Chapter 2 – The Knight of Nightmares

I woke up to find myself lying on a pile of books. Quickly getting up, I hoped that none of the pages were wrinkled. The good doctor always scolded me whenever any of his books got a wrinkled page.

I couldn't help it, though. This is the fourth night in a row that I've fallen asleep while doing research. I know I can make Halloween better than last year. I just know it! But I feel like everything has been overdone. Creepy voices? Those went out of style before the first worlds discovered guns. Odd shadows? I'm not even touching that after what the Heartless did. Jumping out of nowhere and screaming? I couldn't even get a six-year-old to scream when I did that!

A knock on the door made me pause, a collection of books in my arms. "Jack, is that you?" A familiar voice called.

Putting on my trademark smile as easily as a mask, I replied cheerily, "Of course, Mayor! Please, do come in!"

The Mayor of Halloween Town opened my door and walked in. Considering that I needed very less than most of the other town residents, my house contained very little. In fact, I have lately taken to scolding myself that I had kept too much over the years. Several dusty boxes containing memorabilia from my greatest Halloweens lined the walls. My kitchen was clean thanks to Sally, though I still have to clean the dishes before she comes by later tonight.

Wait – the mayor's out of breath. What's going on? "Is something the matter, Mayor? You seem a bit… worn-out."

His head turned in a complete reversal, showing me the side of his head that always had a worried frown. "We have problems, Jack. Humans have entered the town!"

I nearly dropped my books. "Humans? Are you sure?"

"Completely! We need you to look into this! I'm only an elected official – I can't handle this by myself!"

If the mayor was this panicked, then everybody else wouldn't be far behind. I continued speaking as I marched out the door. "Tell everyone to remain indoors until I ring the bell in City Hall. Tell them that this is in preparation of this upcoming Halloween. If they don't buy it, just tell them the truth."

The Mayor walked alongside me… hold on, is he writing down everything I say? I know I'm a bit of hero to Halloween Town, but this is ridiculous! "Of course, Jack! We'll get right on it!"

I walked into the town plaza. It was deserted per my instructions, which was thankfully a good thing. You know that saying about how spiders are more scared of humans than vice versa? Yeah, it doesn't just apply to spiders. Halloween is our chance to interact with the outside worlds, but beyond that everyone is inexperienced. Especially after that man came here all those years ago. That man with gold eyes…

I shook my head, bringing my attention to the humans. They were tied up extremely well, but not to the point of suffocation. They were back to back, but they couldn't twist to see each other.

I have to say, they are odd even by my definitions. The man would have looked very appropriate standing next to Doctor Finkelstein. The blue eyes spoke of a deep reserve of inner confidence. He'd need it, seeing as his hair was the most abominable shade of green I've ever seen. Dressed in a white lab coat, he was struggling against his bonds.

The woman, on the other hand, was much more calm. Eyes the color of pomegranate seeds took in everything around her. I know that look – it was the one I wore when I saw Christmas Town for the first time. I wish I could turn the man's hair the same color of green as this woman's – it's such a better shade. It almost reminds me of pine trees.

"Did you see those, Zeo?" The woman asked her companion. "Those were vampires! Actual vampires!"

"I saw them just as well as you did, Kristi," the man named Zeo replied, trying to twist and turn to face her. The Hanging Tree did too good of a job tying them up. "I bet they would have looked better from a distance. Which was the plan."

"I couldn't help it! Besides, it's not like every one of your plans has been a success!" She argued.

I almost laughed at the way his veins throbbed on his forehead. It was like something out of a Saturday morning cartoon! "My plans are always successful!"

"Uh huh. And that includes the time when you thought that putting Keyblades in boots was a good idea?"

"We learned some valuable information! Not everything can be downsized!"

As much as I wanted to grab some popcorn and watch this scene unfold, I had to find out why they were here. Trying to make my face as welcoming as possible, I walked in front of them. "Hello, travelers! Welcome to Halloween Town!" I threw my arms up as I said this, gesturing to the surrounding buildings.

They both took one look at me and started screaming. Curse me for a plastic skeleton! I must have put on my scary face by accident! Waving my arms in front of me, I said, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you! Please stop screaming!"

After a lot of talking and singing (what else could I do? I was nervous!), they finally calmed down. Wiping some sweat off my forehead, I asked, "If I may, what brings you here? We don't exactly get very many visitors."

Zeo spoke up. "We came here to find someone."

"Really?" I got down on one knee, looking at him at eye level. "And how did you know he would be… here, and not at one of the other villages?"

"Other worlds, you mean?" Kristi spoke up.

Zeo and I turned to her at the same time.

"FOR THE LOVE OF THE SEVEN LIGHTS, KRISTI!"

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

Kristi fell over trying to get away. I clearly heard her say other worlds! There is definitely more going on here than meets the eye!

"I think you two need to come with me. We need a chat."

We were in my house. Zeo and Kristi were untied, allowing them to move around. Boy, did Kristi move! She was examining nearly everything in the house. Those dusty boxes? Yeah, they're not dusty anymore.

"So let me get this straight. You're… Keyblade Wielders?" I asked Zeo as Kristi picked up a black tea cup.

"That's right."

"And your job is to protect the other worlds?"

"Correct."

"But there aren't any more now, because of a war and a madman."

"Yes."

If I could pinch the bridge of my nose, I would right now. Is it normal to feel like my brain is about to start leaking information and blood? I doubt it. "It's… a little hard to take in. I've been orchestrating Halloween on nearly all worlds, yet I've never heard of you."

"Rule number one of being a Keyblade Wielder: do not talk about Keyblade Wielders. Rule two: refer to rule one. Rule three: Never mention the existence of other worlds. Can you imagine the hysteria if any of these rules were broken?"

"Point taken," I agreed. "You still haven't answered my original question, though."

"Which was?"

"Why are you here?"

At that point, Kristi put down the tea cup and joined us. "We're looking for someone who can wield a Keyblade. We're certain they're on this world."

That certainly was a shock. After hearing about what Keyblade Wielders are capable of, I was certain that nobody on this world could become one. Someone who could dedicate their life to the protection of the Light? Everyone here was dedicated to Halloween, almost synonymous with fear.

"Well, how can we tell if someone is a Keyblade Wielder?" I asked.

"It's simple, really," Kristi said. "We give them a chain to hold, and see if they materialize a Keyblade. Here, I'll show you."

She proceeded to give me a short chain with a metal pumpkin attached. "Now, if you were capable of wielding it should appear in - "

Whatever she said was lost as we shielded our eyes from a blinding flash of light. When I opened mine, I got the biggest shock of my life.

I was holding a Keyblade in my hands.

Sorry if this chapter was so short. The reason for that is because I plan to post another update later this week. See you all then!