Kingdom Hearts
The Rewritten Journals Book 1
Birth by Sleep -Ivalice-

-Arazlam-

The sun was shining over us as we rode a small aircraft through the clouds that whisked by us. When I say "we" or "us", I mean myself, the pilot that was payed for by the university, and my student, Jenna, who I brought along to assist in my research. We were on our way to the airport in the city of Rabanastre, which has been known to be a hub for all travelers exploring Ivalice or the rest of the known worlds. The airship was a little "cramped" to say the least. In fact, I could hardly call it a ship! The glass dome the pilot calls a cockpit window made the closeness of the passenger seats very uncomfortable. The leg room wasn't too good either. My assistant kept her legs curled underneath her since her knees were pushing on her chest.

Jenna was a female viera, a humanoid with many features that one may associate with a leporine mammal, like a rabbit. Her head had long, curly silver hair that reached her ankles and sported large, furry, gray, black-tipped ears. As we sat in our cushioned passenger seats, I saw to my embarrassment that the attire that she chose that day left little to the imagination. It was a dress made of two thin sheets of silk that covered only the front and back of her torso down to her waist. What was exposed showed her darkened skin at the sides and whatever else she wore underneath. Her long legs were armor plated under shining white cuisses and greaves while wearing stilletos. I found this display disgusting for my pupil! Here we are, going on a research trip, and she decides to dress like she's going out dancing! How close she sat to me didn't make this any more comfortable either.

Sometimes I think she does this to spite me. Ever since she arrived at the university from the Feywood, she was the usual troublemaker when it came to rules of the school or hume society. I have read many books on viera and how they are a very wise and respectable people, the other scholars gave me one that acts too much like a child to be my student! Under my teaching, she has been late with much of her research papers, distracted herself by "playing" with the other students, and she even damaged a tree in the courtyard just to move her dorm room onto it! The only reason I have to put up with her now is that the other scholars have threatened to fire me and cut off my funding, if I didn't take her along. Any question I made to why I had to bring her along was avoided.

As usual, when it feels like we've been riding for an hour or two, Jenna, just leaned back with her long ears drooping over the back of her seat, asking, "Are we there yet, Professor?" Even while travelling, she acts like a child and she's only a century old!

I scowled at her as I said, "Jenna, asking me or the pilot that same question over and over doesn't make this trip end any sooner. And why are you dressed like that? We're going to a well respected academy and you look like you're going to a party!"

She just gave me a glazed look in her teal eyes and said, "It's because it's hot today! I need my skin to breathe! As for you, how do you even find those stuffy robes comfortable in temperatures like this?"

"If you must know...," I said, struggling to find a comfortable position in my small seat. "...it's because my tailor knows which fabrics let enough air through. I recommend you see him once we return home. Until then, whenever we reach our destination, put on your academic uniform! We need to show our hosts respect while we're moving between worlds!"

"I'm not making any promises..."

Our pilot shouted from his seat in front of us, "Alright, we're here! Try not to move too much while I fly near the platform!"

"Like I have a choice..." I thought to myself.

I could see out the window at the landscape below. Standing high above dusty plains and scorching deserts, sticking out of the otherwise flat landscape, was the royal city of Rabanastre. Despite all the dull shades of grays, browns, and white throughout the city, it was still a sight to behold for its cathedrals, towers, castles, and the high walls that surrounded the community. It didn't take long before we were flying over the city limits and among the other ships coming in and out of the place. I remember from my youth that, in the old days, the only vehicles you would see in the sky is the massive airships propelled by magicite crystals and and the occasional small aircraft used by the Archadian fleet. Now, because of the revelation that other worlds exist, I saw all around us that the skies here were a little more chaotic with planes, rockets, and starships beyond anything we could imagine. Just seeing this made Ivalice feel a whole lot smaller to me.

Our transport suddenly jerked to the left, which painfully pushed me against the window. A large airship flew uncomfortably close to us as I shouted to the pilot, "What in the world are you doing?!"

He shouted back, "Sorry, Mr. D. I was a bit distracted by... nevermind... We're here!"

We began to slow down and descend. In front of us, a massive gray tower rose up with its platforms reaching out around it. Eventually the vessel came to a stop as the glass dome split apart above us and slid open to let the hot winds blow around us. I was met with the intensity of the sun at an instant in this dry land. The pilot shouted to us, "This is your stop! Your next flight is on the Airship Kirin!"

It was a relief to be out of the confines of that tight prison as my pupil and I climbed out of our seats and stepped on the hard and stable stone. I stepped forward to say to him "Well, I thank you for taking us here, but please be more careful next time! I suppose you would like a tip?"

He just smiled at me with the large-chinned duck bill on his face and said, "Don't worry, Mr. D! The school's already got that taken care of! I'm just glad I didn't crash into the tower this time!"

I felt my stomach sink when he mentioned that. "This time?!"

"Oh yeah, I did that once or twice, but that was years ago! Now I'm as good a pilot as any... most of the time anyway!"

I was almost bewildered that the school gave me a pilot with a history of accidents. I was glad that it wasn't the case this time. I nodded and nervously said, "I'll take your word for it... Just be more careful."

"Hey, thanks! Let anybody else know that I'm available if they need a lift! Now I gotta get outta here before someone finds me here. I'm not allowed to be more than five minutes in this airspace!"

"I'll keep that in mind... good day to you, McQuack."

The pilot saluted me and closed the glass dome over him before flying off. It wasn't long before he was followed by a few patrol vessels. I motioned Jenna, who carried our bags, to follow me into the tower.

The airport of Rabanastre has become quite the place for world travel. Even if you didn't have the gil or munny for the travel fares, you could always meet someone from outside Ivalice and take home something to remember the encounter. After some remodeling and expansions, the place became a second bazaar for the city. Perhaps even better than the Muthru Bazaar district!

We took the elevator down to the main floor, where we were instantly surrounded by citizens and foreigners alike. I told Jenna to stay close as we squeezed through the crowds of people that shopped for goods from the outside world. People of all shapes, sizes, and races were here from all around. Humes, viera, seeqs, baanga, mogs, talking animals, and many more filled the halls with the murmur of their conversations. All around, the merchants shouted out their wares.

"Sugared dates! Sugared dates and figs! Sugared dates and pistachios!"

"Fortunes, forecasts, lucky charms!"

"Fresh fish! We catch 'em! You buy 'em!"

As we walked, Jenna and I looked above at the signs hanging overhead for the different pathways to the airships. Again, another grumble from her reached my ears and I knew another complaint was on the way.

"Professor, slow down! It's bad enough we have to carry all these bags of stupid parchments and inkwells all over the place! Do we really need this much?"

I smirked at her and said, "A scholar would much rather have things that he doesn't need than to need them and not have them. This trip is going to really test our supplies for notes!"

"Notes or an encyclopedia?"

I stopped walking when we found our sign. "Interworld Airship Kirin. Time of Departure: Noon."

"That's in a half-hour!" I said. "Splendid, we're just in time!"

We pushed through the crowd just fast enough to make it to the platform in time for the crew to let the last few passengers on board to take their seats below deck. The Kirin didn't look like the other airships flying over the city. It was made of wood instead of the sheets of metal bolted together on other ships. In fact, it looked more like one of those sailing vessels without masts. Attached to the bow and stern were four huge colorless crystals that glowed brightly, which appeared to be magicite, a mineral that is native to this world with magical properties. Most of our machines and vehicles are powered by these crystals. On the ramp that led into the ship's hull, a single hume woman in a blue dress and hat was taking tickets from the passengers getting inside. Naturally, we followed suit. When we took our places, I was glad that it was more comfortable than what we had to endure in that sardine can of a vessel. I was able to slouch a little on the soft leather cushions while Jenna stretched her long legs and propped them up on the back of an empty seat in front of her.

"Ah, finally I can have a little breathing room!" she said as she arched her back and stretched her arms. "I could take a nap for a few minutes like this!"

"I could do the same thing! This is very nice!" I said.

A loud jingle could be heard across the ship as a gruff, hissing voice could be heard from the loud speakers positioned at the corners of the passenger cabin. By the heavy accent, I could tell it was a bangaa, one of those lizardfolk. "This is your captain speaking. We hope you enjoyed your time here, because now we're going to shove off this hunk of rock! Try to stay in your seats while we launch into the Lanes Between. We don't want to have to clean up the walls again!"

-The Lanes Between-

As I sat, I was left feeling nauseous as the airship lurched to launch. My hands gripped the wooden armrests tightly as I could feel the force of Ivalice's gravity trying to pull me back in as the ship quickly left it behind. Eventually, the pull was gone and I was certain we have left the world's vicinity. I relaxed, feeling like I was about to lose this morning's tea and scones all over my long brown beard. Once it felt safe to leave my seat, I stood and approached the stairs to get a good view outside.

As I read in the tales of the old travelers, it usually takes world travel to appreciate the beauty of the Lanes Between. I watched in awe as thousands of stars passed by us in seconds. Or were we passing by them? To think these interdimensional pathways were previously kept secret to all, except those who were deeply intertwined with the fates of many worlds. Travel within them was banned due to how dangerous it was to be in them from high levels of radiation from some unknown source. Normally it would be quite deadly for me to be standing exposed on the deck. Fortunately however, previous travelers discovered that safe transport through the lanes can be achieved through the protection of ships, armor, and magical barriers. The magicite crystals that propelled us forward also powered these barriers.

I was immediately taken out of my reverie, when I heard a voice say to me, "First time seein' the lanes, guv'nor?" I jumped and looked to my right to see I wasn't alone. A very filthy looking man with a large broom was looking up at the stars with me. Head to toe, this fellow seemed to be almost completely covered in black. He had a black coat, black pants,and black shoes. Even his skin seemed darker since it was covered in soot. By the sulfurous smell, I could tell it was from fire crystal ash. The only thing that stood out was his red scarf, which he wore around his neck, the white pinstriped shirt under his coat, and the gray cap on his head.

He took a glance back at me and said, "Sorry, am I botherin' ya? Couldn't help m'self, guv. A job like this doesn't offer a good chat since those lizards are at the 'elm." At least his teeth seemed clean when he smiled and laughed. "Just wanted to say you were remindin' me of meself when I first took a look up from cleanin'. Cor, what a beautiful sight! Me name's Bert by the way!"

I was taken by surprise when he grabbed by hand in his filthy grip and shook vigorously. I pulled away from him and saw he left my palm looking like ebony. I wiped the soot off on my cloak as I said in a displeased tone, "Mine is Arazlam, and I would appreciate you not doing that again..."

"What, shakin' yer 'and? Why not? It's good luck to shake 'ands with a sweep! At least thats 'ow it is in me old town o' London."

Hearing this made this "London" place seem very unpleasant to me. I took a step away from him and said, "Well, I'm not from London, so I would appreciate a commoner like you to keep his hands to himself!"

Bert just smiled, stepped away, and said, "Say no more, guv'nor! I have to sweep the other side o' the deck anyhow! Good day to ya, sir!" He walked away and began sweeping his broom while singing a tune to himself. I hate to admit that it was quite catchy.

"Chim-chim-in-ey,
chim-chim-in-ey,
chim-chim-cher-ee!
A sweep is as lucky
as lucky can be!

Chim-chim-in-ey,
chim-chim-in-ey,
chim-chim-cher-oo!
Good luck will rub of,
when I shakes 'ands with you!"

Jenna came up the steps on deck and her ears faced in the direction of Bert as he sang his tune. She looked over at him with her teal eyes as a child-like smile creeped across her face. She emerged from below with her stilettos tapping against the wooden boards as she held her arms behind her back to sway her head to the sound of the music.

Bert just looked in her direction and sang, "Or blow me a kiss and that's lucky too!" She raised an eyebrow and, as if she decided to humor him for his tune, she kissed her delicate fingertips and made a soft blow. I rolled my eyes as he pretended to catch it and returned to his work.

As she walked her way toward me, I scowled and said, "Try not to play around with too many men, Jenna. This trip is for research purposes only and not the pleasures of a vacation."

She leaned forward and gave me a sly smile, saying in a tone as if she was talking to a child, "Aww, is my teacher getting jealous of me not paying attention to him?" She giggled and moved a silver strand from her face. "I never thought you felt that way about me..."

"Jenna, you know I'm not interested in women that are too young for me."

As I said this, her ears were at full attention on me. Her eyes were like daggers in my direction as her cheeks puffed in rage. She rapidly stamped her foot with her stiletto chipping away at the wood. "Too young?!" she growled. "You know I'm over one-hundred and fourty-five years old! What are you, in your fifties? In that case, you're the one who's much too young you wrinkled hume! I should be the teach-!" I reach into my pocket and produce a forked piece of metal. She backed away and pulled her ears down to the side of her head while making a squeal. "Not the tuning fork! Anything but the tuning fork!"

"Look, we've been over this multiple times. I'm the teacher and you're the pupil. If you are going to act like a child, I will find ways to punish you like one. This is why you're too young in my eyes. Now, are you going to take this trip seriously, or do you still want to goof around with the opposite sex?" She kept pulling her ears down while slowly shaking her head. "Good, because I don't want this to keep being a problem. Is that clear?" She nodded. I smiled to her and put the fork away in my robes. "Now, try to behave yourself while we reach the Eraqus Academy in the Land of Departure."

She let go of her ears and asked, "Remind me again why we're going there?"

"The academy used to be a place where students came to learn the martial art of using keyblades. It was the only one of its kind after the reconstruction. According to the headmistress, they might have some leads for us to discover the truth of our forgotten heroes."

"Oh, right! The only reason we know about them is a journal that had much of the pages blanked out!"

"That is correct. To make matters worse, we were left with a convoluted and confusing story when we tried to fill in those blanks. We need to look for sources outside that journal to make sense out of it."

Once more, I heard the voice of he captain hiss and growl in the speakers. "We are nearing our next stop! Anyone on deck, get to your seats as the ship slows down an lands!"

Hearing this, I was astonished. "We're already there? I was expecting this to take hours with the distance they told me!" Still this was good. We could start our research as soon as we arrived at the old academy! So, Jenna and I returned below deck. Bert stopped sweeping to look up at the world ahead of us.

"Up where the blackness slowly unfurls,
'tween dark and the light,
is a mysterious world.

There's 'ardly no day
nor 'ardly no night.

There's things 'alf in shadow
and 'alfway in light.

The Land of Departure.
Cor, what a sight!"

I looked up as well. It was a small planetoid with a dull looking landscape with barren mountains and small patches of green meadows. Nestled between four mountains was a large castle-like structure that was chained to the neighboring peaks. If it wasn't for them, it would have seemed to be floating! I heard the engines begin to quiet down. It was time to return to my seat.