A/N: Second chapter, please enjoy!
Chapter 01: Dream Drop Distance
Sora was no stranger to tests and dangers that pushed his limits when it came to the Keyblade. From the moment he landed upon the first station in the Dive Into the Heart, he's been thrown against some of the largest, darkest, and baddest foes every dreamed up by the darkness.
In a matter of two years, he's been thrust from his island home and tasked with hopping from one new world to the next. He's had to fight his oldest friend to try and save the girl he'd give his heart for. In fact, he did give his heart up for the girl, but only after she gave her heart to him. He's been turned into a Heartless, forced to brave the deepest bowels of darkness, and passed up a chance to return home with the one who he'd give his heart up a second time to save.
You'd think that would be enough to test the boy. No, destiny did not seem to find it adequate enough. No, then Sora had to encounter a gang of scheming, heartless nobodies (literally) that wanted to toy with his memories and his heart. But even then, Sora ended up saving the girl and eventually his own skin... only to be put to sleep. Had enough yet destiny?
To respond with a big, fat "no", destiny then introduced the nobody of this boy Sora. Roxas would be the vessel to wake Sora up and rebuild his memories, thus thrusting Sora back onto the playing board as a knight of the Realm of Light once more.
Cue more world hopping and hunting down the remains of the heartless nobodies (again, being literal here), and looking for his oldest friend who he lost to the darkness. Old friends and new friends helped him along the way, until he finally came face-to-face with an army of Heartless 1000 strong.
Now with over 50,000 Heartless served since 2005, Sora went on to storm the castle of his antagonizers. Why? Well, on top of saving the Realm of Light, finding his lost friend, and being the hero he is, he was storming the castle to rescue the girl he thought was safe at home.
Nobodies were beaten, friends were found, and a girl was firmly hugged before Sora finally faced the architect of all his recent headaches. Joining with his friends, he defeated the gang of nobodies, smashed the artificial Kingdom Hearts, and saved the Realm of Light from being under the rule of a heartless nobody who hardly remembered why he was so obsessed with Kingdom Hearts.
Alright destiny, has Sora proved himself yet?
Well, judging from the fact that he was running along the rooftops of Traverse Town being chased by a breed of Heartless he did not recognize, he decided that answer was a third, big, fat, sadistic "no"!
"How many times does a guy have to save the Realm of Light before he gets the title of Keyblade Master?" Sora leaped over a chimney and summoned his Kingdom Key to dispel a flying Heartless that managed to catch up to him. He turned on his heel and threw his keyblade into the pack of shadowy beings thirsting for his heart.
The Strike Raid easily sent his foes back into the darkness, allowing Sora a moment of peace. He plopped down heavily upon the chimney he recently jumped over and looked into the night sky of Traverse Town.
Honestly, the Mark of Mastery Exam hadn't been too difficult for him so far. Granted, he had to travel to worlds he'd been to and new worlds alike to collect items that symbolized his bond to the friends he'd made. To him, it was no different than getting keychains in his earlier travels. That was his first test.
His second test was more mysterious, but Sora suspected it had a lot to do with Xemnas. He'd seen the powerful Nobody multiple times, as he traveled the worlds to suppress the Heartless. It was no more than his shadow and the haunting echo of his laughter, but Sora felt the effect all of the same.
He was in the midst of facing the source of his fear.
The idea made sense. He still had nightmares about his fight with Xemnas — Riku at his side. So many things could have gone wrong during that fight, far more than his battle against Xehanort's Heartless. He could have lost his heart, lost Riku to the darkness, and lost Kairi forever. The Realm of Light could've fallen under the control of a Nobody bent on finding his own meaning. It would have been chaos, a campaign of misery for all the worlds he fought so hard to protect.
Sora continued to meditate on where he was in his life, while two others contemplated his performance. Far away from the remains of Traverse Town, Master Yen Sid and King Mickey Mouse watched Sora and Riku from the Mysterious Tower.
Master Yen Sid ran his thin fingers through his thick beard, as he watched the two young keybearers. His small pupils focused on Sora with interest before he gave a pleased hum. "Good, very good."
"Master?" Mickey looked away from the image of Riku cutting his way through an alley in the Third District of Traverse Town. He fixed his master with a confused stare before looking at Sora. "Looks like Sora's taking a break." He laughed a little, but his smile faded when he saw the serious look on Sora's face.
The aged sorcerer nodded his head when he saw his old apprentice realized the truth. "Sora has arrived at a crossroads." He waved his hand to summon the illusion that haunted Sora. "He feels the weight of his destiny, and now he must choose to face it with the full strength of his heart."
The king of Disney Castle looked upon a Sora he did not fully recognize. "I don't understand Master." His eyes grew sympathetic. "Sora's faced every challenge without hesitation or fear." He looked to his master, "Why now?"
Master Yen Sid leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. "I have had a hand in this." He snapped open his eyes when he felt the phantom of Xemnas appear near Sora. "By making Sora the only person able to see and hear this replica of Xemnas, I have tested the source of his light, the origin of his strength and courage."
"His friends." Mickey quickly recalled what Sora credited his strength to.
Yen Sid nodded, "Yes, but a Keyblade Master needs more than the direct support of his friends." A hint of sadness passed through his usually stoic face. "Sometimes, we must face the darkness alone, but we must remember that the bonds of our heart stretch beyond any distance."
The keyblade bearing mouse nodded his head solemnly. He hated forcing Sora to face such a terrible foe alone, but he knew Yen Sid was right. This was the next stage of Sora's growth, and the keyblade needed to see him achieve it. "And Riku, Master?" He looked to the other bubble that showed Riku reaching the First District of Traverse Town.
"Riku must find his dreams once more." Master Yen Sid shook his head sadly at the thought of Riku. "Losing himself to the darkness left scars that still haunt him."
"Do you think he has a chance of showing the mark?" Mickey asked hopefully. Between the two young keybearers, he spent more time with Riku. The time spent with him caused Mickey to feel a strong friendship with the young man. He was proud of Riku for controlling his darkness, and mastering the weaknesses of his heart. "He's grown so much over the past two years."
Yen Sid expressed his agreement with a tilt of his head. "Indeed, and he has proven himself capable of using the keyblade for the side of light." He observed Riku confront the illusion of Ansem, Seeker of Darkness. "He has a chance, and I am confident he will show the mark."
There was a pause between the two before Yen Sid spoke again. "But," he saw Mickey look at him, "he is not fated to open the door."
"But Sora already opened the Door to Light." Mickey looked confused.
"It is not simply the Door to Light that needs to be opened my dear friend." Yen Sid stood up from his chair and walked over to the large bookshelf. He waved his hand and summoned a large tome from the bookcase and set it before Mickey. "For this journey, we are not trying to stop the creation of Kingdom Hearts, but the creation of the x-blade."
Mickey took the tome from Yen Sid and set it down heavily at his side. "I know, but what does that have to do with anything Master?" He looked up into the eyes of the old sorcerer and immediately recognized the look in his eyes. "You've seen something, something ominous."
"Read the book." Yen Sid gave the simple order as a reply and returned to his seat. "I will let you be the guide during this next journey. It is the next step for you to take as a bearer of the keyblade."
The Mysterious Tower grew silent, as Sora and Riku's progress consumed their full attention. Riku was nearing his confrontation with Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, and Sora was once again on the move.
Sora leaped down from the rooftops of the Traverse Town hotel and landed just in front of the mansion that once housed the 101 Dalmations. He took a careful step forward and looked around. His senses were screaming that something was wrong — like being surrounded by darkness. It was thick, heavy, and consuming.
"A world forever draped in night, perpetually suspended between the Realm of Light and the Realm of Darkness." A calm, deep voice gently severed the silence of the night.
Keyblade appearing in hand, Sora whipped around and looked up at the levitating form of Xemnas. He was wearing his Black Coat, the signature of the former Organization XIII. His eyes were focused skywards, and his arms were folded.
"Perhaps this world would have served me better." Xemnas lowered his gaze to Sora. "Wouldn't you agree?" He spoke as if to an old friend, a level of familiarity that made Sora's spine run cold. The illusion of Xemnas chuckled at the expression on Sora's face.
"What's so funny!" Sora demanded. He pointed his Kingdom Key at the illusion, "and stop talking like we're friends." He glared at Xemnas, and prepared himself to charge.
Xemnas snorted and unfolded his arms. "Sora," he said slowly, "why are you in such a rush to perish?" He spread his arms in a wide gesture, "I simply want us to become familiar with each other, before we journey into the darkness together."
"You're delusional!" Sora lunged at Xemnas and aimed his key at Xemnas's face. The Organization's former architect chuckled and leaned out of the path of Sora's strike. "Take this!" Sora crouched low and lashed out anew, this time using speed akin to his Valor Form.
The Organization's leader raised his hand and ignited the blade of light he was most famous for. The Kingdom Key impacted Xemnas's chosen weapon with a hiss, but held firm against the legendary weapon. "The more you struggle," he pushed Sora back and formed a barrier of light to throw him down into the lower street, "the darker your heart grows."
Sora threw his Keyblade, a Strike Raid aimed for Xemnas's chest. He called back the Kingdom Key when Xemnas dodged and descended to bring his blades down upon Sora's head. He blocked both swords of light and pushed up against Xemnes's pressing strength. "What do you know about my heart!"
"Far more than you realize." Xemnas spoke low and slow, like running a knife along Sora's skin. He leaped up suddenly, and smirked when Sora stumbled at the sudden loss of pressure. "Won't you dive into the dark with me Sora?" Xemnas offered his hand.
"Nope," Sora smiled broadly at Xemnas, "have too many friends in the light." He assumed his crouched stance. "Besides, I've been to the Realm of Darkness, and it's depressing."
Xemnas chuckled before he suddenly vanished. Sora knew what was coming. He quickly cast a Reflect spell on himself, just as Xemnas reappeared to circle around him and leave beams of light in his wake. The bubble of light solidifed around Sora just in time for Xemnas to shoot the beams inward with a roar of, "Fire!"
The Reflect bubble absorbed the blow and left Sora unharmed. When it collapsed, it sent the destructive force of the attack harmlessly outwards.
"Can you hold on to that small speck of light?" Xemnas's voice rang in Sora's ear before he appeared in front of him, swords in mid-swing. The keybearer rolled away from the first strike, but ended up in the path Xemnas's follow-up swing. Sora blocked the diagonal strike and recoiled back. The illusion gave chase by spinning around, swords pointed outwards to strike Sora multiple times.
Sora shielded himself with his Kingdom Key and blocked the spinning attack, but barely. When Xemnas vanished again, Sora's arms dropped heavily. He shifted his weight to turn around, but a firm grip on his collar caught him off guard. "Gah!"
"We can go together." Xemnas spun Sora around, preparing to throw him into the air. The toss was powerful, strong enough to send Sora more than six-stories skyward.
His mind spun, and all Sora could hear was the rush of wind going past his ears. When his ascent slowed enough, the keybearer felt the sensation of floating in mid-air. After what felt like ages of being a jumbled mess, Sora's mind regained its composure. He readied himself to dodge the barrage of vines he knew Xemnas was going to throw at him...
... but the attack never came.
Sora waved his arms in the air and turned. He expected the feeling of plummeting to the hard concrete...
... but the fall never came.
"What the—" Sora looked down at Xemnas, and blinked at the scene below him. The illusion of his latest foe was frozen in place, hand raised ready to send his vines spiraling up to skewer him. "What going on?" Sora blinked again, as gravity slowly started to pull him down.
Slowly, he fell towards the concrete, head pointed down and arms slowly flailing. His blue eyes widened when the concrete suddenly changed color. What was once dark grey pavement was now orange and purple, like a twilight sky. The sensation was all too familiar. It was like the dream that had started his journey, the strange dream that would lead him to the Dive Into the Heart.
Back in the Mysterious Tower, the two observers of the Mark of Mastery were alarmed. Mickey was the first to react, pointing the sphere of light that showed Sora's journey. "Something's wrong Master Yin Sid!"
The aged sorcerer stood up from his chair and used his magic to try and sense what was wrong. This was not part of the test.
"And just when Sora was about to kick Xemnas's butt too." Mickey looked at his master for an answer. His questioning expression turned into dread upon seeing Yen Sid's pale face. "Master?"
Yen Sid wiped his brow with a withered hand and sat down heavily in his chair. "It is not possible." He moved his hands to hover them around the sphere showing Sora's slow descent. Closing his large eyes, he focused and opened his senses.
The keybearing mouse at his side leaned in expectantly. "What do you sense Master?"
"An ancient presence." Yen Sid answered with a low voice. He looked at the sphere with a piercing gaze, as if it was the only thing in the entire universe that needed his attention. "A fragment of the sky bids him forth."
"Fragment," Mickey tilted his head, "of the sky?" He contemplated these words and looked to Sora again. It took only a moment for him to draw his own conclusion. "You mean—?" He looked to his old master for confirmation.
Yen Sid's only answer was a nod.
Falling somewhere between the illusion of Traverse Town and some mysterious place unfamiliar to him, Sora could only wait and follow the pull of his heart. He was no longer in the town perpetually cast in the shadows of night, but was instead in place forever in twilight. He first suspected Twilight Town as his new destination, until he felt the scorching heat on his face.
His slow descent, as soon as he felt the heat, became a fast plummet. Before his mind could process his renewed connection to gravity, Sora had a face full of dirt.
Slowly lifting himself onto all fours, Sora groaned. The fall wasn't high, but it was enough to leave him with sand up his nose and a throbbing forehead. "Now where am I?" He opened his eyes and immediately felt the sting of suddenly being in a well-lit place.
When the sting faded and his eyes adjusted to the light, Sora took in his new surroundings. His guess from before was completely correct, this place was foreign to him. In all of his travels, he'd never seen so many keyblades in one place.
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