Here's chapter twelve. Thank you idea . getthe, Gold2King, Parks98, ultima-owner, blackfirekingkoncor, animesguardianangel, and Initiumi for reviewing last chapter!
Chapter Twelve: Merlin
Sora landed. The Land of Departure seemed much as he remembered it: wide, expansive gardens, a tall castle with chains draping from the spires, flowing water that sparkled in the sunlight. Birds chirped; streams gurgled. The scars from the world's destruction were mostly healed, covered by new stones or by flower beds. A few training dummies lay strewn across the landing area.
Sora stepped from the Gummi ship. He shifted, then shook himself and moved.
He stepped into a brightly-lit interior, small magic lights illuminating stone walls, large windows allowing mottled light. His footsteps echoed through the corridors and his hand absently ran along the wall.
He stopped at the courtyard.
Melody and Rai ran through the space; Melody had her Keyblade—a bright red, flame-like weapon with spiked teeth—covered in fire. Rai raced from her, shouting, "That's not fair!" and "Knock it off, I'm trying to train!"
"Hey!" Sora called.
Rai turned and tripped over a dummy.
Melody swung.
Rai yelped, then rolled, extinguishing his flaming shirt. He glowered.
Melody laughed. "I win."
"I wasn't even playing."
Melody released her Keyblade and turned, grinning. "Sora!" She raced towards him and leapt.
Sora grunted, then laughed, returning the hug. "Hey! Looks like your fire magic's coming along."
"Yep!"
Sora tussled her hair, then said, "I'm not here to visit, though. I need to talk to Aqua. Is she here?"
"No. She went to Disney Castle."
"How about Lea?"
"Yeah. He's in Aqua's office."
"Thanks."
Rai grumbled, "You're never here to visit."
Melody puffed her cheeks.
Sora scratched his head. "Maybe I'll see you guys later."
Melody asked, "Will you bring your apprentice here? I want to meet him!"
Rai shouted, "You mean you want to torture him!"
"I will not!" She turned and planted her hands on her hips.
Rai sighed, still splayed across the ground.
"Maybe. We'll see." Sora waved and left. The apprentices' bickering echoed down the corridors.
Sora turned down a hallway, passing closed bedrooms and tall, ornate paintings. He stopped at a large, oak door and knocked.
Fumbling sounded inside. "Who is it?"
"Sora."
"Sora?" Footsteps tapped towards the door. Lea opened it and stared. He smirked and crossed his arms. "You never change. Maybe you're a little bit taller."
"Haha, funny. I'm actually here to find out where Riku was sent."
"Camelot. There've been more Heartless than usual there. Why? You want to go on a mission too?"
"Shirou followed him. Oh. Ah, Shirou's my—"
"I know. Aqua told me." Lea rubbed his head. "So I think I'm supposed to be bugging you to train my apprentices or something, but you know what? Have fun. Just do me a favor and file a report afterwards. I'll leave it for Aqua."
Sora blinked, then smiled. "Thanks."
"Anytime."
Sora waved and left.
-Shirou stumbled through the woods. He slowed, panting, and glanced behind him. A trail of leaves followed him, disturbed. He took a deep breath. His heart pounded in his head. He summoned Vir and held it in front of him. "Fire."
The trees groaned. His words fell through the still air.
Shirou released his Keyblade and sighed.
Something stirred.
Shirou turned. "Hello?"
A shape moved, wrapped in a cloak.
"Who are you?"
"I am what's left," a deep voice rumbled. He sounded vaguely amused.
"Huh?"
The cloaked figure moved closer. "Tell me. Do you know the nature of the heart?"
Shirou took a step backwards.
"Do you know what a stray memory can do to one?"
Something shivered down Shirou's spine. He summoned Vir and positioned it across his body.
The figure leaned over the weapon. A semi-transparent face stared from beneath the hood, pale hair framing dark skin.
Shirou held Vir with both hands. His legs shook.
"I see. So you are like me."
Shirou frowned.
The figure smirked. "Does your master know?" He paused, face contorting. "No, he wouldn't. He's too attuned to others' hearts to understand."
"Understand what?" Shirou's voice came out quiet, shaky. He cleared his throat. His legs locked.
"Oh? You haven't realized it, either. How sad." Something like mist shrouded the figure's feet.
Shirou swung.
The figured leapt backwards. "What would your master do, I wonder, if I were to test you right now?"
Shirou's vision warped. Darkness briefly covered the figure then disappeared.
A voice drifted towards them.
The figure's head snapped sideways. He chuckled. "I suppose that will have to wait. Tell Sora I said 'hi.'" The voice shifted to something younger. He moved backwards, fading into shadows.
Shirou suddenly realized his legs were wobbling and that sweat soaked his hair and shirt. He fell, releasing a heavy breath.
The voice from before—older, male—drew closer, words gradually growing more distinguishable, "…ood heavens, I know it was around here somewhere! It hasn't been that long since I visited." An old man stepped from the trees, a long blue cloak covering most of him, his white beard trailing down his chest, a blue, pointed hat tilted on his head. He carried a burlap bag. The man stopped. He blinked, removed his glasses, and rubbed his eyes. "Well, I'll say. Another Keyblade wielder!"
Shirou stared. His heart pounded.
"Hello, there! Are you one of Riku's? Or did Aqua get an apprentice? I didn't think she was here, but—"
The words finally registered, and Shirou shook his head. "Sora."
"Hm?"
"Sora. I'm Sora's apprentice."
The man blinked, then his mustache rose in a grin. "So he finally got an apprentice, did he? Good, good! It's about time. I hope he's been teaching you well. Is he here?"
Shirou shook his head.
"Shame. I would have liked to see how his heart magic was coming along."
"Heart magic?"
"Yes! Didn't he tell you? It's what he specializes in. How long have you been his apprentice?"
"A couple of weeks." Shirou's head reeled. "Um, who are you?"
"Oh! My, my, my, where are my manners? My name is Merlin. I'm a wizard. I taught Sora everything he knows. Well, mostly. About magic."
Shirou scrambled to his feet, Vir lifted.
"Now what's that for?"
"I met a witch earlier."
Merlin sighed and rubbed his eyes. "You must be referring to Mim. I am nothing like that old hag, believe you me. Do you really think Sora would learn magic from someone who's evil?"
Shirou eyed him, then released Vir, slowly relaxing. "Can you teach me magic, then?"
"Hmm? Of course! But why not learn from Sora?"
"I'm not doing well. I came here to get better."
"And I doubt that you came with the intention of meeting me. I'm not even usually here, you know. You're very lucky I learned about the Heartless situation and came back."
Shirou blinked.
Merlin sighed. "Well, come along, come along! We'll see if we can find my old house. I'll start teaching you there. Oh, I didn't get your name."
"Shirou."
They walked together. The forest grew lighter. A few birds chattered above. Shirou's arms and legs ached.
Merlin shot something from his hand.
Shirou jumped.
Dark smoke spiraled skyward. "Heartless," Merlin warned. "You'd do best to stay away from them."
Shirou pursed his lips.
They continued. Merlin asked, "Sora doesn't know you're here, does he?"
Shirou shook his head.
"I can't keep you here long, you know, because of that. I'll have to see about contacting Sora to further your training. But you shouldn't have run off, whatever your intentions."
Shirou frowned. "I wanted to get better."
"Yes, but you're still very inexperienced. I'm sure Sora is worried about you."
Shirou looked away. "Will he be disappointed?"
"I don't know. He'll be upset, I'm certain, but probably more relieved that nothing bad happened." Merlin eyed him sternly. "But don't do it again. Ah, here we are."
Another run-down house, similar to Mim's, stood in a small glade. The forest seemed brighter here—greener, more sunlight, a quiet stream bubbling nearby, a squirrel nibbling a nut, two birds perched on the house's roof. Merlin shooed them away. He opened the door. "Come in, come in."
The house was relatively empty. A desk and chair sat in the middle. An empty bookshelf occupied one wall. Merlin set his bag down and opened it. He pulled a wand from his sleeve. "Just let me unpack first. It won't take long." He waved the wand. The bag twitched. Small books climbed out of it, slowly growing and finding places on the empty bookshelf, faint, blue-tinged magic shrouding and bolstering them. Beakers, strange concoctions, clothes, and a large chair followed, each finding places to inhabit. They danced around the room, floating on the magic, spiraling around Shirou. He hesitantly touched a book, disturbing it, then pulled away. The book returned to its position and continued to the shelf. Some nestled on the ground, and Shirou backpedaled to avoid behind overwhelmed. Merlin's arms waved back and forth, while he mumbled to himself.
Shirou asked, "How are you doing that?"
"Magic, of course."
Finally everything settled. Merlin sat in the chair. "Have a seat." He urged another chair forward, catching Shirou and forcing him into it. "Now, how much do you know about magic?"
Shirou cupped his chin. "That it's connected to the heart—or at least, that's the area it's supposed to be near. And that it's connected to the Keyblade. You have to reach for it and say a spell to use it."
Merlin rubbed his beard. "Well, yes, that's true, but there's much more to magic than that. Maybe we should start with the basics." Merlin charmed a book. It floated to him and landed, open, in his lap. "Now, magic is something that originates from the heart, like you said. It exists inside every creature and inside every world, but not everyone can reach deep enough into their heart to activate it. Keyblade wielders are lucky. Has Sora told you what the Keyblade is?"
Shirou shook his head.
"Hmm. Well, I'll let him explain the details. But at its most basic, the Keyblade is a man-made weapon designed to function as a manifestation of someone's heart. As such, anyone who wields a Keyblade automatically has a much deeper connection to their heart than many around them."
Shirou summoned Vir and examined it.
"Keyblades typically unlock magical potential in their user. In fact, just the ability to summon the Keyblade is a form of magic. Everyone has different levels of magical potential, but everyone also has the ability to use magic, whether that be because they dig deep enough or because they wield a weapon such as the Keyblade. If normal spells aren't working for you, it might mean that you're just not magically inclined." Something amused entered his eyes. "Or it might mean that you have very specific magic."
Shirou straightened, Vir disappearing.
"Most Keyblade wielders can use all the basic forms of magic. However, usually they can only use more advanced spells that relate to their magical affinity."
"Affinity?"
"Everyone has some sort of element or concept they align with. Take Sora, for example. His affinities are Light and Wind. Riku—I'm assuming you know Riku?—is Light and Darkness. Usually this doesn't stop them from using other basic spells, of course, but perhaps you have an affinity outside of the normal."
"How do you find an 'affinity'?"
"Normally through practice. Whatever magic seems to come easiest is what the user will naturally be drawn to."
"So not Fire and Blizzard."
Merlin laughed. "If those haven't worked, then no, I suppose not!" Merlin's eyebrows furrowed. "What's happened when you've tried to use magic before? Maybe that'll give us an idea of what's going on."
Shirou crossed his arms and frowned. He closed his eyes. "It doesn't want to work." Mim lunged behind his eyelids, and the world shifted. "Something weird happens. It's like everything around me is moving. No, it's—breaking?" He shook his head. His voice grew quieter. "But I feel something. It's outside me, but inside, too." His heart thumped, once. He opened his eyes.
Merlin studied him. "Hmm. That is certainly odd. It reminds me—well. I won't dwell on that just yet. So instead of working on spells, we're going to work on making you more attuned to your magic."
Shirou nodded.
"Now, get comfortable. You probably won't be moving for a while."
Shirou considered, then slid from the chair, crossing his legs on the floor.
"Close your eyes and reach for your magic."
Shirou obeyed. The energy pulsed near his heart.
"I want you to focus on that. Don't shape it into a spell. Just focus on holding the magic, becoming familiar with it. Can you do that?"
Shirou nodded.
"Good. I'll leave you to it, then. Don't stop until I tell you."
Shirou nodded again, the magic pulsing rhythmically, almost like the beat of a heart.
Okay, that's it for this chapter. Review responses:
idea . getthe: He knows about other worlds. However, at the moment, he doesn't know what Aqua and the other Keybladers are up to. (The multiverse is pretty vast and hard to keep track of.)
Gold2King: No, no offense taken! And thanks for pointing it out; I'll try to work on that. Honestly, I appreciate when people point out where I seem to be struggling, etc., because I may not even realize I'm doing it until someone says something, so thanks!
Parks98: Haha, Mim is…interesting. As for Shirou's joy, well…that's a bit more complicated. He certainly felt a sort of joy, but suffice it to say it wasn't his. (Although you're not wrong in that it was Sora's doing…) At the moment I'm figuring that Gaia will be the only non-Kingdom Hearts/Disney/etc. world that appears (though that world does sound like a neat idea), but my stories also have a tendency to hijack themselves, so I won't rule out the possibility entirely. Haha, you didn't have to wait long for Merlin! He's got things a lot more together than Sora does on the magic front. Merlin actually doesn't know of Zeltretch's existence, to be honest. There are several characters in other worlds who know the old vampire, though (one of them being Yen Sid, if only as occasional acquaintances).
ultima-owner: Indeed.
blackfirekingkoncor: To be honest, I don't usually use keychains a lot. However, since they will be mentioned at least as a concept in this story, I may bring them in later. (Though not quite yet—I feel like Shirou still needs to get used to Vir before he starts changing his weapon.)
animesguardianangel: Haha, I don't think Shirou usually has an appropriate response. Hmm, not to the world…
Initiumi: Haha, well…things will certainly be interesting for you to look at from here on out.
Anything you'd like to say about the chapter? Please leave a review and let me know!