Greetings all! Here we are in chapter 4! I'm pretty tired right now because reasons, but I'm still writing this because I'm most productive as a writer when I'm tired!

Creativity: Plus, I get to sneak off easier…

Author: …What did you just say?

Creativity: …I should start running now, shouldn't I?

Author: Indeed you should, though nothing will keep me from docking YOUR pay from MY overtime hours as punishment.

Creativity: but… but… fine, I deserve that.

Author: Damn right.

Anyway, let's address the reviews:

And still no reviews, but I did get a lovely PM from one Lishyp. Many thanks. I haven't been getting quite as much feedback on this one as usual, but what feedback I have been getting has been overwhelmingly positive.

And that's the reviews done! Now all that's left is to provide the current Discord password: 5RRcGwh

Welp, that covers everything for now! Now, let us proudly present chapter 4 of Before: Kingdom Hearts!


Sora knew that he was going to regret following the guide stone down this tunnel eventually. He just would. There was no way that a dark tunnel in a world of Darkness could not possibly end with some sort of snarling monster waiting at the end of it, waiting to rend him asunder. And yet, there was no evidence of that yet. It was kind of spooky, honestly. He'd almost welcome a few Heartless to show up to make this world feel less empty. However, that wasn't the case. So far, it had proven to be devoid of anything approaching life, let alone light. All he had was the guide stone, which he doubted would talk back to him.

His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed that the tunnel was coming to an end and that he had stepped into a massive cavern. Looking around, it almost looked like a dormant volcano, with the roof of the cavern missing to give a view of the purple/black sky. And of course, situated in the middle of the crater was another obelisk. Sora groaned a bit but knew what he had to do. He raised his keyblade and levelled it at the obelisk before firing the beam into the obelisk. The light came and faded, leaving no trace of the obelisk. Not soon after, the pain in his head returned. Once again, the pain was lesser compared to before. Sora's vision soon faded, and he began to witness another vision.


Ryo's eyes slowly cracked open as he checked to see if the blinding light had faded. He still winced as his eyes adjusted, but it seemed that the light from the stone had indeed faded. However, that soon became the least of their problems when Ryo realized that they were no longer in the forests of Woodfell. The trees were far too different, and the air was much more humid.

Taking a look around, he saw that everyone else was currently in the midst of picking themselves up and having their eyes adjust. Ryo hurried over to check on everyone. Garren was the first to recover, followed by Veris and then Barkos.

"Anyone have any clue where we are?" Ryo asked as he looked around. Barkos looked around a bit, a ponderous look on his face, though he still looked a little pale from the fight that had taken place before they wound up here.

"My first guess would be a jungle, but I don't know how that's possible. There aren't any jungles near Woodfell." Barkos replied as the others looked around. Ryo then noticed a glow coming from the ground and noticed the stone that they had found in possession of the commander before Garren beheaded him.

"I think it's safe to assume that this had something to do with it." Ryo guessed as he cautiously reached down and picked up the stone.

"What do you think it is?" Veris asked, staring at the stone warily. Ryo frowned.

"This is mostly just rumors and hearsay, but I think this might be a breach stone. It's a magical artifact that has the power to transport people from one place to another. Given what just happened, I think it's a safe guess." Ryo hypothesized. Barkos stroked his chin, thoughtfully.

"Yes, I believe I read about breach stones in an old book on myths and legends. Last I heard, it was a subject of debate as to whether it was merely a method of getting from point A to point B, or if it would take its user somewhere else, to other worlds." Barkos added. Ryo frowned and slipped the stone into his pack.

"We can figure that out later. For now, we need to get moving." Ryo reasoned. Garren laughed a bit hysterically.

"And go where?! We're lost in the middle of a jungle that we got transported to by a magic rock, Woodfell is in flames and the people we just abandoned are probably being slaughtered! What exactly do you expect us to do?! Just find another village and just go one with our lives?!" Garren yelled, disturbing a flock of birds. Ryo just shot a look at him.

"I'm not suggesting that, but we need to do something. I don't believe a jungle is a place we want to spend the night in. Veruk put his life on the line so that we could live, and I don't intend to waste the chance he gave us." Ryo told Garren, though the message was for the whole group. He could see Veris barely holding back tears when he mentioned her father.

So, the group started making their way through the forest, with Garren and Ryo in front of the group, since their weapons were better for hacking brush out of the way when needed. They traveled for about half-an-hour before they finally decided to rest. Luckily, they had come across an animal path that made travel much easier. There were tracks on the path that Barkos was quick to identify as elephant tracks. Thankful that they wouldn't need to navigate the brush anymore, the group continued pressing on until they reached a clearing and stopped for another break.

"How long have we been walking for?" Veris asked aloud.

"I'd say an hour and a half, but the humidity makes it feel longer." Barkos replied. Ryo didn't respond. Instead, he wiped the sweat from his brow and wished he'd had something to wear that would better accommodate the weather. However, he soon became distracted by the feeling that they were being watched.

Not soon after, something rushed into the clearing and leapt into the trees above them, snarling and yowling as it did. That was the least of their problems though. Whatever had fled into the trees above them was being pursued by something that burst into the clearing only a few seconds later. There were two distinct varieties of the creatures. One appeared to be some sort of face or mask that was wrapped in crimson energy, similar in appearance to flame. The masks looked to have been carved from obsidian, both for its color and for how stone-like it appeared, if not for the fact that the jaws were chattering angrily as they floated in the air. they had curved fangs on both their upper and lower jaws, as well as a pair of gnarled horns. The expression on the masks were ones of permanent fury.

The other variety looked like someone carved the skeleton of some sort of bipedal creature out of the same black stone, as they had arms and legs, as well as a head, though the head looked distinctly less mask-like and more like a skull of some kind. Not a human skull though. More akin to that of a reptile of some kind. they stood about two feet tall and had sharp talons, each about an inch and a half in length. they also were wrapped in the same energy as the masks.

Immediately, everyone had their weapons in hand. There was several, agonizingly long moments of complete stillness and silence before one of the creatures shrieked and the battle started. Ryo immediately slashed on twice in an X shape, though the creature didn't die. It didn't even seem that wounded! Ryo grit his teeth and blocked a swipe from the creature before slashing it twice more! This time it died, vanishing in a burst of red energy. He then turned to see one of the masks barreling towards him before an arrow pegged it. He gave a thumb's up over his shoulder to Barkos before attacking another mask. It seemed that the masks were weaker than whatever the bipedal monsters, going down in one or two hits.

Looking over his shoulder, he saw Veris feint past one of the bipedal ones and get in a quick succession of strikes, causing the creature to disappear in another flash of red. To his left, Barkos and Garren were working together to even up the odds, with Barkos providing cover fire for Veris and Ryo, while Garren kept the creatures away from Barkos with his axe. It appeared that Barkos' bow was much more effective against the creatures than Ryo or Veris' blades. Garren's axe seemed to be doing similar damage, though the heavier swings made up for it. Soon enough, the clearing was once again monster free. The group took a moment to catch their breath before something dropped to one of the lower branches. Everyone was immediately battle ready, though it wasn't one of the monsters again. They didn't feel that relieved though, as what they were looking at was still very dangerous. They were currently staring down a fully-grown panther. It peered at them, its posture displaying wariness.

"What brings man-cubs this far into the jungle?" The panther muttered under its breath. Ryo's eyes widened.

"You can talk?!" He exclaimed, so surprised that he lowered his guard a bit. The panther's eyes widened as well.

"You can understand me?" It asked back. Everyone looked at each other in surprise.

"I think we just answered each other's questions." Ryo replied cautiously as he slowly lowered his sword, lifting one hand in a show of non-aggression. The panther visibly relaxed a little, though not completely.

"As for what we're doing here, we kind of got here by accident. Our home was attacked, and we used an artifact to escape. We ended up here and we're a bit lost." Ryo quickly explained. The panther eyed them carefully, though it didn't seem distrustful regarding the story.

"I see. I can guide you to the nearest man-village. It is a few days walk from here though, so we'll need to visit someone first." The panther offered. The others looked around at each other.

"I think we should take the offer." Garren immediately voted. Barkos raised an eyebrow.

"You're suggesting we just immediately trust the word of a talking panther that we just met? How do we know this isn't a trick and that we aren't going to end up as dinner? He said he needs to take us somewhere first, and that somewhere could be an ambush." Barkos argued. Veris frowned.

"Honestly, I don't see what other options we have. We're not exactly equipped to find our way out of the jungle on our own, and I doubt that those monsters were the only thing in this jungle that can kill us. We need a guide, or we won't last." She reminded him. Barkos conceded the point, though he clearly wasn't happy about it. Ryo turned back to the panther, who was waiting patiently for them to answer.

"Alright, we'll take you up on your offer." Ryo told the panther, who nodded. The panther lightly hopped off the branch it had been standing on and padded down the path, waiting for the teens to follow. The group did just that, following the panther down the path.

"Say, do you have a name? If we're going to be travelling together, it would be nice to know your name." Veris asked.

"My name is Bagheera." The panther replied.

"Alright, Bagheera. My name is Veris, and this is Ryo, Garren and Barkos." Veris introduced the group. There was some awkward silence as they continued trekking down the pathway, until Ryo finally decided that enough was enough.

"So, where is it that you're taking us before leading us to that village you mentioned?" Ryo inquired, eager to break the silence.

"I have a charge that lives with the jungle's wolf pack. I need to inform them that I will be gone for a few days." Bagheera replied, not bothering to look back at them. Barkos tripped a bit over his own feet the moment Bagheera mentioned the wolves.

"Did you say that you're leading us straight into a wolf pack's territory?!" Barkos exclaimed. Ryo wouldn't lie and say he shared the sentiment, but he managed to keep his expression neutral. Bagheera just huffed.

"No harm will come to you. Akela's pack does not hunt your kind. In fact, they took in a man-cub three years ago. As part of the agreement, I teach him the ways of the jungle. I simply need to inform the pack and Mowgli that I'll be away for a few days to lead you out of the jungle." Bagheera explained.

The group was surprised by Bagheera sharing that a human lived among the wolf pack. It almost sounded like something out of a book.

"How old was this Mowgli when the wolves took him in?" Veris asked.

"He was only an infant when I found him. He was in one of those hollowed logs that your kind use to travel in rivers. He was a strange boy when I found him. He held no fear for me. I knew I could not care for the boy, but I knew that the wolves could care for him. I believe you all can guess the rest." Bagheera answered before stopping.

"We're in the pack's territory now. No doubt, they are aware of us. You must be on your best behaviour." Bagheera warned them. The group nodded and steeled their nerves. Ryo had confidence in Bagheera, though that didn't stop nervousness from creeping in.

Not a few minutes later, the wolves emerged from the foliage. The leader was immediately obvious, as he took the position of highest elevation. Plus, there was an air of command emanating from him.

"Bagheera." The lead wolf greeted the panther.

"Akela." Bagheera greeted back. Ryo remembered that Bagheera had referred to the wolf pack as 'Akela's' pack.

"Is there any particular reason why you've brought these juvenile humans into our territory?" Akela asked. He didn't have a threatening look to him, though he didn't look or sound pleased.

"Forgive the intrusion, Akela. I found them lost in the jungle after they defeated a group of the monsters that have begun threatening the jungle as of late. Their village was destroyed, and they became lost in the jungle. I simply wished to inform you that I would be gone for a few days while guiding them out of the jungle." Bagheera explained. Akela eyed them for a few moments before nodding.

"Very well then. Thank you for coming to explain your absence." Akela replied before turning and walking back into the brush. The rest of the pack followed not long after. Ryo felt the tension in his muscles ease as the predators disappeared. However, he noticed that someone had stuck behind. Peering closer, he could see it was a small, human boy. He had wild black hair and was covered in dirt. He wore nothing but a red loincloth.

Bagheera took notice of the straggler and padded over to him. There seemed to be a short exchange of words before Bagheera nudged him with his nose. The boy reluctantly turned and scampered off into the jungle.

"I'm assuming that was Mowgli?" Ryo asked offhandedly. Bagheera nodded.

"Yes. The boy was curious about you four, questioning why you couldn't just stay in the jungle." Bagheera explained as he started padding off. The group quickly followed.

"What did you tell him?" Veris asked.

"That the jungle wasn't your place. In truth, I fear that one day he will have to return to his own kind. He's been very happy among Akela's pack." Bagheera replied. Ryo seemed to get really quiet after Bagheera's answer.

The group kept travelling for several more hours before eventually come to a stop for the night. The group set up camp for the night while Bagheera found a branch to lounge on.

After a they finished turning what few rations they had into dinner and consuming it, the group doused the fire that Bagheera had been apprehensive about as soon as it had been lit and started trying to get themselves comfortable for the evening. Well, all but one. Ryo climbed up into one of the trees and seated himself down to look at the moon as best he could through the canopy.

He sat in silence for a while before he saw something flutter past the moon. He could make out the wing shape and realized that it was a bat that had flown by. He could hear a few of them in the night air. Eventually, his eyes picked out a small group of them hanging from a nearby tree. They appeared to be grooming themselves. One of them, a bit small compared to the others began flexing its wings a bit, as if unsure of itself. Then it let go and began to flit through the air. Ryo watched as it darted about the clearing, weaving around trees and letting out high-pitched squeaks as it flitted about.

"You are fascinated by the bats?"

Ryo turned to see Bagheera had moved branches to lounge on the one above him.

"You could say that…" Ryo replied quietly, his eyes returning to watch the young bat.

"You are unable to sleep?" The panther inquired. Ryo shrugged.

"I always feel different at night. It's difficult to describe. I guess… reassured is a good word." Ryo explained as best he could.

"You are different from other humans in that regard. In fact, you are different in a few others." Bagheera mentioned. Immediately Ryo tensed.

"Different how?" He asked tersely. The panther yawned before looking up at the sky.

"Your scent is different. It's subtle, at least at first. It's hidden under a few others, but the base scent isn't like the others of your group." The panther explained, before turning to look down at him.

"The others don't know, do they?" The panther prompted, though he likely knew the answer already.

"No. Not that it matters anymore. That scent is all I have left of who I was before, likely." Ryo muttered bitterly as he looked down at his hand. A few small sparks of energy danced across his palm, but it still took immense effort. Bagheera eyed him with surprise, though as he saw the toll it took on the boy, the look turned to one of pity. Then he asked another question.

"Why were you interested in the bats?"

Ryo looked up again, the loss in his voice evident.

"Because I want to be up there with them."

Two days later…

It had been a hard few days of travel, but Bagheera assured them that they were only a few hours away from the village.

The trek had been quiet, except for one thing. Those strange monsters that had defeated during their encounter with Bagheera kept showing up. Barkos had started documenting them, referring to the mask monsters as Hayans and the bipedal ones as Imps. Soon enough, they were close to the jungle's edge. The trees were starting to thin.

They stepped into a clearing that had a very obvious pathway that continued out of the jungle.

"This is as far as I'll take you. The village lies along this path." Bagheera explained before going stock still. His ears were twitching. He let out a low growl and looked back where they came.

"Something's coming." He muttered lowly. Ryo immediately drew his sword. Veris drew her knife, Barkos nocked an arrow and Garren hefted his axe. Then Ryo heard something. It was faint, but it was growing louder by the moment. Something was crashing through the underbrush and whatever it was, it was big.

Suddenly, something erupted from the brush and leapt over the group, landing between them and the pathway to the village.

The creature was another one of the red-wisp monsters. This one was massive, taller at the shoulder a horse. It appeared to be similar to a massive cat skeleton, made of black stone. It had massive front incisors and a massive spear-point on the end of its tail. Its claws were the size of meat cleavers and look as sharp. Its entire body was consumed in the roiling red energy. It let out an ear-splitting roar at them and began scratching at the ground in preparation to charge.

Bagheera immediately leapt for the safety of the trees while the humans all scattered. Barkos let an arrow fly, pegging it right in the shoulder, though the arrow didn't seem to do much. The creature turned and roared at him before spitting a ball of red energy at Barkos, who leapt out of harm's way. Ryo took advantage of the brief distraction to run in and run a slash along the length of the monster's body, though that only seemed to anger it. It curled its tale and swiped it at Ryo, smacking him across the clearing! Garren let out a bellow as he rushed forward and swung his axe at the creature's front legs, getting in a good hit, but again, no visible damage.

By now, Ryo had recovered and the whole group was rushing about, attacking the creature and retreating. Bagheera pitched in as well, occasionally leaping in to pull one of the teens to safety if they were in a in a tight spot. However, they couldn't see any visible progress being made.

Frustrated by this, Ryo and Garren both rushed forward simultaneously, though their recklessness was immediately punished as the monster swiped at them, knocking them both and leaving them dazed. Barkos started hurrying over to them but was grazed by the monster's tale and left similarly incapacitated. Veris made to go help Barkos, but found herself cornered, with only her knife to defend herself. The monster closed in on her, tale swiping from side to side. It's jaws slowly began to crack open, energy pouring from inside. Suddenly, it lunged forward, jaws opened for the kill! Veris' eyes widened, and she held up her hand to shield herself.

Ryo's eyes widened in horror, but they suddenly turned to shock when instead of hearing the crunch of bones and flesh caving under the monster's jaws, he instead witnessed an explosion detonating straight in the creature's face! The creature was thrown back, revealing Veris to be completely fine! Realizing that she had an opening, she rushed forward with her knife to deliver a killing blow. Then, Ryo saw a second thing he wasn't expecting; Flames were wrapped around the knife blade as Veris slashed the monster across its face before switching to a reverse grip and plunging the blade straight down between its eyes!

There was a massive get of flame from the monster's eyes, as well as its nose before the thing let loose one final roar and collapsed to the ground dead. It vanished not soon after, much like the rest of the red wisp monsters they'd faced.

The group stumbled to their feet and looked around, unsure of what to say next.

"We… we did it." Barkos managed to get out. Ryo was a bit preoccupied staring wide-eyed at Veris.

"Veris… I think… I think you're a mage." He stuttered. Veris was looking at her hands and arms in shock. Barkos and Garren were on their feet now, and Barkos was looking at her with an equally shocked expression.

"It must be magic. What else could it be?" Barkos muttered as he started pondering. As Ryo continued to process that one of his friends was capable of magic, he suddenly had a knot of dread start to build in his stomach. It seemed that Veris was thinking the same as him, as she suddenly turned very pale.

"The commander, from Woodfell… He said… He said that he could… that he could smell magic. Could he have been talking about mine?" She stuttered. Barkos frowned.

"It seems likely. There weren't any other mages in Woodfell. It's possible that there was one or two items imbued with magic could have made it into the village, though it seems unlikely given what we now know." He muttered. Ryo could see the thoughts in Barkos' head going a mile a minute, so he decided to take charge of the situation.

"Whatever the case, we need to keep moving. I'd rather not wait here for another one of those things to come charging out of the brush and kill us while we're exhausted." Ryo stated. Bagheera nodded.

"Indeed. As I said before, simply follow the pathway and you'll find the village." The panther instructed. Ryo nodded.

"Alright, lets g…"

Ryo didn't even finish the sentence when his pack started glowing. He opened it to find the breach stone was glowing!

"Oh no, Bagheera! Get clear!" He shouted before the light erupted from the stone and the four teens vanished from sight! Bagheera could scarcely believe his eyes. Unsure of what to do, the panther turned and made his way back into the jungle.


Alright, there's chapter 4 done!

Creativity: Oh man, that took WAAAY too long to write

Author: You mean, that it was a lot longer than we wanted.

Yeah, like I said, the chapter mark is probably going out the window.

Well, I don't have much else to say here. See ya on Tuesday!