A/N: All right, another chapter of my KH story! This time around, you learn how Marrik knows what he knows, and the gang's first mission begins. Incendentally, I've been thinking about things to do down the line. I'm going to be introducing, or at least referencing, a couple more O/C's and eventually reference a character that is believed to have been destroyed previously. And no I'm not talking about Xenahort, though he will be appearing again eventually, in ALL his forms; human, Heartless, AND Nobody.
Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts 3D is SO going to ruin the plot of my story. Too bad I don't own the rights, or THIS would be the next game instead!
Chapter 4 – The Journey Begins
It wasn't long before the dinner was ready. Thankfully, there was plenty made for everyone, which was a bit of a surprise considering it was originally only going to be three in the group. Once it was ready, everyone decided to eat outside, and a campfire was hastily built and lit. The sun set quickly, and by the time dinner was over, it had become quite dark. And for a while, the group sat there, sharing stories, some of which others knew, some they didn't. At some point during the conversation, Roxas and Namine both gave their bodies back to their respective other halves. All the while, Marrik sat, listening, laughing.
"So, Marrik, I believe you said you'd explain how you know about our adventures." Marrik sighed at Riku's comment. He knew one of them would ask sooner or later, though he was hoping to avoid it. He looked at Riku and the others, then nodded.
"I suppose I do owe you at least that much." He paused, thinking about how to explain things. "First things first, though. I need to explain about Alden." He looked at Mickey for a second before starting. "Alden is... was a planet rich in magical energy. Its people are quite magically inclined, among the best mages in the known worlds. Alden is also fairly isolated, being on the edge of the known worlds. Because of this, it and the other worlds that are in our sector usually are ignored by conflicts that frequently plague the universe."
"So, what happened with the Keyblade Wars?" Sora's inquiry drew a bit of a smile from Riku. Apparently he'd been thinking the same thing.
"Alden had been approached about lending aid to the various participants in that war. In the end, a group of wielders from the dark side tried to invade our sector. They were repelled fairly handily, but their attempt drew Alden into the war. I was... twelve at the time, I believe. By then I'd already acquired the keyblade and been trained in its use. When Alden joined the war, I was placed in a somewhat high ranking among its military despite my age, since wielders were considered to be exceptional warriors and leaders."
"And you led Alden's military in the war?" Again Sora and Riku seemed to be thinking along the same lines, though Sora was the one asking the questions.
"Not all of it, no. Just a small group. Actually, our group was made up of people from all over the sector, and a few worlds outside it." Marrik sighed, closing his eyes for a second, before shaking his head slightly and opening them. "The War lasted for three years after Alden joined it. It ended in a huge battle on a planet that was unnamed at the time. Thousands of wielders perished on that battlefield, and when it was over, the dark side was soundly defeated."
"And you helped defeat them? I bet you were hailed as a hero on Alden." Riku smiled at his comment, he'd finally manage to beat Sora to the punch.
Marrik sighed and shook his head, frowning sadly. "Actually, I didn't participate in that battle."
"Why not?" This time, it was Kairi who spoke.
"The night before the battle, my unit was on a nearby planet making preparations. At some point during the night, several buildings exploded all at once, including four of the five barrack tents. The fifth one did catch fire, though some of the men were able to escape it alive. In the confusion that followed, many more explosions rocked the camp, along with an assortment of spells. We got ambushed by a group of dark side wielders, and their summons. Our entire camp was laid to waste." Marrik sighed heavily, staring at the fire. Kairi noticed a tear start to fall down his face, though he wiped it away quickly. "We weren't discovered until three days after the attack. By then, the battle, and the war, had ended. I was told that I was the only survivor. I'd decided that I was needed more on Alden than anywhere else, so I asked Mickey to not let anyone else know I'd survived."
"You ran from your responsibility to the other worlds in an effort to protect your own?" Sora wasn't quite believing his story.
"I wasn't aware at how devastating the battle had been to our side. Besides, I was fifteen at the time, and had seen and done more than most people three or four times my age. I was sick of the war, tired of the fighting, and ready to lay my blade down, one way or another." He looked at Sora specifically now. "Do remember, you've been fighting Heartless and Nobodies. I fought living, breathing people. There is a difference in the way it affects you."
"Uh, Marrik?" Riku's statement had a bit of an edge to it, which didn't go unnoticed.
"Yes, Riku, I know I'm getting sidetracked." Marrik smiled at him, and paused in his explanation for a minute. "After the war ended, I returned home and resumed studying magic, which is what I'd been doing before." He paused again. "Now, I should say that on Alden, just like everywhere else, politicians hold the diplomatic power. That said, those who have dedicated their lives to the study of magic were considered to be quite important as well, almost the religious caste, for lack of a better explanation."
Riku opened his mouth to interrupt again, but Marrik held up a hand to stop him before he could say anything. "The elite mages on Alden headed up the School of Magic where I studied. And they knew some very powerful spells. I'd begun to learn a few of them within the last few years. One of them is the ability to use dark corridors to warp around."
"You mean you could have escaped Alden at any time?" Donald was irritated by this idea. After all, if he could have left whenever he wanted, why did he wait until after the world was consumed?
Marrik apparently got the suggestion as he chuckled slightly, shaking his head. "No, I'm not practiced enough to open corridors between worlds. I can, however use them to travel quickly from one place to another within the world. For example, from here to that island over there." He nodded in the direction of the Paopu fruit island.
"Another spell I learned was one that only a few within Alden could pull off. And outside of Alden, I can only think of a couple of people who have the power to do it. Sorry, Your Majesty, but you're not one of them."
"Oh, I know I'm not. I've trained in magic, but I'm by no means a master of it." Marrik nodded to the king's comment.
"So, what's THAT ability?" Sora was beginning to get a bit impatient as well now.
Marrik looked at them, thinking for a minute. "Forgive me if I don't answer that question immediately, Sora. I need to add one more small piece of explanation first." When the chosen wielder nodded, Marrik continued. "Someone once said that when you meet another, your hearts become connected. This is true, my heart is connected to everyone I've met, just as yours is, Sora, and so is everyone else's. These connections form a very intricate web. The ability that I learned uses that web."
Marrik paused, making sure everyone was following along well enough. "I met the king several times during the War, and because of that, our hearts became connected. A few years ago, I learned how to tap into that connection and monitor those I was connected to."
"Monitor?" Goofy didn't get it, and from the looks of things, neither did most of the others sitting around the fire.
"Uh, look in on him, watch him." This explanation helped a little, but didn't quite clear it up. "I'll show you in a bit, when I'm done explaining." He paused again, regaining his thoughts. "I learned that I could use the connections within his heart to see how those he was connected to were doing. It took much more energy and concentration to do so, however, and I was unable to keep the monitoring up for more than an hour, but it was enough to know what was happening. It was through Mickey and his connection to Donald and Goofy that I was able to watch your adventures."
"So, you could see us. Why didn't you help us?" Donald seemed a bit irritated. Certainly, the help of another keyblade wielder would have been greatly welcomed.
"I couldn't, unfortunately." Marrik sighed as he admitted this. "It was like seeing it on a monitor, I couldn't interact with it, only watch it."
"You said you'd show us." Riku's statement was almost a question, but it got Marrik's attention.
"Yes, I suppose I can do that." He paused and looked at Sora. "How about we look in on your friends in Twilight Town?"
"You mean we can see how Hayner and the others are doing?" Sora's curiosity was infectious as Goofy and Donald were also excited about the opportunity.
"Sure, give me a minute, though." Sora nodded and Marrik smiled, before turning his attention to the rest of the group. "You may want to come over to this side of the fire." When everyone gathered around where Marrik, Sora, and Riku were sitting, the elder wielder closed his eyes. It seemed for a while like nothing was happening, but after about a minute, a small, fine mist started to form in the air in front of the group. Marrik winced slightly in his concentration, but the mist continued to form and pool, eventually taking shape. After about another minute, the mist exploded in energy, leaving behind a blank, ghostlike viewing monitor.
When it was formed, Marrik sighed heavily and opened his eyes. After a few seconds of looking at the screen, however, nothing happened. "What? Hey, you said you'd show us Hayner!" Donald quacked angrily at Marrik.
"I will, all I've done so far is summon the monitor to watch with. As I said, the spell I'm using takes a lot of energy and concentration. I need a few minutes to gather some energy to finish the spell." Donald nodded at Marrik's comment, and became quiet once more.
Marrik sighed once more, this time, though, he didn't close his eyes, and the screen flashed to life. On it, there appeared a multicolored, wavy image, similar to what could sometimes be seen while traveling between worlds in the Gummi ships. The wielder groaned slightly. "Damn."
"What is it?" Sora was slightly concerned.
"I'm having some trouble, that's all." Marrik winced slightly, and the screen shifted, a little static appearing along with the rainbows of color. "Shit." He sighed once more. "Since we just met, our bond isn't very strong yet, Sora. On top of that, I'm getting interference for some reason."
"So what's that mean?" Donald was once again getting irritated and impatient.
"I can't find them. I've found Twilight Town, but I can't find its residents."
"Can you search the town itself?" Mickey wasn't sure about this spell any more than the others. He'd heard of similar ones, but he had no idea the specifics of how this one worked.
"Yes, I can. Since the world is more familiar to all of you than the individuals within it, I should be able to find a specific spot within that world and go from there. Any specific spot you want me to try?"
"Gawrsh, maybe you should try the place Hayner and the others usually hang out at. It's called... uh..."
"The Usual Spot, you big palooka!" Donald waved his wand somewhat menacingly at Goofy's forgetfulness.
"That'll do." Marrik concentrated once more on the image, and eventually the various colors melted away into an actual image of the Spot. This image caused everyone present to gasp in awe, despite the fact that there was still some static.
"Oh, gosh, it really does work!" Even King Mickey was surprised and amazed.
"Yeah, but nobody's there. Can you search for them by going through the town systematically?" The concern Kairi had was evident in her voice.
"I should be able to." With that the image changed and shifted more to ground level, as if someone was walking around within the world. The image then moved forward and into the Back Alley.
"Oh, wow, that really is impressive." Marrik smirked at Riku's comment. With the knowledge of the Ansem Heartless buried within him, the elder wielder knew Riku knew more about dark magic, which this spell partially was, than anyone else in the group. As such, impressing him was quite an achievement.
"Thanks. Something's not quite right, though." Marrik looked at the image on the screen.
"Gawrsh, he's right, the image is off compared to what it normally is."
"Can you look around?"
"Just a second, Your Majesty." The screen shifted, turning to the left, and once again everyone gasped. Smoke was coming from the village, at least part of it was on fire. This caused everyone to gasp once again.
"What happened to the town?" Kairi's question was answered by the screen as several Shadows and Soldiers came running toward it. They passed by the screen, and the image turned to follow them, as they headed toward the Sandlot.
Once there, the group saw many more Heartless. All of them were the weaker varieties, Shadows and Soldiers, but their sheer numbers were nearly overwhelming. And in the center of the Sandlot, standing back to back, were both Seifer's gang and Hayner's.
"We have to help them!" Sora was immediately on his feet.
"He's right. Twilight Town's only about an hour's flight from here, we should be able to get there in time." Mickey was ready to leave as well, but Marrik stopped them.
"With all due respect, my ship can only carry two more in addition to myself. I assume yours is similar."
"Ours is designed for three people, yes. We only have three bedrooms and three chairs, but there's plenty of room on the floor for one or two extra people." Mickey considered this for a second, before adding, "Either way, we'll need to split up. Sora, Kairi, you go with Marrik. Riku, you can ride with Donald, Goofy, and myself."
"Yes, Your Majes... err, Mickey." Riku immediately ran over to the king and his close friends. Sora and Kairi, however, weren't as enthusiastic about this arrangement.
"Why do we have to ride with HIM? What if he tries something again?" Sora was obviously not happy about this.
"I don't know if it helps, Sora, but I have neither the need nor the desire to injure you any more. Besides, I have other things to tend to, an keeping you and the Princess alive works to my advantage."
Though he wouldn't admit it, that comment did make Sora feel more at ease. "All right, let's go."
Marrik nodded and produced a small remote from one of his pockets. Hitting a few buttons, the three disappeared in flashes of light.
"I suppose we'd better get going as well, huh?" Riku sighed slightly. This wasn't how he'd envisioned the day ending.
"Yes, we should." Mickey produced a similar remote, and the four of them likewise disappeared in flashes.
A/N: Yes, technically, they didn't do much as far as starting the journey this chapter. Sorry about that. I decided to split this chapter in two, with their trip to Twilight Town in the next one. As such, the next two chapters will be much more action oriented as the gang tries to take care of the Heartless there.
As always, PLEASE review and comment. It's nice to know I'm doing a good job... or even a shitty one.
