Post Completion Edit: Sorry I was late uploading this one! I was out of wifi range and had horrible cell service so the site was misbehaving. I was lucky on Saturday (VERY LATE SATURDAY) to chapter six up and even then, I couldn't put the Discord password in. Alright, note over. Back to your regularly scheduled chapter
Good day to you all, and welcome to chapter seven of Before: Kingdom Hearts!
Creativity: It's weird. It almost feels like yesterday when we started writing this, and now we're up to seven chapters already.
Author: I know, right? Also, the B.T.I is running low. Get to running.
Creativity: Dammit…
Author: Sorry about that! Now, where was I? Ah yes, happy Tuesday to you all! How is everyone doing this week?
*crickets*
Author: Well then… Why don't we move along to the reviews?
And STILL no new reviews! Once again, here's the Discord password: 5RRcGwh
I hope to see you in chat! Now then, I believe it is time. I proudly present chapter seven of Before: Kingdom Hearts!
"I told you we should have waited another day!"
"Well, good for you! Hindsight is twenty twenty!"
Ryo wished they'd listened to Veris' intuition when they'd left the town earlier that morning. It had been clear when they started, but that was seven hours ago, and the group was currently fighting their way through a raging thunderstorm that had seemingly snuck up on them. To make matters worse, they were currently running adjacent to a mountain range and Veris had pointed out earlier that they were risking getting caught in an avalanche.
"If we don't find shelter soon we're going to be in real trouble!" Veris shouted over the din of the storm. As they pushed through, Barkos began shouting something. They couldn't quite make out what he was saying, but they could follow his gestures and saw that he'd noticed a cave they could take shelter in. They immediately hurried over to it and took refuge inside.
"Alright, first things first, we need to get a fire going. Also, check the supplies. If our spare clothes got wet in that deluge, then we want them drying yesterday." Barkos instructed them. He was the most well-learned in survival, even if most of it hadn't been put to practice until recently. As Garrow frustratedly tried to get a fire going using the small amount of tinder they'd brought with in a sealed water-proof tube, Veris had an idea.
"Maybe I could use my magic to start it." Veris wondered aloud, though Ryo was quick to shoot that idea down.
"Until you learn more about how to control magic, I'd rather you not try to create a fire in an enclosed space. If you accidentally put too much into it, you could cause an explosion that could either kill us outright or collapse the cave on top of us." Ryo warned. Veris cringed a little at the thought.
"Yeah, maybe I shouldn't do that…" She stuttered, seeming all the more wary of her new abilities. Ryo immediately wished he hadn't been so blunt about the dangers of uncontrolled magic for a number of reasons, namely that it would probably be a lot harder for her to learn how to use magic the more nervous she was around it. However, he'd also let slip a detail that he had no doubt Barkos was committing to memory at that very moment. He had a tendency to do things like that, especially since Ryo was almost religiously tight-lipped about his life predating his arrival at Woodfell, something that he knew his friends were still curious about.
Garrow cursed a few times as he struck the flint and Firestarter together for the umpteenth time, trying to start the fire, but was still having no success. Finally, he threw his hands up in frustration and was about to toss the tools away, only for Veris to grab them from him.
"We'll still need those." She reprimanded before trying a few times herself, cursing when the damn thing continued to fail. Finally, with a frustrated growl, she struck them together again, though there was something different this time. The sparks suddenly turned into a small puff of flame that had their fire going!
"Woah!" Garrow exclaimed, scooting back in surprise. Ryo turned to see what happened and was shocked to see the fire crackling away, looking as though it had started several minutes ago.
"How did that happen?" He asked. Veris was grinning ear to ear.
"I think I used magic again! I was using the flint and Firestarter, then suddenly the sparks turned into proper fire and then we have this!" She explained ecstatically. That was a bit of a surprise for Ryo, though the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. It wasn't unusual for budding pyromancers to be trained by manipulating existing fire, rather than create it themselves. It was better for teaching control.
Ryo's musings on magic training were interrupted when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Someone was entering the cave. Ryo immediately went for his sword, blade half drawn in preparation for a fight. The intruder noticed the blade and threw up their hands in surrender.
"Please don't kill me! I'm just looking to get out of the storm!" They exclaimed. Their voice was higher pitched, though not gratingly so. Now that they had stepped into the firelight, Ryo could see the intruder was a girl roughly their age, though possibly older, with wild blonde hair and vibrant yellow eyes. She was dressed in a beige tunic with a brown cloak, dark brown cotton pants and a yellow scarf. She had two knives sheathed on her left side, both of which sported an opaque yellow stone in the pommel. However, the weaponry quickly became secondary when he took another look at the scarf and noticed several characters stitched into the end of it. He knew those characters.
By now, the rest of the group had taken notice of the stranger, as well as the fact that Ryo had his sword half drawn, though he was now starting to put the blade away. The stranger visibly relaxed.
"Okay, I guess we can't exactly force you to stay outside in this weather." Ryo muttered before moving aside to let her into the cave, though he was still mistrustful. By now, Garrow and Barkos were busy starting on getting dinner ready. Ryo finished sifting through his gear and getting any wet clothes laid out near the fire to dry (After changing at the back of the cave of course).
Once he got back, he found the whole group was sitting in awkward silence. He seated himself where he'd been sitting before and waited in silence for the rudimentary stew they were putting together to be ready.
"Well, if we're all sharing a cave tonight, we should probably introduce ourselves." Veris suggested.
"Alright! My name's Leiptr. I'm a traveling mage." The girl, now identified as Leiptr, introduced herself with enthusiasm. Veris' eyes immediately lit up when Leiptr mentioned she was a mage.
"Really!? You're a mage?! I'm a mage too!" Veris exclaimed, causing Leiptr's eyes to widen. Ryo noticed she seemed to concentrate for a split second before grinning.
"Wow, I never get to meet other mages! What kind of magic can you do?" She asked. Veris suddenly became much more subdued and rubbed the back of her head, embarrassed.
"I, uh… can't really control it yet. It usually just happens when I'm in trouble or when I get really frustrated, apparently. Oh, and right now I can only do fire magic." Veris explained. Ryo frowned a bit. He didn't like sharing that information with a stranger, especially since they were now aware that this 'Dread King' character out there. Though on the other hand, it might be a good idea to warn Leiptr, assuming she didn't know about him already. But still, he was suspicious of her. Especially with those letters on her scarf…
"So, what magic can you use?" Veris asked Leiptr, who grinned.
"Thunder magic for me!" She exclaimed proudly. That also caught Ryo's attention. Last he heard, mages were supposed to be able to use multiple types of magic, though they usually had a specialization. It could be that Leiptr only had a small amount of experience, though Ryo didn't believe that to be the case. His gut told him something else was up. The only people he knew of that were capable of only one variety of magic were the tsubasa no aru, which he knew Leiptr wasn't, or… Possibly… And that accounted for the scarf…
"Stew's ready!" Garrow announced. Ryo looked up from his musings, his mind now focused on the hot food being ladled out into bowls. Leiptr and Veris had been deeply engrossed in talking about magic, though Veris was now staring down the food with perhaps more eagerness than anyone else present. As everyone began shoveling the hot food into their mouths, Ryo couldn't help but notice that Leiptr wasn't eating. In fact, she'd gone so far as to politely refuse a bowl, saying she wasn't hungry. Despite continued insistence, she refused to even take the bowl.
Once all the food was gone, the group started trying to settle in for sleep. Veris and Leiptr were both engrossed in talking about magic, though it sounded more like Veris was asking questions about magic that Leiptr was answering in stride. That led more credence to Leiptr being more well-versed in magic, which only further clashed with the fact that she only had thunder magic.
Still, he thought better of confronting her about it, especially with this storm going on. As suspicious as he was, he had no intention of chasing her out into that weather. Besides, it had a long day and the storm had really wrung them all out. Now was the time for rest.
As the fire dimmed and Ryo crawled under the bedroll, his eyelids grew incredibly heavy and soon he'd drifted off to sleep.
A figure wrapped in a black cloak slowly crept through the unlit stone hallways of a large sanctum. It was approaching midnight. The figure peered around a corner, seeing two figures dressed in different colored robes walk slowly up to a wall and press on a brick. The wall slid away, revealing a narrow passageway. The two figures swiftly make their way into the passageway, followed immediately by the one on the black cloak. The figure carefully maneuvered their way through the narrow corridor before stealing into a side-passage and sneaking their way up a flight of stairs and into a strange, domed overhang within a massive chamber. The chamber already had a large number of occupants, all dressed in robes that were one of six colors combinations; Red and gold, blue and silver, green and grey, yellow and grey, white and gold, black and purple.
They all organized by color scheme, with specific patterns being further to the front. The figure waited at the edge of the overhang before six individuals emerged, one for each color scheme and all dressed much more opulently than the others. They all wore masks designed like serene faces, all using the color scheme they wore.
"Gathered friends, we come together this night in great celebration! For we are one step closer to reclamation!" The one dressed in white and gold exclaimed, their voice distorted unnaturally by the mask. There were cheers from the gathered crowd.
"Too long have we remained here, in a prison we fashioned for ourselves, believing ourselves the better for leaving the world in the stewardship of those who would tear it asunder in their ignorance! We were led to believe that by creating our own home, we would prove ourselves above such petty conflict, but we know better! The world cannot be left to those who would stomp out any perceived threat to their illegitimate throne! And now, we possess one more piece to reclaiming our rightful place! Brother Shadow, reveal to us the Dark Shard!"
The one dressed in black and purple parted their robes and revealed what looked like a black and purple crystal, about the length of a common dagger. The crowd made murmuring noises of excitement as the crystal was presented to them. The figure stiffened.
"With this, we need only the light shard and we may begin the reclamation of the world!" The one dressed in red and gold shouted.
As the strange meeting continued, the figure slowly crept out on the dome until they reached as close to the center as they could. Sweat beaded their forehead as dark energy began to collect around their right hand. The entire world seemed to freeze for several critical seconds before the figure dropped, slamming their hand into the ground and creating an explosion of dark energy! There was chaos and screaming before the figure leapt from the cloud below, the crystal clenched tightly in their hands.
"CATCH THEM!" Multiple voices screeched from the room, but the figure dared not look back. They ran for their life as the collective surged into the passageways to hunt the thief down.
Ryo's eyes snapped open and darted about before he recognized his surroundings. He slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes before realizing how much sweat had gathered on his brow. Looking outside, he saw that the rain had stopped, and it seemed that the other storm hallmarks were gone too. Stepping outside, he the lingering smell of rain filled his nostrils as he walked a short distance away from the cave. He wasn't worried about getting lost. He never had any trouble seeing in the dark. He looked up at the night sky and took a deep breath, though the release felt shaky. He looked down at his right hand and saw it shaking a bit. He clenched it into a fist and took another deep breath before he opened it again and started concentrating. Small purple sparks began to dance across his palm.
"Come on… Come on!" He ground out as he pushed harder and harder. The sparks grew more intense, but the effort was too much, and he collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath.
"Hey, you alright?"
Ryo turned to see Leiptr standing behind him, looking concerned.
"I'm fine. Just had and nightmare and needed some air." Ryo responded.
"You sure it was just a nightmare? The sparking seems to indicate there's more going on." She pointed out. Ryo glared at her.
"Well, I'd think you would know." He snapped back, causing her to frown.
"What's with the attitude?" She asked back in a biting tone. Ryo realized what he'd done and looked away, ashamed.
"It's nothing. I'm just having some problems right now. Sorry about that." He apologized. Leiptr didn't seem convinced.
"Yeah, and I think one of those problems is with me. You've been acting cold and distant ever since I got here. What, do you just not like magic? Is that your problem?" She retorted. Ryo rounded on her.
"Yes, you could say one of my problems is with magic, Storm Chaser."He snarled. Leiptr backed away, looking like she'd just been slapped in the face.
"H…How do…" She stuttered, only to be interrupted by Ryo.
"Perhaps this will serve as a hint?" He answered harshly, transitioning into a completely different language. Now she looked even more shocked.
"You can read my… How can you read my scarf?! What are… Oh… By the Springs…" She breathed. Ryo collected himself and sagged against a nearby tree. His body language had gone from anger and frustration to a strange mix of vulnerability, sadness and… exhaustion.
"I heard rumors about a few stragglers, but none of them were Shadowmancers…" She started, but Ryo put his hand up to stop her, his looking like he was about to crack.
"Don't… Please don't say it. It's just a reminder of what I lost when I came here…" He croaked. Leiptr was confused about that statement until she remembered the state she had found him in, prior to this conversation.
"You mean that… Oh my… I… I can't imagine how… Oh Springs…" She whispered in horror, now realizing what he meant. She couldn't even begin to comprehend such an existence.
"I was reckless, and it cost me everything. I tried to build a new life here but then that was ripped away from me too, by someone named the Dread King. Now me and them are on the run, trying to figure out what to do with our lives now." Ryo explained. Leiptr frowned at the mention of the Dread King.
"He'll keep trying to find you, you know. You and your friend, Veris. He's hunting down magic and once he realizes what you are, he'll stop at nothing to find you. He's the reason there aren't any stragglers anymore." She spat out, as if any word on the subject of the Dread King was poisonous.
"I'm useless to him. I can barely summon a few sparks of power without straining myself to the point of collapse." Ryo rebuked, bitterness creeping into his voice.
"I wouldn't be so sure. I found the cave by tracking a magic signature, though it turned out to be two. Veris' power may be a good deal stronger than is usual for a complete novice, but yours still outshines hers by a great deal. I don't think your power is gone, so much as it is that something is blocking you. If you can overcome it, you'll have your power back." She informed him. Ryo turned to her in shock, though he quickly regressed back into sadness and bitterness.
"I thought I told you to not give me hope." He muttered bitterly. Leiptr smirked.
"Actually, you didn't." She remarked before making her way back to the cave. Ryo stayed outside for some time before returning to the cave as well. They had a hard march ahead of them and he needed his rest.
As he did, he looked up at the sky once again. The blue-black filled with billions upon billions of stars. It had never looked so beautiful back home…
He looked down at his hand again. Whatever that block that Leiptr was talking about, he'd figure it out in time. For now, he had to focus on getting the group to the next city. Then, he'd have to figure out how to get over the block
And that's the end of today's chapter! Wow, this one was kind of slow to start, but MAN was the ending really satisfying to write!
Creativity: And we got that new character too!
Author: We'll come back to her later… Oh what the heck, we can talk about her now!
So, little bit of trivia for her. Her name actually translates lightning in old Norse.
That's really all the trivia I have for her… Sorry about that. And we can't really do too much more on character discussion, so… You guys can discuss it amongst yourselves.
Creativity: Also, we're not sure if we're gonna keep with the current crew or go back to Sora for the next chapter. Probably Sora, but who knows.
Author: Well, not much else to say here. I think we'll just sign off then! See ya on Saturday!