Kingdom Hearts: Daybreak Academy
Chapter 5: Unfair
4 Years Ago
The pain that comes with the loss of a family member is indescribable, but for the young blonde, there was one word she could not get away from. She could not deny it's taunting presence looming over her. It was taller than all of the stoic adults huddled behind her as the coffin was lowered into the ground. That word was...
Unfair.
It was unfair that the only person she trusted was gone, but even worse, it was unfair that she was not allowed to cry. Though the sky weeped, she could not and all because, "A Brightcrest must never show weakness."
Those words repeated themselves in Astrid's head, as her back rested against the cool metal casing inside the machine pod that she laid in. Her body shivered from a combination of the cold sensation tickling the exposed skin on the back of her arms and calves and the overwhelming sinking feeling in her stomach. It was difficult for her to hear Master Invi's words as they rang throughout the chamber. Though she was not alone in entering the many pods attached to the Ark, she felt completely isolated as she waited to be sent into the Realm of Sleep.
The feeling only intensified as the pod's header slowly lowered down over Astrid's form and locked against the base with a kerchunk! The sound made her breath hitch as she shuddered from the anxiety. She swallowed down the lump in her throat and tried to take slow deep breaths with her eyes closed.
When Astrid opened them up again, she found herself in a dark environment with warm lighting from incandescent street lamps. The low lighting was easy on her eyes, but she needed to blink a few times until the dark spots in her vision faded away. When they did, Astrid found herself in some sort of plaza with the most notable features being the two-story cafe on the left and the accessory shop sitting at the top of a set of stairs directly ahead. The young girl stepped forward - her low-heeled boots clicking against the stone ground as she advanced toward the center of the plaza. She looked to her left and then her right, finding two large doors on either side of her.
Despite never having been there, Astrid recognized many of the details there from one of the books she read. It had illustrations that matched much of what she saw, such as the oddly-shaped mailbox with the tophat and a green-doored apartment on the second level of the district.
As she walked and turned, Astrid told herself, "So this must be one of the Sleeping Worlds…"
"Yes."
Astrid jumped forward with a twist so she could spin around. As she landed on her feet, she summoned her Keyblade, but she quickly realized that the person that once stood behind her was actually Master Invi - or rather a projection of the woman. Though it had been obvious after the matter because Astrid recognized her voice, she was initially alarmed and moved to defend herself - something that the Keyblade Master praised as the girl tried to apologize for her actions.
While praising the girl, Master Invi wore a soft smile, but it fell as she explained, "You may have reacted quickly, but why didn't you swing as you created some distance?" Astrid seemed confused, but it became clearer as she let the master continue. "You waited until you reached the ground again to summon your Keyblade. I could've lunged forward and delivered a forward thrust to strike you midspin."
"I-I see. Thank you, M-"
"You also spun to your left. Why?"
"O-oh...well...I'm left-handed, Master."
"I know. So why expose your dominant hand by spinning to your left? Had you summoned your Keyblade during your spin, I would have understood, but you did not. That was incredibly risky."
Astrid gulped the lump in her throat that she had been holding while Master Invi expressed her disapproval of the girl's technique. She bowed her head and said, "I apologize for the mistake, Master Invi. Thank you for pointing it out. It will not happen again."
Master Invi remained silent for a moment before suddenly asking, "What's on your mind, young Astrid? It is not like you to be so sloppy in combat, especially when defending yourself. Does something trouble you?"
Galeo.
Now Astrid stayed quiet.
Before Master Invi could continue, several spheres with dark violet hearts circling them formed around her and Astrid. When they disappeared, small creatures were left in their place. These creatures were very round mammals with stout horns poking out of their foreheads. Their hides were primarily black with grey dots of varying sizes and a magenta underbelly. They also had short legs that they would bounce around on as their tails wagged excitedly. Despite their harmless appearance, these red-eyed beasts seemed prepared to pounce.
"A-are these Dream Eaters?" Astrid asked.
Master Invi nodded. "Indeed. It seems your first trial has presented itself sooner than anticipated. Astrid, you must defeat the enemies before you." Her projection then disappeared leaving Astrid alone with the monsters surrounding her.
The young teen quickly went into her battle stance. She made herself tall, placed her left foot forward, and aimed the tip of her Keyblade forward. With enemies on all sides, she made sure to rotate on her hind foot to keep an eye on all of them as they prepared to leap at her. As they did, Astrid reacted with a Reflect spell. A crystalized barrier formed around her in a transparent dome and completely stopped the advancing attackers.
When the round bodies collided with the barrier, Astrid pointed her Keyblade straight up and shattered her own defense to send its shards flying outward. They pierced straight through the Dream Eaters, but did not do enough damage to destroy them. It did, however, provide the girl with the cover that she needed to move to a more favorable position. She sprang forward to deliver a series of strikes to one of the enemies until it had disappeared in a flash of lavender light. Astrid now had the space she needed to create some distance from her enemies so that she could face them all in the same direction.
The bouncy beasts advanced towards her again, this time jumping up and down, each at their own pace. As one came crashing down onto Astrid, she held Starlight up with both hands to block the attack and pushed it off of herself. She then did a quick spin and delivered a powerful counter strike, sending the Dream Eater flying backward.
As another two drew closer, Astrid channeled her magic to pull together droplets of water from the nearby air. Two streams danced around her, providing a defensive current that sliced through one of the Dream Eaters twice before reaching a summit above her head and launching forward as a projectile that crashed onto the other. Both enemies were slain, leaving only two more, which Astrid was able to dispatch quickly with simple Keyblade strikes.
When the last monster fell, it left behind a small blue gem. It was round with a wispy green swirl inside and a twisting tail. Astrid stepped toward the object, recognizing it from her studies.
"A Rampant Fancy." Master Invi's projection had returned."You recognize it."
Astrid nodded. "Yes, Master. It is a Dream Piece that can be used to create Dream Eaters. Nightmares drop them and we can harness them to create Spirits."
"Yes. Carry it with you. You may need it."
Astrid was still for a moment until finally, she dropped the Rampant Fancy onto the ground and stepped away from it. "It's not in the recipe I need."
"I see…" As Astrid reached the top step, Master Invi's projection appeared in front of her. "Would you happen to have the recipe with you?"
Astrid nodded. She then reached into one of the pouches on her pink vest and pulled out a folded piece of paper. As she handed it to Master Invi, the paper seemed to float over the woman's holographic hand. The serpentine master scanned the list of materials and paused for a moment.
"As I thought. I would expect no less of a Brightcrest to seek after this prize. The Brilliant Fantasy and Epic Fancies will be difficult to come across."
"Yes, Master. I plan on entering the Realm of Sleep on my own for quite some time."
There was another pause Master Invi lips curved into a slight smirk as she said, "I'm impressed. While most students do the research necessary to know what Dream Eater they will carry into battle, rarely do they set their minds to collect difficult to find materials to create something truly extraordinary. It's just as Ava said…"
Master Invi's lips flattened out for what she would say next. "Astrid, I am well aware that you intend to accomplish this goal on your own, but I cannot allow you to dive into more challenging Sleeping Worlds all by yourself. If you choose to pursue this goal, you must do so alongside another wielder. Your safety comes before anything else."
Astrid's jaw clenched. She wanted to retaliate, but she chose not to. It would not be right to disrespect a Keyblade Master so blatantly, especially one as exalted as a Union Master. All she could do was nod and say, "Yes, Master Invi."
"Very well. Now then, onto your actual trial. When you reach the top of these stairs, you will find the door to the Second District of Traverse Town. Make your way through there and find the door to the Third District. After clearing the Dream Eaters in both districts, you will return here. Are you prepared?"
"Yes, Master."
Author's Notes
As I look at the update date for this story, I shake my head in disappointment at myself. This chapter was supposed to go up no later than May, yet here we are in August, barely reaching chapter 5. In terms of the story progression, we haven't even made it past the second day, which isn't a bad thing persay, but I know you guys can't wait to see your OCs and they won't all appear in the same day, so I need to get through this first "arc" (so to speak). I won't rush it or anything, but I have a responsibility to you guys to provide a story you enjoy and are excited about while you're excited about it. That is why I'd like to offer my sincerest apologies for keeping you all waiting so long.
The good news is that Chapter 6 is already done so you won't have to wait anywhere near as long as you waited for this chapter. To be honest, what held me back from posting this chapter was that I wanted to make sure I knew exactly what direction I wanted to take for the next couple of chapters to get from Point A to Point B without needless exposition or plot points as I tend to do that in my writing sometimes.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed your first taste of the action for this story. I know that I haven't yet shown much of the characters fighting and part of that is because I decided to hold off on revealing everything that happened during Galeo's meeting with the Union Masters, but things will start to pick up very soon, I promise.
QOTC: What is your favorite party member Dream Eater?
Responses to Reviews:
WolfieRed223: I'm glad you enjoyed her characterization! I know she's a bit different from how you wrote her personality, but I think she offers a unique and interesting dynamic among the union leaders.
Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: I think you'll find my take on the Foretellers/Union Masters to be refreshing. Some will have almost exactly the same personality while others will turn out to be more than meets the eye.
FallenFeather92: Thank you! I hate how shy, polite, and reserved Elrena is in UX. She's basically another Strelitzia. I wish she had just a tiny bit of Larxene's sass.
Silver Kitsune Lunaria: I hope you enjoy reading the other six entries for this story! And thanks again for the constructive criticism. I took it to heart when writing this chapter, so I hope that you see some improvement.
