"A long time ago, the world was full of light. Back then, five Keyblade Masters, known as the foretellers, led five different Unions of skilled Keyblade Wielders to protect the light from any darkness that threatened it. Despite the separation into Unions, each Keyblade Wielder worked together towards that greater goal until news of a traitor was heard. The Foretellers and many of the Keyblade Wielders lost trust in each other and eventually started to clash. This all culminated into the Keyblade War, an event that nearly led to the world being consumed by Darkness.
But surviving Keyblade Wielders were able to join together and keep the world and keep the light alive, while the Foretellers disappeared, never to be seen again. As time went on, some began to wonder about the secrets that lied in the Keyblade War and what would happen if another one would take place. To this end, quite a few individuals have begun a series of complicated plots to spark the ultimate clash between Light and Darkness to gain access to the ultimate power that many have vied for… Kingdom Hearts."
"Come on. Come on!" standing along the shores of her island home, Kairi continued thrusting her right hand forward in rhythm with her chants. But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't achieve her goal. "Sora and Riku make it look so easy…"
Upset over her failure, the young girl sighed and dropped to the ground. As her fingers ran through the sand, she couldn't stop herself from asking, "Why can't I summon my Keyblade?"
Kairi thought back to when Riku first gave her her own Keyblade. Holding the weapon in her hands for the first time filled her with strength and a sense of purpose. Her friends were always fighting and risking their lives. Now that she finally had a Keyblade of her own, she could finally help them like she wanted on their first adventure. But ever since returning home from their last journey, she was unable to summon her Keyblade again.
While disappointing, she figured maybe it was a sign that their adventures were finally over and the Keyblade was no longer needed. But that all changed when Mickey sent Sora that message in a bottle. Deep down she knew that Sora would have to leave for another adventure and she would be left behind again, a feeling that was confirmed when Mickey came for Sora and Riku. It took everything she had not to voice her disappointment when they left her and ever since then Kairi had tried everything she could think of to regain the use of her Keyblade.
"Kairi!" a sudden voice snapped Kairi out of her funk and propmpted her to turn around. In the distance, she could see her friend, Selphie, running towards her. "The Mayor said I'd find you here."
Though sweaty and out of breath, Selphie was still as energetic as ever. "What're you doing here by yourself?"
"I'm was just trying to summon my Keyblade," Kairi answered, unable to hide her disappointment.
"Keyblade? You mean that giant key Sora used to beat Tidus and Wakka the other day?"
"Yeah."
"I didn't know you had one too."
"Well, I did but…" Kairi violently shook her right arm, sighing once again when nothing happened. "I haven't been able to bring it out since we got back. I bet Sora and Riku didn't have this hard of a time when they first got theirs."
"Maybe there's some sort of secret way to doing it," Selphie theorized. "I'm sure Sora and Riku could show you how to do it after they get back.
As if on cue, a Gummi Ship dropped down from the sky and landed next to them, shocking the two islanders. Before they could question its sudden appearance, Riku jumped out from inside.
"Riku?!" they exclaimed.
"Hey," he nonchalantly confirmed.
"You're back already?" Kairi asked, trying her best to get past how close Riku landed to them. "That was fast."
"Especially compared to how long you were gone last time," Selphie added.
"Yeah, well, I'm not staying long. I'm actually here to pick up Kairi," he explained.
"Me?" hearing that, Kairi couldn't help but feel surprised. "What for?"
"There's someone who wants to meet you," Riku answered.
A smile stretched across her Kairi's face as she silently nodded her head. Not wanting to waste any time, she quickly followed her friend into the ship.
"Hey!" Kairi turned around to find Selphie walking towards her. "What should I tell the Mayor when he asks where'd you go?"
"Just tell him I'm out with a friend. I'll be back soon," Kairi answered before the top of the Gummi Ship closed.
The engine began to roar as the ship slowly rose off the ground, filling Kairi with nothing but excitement.
"I'd put my seat belt on if I were you," Riku advised.
"Come on, Riku. The take off can't be that bad," she replied.
A small smirk crossed Riku's face as the ship took off to the sky, throwing Kairi around the inside as if she was a ragdoll. By the time they reached the Ocean Between, she felt like she needed a bucket for her sick stomach. She slowly staggered on her feet, sat down in one of the open chairs and quickly strapped herself in.
"You don't really need it on here," Riku pointed out, trying his best not to laugh.
"Ugh…" she just as quickly unfastened herself and approached Riku in a way that he was sure that she was slightly stomping. "So Riku… Who's this person that wants to meet me?"
"His name is Master Yen Sid. He's a retired Keyblade Master who happens to be Mickey's teacher," he answered.
"Is that what you've two been up to? Training under this master?"
"Not exactly. He wanted us to take the Mark of Mastery exam; a test to see if a Keyblade Wielder is ready to take the mantle of master."
"Oh. I bet you two passed it with flying colors, right?"
"Yeah, well… It's a long story."
It was at that moment that Kairi noticed something strange. "Hey… Where's Sora?"
"That's part of the long story…" Riku answered. Though he knew that Sora was in the Realm of Sleep, he had no idea where he was in it or what he was doing. But even with those mysteries, there was one thing he was sure of. "You don't need to worry though. He's fine."
Meanwhile, the aforementioned Keyblade Wielder flew through the skies of Traverse Town before landing on a lamp post. He then catapulted himself from lamp post to lamp post before finally jumping in front of his Meow Wow.
"Still got it," Sora grinned.
The dream eater in front of him happily jumped up and down before launching itself into his arms. But such levity did not last long as suddenly a golden light drew their eyes upwards. In front of them was a bright, glowing Keyhole.
"Huh? Where did that come from?" Sora wondered as he approached the Keyhole. "I already found the one here, didn't I?"
As he continued to stare at the Keyhole, Meow Wow suddenly jumped out of his arms and ran to it.
"You think I should open it?" Sora questioned.
Meow Wow eagerly nodded its head.
"Well, Master Yen Sid said you were my guide here…" a determined grin crossed Sora's face as he summoned his Keyblade. "Let's do this!"
Aligning the tip of his blade with the Keyhole, Sora fired a beam of light at it, enveloping the two in a surge of light.
Shielding his eyes from the intense light, the young Keyblade wielder felt as if his body was lifted off the ground before suddenly being feeling his feet reconnect to a grassy surface.
He opened his eyes and found himself on a standing on top of a lush and grassy mountain summit.
"Whoa!" Impressed by the new location, Sora eagerly looked around, eventually noticing a castle in the distance. As he took in the sight of the castle, the teen was soon attacked by a strange feeling. He felt like he had seen it before.
Soon, all excitement had passed and he began questioning the state of the world he was in.
"What is this place? Is it a sleeping world?" he wondered aloud.
Before he could ponder that question any more, Sora heard a high pitch squeak. Following the abrupt sound to it source, the young teen found Meow Wow standing next to a slightly beaten path. Suddenly, the Dream Eater ran down the path, prompting Sora to chase after it.
"Hey, wait up!" he shouted as he followed it down the mountain.
As he continued to chase the Dream Eater, Sora came across an area filled with large golden rings suspended by gold chains, adding to the strange familiar sensation he felt.
Continuing the chase, Meow Wow suddenly stopped just short of the castle Sora saw when he first arrived.
"Yes, that's the defense stance. There's no offense without a good defense." Those sudden words from nearby spurred Sora to continue down the path and he soon found himself in front of the catsle's Forecourt. There he noticed a man approaching a young boy, a boy who looked exactly like…
"Roxas?!" Sora sputtered.
The young boy's spiky golden blond hair and his bright blue eyes were unmistakable; it had to be Roxas. And yet, upon closer inspection, Sora noticed that the young boy's outfit, while identical to the one Roxas once wore, was different. Half of his attire was black to contrast the other half's white and there were pieces of armor spread across his clothing. Not only that, but the boy was wielding a wooden sword in a stance that was different from the one Roxas used during their fight. These observations caused doubt to creep into his mind.
"If he's not Roxas, then why does he look like him and…" Taking another glance at the mysterious youth, Sora noticed something he hadn't before. The boy's expression was dull, looking as if he was devoid of life. Seeing such a sight caused a slight reaction in his heart. "Why does he look so… empty?"
He then watched a young woman and man approach the two, the former also wielding a wooden sword and the latter wielding a wooden Keyblade.
"Wait a sec…" Sora took another look at the two. The woman had ocean blue hair with eyes to match while the man had a slightly messy, rocky brown colored hair. Just like the boy and his teacher, pieces of armor were attached to their attire. "I've seen those two before. Back at the Organization's world."
"Master! How about we take a break?" the woman proposed with a smile. "Ven, come help me get the tea ready."
He watched the boy slowly approach the young woman then follow her into the castle. In another sudden flash of light, Sora found himself in the middle of the Forecourt.
Confused by the sudden change position, Sora looked around and noticed the Ven sitting along the court's walls with the young woman and man from before.
"You're trying too hard to move your body. You need to learn to let your body move you. Right?" the young man stood up and raised his Wooden Keyblade, sporting a very proud smile. "In your hand, take this blade. And so long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, it's wielder you shall one day be made."
As Ven blankly stared at the young man, the blue-haired woman couldn't help but laugh. "What's THAT about? Who went and made you Master?
"Being a Keyblade Master is all I've dreamed about," he declared.
Ven and the young woman exchange a quick glance before looking back up at their friend.
"Well, you're not the only one," she reminded him.
"I know," the young man smiled and kneeled in front of Ven. "You, me and Ven all share the same dream."
The young man presented the Wooden Keyblade to Ven. "Here, Ven, this is for you."
A faint smile crossed the boy's face as he silently reached out and gripped the gift.
"Huh? Then what are you going to use, Terra?" the woman asked.
"I'll take the one Ven was using for now," he nonchalantly answered. "Then I'll make a new one."
Sora watched Terra take the wooden sword Ven had then ruffle his blond hair
"Isn't that nice, Ven?" the woman asked, smiling.
He silently glanced down at his gift then back to Terra. "...Thank you."
"Ven!" his friends cried out in near unison.
"What's with you two?" Ven looked back and forth between them, puzzled. A smile stretched across Sora's face as he watched the woman pull Ven into a hug as Terra continued to ruffle his hair from the side. "Stop it, Terra, Aqua. Come on already—I'm not a baby, okay!"
Terra and Aqua looked at each other and burst into laughter, drawing an embarrassed laugh from Ven. Such a sight made the smile on Sora's face grow bigger. Even though he didn't know who these people were, the friendship between them touched his heart.
"Amazing," a dark corridor soon formed in front of the young Keyblade wielder and from it appeared a familiar silver-haired youth.
"Xehanort!" Sora wasted no time calling for his Keyblade and preparing himself for a fight.
"Most people would usually stay away from a place where they suffered such trauma and yet here you are, playing around as if nothing happened," Xehanort's younger incarnation said. Though he spoke in his usual monotone voice, Sora could feel the condescension those words contained.
Anger coursed through his body as he recalled the trap he was lured into during his Mark of Mastery Exam and how he was almost made into a vessel for Master Xehanort.
Suddenly, a pool of darkness appeared below the two and quickly engulfed them. As Sora struggled to escape, it just as quickly disappeared, revealing that all the darkness only returned them to Taverse Town.
"How-? Wait, did you make that place up?" Sora angrily questioned.
"I thought Xigbar already explained it to you. We didn't show you anything that you experience once you were in our trap. What you saw before were the results of the connections to your heart," Xehanort calmly explained. "Knowing that, even you should realize what that means in relation to what you just experienced."
"Connections to my heart?" Sora shot a confused look at the enemy in front of him.
"Ask yourself this: What do those visions you previously experienced mean? Who is that boy that looks like Roxas and is that really the way that question should be worded?"
Left speechless by Xehanort's questions, Sora began to think about the people who he had encountered during his time in The World That Never Was. The sad faces of Naminé and a girl he had never met before, his conversation with Roxas and the sudden appearance of Terra and Aqua.
He didn't have much to think further about it as he noticed a dark aura surround the silver-haired youth.
"Search your heart. The answers are there," Xehanort advised before fading away into the darkness.
With the threat now gone, Sora recalled his Keyblade.
"Why can't these guys just give a straight answer for once," he mumbled.
Suddenly, Meow Wow jumped into his arms, whimpering as it cuddled up to him.
"Don't worry, I'm fine," Sora smiled as he gently placed the Dream Eater on the ground. "It's time for me to head back."
Meow Wow jumped at his legs, still whimpering as it tried to climb back into his arms. In response to this, the young teen laughed and petted the Dream Eater's head.
"Don't worry. I'll be back," he assured his guide with a bright smile. He wasn't sure if that was what really bothered his friend, but it appeared to have calmed Meow Wow down.
Now filled with determination, Sora summoned his Keyblade back into his hand thrust it forward. Almost instantly, another Keyhole formed in front of him and he wasted no time unlocking it. As he was enveloped by the light of the Keyhole, he thought about what the trio he had never met and what the young version of Xehanort had told him.
"Ven, Aqua and Terra…" he solemnly recalled their names as he disappeared in a flash of light.