Limit: Part Six: Brave New World
Sky and Vanitas arrived in the Enchanted Dominion. But something was different about where they were. They were in the forest, but for some reason, the forest felt very…. Magical. If that were one word to put it. There were mountains with roaring waterfalls, forests with glowing fireflies flying around, and the scenery looked very peaceful.
Sky looked at this place and fell instantly in love. "How come I've never been to this world?" he said aloud.
"Well now you know. You can visit anytime you want I suppose." said Vanitas.
"That is if you don't take over the world first." teased Sky.
"Who said I didn't stop dreaming about it?" Vanitas said, laughing.
Sky also laughed and walked up ahead. "I think this place is a fairy kingdom of sorts!" he said.
"Perhaps this is where Maleficent came from. She mentioned she was a fairy with powerful wings once." said Vanitas.
"Really? She had wings?" asked Sky.
"That's what she told me." said Vanitas.
"That explains why you look the way you do now. With the horns and the wings." said Sky.
"I look quite attractive," said Vanitas.
"Sure you do." said Sky.
"Hey!" Vanitas said as Sky laughed. He then ran towards the lake and touched the water with his finger tips.
"The water is great! It's perfect for swimming!" cried Sky. He quickly took off his shirt and stripped down to his boxers.
"You exhibisionist. Don't you have any manners?" asked Vanitas in disgust.
"What's wrong? I'm just going for a swim. I'm not wearing my clothes in the water." said Sky.
"But… nevermind," said Vanitas.
"You're concerned about my safety?" asked Sky.
"Heck no." said Vanitas.
Sky chuckled and swam in the water. As Vanitas looked away, he heard a gurgling sound. It was Sky, gasping for air. "Help! I can't breathe!" cried Sky, gasping for air.
In that instant, Vanitas quickly opened his wings to fly and reach out for Sky. Since he was now in a world full of powerful magic, flying was now possible. He grabbed Sky's hands and lifted him up in the air and took him to shore.
"Kid?! Kid!" cried Vanitas as Sky lay unconscious. Vanitas pressed on his chest and then Sky began to laugh.
"I got you!" he cried.
Vanitas pressed on Sky's chest tightly. "You miserable little brat! Don't scare me like that!" cried Vanitas.
Sky got up and smiled. "Awww, I didn't know you cared," said Sky.
"In your dreams." said Vanitas, looking the other way.
"Are you blushing Dad?" asked Sky.
Vanitas then responded. "I'm not blushing. I'm simply looking at the other…. way." Vanitas realized what Sky called him and turned around to see him.
Sky smiled. "I feel safe with you. And you remind me of my Dad, only a dark edgy version of him." he said.
"Let's get one thing straight here kid. I'm not your Dad. I'm me. I'm Vanitas. Not Sora. I may look like him, but that doesn't mean I'm him. You got that?" said Vanitas.
"Whatever you say, "Dad."" said Sky, teasing Vanitas even more.
"Shut up!" cried Vanitas.
"Should I call your Uncle Vanitas? That sounds dumb." said Sky.
"Don't call me anything." said Vanitas.
Sky then pushed Vanitas lightly and ran to the water. "You can't catch me!" he cried.
Vanitas found himself laughing and chased after Sky. "You asked for it you little brat!"
Vanitas and Sky then began to play in the water, chasing each other, gliding over the water with Vanitas grabbing Sky's hands, and flying over the water falls. For that instant, things were very peaceful.
Nightfall came and Vanitas made a small fire by the lake side. Sky was roasting fish by the fire, slowly and steadily.
"Where did you learn to do that?" asked Vanitas.
"My parents taught me. When you live in Destiny Islands, it's a huge requirement to roast your own fish." said Sky.
"It's amazing you know survival skills." said Vanitas.
"I had many good teachers. But of all of them, Goofy was my favorite." said Sky.
"Goofy?" asked Vanitas.
"Yeah. He's sweet, kind, and gentle. And nothing like Uncle Donald, who gets mad at everything." said Sky.
"The duck is annoying." agreed Vanitas.
"Everything I ever did was wrong in his eyes. It was stupid." said Sky as he yawned.
"It's funny. When we got to this world, I didn't feel any Darkness. The invasion didn't happen after all." said Vanitas.
"That's good to know," said Sky.
"We'll go to the Forbidden Mountain tomorrow and see what's up," said Vanitas.
"Right. You need to get back to your boss." said Sky, almost dozing off.
"The fish are going to get cold," said Vanitas.
"Right," said Sky. He got himself together and gave Vanitas a fish.
"Watch out for the bones. They are sharp." said Sky.
As they munched on their fish, Vanitas looked up at the heavens and saw the moon. It quickly reminded him of what Luna told him before. And Uncle Remus came to mind as well. Vanitas looked over at Sky and saw him fast asleep.
Vanitas, without a second thought, went to the woods and got a ton of leaves and plants. He returned and made a suitable bed for Sky. He gently carried him and put him there. He used one of the large leaves as a blanket to cover Sky. Vanitas smiled at his handiwork and stood by the fire to keep watch.
A few hours passed, and Sky was snoring lightly. Vanitas kept the fire going a little while longer as he himself was beginning to feel sleepy. He covered himself with his wings until he heard footsteps coming towards them. But it wasn't a person. It sounded like a group of people coming straight for them. Vanitas quickly armed himself with his Keyblade until his visitors arrived.
To his surprise, it was only three old ladies who came before him. One was wearing red, one was wearing blue, and the other was wearing green. These were Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather, the three good fairies of the Enchanted Dominion.
Vanitas put down his Keyblade, knowing they won't harm anyone. Instead, he sat back against the large stone that was in their camp site.
"So it is true after all. You are watching over this holy child." said Fauna.
Vanitas spoke in reply. "I know why you three are here. You want me to leave and give Sky over to you. Very well. I shall do that."
"Oh no young man. We didn't come to take Sky away. We came to warn you." said Fauna.
"Maleficent knows about the invasion. She evacuated all the other crazy people in the castle, and set traps!" cried Merriweather.
"Master Yen Sid has alerted Riku. But he insists on coming to the Enchanted Dominion to battle Maleficent." said Fauna.
"A very foolish choice. Riku is determined to fight her. But Maleficent is not alone. Jafar, Ursula, and Hades are there as well. They are being controlled by the Horned King." said Flora.
Vanitas's eyes went wide in surprise and folded his arms. "Anything else I should know?" he asked.
"Yes. Max Goof has been sent to the Enchanted Dominion and decided to join forces with Maleficent." said Fauna.
"To get the point, the invasion has been compromised and despite all this, Riku and the other Guardians still wish to fight the remaining villains in the castle." said Flora.
Vanitas scoffed. "This doesn't really sound like the exciting battle we were all hoping for. Imagine that. The Keyblade Wielders fight most of the dark hearted souls in all the worlds, only to have their numbers reduced and evacuated. They are cowards." said Vanitas.
"Of course they are!" cried Merriweather.
"Then why are you three telling me all this? Who's to say I might return to help Maleficent out, after the body she bestowed upon me." said Vanitas.
Flora smiled warmly and walked up to Vanitas. She then put her gentle grandmotherly hand on Vanita's cheek.
"We have a good friend of ours from another world. You know her. She brings light to the world she protects. She told us about your heart." said Flora.
"You're protecting Sky as if he were your little brother. This is the sweetest thing we ever saw." said Fauna.
"You may be pure darkness, but despite all that, you are willing to set aside your nature to help this boy." said Merriweather.
Vanitas didn't fight back. He knew he was doing exactly what both Luna and Uncle Remus predicted. They were both certain that Vanitas was capable of change.
"What is it you all want me to do?" asked Vanitas.
"Protect Sky and keep him away from The Horned King." said Flora.
Fauna walked up to Vanitas and placed her gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Vanitas, there is something you must know. And before we tell you; you must promise to never tell another soul. Not even the guardians of light." said Fauna.
"What are you talking about?" asked Vanitas.
"There is a prophecy of a new battle that will take place in the outside world. A battle between a chosen warrior against a new terror of darkness." said Flora.
"We believe that Sky's the chosen one to fight the Horned King. If Sky wins, the worlds will be at peace for all time." said Flora.
"But if Sky were to fall in battle, the Horned King will reign supreme and he will destroy all worlds by unleashing Chernabog," said Merriweather.
"What?!" cried Vanitas.
"A ferocious monster that has been locked away by Xehanort many years ago. He served Ansem, the seeker of darkness, and Xehanort's younger version of himself, until he was locked away by Mickey in another dimension." said Merriweather.
"You've got to be kidding." said Vanitas.
"We know it's a lot to take in, but we knew of this prophecy for some time now. In the past, we believed Sora was the chosen one. He did open the door to light and he did save the worlds countless times, but times have changed. And so did the darkness, which is coming back in full force." said Flora.
"The darkness is much angrier now. It's been angry at the fact that light keeps on foiling it's plans. It used Xehanort once, and it used the Master of Masters…" Fauna was saying.
"Are you three telling me that the Darkness is an entity? A living being?" asked Vanitas.
"It is. It always was. Darkness itself is alive. It's been trying to destroy the good that is left in the world. We don't know where darkness came from. Nor do we know of it's origins yet, but today, the Horned King is it's messenger." said Flora.
"Are you sure? I've seen the Horned King myself, and he looks like he's in total control of darkness." said Vanitas.
"He does because he is Darkness. And so is Chernabog. They are one in the same." said Fauna.
"Then confusing prophecy mambo jumbo aside, why didn't you tell the guardians of light about this?" asked Vanitas.
"Sora must not know. If he were to learn his son was going to fight a heavy battle, he won't allow it, and he will fight in his place. But Sora's power is not strong enough against the Horned King. He's unlike anyone they have ever faced." said Flora.
"Together, the guardians make a powerful force. Surely they can beat him." said Vanitas.
"I'm afraid not even an army of powerful Keyblade Wielders are strong enough to fight the Horned King," said Merriweather.
"You all make him sound like he's some overpowered version of Hades! That corpse can't be that powerful!" said Vanitas.
The three fairies didn't say a word and Vanitas scoffed. He turned to see Sky, sleeping soundly in his leaf bed.
"What is it exactly you want me to do with him?" asked Vanitas.
"You must watch over him, and train him. Teach him to use his Keyblade." said Flora.
Vanitas shook his head. "Hate to break it to you, but Sky doesn't have a Keyblade."
"What?!" cried the three fairies in shock.
"It's true. Sky can only use the power of light to open portals and as silly as it sounds, he knows some kung fu." said Vanitas.
"This is insane?! What was Sora thinking about not passing the power to his son?!" cried Merriweather.
"We have to let Master Yen Sid know about this," said Flora.
"Then tell the guardians about the prophecy. What's the harm if they knew?" asked Vanitas.
"The guardians of light are strongly connected with each other. Some of them married and had children. Their parental affections for their children could lead the worlds to ruin." said Flora.
"How surprising. So "love" is bad now?" asked Vanitas.
"Oh no, not at all. We just don't want anyone to get hurt." said Fauna.
Vanitas turned to see Sky again and shook his head. "Your prophecy must have been misread. How can one kid face off against Chernabog?" asked Vanitas.
"There is a reason and plan for everything. Our worlds are all connected." said Flora.
"I've heard that a million times. If truly there is a connection, shouldn't that be the weapon against the darkness?" asked Vanitas.
The three good fairies stood silent once again and Vanitas spoke. "Does Sky have to know of this prophecy?" asked Vanitas.
"Unfortunately, he must know." said Fauna.
"Without Sky, we will all die." said Flora.
"And death shows now mercy." said Merriweather.
Vanitas closed his eyes and breathed in deeply.