And here we go with the next chapter. If it seems rushed, it's only because of how much information is in the chapter.
But either way enjoy and have fun!
Nothing… There was nothing! His home, his past, all of it was gone. Everything was decimated. Daybreak Town was no more. All Tenebrae saw, was a Graveyard.
Tenebrae looked around the desolated landscape. There were craters in the mountains, in cliffsides and even on the ground itself. Everywhere he looked, he saw signs of battle. There was a bigger shock though.
Tenebrae looked over a barren field and felt sick. In it was MILLIONS of rusted Keyblades. He jumped down and slid towards the Keys. When he landed, he walked towards the nearest one. He touched it and felt no presence from it.
"A key with no owner, is just a hunk of metal." Tenebrae looked around. "But for so many to be here, how many Wielders fell? Did any of them survive? Well, other than Keval…"
He walked through the Keyblades towards a plateau. He felt multiple presences coming from it. Two felt like Wielders, while there were multiple Heartless. He decided to try and scale a hill that was higher up. Upon reaching the top, he saw a peculiar sight.
A youth was surrounded by Heartless, Neo-shadows if Tenebrae could recall. On another mound was an older man. He was watching as the youth was losing to the Heartless. Tenebrae couldn't tell the purpose this training served. And the youth seemed to be pleading with the old man. Right before he was barraged by the Heartless.
Tenebrae could only watch as the youth fell. The Heartless vanished as the old man walked to the youth. The old man looked down and Tenebrae could feel his disappointment. The old man summoned a black Keyblade.
Tenebrae examined it quickly. It had a blue eye on it, like Master Ira's. And like the old Master, it had the motif of an animal. This motif seemed to be a goat, but none of the Foretellers had that as a mask.
Tenebrae watched as the old man pointed his Keyblade at the downed youth. With a flash of Light, the youth's heart was extracted from him. Tenebrae could sense that it was only the Darkness though. And from that Darkness, another youth appeared.
"Didn't know that was possible." Tenebrae said to himself.
"How long do you plan on spying on us?" The old man called up. "I would recommend showing yourself, lest we get violent."
Tenebrae raised his hood. And put on his goggles. He jumped from his hill, before using a small wind spell to soften his landing. He examined the three individuals quickly. The old man was tan and bald, with yellow eyes. The youth on the floor had blonde spikey hair and lifeless blue eyes. The new youth was in a black and red bodysuit, with a full-headed helmet on.
"And whom might you be?" The old man asked. "Why are you in this Graveyard?"
"I don't see why I should answer the questions of one who doesn't introduce themselves first. So, let's be civil, or…" Tenebrae summoned Darkgnaw. "We can put your new toy to the test."
The helmeted youth summoned a Keyblade as well. The red and black theme and chains spoke volumes. "Try me."
"Calm down, Vanitas." The old man reassured the youth. "He is right. I am Xehanort, Keyblade Master and Philosopher. This youth is known as Vanitas. The neophyte was Ventus."
Tenebrae looked down at Ventus. He could sense a small Light still within him. He would live.
"I'm known as Tenebrae," he responded, "And to answer your previous question, I was seeking knowledge myself. This world holds information of the past. And I seek to glean from it."
"Interesting how you came here. But interesting all the same." Xehanort had a smile. "Well then, I hope you gain the knowledge you seek. I must dispose of this… pathetic failure."
Xehanort walked up to Ventus and picked him up. A portal of Darkness appeared before him. Vanitas dismissed his Keyblade and walked through. Xehanort started to walk through.
"I hope we meet again," Xehanort called back. "You and I have a lot in common." With those words, he walked through the portal and disappeared.
Tenebrae waited for the portal to dissipate before removing his hood and goggles. The old man, Xehanort, worried him. Not only did he exude Darkness, but he was able to extract another's heart. That was knowledge that Tenebrae didn't have. But why split the youth's heart at all?
Tenebrae felt a twinge of pain. He was losing focus. It became harder for him to breathe. He could feel the Darkness encroaching and slowly eating away at him.
Tenebrae summoned a portal to the Realm of Darkness. Jumping through, he was greeted with the familiar Darkness. When he returned, everything became clearer. His senses returned to normal, and he was able to think clearly.
'Guess I can't stay away from this place for too long. Great, another reason to figure this place out.'
"How was it?" Heloa's smug grin made Tenebrae's blood boil. "Can you still seek balance after witnessing all that?"
"I can," Tenebrae grinned, "In fact, I learned something interesting. And I need to find the right tool to try it. So, I'll see you later, because your face makes me sick."
Tenebrae walked away. After seeing what Xehanort could do, he had a feeling the Realm of Light was in danger. That wasn't his problem though, since he no longer had a home there. But there was something in this Realm that could help to protect the Realm of Light.
"The Key of Darkness." Tenbrae smiled. He descended deeper into the Realm of Darkness, hoping to find the Key to end it all." -
Tenebrae wasn't sure how much time had passed. It felt like it was only a few days. It could have been a few hours. But he knew he needed to progress. At on point, he thought he saw a ghost. A girl resembling Laci, but without her pigtails. Tenebrae shook the though away as a trick of the light. There was no way she would have fallen to the Darkness.
As he traveled, he focused on a rift. There had been times where he saw glimpses of other worlds. He wasn't sure what that meant, but there were moments when the Darkness peaked. He needed to know what was going on in the Realm of Light.
Tenebrae kept traveling though. The time was immeasurable, but it didn't matter. There were always Heartless to kill and that sated him. He had not lied to Heloa when he said he sought balance. There had to be a way to use Light and Darkness in tandem. And the Key he was searching for could help. He hoped it was close by.
Tenebrae found what seemed to be a dark ocean. The waves were both oddly soothing, but also utterly infuriating. There was something about it that concerned him, but also filled him with hope.
He continued on. Some time later, he felt a tremor. It felt like an immense Darkness was being used. Tenebrae ran to find the source. When he did, and interesting sight was before him.
Tenebrae saw a broken courtyard, leading to a…castle? The building was destroyed, but it looked to have been some kind of building. The building had small bridges connecting what should have been smaller buildings. "What was this place?" Tenebrae walked up to it. "It came from the Realm of Light. But I feel like there is more to it."
He walked up the broken staircase. Tenebrae was able to enter the main building with ease. He walked along the empty corridors. There felt like a lot of history here. But none of it mattered to him.
He walked through the halls to what appeared to be a throne room. Three thrones were positioned on a pedestal. "Three Masters? I guess less leaders make for easier decisions."
Tenebrae searched around and felt something. There was a connection. A connection to the Realm of Light, but to somewhere else. He summoned Darkgnaw and walked to the center of the throne room. He pointed his Keyblade and aimed forward. A beam shot from it and opened a portal.
Tenebrae walked through it. On the other side was a town. It had many buildings with a sunset theme to them. He looked around as he saw a sunset, feeling the warmth of the Sun. There was a feeling of both Light and Darkness close by. This place though, felt like it was in-between both.
Tenebrae followed the feeling to a tall building. There was a clock on the side facing him. He went towards it. The feeling was coming from the top. Tenebrae felt no beings near, which was weird. Regardless, he used some mana and ran up the side of the building.
Landing on the edge, just above the clock, Tenebrae scanned the area. The sunset seemed even more beautiful from this spot. And it felt like it was going to be even more beautiful later. He turned away and looked towards the building itself.
Tenebrae saw something. Within the pillars, something was glowing. Tenebrae approached, and smiled as he saw what it was.
Suspended in the Clock Tower was a Keyblade. It was a skeleton key. The golden blade and teeth looked beautiful, the crown in the teeth accented the blade. The guard was a silver color with a black hilt to complete it. The Keychain seemed to be…the head of a mouse? It was of three circles connected in the shape of a head.
Tenebrae dismissed Darkgnaw. No matter what happened next, Tenebrae knew he wouldn't need it. He walked up to and reached for the golden Keyblade. When his hand wrapped around the hilt, his mind was rushed with images and feelings he didn't know existed. He held his grip and did not drop the Keyblade.
'Kingdom Key D.'
The name appeared in his head, as he started to breathe harshly. So much power from one Key. It was stronger than any other he had encountered. And it seemed to have a perfect synergy with him. He could feel its Light and Darkness meld with his.
"You are a beautiful one." Tenebrae smiled. "And just like me, you are one of Darkness and Light. Time to go."
Tenebrae jumped off the edge of the Clock Tower. As he descended, he summoned a portal to take him back to the Realm of Darkness. He slipped through the portal and landed near the ocean again. He smiled as he moved through his new home. -
And there we go, there are the BBS cameos no one wanted. It's good when a game gives you a place to self insert without disrupting the storyline. But Tenebrae encounters another Seeker, will he see him again... Maybe? But hey! new Keyblade! I hope I described the worlds well enough so you guys know where he was. And I'm aware the process for the Kingdom Key D may not be as I described it, but hey that's why it's a fanfiction.
And thanks again to Kale Thunderhorse Lampkin for letting me use Heloa. I'm excited for you all to read the next chapters!
