Disclaimer – Final Fantasy: Record Keeper is the intellectual property of Square Enix and DeNA. I claim ownership of only the original characters and plot of this story, which is just for amusement – I am receiving no compensation for it. The Final Fantasy realm, in all its myriad forms, has a firm hold of my imagination for which I thank everyone involved.
Author's note – I started posting this story on a Record Keeper forum in April 2015. I'm a lady gamer, so, even though I can't change the sprite, my player character in FF:RK in my mind in both the game and the story is a girl Record Keeper named Kitt. My favorite character is Cecil, this story is just for a lark, so it will be decidedly more fan girl than my usual offerings. While there might be some 'Mary Sue' leanings, there will not be a non-canon ship, and 'Kitt' will be realized as my take on a Record Keeper from the kingdom, rather than a girl like me improbably hijacked into the game. If such a story might intrigue you, read on and I hope you enjoy!
To place the start of the story (I am sure to depart from events and certainly the order of the game pretty quick so for any seasoned fan fic readers, this is most definitely AU) it is during the 'Light Against the Darkness' Event, after you've gained Dark Knight Cecil, but before you've challenged the Gravesite to gain Paladin Cecil.
"Once upon a time, there was a kingdom. Its glory was measured in magic and art, and above all else, stories. The record keepers preserved these stories, that their example might inspire peace and prosperity. They used powerful magic to bind their records, not in dusty tomes, but in paintings of great beauty. The Royal Archives. Here, the paintings are sorted by the stories their records tell, and kept under constant guard. And so the ages passed in peace. A peace maintained by the watchful keepers and their records. Until, one day, the records within the paintings began to disappear... As the color of memories past faded, a darkness fell upon the world, bringing catastrophe and ruin." (From the introduction to FINAL FANTASY Record Keeper)
Keeper's Conundrum
Kitt took off her Keeper's Tri-Scroll hat to let the breeze on the summit of Mount Ordeals play through her hat-flattened hair. She'd always thought the headgear looked rather silly, with its three corners curling in all directions, but Dr. Mog insisted she wear it, as a sign of her station. Personally, she thought it was because she'd muffed up the test about the garment so long ago, failing to state what each corner represented to a Record Keeper - Observation, Research and Understanding - those meanings were locked into her brain now, but the moogle genius claimed there was no such design behind his command.
Her eyes lifted from the semi-detested hat to gaze out upon the scene spanned before her. The bulk of the mountain, as well as the camp, was behind her, so she was able to look out for miles across the expanse of the forest surrounding Mount Ordeals. If she could view far enough, mythic Mysidia lay in the direction of her gaze, and behind her, across miles of water lay the kingdom of Baron.
Oh, she knew she wasn't in the 'real' world that held both Baron and Mysidia, this was the Record Realm based on that world and the heroes who made their mark on that world's stories. But, when she could see this view, feel this breeze blowing through her hair, and... "I can't believe this is happening to me!"
"What? What can't you believe?" The statement might have seemed challenging, except the tone of voice that delivered it was calm and gentle. Still, Kitt's heart thudded emphatically when she turned to face her team mate.
Cecil, the Dark Knight, in all his solid, darkened armor and rueful melancholy, faced her. He was one of her favorite heroes of the Record Realms, had been since the very beginning of her apprentice days, but the reality of him, or what seemed to pass as a reality of him, had taken some getting used to. Like most of the heroes, he was tall, far taller than she was. Like all the heroes, even the shorter ones like Rydia, he was possessed of a significant presence. Further, he was clad head to toe in dark armor that exhausted Kitt just by looking at it - she judged it to be ninety pounds if it was an ounce, and yet it never seemed to slow the Dark Knight down. And the helmet. Yes, he was the Dark Knight. She knew his Record better than any other - how the king of Baron had commanded him to take up the dark sword and learn the dark blade's arts and it made sense that he was to embody all that a dark knight was because of all that, but really! Did his helmet have to be so fearsome? It always made her heart thud whenever she saw it, even though she knew the heart buried under all that dark armor and the eyes hidden behind that terrifying visor were kind.
"Uhm, this view. It's spectacular!" Kitt said in answer to his question. She wasn't sure how else to answer him - in a way, she wasn't sure what exactly he was, after all.
She was here, inside the Record Realm of the real Cecil's world, detailed by a magical painting in the Royal Archives. Some fell force of evil and ignorance was attacking her kingdom, and its actions manifested in the darkening of the various mystical paintings of each Record Realm. Her mentor, Dr. Mog, charged her with entering the various Record Realms to restore the stories, which would restore the paintings, a task she had been thrilled (and secretly delighted) to be given, and when the first few missions had given her help in the form of the Warrior, the White Mage, and so forth she'd been professional, but, when the first hero with a detailed personality and legend joined, she'd been flummoxed.
Not that she let on. Not that they seemed all that different than the unnamed heroes, either. Each followed her suggestions, even traversing with her outside of his or her own realm without reservation, complaint, or discomfort. She thought that perhaps they were recordings of the heroes, or the hero's memorable actions, rather than the heroes themselves - a thought that made sense, and gave her some relief (as she couldn't mess up the actual reality the Record Realms were based on by confusing the 'real' heroes) but also saddened her. How cool would it be to actually meet Cecil and the others? To adventure alongside of them, and have their help saving her world as she helped to save their individual Record Realms? Still, she wasn't going through each conflict and battle with any sort of historical accuracy - she wasn't there in the actual realm from each reality, after all. Each battle unfolded a bit differently than the record of the battle indicated, just by the fact she was there not merely witnessing the battles, but actually fighting in them. Also, the named heroes traveling from one Record Realm to the other? That was new. Cloud never helped Tidus in his world. Every once in a while rumors would float among the apprentices in the dormitories about a special Record Realm, one that was much more complicated than the others, one that only Master Archivists (such as Dr. Mog) could view (much less enter) where such realm-wide crossovers occurred, but Kitt didn't even know this to be absolutely true.
Cecil loomed over her, staring down at her with that fearsome armored aspect for long enough that Kitt began to not only fidget, but wonder if she would have to leap off the mountain to avoid the cold, merciless stare of the Dark Knight. Cecil displayed some of his strength, coordination and grace leveraging his dark heavy armor in such a way he was able to sit next to her without falling down flat on his back. The relief from his looming presence made Kitt smile faintly. "I've been wanting to speak with you," Cecil began. "I have some questions that I think you might be able to answer."
"I'll do my best," Kitt replied. She shivered. "But, could I ask a favor? Could you - lift your visor?"
Cecil's gauntleted hand performed a precise, practiced motion so fast Kitt couldn't even tell exactly what he did, but two swift metallic clicks later she was able to see Cecil's rueful, self-deprecating smile as he released both the top and bottom halves of the face plate of his helmet to reveal his face. "My apologies. I forget how daunting it is to gaze upon my dark knight battle aspect."
"Daunting indeed! At least with Kain, and how short I am in comparison, I can peek under his frightening dragon helm to see his face."
"I had not considered that before." He leaned in a little and lowered his voice as if conveying a secret. "I always have to gaze upon the aspect of the dragon, as Kain and I are close to the same height."
Kitt laughed.
"Good. Now I know you are no longer intimidated by the 'dark knight' I am." Cecil's gently teasing manner dropped. "I have concerns that only you may help alleviate."
"Go on," Kitt replied. "I'm listening."
Now it was Cecil's turn to gaze into the distance. "I've had this strange feeling, ever since I met you. It's very strong - this feeling that I've done this before, but not in this way. In my memories, I have confronted my past before, on the top of this very mountain, but Kain wasn't with me. Neither were Tidus, nor Cloud. At this point, Rydia had been swept overboard from my care into the Land of the Eidolons. You are young, nearly as young as Palom and Porom, and yet you display the very rare ability Tellah possessed, of being able to use many schools of magic at once. These three are the ones who were with me when I ascended Mount Ordeals." Cecil turned to look at Kitt full in the face with a rather stern expression. "I need to know what is going on; why I am once again facing this challenge; why my detailed memories seem to conflict so strongly with what is happening now; and who you are. I need to know what has happened to my friends who aren't here, when they should be, and why friends from different times, and different worlds entirely, are present when my memory indicates they ought not be."
"Oh, wow," Kitt muttered. "Oh, dear!" She continued as the full impact of what Cecil asked hit her. "I don't know how I can explain... Oh, this could ruin everything!"