Darkest Depths

Chapter. 2

"Well isn't this just specTACULAR!"

"A brand new toy to mess around with!"

"Time for this little blue jay to get flying!"

Rayne bolted upright holding his head as mysterious piercing voices echoed around in his head. He ran his fingers back through his blue hair as the sound of lapping waves found its way to his ringing ears. As he looked around he saw he was laying a vast beach of dark sand with black gnarled roots growing from the ground and spreading out across the ground as they disappeared into the black sea that laid beside him as the bright moon sat on the horizon. As he slowly stood up he felt the world shifting and grabbed onto a tree root to keep from falling before he felt his stomach continue it's path making him retch emptying what was left in his stomach. "Oh god that did NOT taste better coming back up, ugh..."

"So the blue boy has finally woken up eh?" the voice came from behind him making him turn but as his blurry vision came into line a bright ball of flame zoomed at him. In a bout of reaction he brought his arms up in front of his face in defense closing his eyes, but in a burst of light he felt a flurry of warm embers lick along his arms and cheeks. As he opened his eyes he saw a blade in his hand easily 4 feet from pommel tip, at least he thought it was a blade, The handle was made of licking crimson flames framed around his hand as they flared up around it before being consumed into the black hilt before a metal shaft ran up to a shape that reminded him of the teeth of a key but cut with two crowns into them. "So I WAS right, you are one of the chosen of the Keyblade."

"Huh?..." Rayne said intelligently as he tried to take in the information as he didn't know what it meant. Keyblade... this man... Rayne looked up at him as he sat next to a fire eating a cooked leg of pork chomping at it like someone you'd expect to see in the wild. What was strangest was his attire, the man was dressed as freaking clown and an evil one at that, his make up was strewn across his face with a yellow star on one eye, a flame around the other while his lips were stained with a wide purple ear to ear grin. His blonde hair was pulled back in a low pony-tail while his attire was comprised of a puffy patchwork, polka dot, frilly suit complete with red green and yellow curled shoes and purple painted nails.

"rather droll are you not? Well you see that key-like sword you are carrying is called the Keyblade, very few are ever chosen to wield it and those that are are said to find wonders and adventures beyond anyone's wildest dreams." The man said progressively becoming more eccentric as his hands seem to move over each other like an insects jaws rather than limbs. "Oh what a power that would be, ow you might even be able to reunite with your girl, Sera was it?"

"What the heck jerk?! Shes my sister!" Rayne snapped at the clown which made him jump... and stay in mid-air. Rayne stared at him while the clown watched him in turn, then Rayne quietly swung the blade back and forth under him, then over, then back under, then left and right, then back under. He blinked before looking back up at the clown then under him again. "...How?..."

"Magic ma'boy! Don't you know any?" The clown said before standing back up on the firm ground. The transition fascinated Rayne and he remembered the same thing happening with his sword, or Keyblade or whatever it was called. "Do you want to learn to wield the magical energies?"

"That would be awesome!" Rayne said as he looked over the blade but in the briefest of moments his reflection on the crimson flames showed his sister before changing back with the next ray of light, the sudden flashing transition brought him back to his senses. His grip tightened on the blade as a heat grew in the depths of his stomach while his blood red eyes locked with the clowns. "Stop leading me around, how do I find my sister, who are you, and where are we anyway!"

"Well so much for being pleasant," The clown said quietly, though it sounded like it was meant to be under his breath he failed at it. He seemed to pace for a few seconds thinking about whether or not he wanted to answer Rayne's questions. The treatment had started to stoke Rayne's anger, as it was happening the flames of the blade seemed to slowly pulsate with a low soft red which the clown noticed though Rayne didn't. "Okay, my name is Kefka Palazzo at your service young sir, adviser to kingdoms and grand magister, as for where we are, this is the Realm of Darkness, quite dreary isn't it?"

"The Realm of Darkness?... Shouldn't there be monsters or something? And why are you here?" Rayne glanced around grasping the handle of his weapon a little tighter expecting one of the black creatures from earlier to leap at him from the shadows but none did come as he glanced back at Kefka a little apprehensive and curious as to why the mage and adviser would be in such a place.

"Oh, I was trapped here protecting an apprentice who was a little in over his head, but I don't hold it against him, youngsters what can you do with curious minds but guide them, am I right?" Kefka paraded on talking about his old student as he floated around Rayne while he spoke. He seemed to pass around him while sitting and as he stopped in front of Rayne he was sitting cross legged and upside down. "I'll tell you what as a sign of faith I'll show you how to get out of here and find your sister, What do you say?"

"Really you can show me the way to my sister?" Rayne asked happily stepping closer to the clown. The elation made Kefka grin and rotate to a standing position before he nodded and held out his hand to Rayne as a sign of good sport.

"On my word as the greatest magister," Kefka said as Rayne shook his hand before bowing deeply touching his nose against the ground before standing straight and grinning. He then looked over Rayne before pulling out a tape measure from within his clothes before taking Rayne's body measurements as if for a suit even measuring the Keyblade. The blue-haired boy blinked watching him as he finished before polishing his blazer and nodded grinning. "Oh right the magic, sorry wanted to make sure you looked good on arrival, now then just hold the handle tight and focus on your sister then poof!"

"That's really all?" Rayne asked the clown seriously considering whether or not this clown was off his rocker.

"Yep that's all, The Keyblade is a mystical object that's power amplifies the holders own desires. Soooooo in theory it should work." The clown explained before giving Rayne a bright smile before poofing away in a giant cloud of smoke. "Good luck kid."

With the sudden disappearance of his would be tutor he quietly poked his blade through the cloud of smoke curious if he was in it but surely enough Kefka was gone. "Well that was... Strange sounds like the right word."

"Okay concentrate on Sera and the key will do the rest..." Rayne said quietly to himself before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. With the breath he steeled himself before clenching tightly on the handle of the blade. His mind raced with images and memories of Sera ranging from their combined victory over Behemoth to when they stood back to back defending each other from the gang to back before they even came to the city when they used to build sand castles on the beach. With the last memory a single tear fell down to touch the flaming hilt of the blade making it burst alive in flames as they engulfed Rayne before carrying him out of the Realm of Darkness and back into the worlds of light. His flaming star streaking through the darkness as dark blue flames claimed the tail of the comet.

"Hm did I say Magister or Mad Jester? Eh no problem he'll find out soon enough!" Kefka mused allowed as he walked along the edge of the beach. He continued talking out loud while two single silhouettes joined his though stationary and silent in soul.

"Why use the games when it would be easier just to corrupt him now?"

"God these games are boring we should just destroy everything!"

"NO! We must keep with the plan..."

"Yes we must continue the charade, all the easier to use once we need him."

"Whatever just make sure it works or I'm gonna tear you APART!"

"Now now gentlemen, no need for violence just EcStAtIc DeStRuCtIoN!"

"Agreed"

"Agreed..."

Kefka giggled madly to himself before letting out a loud evil laugh as the black shadow and the white shade disappeared through out the realms to a single room to begin the chaos...

Continued in Chapter. 3

Traverse Town -Sera