Kingdom Hearts: Rising Dawn
A/N: I will accept any suggestions/ideas! Please state them in the review section or PM me.
Kingdom Hearts is the property of Square Enix.
Chapter 1: The World That Always Was...? -Sunrise Town
No. 42 was his given name from the day he was born. The human mind doesn't develop until much after birth, so he didn't remember much about his beginnings. All he knew was that he was living a normal life, in a normal house, in a normal city, in a normal world. There was nothing that 42 could dream of that would throw him out of sync with his current life. By taking his priorities into consideration, such as schoolwork, the strangeness of his name was never addressed.
42 lived in a small town with a population of only 100. Because of this magnitude, everyone in town knew each other and most got along. Resources seemed limitless and everyone got whatever they wanted, though the demands were not very high. The town was the closest embodiment of a utopia.
There was always one thing that bothered 42, however. The people of his hometown never bothered to mention anything that happens outside their social bubble. Did anyone ever question what life was like outside their tiny establishment?
The everyday people that he meets seem all too happy with their lives. Even the grumpy old man across the street acted as if everything was the way it is, just the way things are supposed to be.
Also, the actions of everyday people seemed to be regulated by a greater force. 42 noticed how everyone reacted to each other always in the same way. Those who are unfriendly to each other are always bickering about the same things: grades, money, clothes. Those who are intimate remain so. Very rarely does something different occur, and that usually happens when something leaks out of the invisible walls that the town sets up for their internet regarding the outside world. 42 cannot fathom why anyone would block things from the internet. He was told that it was to protect him.
"Sunrise Town was found nearly two hundred years ago," said the teacher in front. 42 found himself in a classroom, with ten other people sitting around him. His school uniform was in a mess from the accident that he faced on the stairs; his tie was untied, and one of the buttons on his shirt ripped.
"The specific founders of Sunrise Town were unknown. However, records show that they were mysterious missionaries that came from foreign lands who settled in an area that was devoid of civilization. Having no one to convert, they decided to cut their journey short and live peacefully… and thus, this land was named Sunrise, looking forward to the next dawn." The teacher closed his book.
42 raised his hand. "Sir, did anyone ever write about where these people actually came from?" he asked.
The teacher sighed and put his book down. "42, how many times have we gone over this? It's not our business to care about what goes on regarding the rest of the world. Our main priority is to ensure that we live a fulfilling, happy life, right here in Sunrise Town."
42 was not content. "But was there anything?"
"No, 42. Nothing was archived." With that, the school bell rang.
42 proceeded to the schoolyard. Children, older and younger alike, played with each other. 42 ran his fingers into his blonde hair.
Everything is the same for some reason, he thought. They are always playing the same games, always breaking the same rules. Somehow, this is wrong.
"Look at him," said a girl in the middle of the field. "That's 42, the guy who always says these weird things in class."
42 ignored her. He was used to the caustic remarks that people gave him, save for his parents. He was always criticized for his opinions about the town and the outside world.
"Go home, you freak!" said another boy. He threw a blue rubber ball at 42.
42 gave the kids a cold stare. "Your words do not faze me," he said. Ignoring the chatter of the children, he proceeded to walk forward. Something on the other side of the fence caught the corner of his eye. What a pain, he thought. I have to climb the stupid fence again. He was reminded of the scars he received from the wires on top two years ago, when he was much shorter and weaker.
The grass was surprisingly well tended for a random patch of land. At least the caretaker is doing his job. 42 noticed that the grass was uniform in every aspect, including shape and size.
What's this? A lever?
42 looked at the handle of what seemed to be a switch of some sort. It was plainly sticking out of the ground, as if it belonged there. It's not like it's gonna kill me or anything, he thought. What the hell. Might as well do it. He flipped the small switch.
Suddenly, electronic images appeared around him. The trees stopped rustling. The wind stopped blowing. 42 looked behind him and saw that everything froze in place.
What is all this?
Floating, semi-transparent screens appeared around him. They all had different content, but the first to catch his eye was:
;;SUNRISE TOWN
;;SYSTEM CONTROL
;;Simulation is regulated by the current system.
;;All properties of the environment are defined as such:
GRAVITY: 9.78 m/s2
COLOR PALLETE: Default
42 looked over to the next screen:
SCHEME: sub_urban11
POPULATION: =100
Much more information was displayed; 42 recognized the content immediately.
Gravity? Population? What's going on? Why is Sunrise Town defined as some sort of computer program?
42 turned his head. Every detail of the world around him matched the information he was presented. He shook his head.
No way. This isn't an anime. I can't be in some sort of simulation!
"So. You're aware of your predicament, yes?" a cheery voice said nearby.
42 looked at the man who owned the voice. He (was he male?) was barely five feet tall, and wore a black cloak. His face was hidden by the hood.
"You can call me Angelo," he said.
"…What is this?" asked 42. He regained his composure.
Angelo raised his arms. "That's right! That's the question. What is this, really? There are glitches in the coding of some of the people here, because the kid over there keeps saying 'butter' over and over again. Seriously, this is the last time that I'll ever create a town with individual people."
42 stared at him in the eyes. "You… created Sunrise Town?" This explained for all of the uneasiness that he felt throughout his life. This explained why everything seemed to be repeating over and over again.
Angelo clapped happily. "That's right! I'm so glad that you caught on so fast! I guess I don't need this script then…" He looked at a sheet of paper in his pocket. "Ah, oh well. I spent a good thirty minutes on writing this too…"
42 clenched his fists. "I'm in a simulation of a town. What have you done to me?"
"Whoa there! Don't jump to the role of the protagonist so fast! The game hasn't even begun yet!" said Angelo.
"Game?" asked 42.
"That's right! I'm gonna make you play a game! But to do that, I need to get more memory, so I'll have to uninstall this town of yours…"
"No!" shouted 42. "How dare you!"
"Relax, No. 42," said Angelo. "You won't die. You can't die. You're a living being. Besides, I'm right here with you, remember?" Angelo went up to the System Control panels and began to type on the floating screens.
42 loosened his clench. "How… do you know my name?"
"That's a bedtime story reserved for another day," said Angelo. "But I suppose you want to know where you really are. Well, this is what we call a 'Corridor of Darkness'. At some point, this area was abandoned, so I hooked up my computer to this magical place, and voila! All of this dark matter is under the command of codes and data. That's why everything is so real here, so tangible… of course, I heard that somewhere, in another world, tangible virtual reality has already been achieved to a certain degree…"
"Other worlds?" asked 42. "So there are other worlds!"
"Of course there are, you fool," said Angelo. "There are countless worlds out there, 42! Some with environments that you've never dreamed of. I've visited some myself."
The sky burst into pixel-like structures, along with the trees, grass, flowers, and buildings. The school children melted into piles of tiny cubes. All of the pixels then dissolved further into dark-blue masses that dissipated into the environment. 42 suddenly found himself alone in the room, or wherever he was.
"Angelo! What are you doing?" shouted 42.
The voice of the programmer resonated in the atmosphere. "Listen up! We're gonna play a game called, 'Can You Make It to the Flag?'"
Multiple green walls materialized around 42. He saw dark spots growing like mold on the walls, as if something were to crawl out.
"Those creatures are called the Heartless," said Angelo. "They are the wandering hearts of the unfortunate individuals who had their spiritual hearts removed from them. The small ones you see here are just Shadows… they aren't really capable of doing anything. I don't really control the Heartless… I can only give them a slight nudge in the right direction. Once they come out, they are on their own. Oh yeah, you should run! They will take your heart as well."
42's eyes widened. "What the hell? What kind of game is this? You sadistic bastard, at least give me a way out!" At this point, he was ready to accept anything that would help him.
"…Oh yeah. I forgot to open the entrance for the maze. Sorry! Ha ha."
One of the walls disappeared, leading to a pathway.
"Good luck!" Angelo said.
42 jumped away from a shadow trying to slash him. He ran for his life in one direction, hoping that the flag would be close. Sure enough, the white flag was only two turns away.
"Bravo!" said Angelo's voice. "You cleared round one. For your first reward, I will give you a bit of time to catch your breath…"
The Heartless ran into the corridor, hoping to jump on 42. However, each Heartless was hit by an individual bolt of lightning and instantly vaporized. 42 noticed the pink hearts that floated out of them as they died.
"Now for the real stage," said Angelo. "Grab the flag, 42."
42 followed the command. The white flag suddenly vanished.
"Oh, good! The flag works. Now, 42, I will give you a weapon that will let you combat the Heartless."
Spinning pixels surrounded 42's right hand, and the cubes materialized into a massive yet light key with a black handle. The golden edge of the handle seemed to glow slightly. Attached to the back of the handle was a keychain.
"What is this, a key?" asked 42.
"This is the Keyblade," said Angelo. "I know… it's a sword that's also a key. Deal with it. But more importantly, this is a replica that I am working on. The last few Keyblades that I made all dissolved into darkness. I'm gonna have you use that to play the rest of the game."
"Hang on!" said 42. "How does this game end?"
"That's on a need-to-know basis. Which is not now. What you do need now is to know how to use that Keyblade. You see, there are quite a few things you can do with it… besides whacking with it and opening doors. Soon, I'll have you use magic with that Keyblade, but I haven't finished the data for that yet.
"Hurry! I already planted the flag. Round two begins. Good luck, have fun!"
Heartless formed again, this time with unique shapes. One of them was shaped like a big ball.
42 ran across multiple paths, but he kept meeting dead ends. The Heartless had utterly infested the area. He grew tired from vanquishing the obstacles that came in his way.
His first left turn met with a winged creature that carried a wicked sword. Is this the devil? 42's heart was pounding. There's no way that I could fight that guy! He ran in the opposite direction as fast as he could.
Of course, there was no escaping from the demon. It swooped down and attempted a guillotine strike, narrowly missing 42's head.
This is crazy! Who would invent a game like this? 42 turned around and countered the blow, hitting the demon on the head. The Heartless dropped his sword and clutched his head in pain.
42 took this opportunity as a chance to run. However, just as he made the next turn, he saw a whole squad of winged Heartless, all looking at him with a killer intent.
I gotta get out of here, fast!
After countless twists and turns, 42 saw a block on the floor. He picked it up and looked at the side. The block was a blue cube, and it had definite shape and hue. On it was a bit of writing:
Do you want to escape, Number 42?
42's eyes widened. This could be my chance to get out of here! There's no other solution for me. He smashed another Shadow that appeared.
42 turned the cube. More writing was on the next side. It was hard to read and run at the same time.
This is a special Ether that I created. Not only will it replenish the magic power that Angelo stripped away from you, but you will also be banished from the Corridor of Darkness.
42 turned the cube again. He stunned another winged Heartless, but he tripped and fell on the ground. The cube dropped in front of his eyes.
Beware! Only use this item when you are prepared. I have no idea where this Ether is, and I only know that I sent it to the Keyblade replica you hold.
42 bashed a Shadow that was on his shoulder.
You could be sent anywhere! The world of your destination will be randomized. But no matter what, you must make it to the Subspace Core. That is where we will meet.
The flag wasn't anywhere in sight. Can I really do this?
"Hey, what is that?" asked Angelo. "I don't remember making an Ether for you…"
Damn! There's no choice! I have to do it! There's no other path I can take!
"Drop that box," said Angelo. "or suffer the consequences." In an unknown location, Angelo rested his fingers on his keyboard, ready to make an action.
42 clutched the special Ether and closed his eyes tightly. It's all or nothing!