Okay...I'm nervous...I'm saying this before I actually write the chapter. I sincerely hope I don't get writer's block, and I want the story to write itself, because that would be a huge help.
*deep inhale* Alright. Let's get to it.
Sora was still curious about the kid he had run into during the incident at the marketplace.
Who was he? What was his name? Could they be friends? Most importantly, did he know anything at all about the Heartless organization?
Sora had described the kid to his friends, but they said they'd never seen him, which was of course understandable. Candace said she would think hard about it. The brown-haired boy suspected she knew a lot of people and wouldn't be surprised if she one day claimed that the kid was her best friend's little cousin or something crazy like that.
At this point, the surprises weren't being very surprising anymore.
He, Kairi, and Riku had had a video call with their parents. It wasn't anything huge- they asked the usual questions: how are you doing, what have you learned, is everyone nice, et cetera- but it was really nice to see their faces.
As of right now, he was sitting on one of the big armchairs in the castle's living room. Having just finished spell training (they had finished with Gravity and were starting on Aero), they were all taking a break and enjoying each other's company.
Then Candace popped in, "I got news for ya!" she chirped.
The trio twisted their heads to look at her grinning face. "What is it?" Riku asked.
"I met the kid who ya ran into in the alleyway, Sora!" The teacher said gleefully.
"You did?" Sora stood up. He was expecting something, and he was glad to have been right.
"Yup! He's in the dining hall right now, so if ya wanted to say hi-"
"Thanks a ton!" He exclaimed, his sincerity almost being cancelled out by the fact that he dashed right past her. Of course, she just laughed after him, as usual.
(Why was this a big deal to him? Well, if you met someone who helped you, wouldn't you want to at least know who they were? Besides, this is Sora we're talking about- he loves making friends with everyone and has that sort of effect on you anyways.)
Sora rounded the corner into the dining hall and, as expected, saw the kid who had helped him in the alley. Same sharp yellow eyes, same tussled black hair, same pale skin. He was crossing his arms, standing next to the table, and wore a suspicious scowl, his gaze darting about and never lingering on anything.
Sora grinned and ran over. "Hi! Remember me?"
The kid's eyes snapped to him, critical and judging, before he nodded stiffly. "Yeah. The keykid."
"My name's Sora. What's yours?"
"...Why do you care?"
"I mean, you helped me. I'd like to put a name to the face." The 'keykid' found himself puzzled at the distrust.
A pause. "...My name's Vanitas." He seemed to be slowly relaxing.
Sora brightened, "I never got to thank you for helping me. So, thanks!"
"Sure, whatever. Who's the weird lady who brought me here?"
"That'd be me!" Candace said brightly, appearing from out of the blue, which had become a norm. "I'm the weird lady!"
Riku and Kairi rounded the corner. The former was shaking his head at his Master's words, while Kairi was giving the new arrival a curious stare.
Vanitas cocked an eyebrow. "More people," he muttered gruffly.
"Hello, I'm Kairi," said the blue-eyed girl, undeterred by his manner. "This is Riku, and she's Candace."
"Vanitas," he replied, arms still tightly crossed. "Was there a reason other than introducing yourselves for bringing me here?"
"You're living in the slums," Candace replied promptly. "And since you're friends with us now, you need to at least be shown some gratitude."
"Who said we're friends?"
"I did!" she crowed. "Besides, a kid shouldn't be livin' on the streets!"
He huffed and muttered something that no one really caught, but it was dismissed, especially when Candace added, "And on our way here, you mentioned having run into some quote-un-quote 'thugs'."
"What about 'em? They got your attention."
The teacher looked in her students' direction. "Ya see, Vanitas here has indeed run into them Heartless controllers."
Vanitas's already present scowl deepened slightly as their mouths dropped open in surprise. "The people with the gauntlets? They come through this world all the time."
"Which is exactly the problem." Candace replied. "But before I tell y'all anything more, I think an explanation for Vanitas is in order. I'll go get the others."
Some time later, the group inside the castle learned a lot, thanks to Vanitas's knowledge.
Apparently, patrols of two to four people would arrive on the Land of Departure on a consistent basis. Due to careful eavesdropping and spying, he had found a lot of names as well as their intentions: to scout the land, seize information, and sometimes spread Heartless everywhere.
"How many people have you seen?" Skuld inquired.
Vanitas paused- a mix of thoughtfulness and begrudging hesitation to say anything to them- before replying, "I've seen twelve people and heard around eighteen names."
Terra nodded a little. "Do you know of a boy with silver hair and red eyes?"
"Hm...yeah. They call him Fleet. But that might not actually be his name."
"Why not?" Sora blurted, puzzled.
"I'm a hundred percent sure they use code names," Vanitas said. "Two of the people have some sort of title: Watcher C and Watcher S. That's all they've called them, and I once heard a group complaining about names, so there's that."
Candace mulled this over. "How about those people Lauriam n' Strelitzia ran into? We know Fleet and Fang, so then there's the girl with the light red hair."
"A girl with light red hair? Maybe Breeze. She knows some sort of Aero-derivative magic: she can utilize wind to her advantage with a pair of special fans. That her?"
"Sounds like it."
Eraqus sighed quietly. "This information is...very valuable. If you don't mind, Vanitas, could you write down all of the names and appearances of these people?"
Vanitas blinked, and he transferred his once skeptical gaze down to the floor. Were his ears turning red? "I would...but I...don't really know how to write." The last part of the sentence was almost an indignant, embarrassed mumble, but the group still caught it.
Sora glanced over at his friends. Riku and Kairi were startled, and looked back at him, silent. Candace was opening her mouth, ready to say something, but apparently still deciding what it was going to be. Skuld had bitten her lip in pity.
Ventus was staring at both sides to see everyone else's reactions. Aqua and Terra looked at each other, and then at their Master. Eraqus seemed ever so slightly surprised, but undeterred. "That's alright. Instead, you can relay the information and I'll have Terra write it down."
The black-haired boy seemed mildly startled at the response. His expression morphed into something neutral- maybe a bit grateful. "Well, thanks..." Suddenly it looked like he'd just remembered something crucial.
"What's wrong?" Ventus questioned.
"I just remembered...you're looking for these Heartless controllers, right?"
"We are," confirmed Candace.
"Well, they call themselves The Saber. And two of the members are somewhere near the castle right now."
"What?" Skuld gave a start. "How do you know?"
"I saw them earlier today. Fleet and Fang. I think they're here to scout out the place...and eavesdrop." Vanitas started to look around at the windows, paranoid and suspicious.
Aqua narrowed her eyes, summoning her Keyblade. "Should we look for them, Master?"
Eraqus frowned and nodded gravely, and in a whirl of light, all the wielders were holding their signature weapons. "Terra and Ventus, I want you two to remain here and make sure no one gets inside the castle."
"Yes, Master."
"The rest of us will spread out and search for the Heartless controllers. Aqua, you and Skuld will take Sora, Riku, and Kairi to the mountains and search there. Candace and I will check the town."
Somewhere in the mountains...
"You've always been weird, but you're acting a lot more jittery than normal."
Fang cast a glance at the boy behind him. "The wielders are on high alert. It's better to keep an eye out."
Fleet snorted in a 'yeah-whatever-we-could-take-them' sort of way. Fang gripped his dual axes. That look on Master's face wasn't something he wanted to take lightly. What was that man planning?
"Does it have something to do with Master?"
The one-eyed man halted in his steps and turned around fully, astonished and puzzled. Fleet shot him a wolfish, knowing grin, which was a rare sight indeed. "You've been skittish ever since we were assigned, and you were looking at him a bit strangely, so it doesn't take too long for someone to figure that out."
Fang relaxed his shoulders and conceded, "Yeah, you're right. Did you see his expression as he was assigning us here?"
"Yeah. That's what's disturbing you?"
"Mhm. Something just doesn't feel right. It's been giving me anxiety."
"Well, what could he be planning?" Fleet asked as they continued to walk, now side by side.
Fang bit his lip. "That's what I'm wondering. I just have a bad feeling about this."
"What's the word for that?" Fleet mused, brushing silver bangs out of his eyes. "Ah. Premonition."
"Exactly. I'm just hoping that nothing bad happens."
The boy's red eyes, once thoughtful and curious, looked beyond Fang and hardened into something cold. "Hate to break it to you, but it looks like they've found us."
In response, he swiveled his head and met the gaze of a young male wielder. Fang activated his gauntlet, calling forth Heartless, and stood his ground.
The group hadn't expected to find the two Heartless controllers on the mountain trail, of all places in the area. They had been walking side by side, and if they hadn't been easily recognizable, Sora was startled to realize that he could have mistaken them for villagers. They had seemed relaxed and friendly.
That was, of course, until the boy with the scythe- Fleet- had spotted them.
Now, with weapons out, expressions steeled, and Heartless suddenly materializing beside them, they looked very much like enemies.
Sora briefly locked eyes with the other one: Fang. The one-eyed man had taken a moment to realize the situation, and in the split second they went from friendly-looking to ready to fight, he had looked at Sora in a mildly puzzled, anxious way.
Sora wondered for a moment if they were actually, deep down, good people. For some reason, he hoped so.
Aqua and Skuld stepped in front of the younger ones. "What are you doing here?" Aqua asked, her voice raised and echoing slightly across the terrain.
"The usual," Fang replied smoothly. "Patrolling."
"This world isn't yours to patrol." Skuld said, her tone level.
"Since when did a world belong to anyone?" the one-eyed man shrugged, twirling his axes between his hands. The Heartless- comprised of Shadows, Powerwilds, Air Knights and others- began to shuffle forward, hungry for a fight.
"What does your organization want?" Aqua questioned bitterly. "What do you gain from terrorizing innocent people with the darkness?"
"I'm not the one who makes the decisions, wielder. Neither is he." Fang inclined his head in Fleet's direction, eliciting nothing but an ominous scowl. "I'm following orders, so sorry if they interfere with your own desires. But we can't all have what we want, can we?"
From behind the Master and the Dandelion, Sora, Riku and Kairi exchanged glances. Sora almost wished he had the courage to ask if their leader's decisions were in line with what they wanted as well.
"Then what does your leader want?" Skuld cried, her knuckles whitening as she gripped her Keyblade tighter. No doubt she was remembering how her friends had nearly been killed on Evdomos.
"You want me to be honest?"
The Dandelion hissed something under her breath that was probably an insult of some sort. Fleet glanced at his companion, seeming almost puzzled as to what he was doing.
"Alright then." Fang tossed his bangs out of his face. "To put it simply, he despises all of you with every fraction of his shadowed heart. I myself don't know why, but he wants to wipe Keyblade wielders from the face of the universe. I'm not the one with the grudge or the authority. If you want to meet him yourself, I can take you."
"We aren't stupid," hissed Skuld, backed up by Aqua's defiant glare.
"If that's what you want." The two gauntlets glowed and pulsed, accompanied by growing darkness and more Heartless. "We aren't looking for a fight, but we'll take one."
A rope of electricity came from the devices, and their glow powered down slightly before returning to normal. Fang glanced down at it, appearing concerned for a brief moment. Fleet, too, cast a quick look at the crackling gauntlets.
'What is so special about those things?' Sora wondered in frustration.
Then the light coming from them stopped. It just stopped. It was no longer pulsing, no longer sparking, no longer glowing. The two Heartless controllers stepped back, and seemed panicked for a second.
And with the absence of the glow, the wave of Heartless lunged forth to attack the Keyblade wielders.
Sora's training came to mind immediately, and the first three Shadows that tried to hurt him were quickly cut down in one slash of his Keyblade. He took a step back, getting into a tight back-to-back formation with Riku and Kairi. This proved to be quite effective, and they kept a good radius of empty space between themselves and the creatures.
Aqua and Skuld went for a slightly larger-reaching position. They stayed within a couple feet of each other and made sure no Heartless would attack the other's most vulnerable side.
Fleet and Fang stood off to the side, oddly tense and ready to fight anyone who came close.
The fighting didn't take very long, especially because the Heartless had no strategy whatsoever. A small group of the slightly stronger Heartless and a couple Shadows were all that was left. Sora was aiming his Keyblade to help deal the last few blows with a spell, when tendrils of darkness suddenly sprouted from the ground a few yards away.
The wielders all stiffened in surprise, briefly letting their attention flicker from the cornered Heartless to the Dark Corridor. Fleet and Fang were also startled, staring at the darkness in confusion. Their gauntlets seemed to be glowing gently again.
Out of the corridor stepped a tall, slender figure. Their hair was a striking white, slicked back against their head. They donned a black cloak that reached to right above their ankles. The figure also wore a mask of a red and black heart with a fleur-de-lis at its base and a spiked 'x' going through it: the Heartless emblem. Glinting fangs appeared in a sinister smirk.
Sora felt his heart flip over multiple times, and knew at once that this person was trouble.
The figure lifted their hand, emitting a confident, malevolent aura. The Heartless lifted their own heads, and answered the gesture by taking advantage of the wielders' distraction and melting into the ground, reappearing by their side.
The sinister smirk seemed to broaden ever so slightly. "Now what have we here?" The voice was male- snakelike and tainted with darkness in a way that sent chills down Sora's spine.
Aqua and Skuld had been thrown off guard for a brief second, but they readied themselves again and stood in front of Sora, Riku and Kairi. "Great, another one." Skuld hissed quietly.
"And you would be?" Aqua asked, her tone acidic.
"The leader. And as much as I would like to wipe you pathetic wielders from existence, I have other matters to attend to." He turned his gaze, hidden by the mask but still sharp nonetheless, onto the two Heartless controllers. "I have reason to believe a few things that I highly disapprove of."
Fang seemed to pale slightly, and he took a step in front of Fleet, like an instinctive effort to shield him. Aqua seemed to be debating whether or not to attack this 'leader', but evidently decided it would be safest for all of them not to intervene and moved them all back a few feet.
"Should we do something?" Kairi whispered fretfully.
"Not right now," murmured Aqua. "It doesn't look like he's interested in us at the moment."
"Yes, Master?" Fang asked, his voice quiet and his eyes cast aside. They flickered up to look at the wielders for a moment before returning to the ground.
"I've discussed a few things with the other Superiors, and while I have no proof of possible...disloyalty on the part of you and your comrades, I have come to a conclusion."
Fleet seemed a bit puzzled, and Fang noticeably stiffened. Sora was confused. Disloyalty?
'So...betrayal?'
'Master' continued without waiting for a response. "And that conclusion is this: it's about time The Saber be taught a very valuable lesson. And what better way to do it...than this?"
Plethoras of Heartless exploded from the rocky ground, and the countless Shadows that had materialized as a result joined together to make some sort of living tower. The mere sight of it and the presence of the darkness made Sora feel ill.
Still more of the shadow creatures were appearing, waiting for a command. In a rush of black essence, Fleet and Fang disappeared behind a whirlwind of Shadows. The Keyblade wielders cried out in surprise at the gale's strength, as they struggled not to stumble. Aqua quickly cast a barrier spell that shielded them from the wind.
A few more stressful heartbeats passed, and Sora thought he saw tendrils of darkness- a Dark Corridor?- from behind the wall of Heartless. It was gone in an instant, and he doubted that his eyes were being reliable at that moment.
Than the Heartless stopped circling. They broke apart from each other and gathered behind Master, a mass of shadow creatures, earnestly awaiting their next order. Looking back at where Fleet and Fang had been, Sora saw that only one of the two remained.
Fleet had disappeared.
Fang noticed this immediately and gripped his dual axes tightly, staring at Master in a mix of anger and desperation. "What did you do?" he asked, his voice hollow.
The masked man gave that same cruel smile. "I showed you that I am not one to be betrayed. The Saber and Superiors will know that any sort of treacherous thought against me will end very similarly as what has taken place here. I am stronger than you. I am stronger than everyone here. I merely choose to wait.
"But the time the Keyblade wielders have is short. I am very nearly ready to conquer this world and all others. And there is nothing you can do to stop me. You'll end up just like little Fleet: gone."
With that, Master activated another Dark Corridor. "Feel free to return to The Saber. You'll be placed under heavy watch. If you do not come back, very well. It will only end badly for you." Then he went through the portal.
Sora felt sick, and just like the rest of the group, they were realizing the situation in collective horror. Aqua's spell was now gone: she was clearly appalled. Skuld was silent, and her hands were very white from the terrified death grip she had on her Keyblade.
Riku and Kairi huddled next to Sora- an instinct they all had. Being close together was usually comforting, but it did little to help now.
Fang stared at the place where Master had disappeared, a bead of sweat trickling down his face. He was pale, and most likely still in shock. To think, Sora thought, that not ten minutes ago, the Heartless controller had been walking along the mountain path with his partner, talking peacefully.
And now, that partner was gone.
'Don't think about it,' Sora told himself. But was it really all over now? The brown-haired boy still felt numb, and a part of him kept saying that it was all fine, and that Master hadn't really just done that.
The rest of him knew he was in denial.
Fang sucked in a broken breath, and he stole a glance at the Keyblade wielders, meeting Sora's eyes once again. The horror and sorrow in his expression made Sora want to go over and comfort him somehow. He no longer felt like an enemy, and it was strange to realize that. He took a slow, instinctive step towards Fang, as if he could help him.
The one-eyed man turned his back, shoulders sagged. He sheathed his axes and shakily raised his gauntlet, making the wielders tense and believe he was going to summon Heartless.
But he didn't. He pressed something on the device and warped away. Where? They didn't know.
Sora felt that Fang needed time to himself. He wondered if they really were still enemies, and doubted it. He actually hoped Fang would return- perhaps as a friend, but at the very least no longer an ally of that Heartless organization: The Saber.
Evdomos
Gwyneira felt her stomach twist violently. She faltered midair, nearly losing control of her beating wings. In order to compose herself, she alighted on a large boulder.
"What in the world...?" she murmured to herself.
As of right now, she was on her way to visit an ally of the Sirens' and a good friend, who had requested to Realmkeeper Anouk to send her. Gwyneira wondered what it was for.
But currently, not ten meters from the dwelling she was to go to, this sudden feeling plagued her. It wasn't sickness. This was different.
Something came to mind. Apart from their exceptional ability in song, an old legend said that Sirens would be able to sense when something bad had happened to someone valuable to them- whether they were a relative, a close friend, a lover- they would have a premonition. The closer the person, the worse the pain.
Gwyneira took a deep breath. She hoped it wasn't that, but her new anxiety and instinct said otherwise. Maybe her friend would be able to help.
'After all, she always has good advice for us. I'll ask when I see her.'
The Siren spread her wings and flew the rest of the way to her destination: a huge cave, blocked by a boulder. She felt her premonition get stronger, and thought of all the people who could be in trouble, and her thoughts lingered on one.
Her heart skipped a beat.
'Dear stars, if this legend is true, then please don't let it be him...'
But the worlds above would not reply to her plea.
New world: Lacuna
For what was probably the millionth time that day, the girl with the rose gold hair gave a concerned glance at the ashen land outside.
"If you stare at the volcano again, I am gonna go crazy."
She gave a light pout at the young man seated at the table. "Don't blame me, Maleo! It'll erupt again any day now. That's what Draconia said."
"Draconia says a lot of things," Maleo grumbled, scratching his dark russet hair. "Speaking of, when is she coming back to base?"
"Soon, I should think." The rose-haired girl replied, "She said she was going to bring one of our other members who lives on a different world. Apparently they were one of the first people recruited and they've been friends for a while."
"Then how come I don't know who this person is?"
"I don't know everything, Maleo." She quipped, "They live on a different world, so I guess they've never been to the main base here."
A knock on the door caught their attention. The girl got up quickly and scurried over. "Who is it?"
"You can open the door, Hiraeth. It's me."
Hiraeth's amber eyes brightened, and she happily unlocked the door. She did not expect another girl- one who definitely was not Draconia- to dart inside and huddle in the corner, scowling.
Maleo yelped and fell off the chair. Draconia, a fair young woman with long black hair, stepped in and closed the door. "Sorry about that," she said to a startled Hiraeth and stunned Maleo. She looked at the girl in the corner, "Everything okay?"
"No." Hiraeth was surprised to hear the girl's voice. It was growly and had the weirdest heavy accent she'd ever heard. "Everythin's hot and it stinks to the point where ah can barely breathe. Dis place ez horrid!" The last word sounded much more like an animal's bark than English.
Draconia was patient, "I know it's nothing like Forrest, but Lacuna has been like this for centuries. You don't need to like it, so I really appreciate you agreeing to come here and meet the rest of the team."
"Lacuna ez not for me!" the girl shook her head rapidly, causing her messy grey locks to whip about. "No no no."
"Who in all the stars is this?!" squawked Maleo.
"Kiyiya," said the suddenly chipper newcomer, baring her sharp teeth in a grin. "A pleasin to meet cha."
"Pleasure," Draconia corrected gently.
"Don't matta."
Hiraeth finally found her voice. "No, but like...who is she?"
"Ah already sayed it!"
"Said," Draconia amended again, eliciting a snort, before answering Hiraeth: "She's from the world of Forrest. Since she's still learning English, this is how she talks."
"Am proud to speak like dis." Kiyiya tossed her head back in mock haughtiness.
"What accent is that?" muttered Maleo, casting puzzled orange hues towards her.
"Wolf language ez my motha tongue."
"Gesundheit?!"
"Gezinhi yourself!"
The black-haired woman giggled. "Kiyiya was, quite literally, raised by wolves. I'm surprised she can speak English this well."
Hiraeth blinked owlishly. "Wolves? That's amazing! I'm Hiraeth, and that's Maleo!"
Kiyiya grinned again. "Thanks, well appreciated."
Draconia glanced at the outside. "I noticed the volcano isn't very calm today. It gave us a fright as we were coming to the base."
"Yeah, it should erupt any day now." Maleo huffed, not liking the thought whatsoever.
"Yeah," sighed Hiraeth. "According to Acacius's estimations, it might reach as far as Hydra's Abode."
Kiyiya's head shot up, and her ears seemed to prick. "Hydra's Abode?" she echoed, rolling the 'r'.
"What about it?" Draconia inquired.
"Ah've heard of em. Hav'n' tolded ya jus' yet, but some weirdo humans came in my territory. 'Ey were schemin' much, and sayed somethin' 'bout Hydra's Abode as ah was leavin'."
"What exactly did they say?" Maleo asked.
"Dungeons in Hydra's Abode."
Draconia nodded slowly. "There are dungeons there, but they aren't really used, I believe. I'll need to ask Acacius about that. He knows a lot about that stuff."
Kiyiya bared her fangs. "Whateva them humans were plannin', ez not somethin' good. Ah'd be careful 'bout it."
"I will be. Thank you."
Land of Departure
The sun was setting, and the reality of the earlier incident had sunk in fully.
Eraqus, Candace, Ventus and Terra had been rightly shocked, with the latter two being a bit angry at Master's actions. Vanitas had also been startled, but had not given his opinion on the matter, if he even had one. Speaking of, Sora's mood was slightly lifted when he learned that Eraqus was allowing Vanitas to stay in the castle, but that was about as good as it got.
They were also heavily concerned about Master's threats. Aqua offered to alert the Foretellers in Skuld's place, since she was obligated to stay, which was agreed on by everyone. She would leave the next morning.
Sora sat just outside the castle, his arms looped around his legs. He stared listlessly at the ground. Kairi and Riku were beside him, in a similar state.
"You kids okay?"
Surprised, he turned and saw Skuld, her expression furrowed into deep anxiety and tiredness. She looked like she had a mild headache. "Kinda," he replied with a sigh. His friends murmured their agreement.
"I'm sorry you three had to witness all of that." She sat down next to them. "I myself wish I hadn't seen it. And now I'm considering just bringing you three back to Destiny Islands. You may be safer there. What do you think?"
Sora hesitated. On the one hand, he would be returning to his mother, and all of his friends at the Academy. They would go back to normal, live their school life, and might not even have to worry too much about The Saber since it would become the responsibility of the other Masters.
On the other, did he really want to stay in one world, when there were so many others out there?
The feeling of wanderlust that choked him told him enough. He wanted to see all of the other worlds. He wanted to help stop the threat of the organization. He wanted to make new allies. See new things. Have adventures.
He knew he would be put in danger. But the sense of determination he had, especially after the incident on the mountains, would carry him through it. And even if he did go back, he was well aware nothing would ever feel completely normal again.
"No," Sora said quietly. "I want to stay and help. We can't just sit around, right?"
Riku and Kairi seemed to have the same thought process. They nodded happily.
Skuld tilted her head a bit, unreadable emotions swimming in her amber hues. Then the deep, disturbed canyons on her forehead softened, and she smiled. "Alright, if that's what you want, that's what you'll have." She stood up, glanced about, and then stiffened. Her eyes locked onto a person sitting a little ways away on the edge of the precipice.
The three young wielders followed her gaze. The figure was very familiar, even with his back to them. He seemed to be looking thoughtfully at the horizon, weapons sheathed on his back.
Skuld summoned her Keyblade just to be safe, then ran at him silently and positioned the Keyblade a few inches beside his neck. The act was so swift that it created a small puff of wind, which pushed his pale blond hair.
Sora, Riku and Kairi went over. Surprisingly, Fang didn't flinch or even seem bothered. He didn't even look at the weapon. He simply closed his eyes and exhaled. "Good evening," he rasped.
Skuld hummed a bit, lowering her Keyblade. "I was making sure you didn't have hostile intentions. What are you doing here?" Her tone was composed and genuinely curious. It seemed that after what had happened to Fleet, she was becoming a tad more open-minded.
Fang smiled bittersweetly. "Remember how Master mentioned betrayal and treachery as his reasons for coming here?"
The four of them nodded.
"Well, it's true."
They blinked in mild shock. Sora looked at his friends, who exchanged the glance.
"Me and some other members have been wanting to separate from The Saber for a long time now. We don't feel safe working for Master anymore. His goal today was to scare us into submission. Make us fear him. But he hasn't realized that he only did the opposite.
"All that Master did was secure our decision to betray him. We executed our plan less than two hours after I left the mountains."
"What is this 'plan'?" Skuld inquired, her blade unsummoned.
He showed them the signature device, which still bore the Heartless symbol. "Take these gauntlets, gather together secretly, destroy the trackers on them, and then teleport to a new place. We were prepared, but waiting for the right opportunity. And today was the day."
"And what are you going to do now?" Kairi piped up, her hands clasped in sincere concern.
"Master is my enemy," Fang replied. "You are his enemy. And the enemy of my enemy..."
"...is your friend." Riku finished.
"Yep. So from now on, my friends and I will give you all of our information and our help."
Skuld seemed shocked, then she paused and asked, "How many of you are there?"
The corner of his mouth turned up into a triumphant smirk. He turned, "Everyone can turn off the concealers!"
In weird blurs of color, a large group of over ten people materialized.
Fang's smirk widened. "Here we are. Would you like us to introduce ourselves?"
*headdesk*
*headdesk*
*headdesk*
This physically HURT me to write aAAaaAaAAAAA-
I spent a good hour paining over how I was going to write the scene with Fleet. My sister gave me a pep talk and I got through it, so thank you, sis!
I'm also sorry for introducing so many characters and a new world all at once, but I don't think it would have fared well in the next chapter, and it sorta fit the title for today, so yeah. :p
Also yes, Fang is now their ally. :3 How do you think this will go? Review me your thoughts, theories, advice/constructive criticism, etc!
Below is some information sorted out in case you're confused:
1.) Kiyiya is the 'wolf girl' from Forrest. She has greenish-blue eyes and somewhat dark skin. She was raised by wolves and has a heavy accent when she speaks. (I had fun writing it lol.) The reason her thoughts were in perfect English was because it's easier to think a language than speak it, amirite? OwO
2.) Hiraeth is a girl in her early teens. She has wavy rose gold hair that reaches mid-back and amber eyes. She is quick-witted and usually optimistic.
3.) Maleo is in his late teens. He has somewhat messy dark russet hair that goes no longer than his ears, and catlike orange eyes. He is basically Hiraeth's opposite, and isn't very graceful. Maleo is, however, skilled in close range combat.
4.) Draconia is in her early to mid-twenties. She has long black hair reaching her hip and light blue eyes. She is well-trained with many different types of sword.
5.) Acacius (he was briefly mentioned by Draconia and Hiraeth) has silver ash blonde hair that is slightly spiky and styled similarly to a mullet. He has green eyes, and is the wisest of the known team. He is also an exceptional mage.
6.) Lacuna is a world that is near Forrest. Instead of beautiful vegetation, however, it is basically a wasteland that alternates between volcanoes and violent storms. One of its locations is Hydra's Abode.
7.) Hydra's Abode is an island mostly made of rock, but compared to the rest of Lacuna, has a decent amount of vegetation. It is located in a place where thunderstorms are frequent. Centuries ago, before Lacuna was a wasteland, it was used as a place of exile or imprisonment, which is why there are dungeons there.
8.) Kiyiya, Hiraeth, Maleo, Draconia, and Acacius are part of a team similar to the Dandelions and The Saber. While they don't wield Keyblades and are not recognized officially by wielders, they own Gummi Ships and can travel to other places. Their ultimate goal is to restore Lacuna and other worlds that are in a similar state.
Most of the members also use special technology that their blacksmiths developed that allows them to use artificial dragon wings to fly and fight. This includes a dragon tail, which helps them steer.
9.) The team is called the Restorers. Their badge is that of a silver dragon curling around a diamond-shaped stone painted a dark blue.
10.) Draconia is the founder and leader of the Restorers.
I'm wondering if y'all would be interested in seeing original song lyrics in future chapters...lmk if you are.
Also dang this chapter is a little over 6,000 words with the A/N.
If I missed a piece of info or you have questions about something, leave a review and I'll answer them in the next chapter!
Once again, thank y'all so much for reading! :D
somibel, OUT!