Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or RWBY
They are owned by Square Enix and Rooster Teeth respectively
Guardians of Remnant
Chapter 8 – Summer's End
Sora began to toss and turn.
His dreams were haunted by a blur of sights and sounds.
Some new but most foreign to him. Everything was going too fast for him to process it all
A hill overlooking a Cliffside, a single grave laid on its edge, rose petals flowing in the wind.
"Summer Rose"
….
Ozpin's tower flashing between its pristine state and a more decrepit, abandoned one
Sora could hear more voices in the distance
"What do you know of the Keyblade War?"
"While the maidens have existed on Remnant for thousands of years, both their history and yours are more connected than you think"
Ozpin? What's he talking about? The Keyblade War? What's a Maiden? Sora thought
…..
The scene shifted, revealing a dark hallway, green torches marking its exterior. At its end a machine. A woman slowly breathing in what looked like a capsule
Suddenly a voice Sora knew came over him
"Its…strange…she almost feels like a…"
"Aqua! What's Aqua doing here?" Sora wondered
…..
The scene shifted again revealing what looked like an abandoned facility, destroyed in some kind of attack.
Its front sign was still standing, albeit torn apart a bit.
"Merlot labs, huh" Sora read aloud. He walked slowly toward its entrance, passing by destroyed vehicles and the corpses of what looked to be some of its staff.
Before entering the facility Sora heard it again. That name from before.
"Summer Rose"
Sora quickly turned around to see where the voice was coming from, but saw nothing but darkness. As he turned to face the facility he noticed that he now found himself within the facility.
"How? How did I get in here?"
Another voice boomed. One that he didn't recognize. Sora looked up to see a man, fairly built, wearing what looked to be a tan cloak and a dark grey bear mask, covering the top of his face
"What's going on? Who are you?!" Sora called out, not really expecting an answer. But to his shock he received one.
"It doesn't who I am, but I suppose for now you can call me….Aced…yes that was it…" Aced said, almost not entirely sure himself. "But that's not important. What's important here is you…Sora."
Before he could respond, Sora noticed something moving in the shadows. Fearing the worst, Sora readied his keyblade. Suddenly dark humanoid figures began appearing around Sora
"Heartless" Sora thought "Wait…not Heartless…What are these things?"
Sora was left defenseless when suddenly his Keyblade disappeared on him
"No!" The creatures than began to pounce towards Sora.
All he could do was cover his eyes, waiting for the end. But it never came. When Sora opened his eyes he saw now that he was being held up by his throat by another man. A yellow cloaked man, shorter than Aced but he also wore a mask. A white leopard. Aced stood behind him, his weapon by his side
Sora eyes widened in horror "He has a keyblade!" It was a large brown blade, ultimately shaped like a claw. A symbol of a bear could be seen on its hilt. Blood was dripping off its blade.
Sora's blood
Sora looked down and saw his battered and beaten body dangling by this White Leopard man's mercy. The man than summoned a keyblade of his own. Its guard resembled a golden bolt of lightning. The base of the blade had an etching of a green-eyed leopard, and the shaft is formed from a golden, spiked blade.
Sora could only scream in pain as the man ran him straight through with his blade.
It was all a dream, but it felt so real.
Sora, in a half state of consciousness, saw the man open a portal directly under him. Aced spoke up, his low voice devoid of emotion
"Where are you sending him, Gula?"
"Ohhh I know just the spot" Gula said, a wide grin sprawled across his face
Then Sora felt his body drop
He fazed in and out, now seeing he was somewhere completely different
He was still falling, but he could see the hole in the sky he came out of, Gula leaning in and waving goodbye
Around him were people. People everywhere. He was falling directly into Amity Coliseum.
Upon impact, Sora suddenly found himself away the blast. He looked all over his body for injuries but found that there were none.
He looked up to see Team RWBY slowly approaching the impact, alongside what looked like a man holding a trumpet and a girl with roller skates.
It was like his greatest fears suddenly came to life as he saw rising from the crash, a figure covered in shadows. A shadow with bright golden eyes and…spiky hair.
"Nooo!" Sora yelled as he began to run toward them tripping along the way "Get away from him!"
But before he could get close, the scene seemed to fade away, the only thing he could hear in the distance was those words again
"Summer Rose"
…..
When Sora could see again, he was in what looked like a hospital room. Teams RWBY, JNPR, and the Guardians surrounded the bed, obscuring Sora's Vision. He could hear some of them crying over whoever this person was.
Sora couldn't make out who it was, but he did notice something.
Ruby was missing and he could see Yang crying
Sora could feel tears swelling up in his eyes as the scene changed once again.
…..
He now found himself back in Amity coliseum
This time a single platform dominated the center. Sora could see Evan Suruat on the ground, clutching his leg in pain.
A small group of Atlesian knights surrounded a single Perpetrator. Her long blond hair as still as her breath.
Everyone suddenly faded away, being replaced by what seemed to be a girl torn apart. Circuits sparking from her body. A girl in red kneeling down, holding her hand, tears slowly falling to the ground.
Sora could hear the muffled voice of the broken girl as she slowly faded away
"You're….my….friend….right…"
The scene then shifted, reveling a seemingly destroyed Beacon, Grimm running amongst the school, and people running in fear. Sora suddenly heard the pained scream of a girl, and proceeded to run in its direction.
Upon arrival Sora could see several individuals. He saw Blake covering what looked like Yang, motionless on the ground. A man with red hair shaking blood off the tip of his longsword. A corridor of light opening up, and out of it emerged a man wearing a white cloak and a golden unicorn mask.
"Adam, that's enough"
Adam gritted his teeth begrudgingly. "This isn't your business, brother"
"No it isn't, but we have more pressing matters on our hands" he said looking up
Suddenly a bolt of lightning came down directly in front of Blake and Yang. Out of it emerged Rep and Namine, their keyblades ready.
The scene began to change again, now atop of Ozpin's tower
Pyrrha could be seen on her knees, her chin being held by a woman in a black cloak
Pyrrha looked up defiantly and asked "Do you believe in destiny?"
Just as fast as he had gotten there, everything suddenly went white
"Summer Rose" could be heard in the distance
Several more scenes than began to flash in rapid succession
Sora now stood in the middle of what looked like a camp, dozens of White Fang soldiers laid motionless
"I'm sorry it had to end this way Blake, you know I can't forgive them for what they've done"
"I may be your darkness, but that doesn't necessarily make me evil. I'm just an asshole. What just happened, that's on you."
Who were these people? Sora kept asking himself
Sora then found himself in what looked like a prison, three individuals in black coats slowly making their way to its entrance.
"WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?! You both... think you can do whatever you want. Well, I'm sick of it. Go on, you just keep running. But I'll always be there to bring you back!"
Images of people and places began to move so fast Sora couldn't follow it anymore
War torn cities, refugee camps, and armies of Grimm were just the tip of it.
He saw a woman controlling the Grimm.
He saw a door made of light, six beings each bearing a keyblade, a different animal to represent them, their rise, and ultimately their demise.
"You're telling me that you think the world can be saved by just seven people?"
"We have to at least try"
"Trust no one but myself"
"….Which will lead to the Keyblade War"
"But we don't even know who the traitor is yet!"
"Didn't you think for a second, that your actions could be making things worse than they already are?"
"Guess you better get started then. Unfortunately you'll have to go alone from here on out"
"What about the others?"
Sora now found himself surrounded by bodies. Each riddled with arrows, swords, lances, and just about every weapon you could imagine. Every time he closed his eyes and reopened them, more and more bodies piled up.
Sora looked on in horror at the scene. He fell to his knees, looking on to the horizon. He was surrounded in a pool of blood.
"Who did all this? How could someone do something like this? Did….did I do this?"
Sora closed his eyes hoping to wake up from this nightmare. Afraid of what might happen if he didn't.
"I will no longer be his slave. Don't you see? Everything he has done has led to this point?"
A man impaled upon his own weapon
"How can you look down at us like we're nothing? You just stand there, do you not feel any shame at all? I will never forgive you, you inhuman monster. You've ruined the honor of a knight! Let my blood taint your dreams forever! And when you fall into the searing pits of hell, you will remember me!"
A man making his final charge
"Glory lies beyond the horizon. Challenge the unobtainable! Speak of conquest, and make it real! For my men, and for those who watch behind me!"
A knight kneeling over their fallen comrade
"It was not I…who should've been king"
The same name again, and again
"Summer Rose"
When Sora opened his eyes, everything was white once again
A single being knelt in front of him, their body obscured by light
"Did you not understand? All dreams eventually disappear when the dreamers wake" it said with a wide grin
"What…who…who are you?" Sora weakly asked, still on his knees
This being simply continued to smile and said "I am the truth of your despair"
Suddenly the being disappeared and reality began to materialize once more.
Sora looked around. He was in somebody's room. Two separate beds laid against the walls, one red and one yellow. Sora looked down to see that he was holding books. Books of King Arthur and Alexander the Great.
And suddenly Sora heard his own voice speaking. "A Hero of justice huh? I could be that you know"
Sora turned and saw himself standing there. No. Not himself. The person who stood in front of him had black spiky hair and amber eyes.
"Come on, its time" the boy said with a smile while extending his hand
Sora couldn't help but smile back. It just felt…right. Sora looked back down at the books and then back up, seeing a mirror bearing his reflection.
Except it wasn't him in the mirror. In front of him now stood a man with short white hair, gray eyes and tanned skin. He wore a black body armor with silver accents, black pants, and black metal plated boots. Over his torso he wore a red cloak. He simply stared back, replicating Sora's movements as if they were his own.
Sora didn't know what to feel anymore
Admiration?
Fear?
Regret?
Whatever it was, something about this man made Sora feel as though his heart was going to shatter.
The sudden plea for help pulled Sora out of his thoughts.
Sora ran out the door and found himself at the edge of a forest. In the distance he could see a small village, smoke rising and Grimm running through the streets.
He kept running through the streets, cutting down any Grimm that got in his way. Sora searched for any sign of life, but could only see death.
"Gahhh! Please! Somebody help me!" the voice a small girl rung out.
Sora turned a street corner to see several Beowolves surrounding a small house. Its walls crumbling, and little cover available, a small girl could be seen cowering behind a makeshift wall.
"Get away from her!" Sora demanded.
The Grimm seem to notice his presence, and began to move towards him.
Sora readied his Keyblade, tearing apart the Grimm one by one, not letting them a chance to get away.
When the Grimm were cleared out, Sora made his way to the broken house.
He could still see the girl cowering in fear, unsure if the monsters were gone.
"Poor thing" Sora said, pitying the girl. She couldn't be any older than six.
"Hey" Sora said, trying to calm the girl "Hey, it's alright the monsters are all gone.
The girl slowly came out of her cover, wiping the tears from her eyes. She wore a simple plain black dress. She had black hair with red highlights and silver eyes
"Are they really gone?" She asked, looking around
"Yep I'm sure of it, but don't worry, I'm gonna get you somewhere safe. Where are your parents?"
The girl began to cry harder now. She pointed behind her to what looked like a torn apart kitchen. Two people could be seen on the ground, their bodies torn apart and blood across the walls.
Sora knelt down and gently held the girl's hands. "Ok, ok, don't worry I'm gonna get you someplace safe. What's your name?" Sora said with a warm smile.
The girl sniffled a bit, trying to hold back any more tears. "….Summer…" she said shyly
Sora ruffled Summer's hair a bit "Nice to meet you, Summer"
Sora's vision suddenly became blurry, everything filling with static.
And everything went dark.
Sora suddenly shot up out of his bed, sweating and breathing heavily.
"It was…just a dream?" He asked aloud. His mind was a mess right now. Sora couldn't think straight.
Sora was startled when he heard a knock at his door.
He approached the door slowly, afraid of what might be on the other side
As he opened the door, Sora was relieved to see a familiar girl with short black hair and red highlights
"Ruby! Hey, what up?"
Ruby seemed a little confused by the question. "Nothing really, but…are you okay?"
"Yea, I'm fine. Just had a bad dream is all…I can't really remember. Why?"
"Because you were screaming"
Sora had no idea it was that bad "Sorry I didn't mean to scare you, I don't know what happened"
Sora scratched his head, desperately trying to remember the things he saw and heard in his dream. Unfortunately he fell flat.
But there was one thing he remembered.
"Hey Ruby? This may seem like a strange question, but do you know anyone named Summer Rose?"
Ruby's expression seemed to falter a bit at the name "Yea, she's my mom"
'Her mom!' Sora never met her mother, let alone heard of her. "How come you never talk about her?" Sora asked
"She…she passed away when I was only a kid."
Sora was caught back a bit "I'm sorry, I had no idea"
Suddenly Ruby's smile returned "It's okay! You don't have to apologize"
"But…I…" Sora was cut off by Ruby. "How about you get some sleep. I promise I'll tell you more about her in the morning. I want to take you somewhere, ok?"
"Uh…yea…ok…goodnight"
Sora closed his door and proceeded to return to bed. He fell asleep peacefully, this time dreaming about chasing Phil around Olympus Coliseum, begging to be official heroes finally.
When Sora woke in the morning, he felt like he had been rejuvenated. As he left his room he noticed a speedy red blur quickly coming his way
"ComeonletsgoSora!" Ruby said with incredible speed. Sora suddenly found his hand was snatched by this blur. As fast as he had been taken, everything quickly came to a standstill.
Sora was now seemingly aboard one of the shuttles that frequently operates around Beacon's docks.
"Wha…how….when…." Sora mumbled, confused of what was going on.
Ruby was sitting next to him, still holding his hand, and gazing out the window.
"Hey Ruby…what's going on? Where are we going?"
"Patch" she said happily
"Patch? You mean your hometown? Why are we going there?"
Ruby turned to Sora "I told you that I wanted to take you somewhere last night, remember?"
Shouldn't you be back at Beacon training for the tournament?"
"We won't be long, don't worry"
"Oh…ok…But where are we going in Patch?"
"It's a surprise! I'll tell you when we get there!" She said, clearly excited
Sora and Ruby sat there silently for the remainder of the trip, simply enjoying the others company and gazing out across the morning sky.
Some of the other passengers seemed to recognize Sora. He could hear whispers of people calling him a hero among other things
"Isnt that the leader of the Guardians?
"That's the boy who defeated that Xehanort fella a few months back"
It seemed like he developed some sort of following since his arrival on Remnant six months back.
As the shuttle landed, Ruby speedily dragged Sora out and in the open, albeit not moving as fast as before.
After a few minutes of walking, Ruby brought Sora to the edge of the surrounding forest area, a path laid out, and its destination leading somewhere into the forest.
Before entering, Sora gave one last look back at the village behind them. This was where both Ruby and Yang grew up. It was quiet and kind of nice.
But something on the back of Sora's mind was bothering him. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had been here before.
Sora and Ruby entered the forest and began to walk along the path. Sora was awestruck at the beauty of this area. Trees were perfectly lined up along the path, their red and golden fall leaves shimmering in the wind.
It was all so peaceful
But the next sight was what truly caught Sora's attention. Both he and Ruby now found themselves on the other side of the forest in a small clearing.
Then he saw it.
A hill overlooking a Cliffside, a single grave laid on its edge, rose petals flowing in the wind.
Ruby let go of Sora's hand and slowly approached the grave.
"Hey mom" She said with a small smile
"Sorry I haven't come by in a while. Things have been…Things have been pretty busy. Oh! Dad will be here soon as well. He's you know…Dad" Ruby gave a small shrug
"He's still teaching at Signal, but he told me he's going to be going out on some missions soon. I think he misses adventuring with you. I miss you too" Ruby added, her voice lower as she finished
Seemingly more cheerful, Ruby continued "Haven't gotten kicked out of Beacon yet! So that's cool. I think being on a team with Yang helps. I keep her in line"
Sora gave a small laugh "That was a joke right"
"Oh shush." Ruby laughed. "Yang's actually a really great fighter, you should see her. You can tell she learned a lot from Dad. Well, so are Weiss and Blake. Oh! They're my teammates. Together we form team RWBY. And yes, that does cause a lot of confusion. Anyways, uh, I made a bunch of new friends. There's Jaune. He's pretty funny, but a bit of a dork. Then there's Pyrrha! She's incredible! Oh and then there's Ren and Nora. Ren's super cool and mysterious, while Nora can be…well Nora" Ruby said with a small laugh
"Oh, we've also stopped some bad guys too! I guess it's like they say: Like mother, like daughter" Ruby gave a quick motion towards Sora.
"Anyway, I wanted to introduce you to someone. Mom, this is Sora. He's well…he's my boyfriend. He's not really from around Remnant, but I think you would've really liked him" Ruby finished
The familiar sound of a corgi could be heard in the distance.
Sora turned around only for Zwei to tackle him, licking his face.
"Woof, woof!" Zwei barked as he wagged his tail
Hey Zwei! How are you boy? You've been good?" Sora laughed as Zwei rolled over for a tummy rub.
Ruby laughed at the scene and turned back to her mother's grave. "Anyway, dad must be back, so I gotta go! He's gonna be dropping us off back at beacon. The tournament is in a few days, so I gotta get back and train. Wish me luck!" Ruby said with a slight fist pump
She began to walk away, taking hold of Sora's hand, taking a few steps before turning back and saying "It was good to talk."
"You ready to head back?" Ruby asked
Sora looked once more unto Summer's grave "Your mother was huntress too. She'd be proud of you Ruby"
"Yea, thanks. I never saw her fight but I heard she was one of a kind. She's the reason I wanted to be a huntress. When I was little she would read me stories of heroes who fought for justice and would stand up for whats right. I wanted to be that too, and my mom used to say that I should always stay true to myself, so here I am"
Sora seemed to contemplate this for a moment. He looked at Ruby. She had this look of complete happiness. Sora knew Ruby wanted to be a huntress more than anything, but up until now, he never understood why. But her face said it all. She so firmly believed in world where everyone could be happy and there was no more hurt. There was beauty in that dream.
"A Hero of justice huh? I could be that you know"Sora said
Ruby gave a light giggle "You already are, silly"
"No I mean it! Someday I'll be a hero of justice just like the ones in the books. I promise!" Sora said with complete sincerity. He could see how much it meant to Ruby, and he wanted that too. He wanted to share in her dream.
Ruby blushed from Sora's sudden declaration but quickly snapped out of it, noticing Zwei chasing a squirrel.
"No Zwei! Leave the nice squirrel alone!" Ruby started to chase after the little corgi.
Sora laughed at the scene unfolding in front of him. He began to follow Ruby's mad dash through the woods.
But he stopped dead in his tracks as he heard a voice. A small girl, like the one from his dream, but slightly older now.
"Fine. Since you can't do it, I'm gonna be a hero for you" the voice said
Sora turned, looking for its source but found nothing
"What?" he asked to himself
"You said it yourself that you can't do it anymore, but I still can. Just leave it to me. I'll make it happen" the voice said as it faded away
Sora didn't understand why, but he suddenly felt tears fall from his eyes. He didn't know why he was crying, but all he knew was that he just felt…sad. Sad and empty
It felt as though his heart was ready to give up then and there.
"Hey Sora! Hurry up slow poke" Ruby called to him.
Sora wiped away his tears "Yea I'm coming wait up!" He called back
Sora began to fear the worst
What could all this mean?
What was that dream?
What were these voices he was hearing?
Why was he feeling the these things?
'I don't know what's happening to me, but I know just the person to ask' Sora thought
What! Another chapter? But its only been like like one day! Your incredible!
Yes thank you, I do say so myself. I am on a bit of a roll right now, but again dont expect this every time.
Im just kidding around guys. Anyway this chapter was a blast to write. Its essentially the first actual chapter of the main story line.
Something is going on with Sora. What were these visions that haunted his dreams? What connection does he have with Summer. I dont know I just work here.
Next chapter: The Maiden's Power
Until next time!
InfiniteKingdom
