Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, nor any of its characters. This story is told from the FPP of the author, and is a work of fiction. The song "Beati Quorum Via," by Charles Villiers Stanford, is in the Public Domain. The 3rd Movement of Chichester Psalms (Adonai, adonia/Logavah libi…) is owned by Leonard Bernstein.
A Barrier Broken
A Story set in the Kingdom Hearts universe
By: AgentFade2Black
I was merely a boy when I crossed the boundary between truth and fiction. But I have come back as something different. Allow me to tell this entire story…
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It was a cold February afternoon. I had just finished playing trough a run of "Kingdom Hearts 2" when my controller shook. It would have been expected, but this controller had no vibration. I looked down, and saw the "Analog" light turn white. Then, my world turned white. And then black.
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I know I landed on solid ground. But I couldn't see it. Or where I was. I took one step forward, and what I was on illuminated. It was a platform, made of stained glass. The Heartless crest, the Nobody insignia, and another symbol were embedded into the stained glass. The symbol appeared to be some sort of sunburst, but I was unable to reflect on it. A chrome crown hilt sword, a long pistol, and a sniper rifle all came flying out of the darkness and embedded themselves into the stained glass. All had the Mickey ears mark – these were Heartless and Nobody slaying weapons.
"The warrior. The guardian. The magician. All these are timeless, as reflected in these new weapons. Make your selection." I don't know where this voice came from, but it was calming. Empowered, I first pulled out the sword. "The warrior. Bloodthirsy, yet honorable. A beast to be tamed."
"Perhaps not," I said out loud, and replaced it. I pulled out the pistol.
"The guardian. Attack from afar, and save others. And yet, helpless in true fights."
"Maybe not," I said. I replaced it, and picked up the sniper rifle.
"The magician. Attack from far distances, and ensure they stay down. But sometimes, you can't be right."
"Is it possible to be all three?" I asked.
"In a way, yes. Take any weapons you like. But yet, only one will be your true weapon." I took all three weapons; the sword on my right, the pistol on my right, and the rifle slung across my back. A pathway illuminated to another Station. I ran with all due speed, and arrived safely. The pathway dissolved behind me. A mirror stood in the center of the station. I approached it and didn't see myself. I saw five appartitions. First, it was me, in a very movable outfit, swords everywhere.
"Valor Form. The honorable distillation of the warrior. Swords are your game, but magic is forgotten." The next one was myself with chaingun arms, in a military combat outfit. "Gunner Form. Only bullets will save you." The next was single-shot energy blasters, in place of my hands. Crosshairs dotted my clothes. "Killer Form. One shot to deny your enemy. And only one shot." The fourth apparition was myself, clad in white. No weapons to be seen. "White Form. The power of the light is pure here. Everything combines." The final apparition was just the opposite. All black. "Anti-form. Excess form transformation will cause this. Nothing works. The dishonor in everything." And then the mirror shattered. Into a thousand pieces. I stepped back, and nearly fell off. I regained my balance, and saw a new path opened. I charged up this path, and I found the final station. This had Sora, Kairi, and Riku, as I had last seen them, drawn into the stained glass. Three portals looked into different worlds. The one on the left, into the Destiny Islands. The one on the right, to The World that Never Was. The one in the center, to the End of the World.
"Where do I go from here?" I asked out loud.
"The Destiny Islands is your first area. Seek out the one they call Sora. He will guide you to the other people you must seek. The other two areas will provide the remaining answers, but you are by no means strong enough for either area. Take care." That was the last I heard of the voice. A twinking sound, and I was suddenly filled with the urge to sing:
"Beati quorum via, integra est…"
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Without realizing it, I landed on sand, right where I wanted to. But there was nobody there. I looked around, and realized I had wound up on the wrong island in the chain. I took my rifle off my back, snapped off the scope, and zoomed in on the other island. I saw two girls in schoolgirl uniforms at the shore, and one had put something into the water. I put the scope back onto my rifle, and sat down. I didn't know how I was going to get across. And so I began singing the only song I could remember:
"Beati quorum via, integra est/Qui ambulant in lege Domini." I felt a very strong breeze take me off my feet and threw me across the water, landing hard on the sand. Looking back up, I saw I got their attention. I immediately recognized them; it was Kairi and Selphie. "Kairi!" I shouted. She was startled by this, and didn't come any closer. So I did the honorable thing and approached her. "My sincerest apologies. Perhaps I should introduce myself. I am Jean."
"Nice to meet you Jean. I'm Selphie, and you already know Kairi," Selphie replied after a couple tense seconds.
"I didn't mean to startle you, but I just recognized you."
"That's OK," Kairi said back. "How do you know me?"
"Long story. But I need to ask you a question. Do you know where Sora is?"
"No," she replied. "He's been gone over a year, and yet I couldn't remember him."
"Odd," I said, remembering not to let my knowledge of the story slip through again. A dark portal opened behind me, and Axel popped out of it.
"Well, ain't this a happy reunion," Axel deadpanned. I turned to him, not sure how to let this proceed. Can I interfere?, I though to myself. "I'm here for Kairi," he said. "Kairi. K-A-I-R-I. Got it memorized?" he said again.
"Not today, wisecracker," I said, drawing the pistol.
"Woah now, no need for a quick fuse there, cowboy," Axel said, panicky.
"Sorry. You're not getting Kairi," I said. "But we could use that portal of yours." It disappeared.
"Nope. You ain't getting that."
"Damn."
"But, I can give you this." He handed me a scroll. He reopened the portal and disappeared.
"What was that about?" Kairi asked. She pointed to the scroll. I knew I was in for it now—I had completely interfered with the story now. I could do anything. Dismissing the thought for now, I opened the scroll. It had two spells: Quick Travel and Boundary Crossing. The Quick Travel spell's words were all familiar: it was Beati, that song I sang earlier. But the other one was weirder:
"Adonai, adonai/Logavah libi…" And yet, at the same time, I remembered it from somewhere.
"Now what?" asked Selphie.
"Well…" I couldn't think for a second. "I remember both of these songs from places, so I'll sing one and see what happens." "Adonai, adonai/Logavah libi…" A platform drew itself in the air, and settled at my feet. I stepped up onto it, and Kairi put a single foot on, trying to follow me…
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And before it even registered, I was in Hollow Bastion. It didn't register for Kairi where we were, and Selphie didn't even come along. I didn't have time to think about this, as four Strafers had materialized in front of me.
"Heartless!" I shouted to Kairi. She grabbed the gun off my belt and shot one of them, defeating it in an instant. "When did you—?"
"Don't ask, just destroy them!" she shouted back. I drew my sword and hacked two of them to bits, while Kairi shot the last one dead.
"Fine, you keep the gun," I said. I tossed her the holster, which she wrapped around her leg, and placed the gun inside. I resisted the urge to make a comment on the particular look she was sporting, but I didn't have a chance to anyway.
"What the hell's going on here?" shouted a voice from beyond the stairs.