you.
I have absolutely zero idea. I've just been having zero motivation to write lately, what with a majority of my brain being focused on Kingdom Hearts and some bullshit away from home, but even that's no real excuse anyone can accept for too long. Specially when you're waiting for an author to update a favorite story.
Hence, this little fic above me. It's probably going to go in all kinds of different directions, I have plans for things that'll never reach the page or would require entire new stories to use properly, but there they are.
This is my little piece of kindling to get my creative fires burning again. At least, higher than the moderate burn they're always at. Hope you enjoy, and I can't wait for more of anything to come. Toodles for now!