A/N: So, I'm gonna try and put the "exposition chapters", as I like to call them, up in quick succession, and then I'm gonna start having one or two chapters uploaded a week once we get into the thick of things.
As he observed his play-things wander around confusedly, Macuilxochitl decided that it was time to add a bit more drama into this play.
As Zack was wandering around this seemingly endless expanse of grassy hills and plains for the second day in a row, he began to inspect the weapon that he had been left with. A far cry from his buster sword, only slightly longer than a dirk, and covered with splotches of rust, it barely qualified as a useable blade. Thinking that he would be in trouble if anything more powerful than a stick of butter attacked him, Zack continued trudging on.
The mysterious presence had hinted that his loved ones would be here as well, so he had to find Aerith and make sure that she was safe. After that, well, he didn't know what he would do after that. He guessed he would try to find a way to get out of wherever here was, and get back home, preferably with his buster sword in tow. But, he didn't even know if there was a way out of here. Heck, he didn't even know if there was a way out of here. Abandoning these fruitless thoughts, Zack was about to take a break and sit down when a familiar, disembodied voice called out.
"Greetings, insects, I trust you are all having fun." This guy, thought Zack as he clenched his jaw and gripped the hilt of his sword. What did he want?
"Oh yeah, I'm doing just fucking dandy you disembodied piece of-" But, Dante's quip was cut off by the booming voice.
"I'm sure you are all wondering why you can't find the friends and loved ones I promised would be there with you."
"No, actually, I'm more worried about my goddamn coat and weapons you son of a-" Again, the devil hunter's words were interrupted.
"And I am also sure that some of you are also wondering where the equipment that you usually carry has gone."
"Damn skippy, you interrupting bastard! I swear, if I ever find you, I'm going to rip your throat out, so you'll never be able to interrupt anyone ever again!"
"Well, wonder no longer, for you shall get your answers, peons."
How dare he refer to her, the crown king of Britain, as "insect", or "peon"? He would pay for these insults in due time, but first Arturia would have to listen to what he had to say.
"The reason that you have not been able to find your loved ones, or anyone else for that matter, is that you are not quite done with your journey. You are all currently in a waiting room of sorts, a pocket dimension while I prepare the stage for the production that you will all be participating in. Don't worry, once I am done explaining, I will transport you to your final destination. But first, your situation. You are all my underlings. I am your god, and could snuff your pitiful lives out without so much as a whim. Never forget that in the times to come." This angered Saber. How dare he act as if he were superior to her. Her god? She knew only one god, and he did not do things such as this to his children.
So, he was just playing with her right now? Making her wait to see Serah? Lightning clenched her fists in rage at the audacity of the faceless man.
"Soon, you will all be transported into a game of my own design. Once there, you will fight your way through one hundred floors filled with dangers and tests of strength. Once you clear all of the floors, you will be granted your freedom, but until then, you shall be trapped in this world. You have been stripped of your equipment so as to make this a true challenge, and to make it more entertaining for me. You will find that this game will be filled with an innumerable amount of people, so finding your loved ones will be a difficult task. For some of you it may even prove impossible, but rest assured they are in there with you. At least for a time. And this brings me to my final point. I will not protect you in this game. If you decide to get yourself written out of this grand play, then there will be no heroic return for you. You shall cease to exist in this world and any other."
Harsh terms, thought Sora. If he couldn't find Kairi in this game, he hoped she would be okay. Maybe Riku would find her. He would protect her. No, he couldn't think like that. He would find them both, and they would fight their way out of here. Despite only having the Kingdom Key, he would fight through all 100 hundred floors.
"You will receive further instruction in the game. Now, go my players, and put on a show for your god." As the disembodied voice finished his command, Sora felt a familiar falling feeling come over him as his sight faded to black.
A/N: I apologize for the shortness of the chapters. I just feel like having shorter chapters allows me, the author to post quicker, and leaves you, the reader, with more of a feeling of a suspense. But, I may be wrong, so, if you wish to see longer chapters, or have anything else to critique, please leave a review.