Play: Dearly Beloved - Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover

(The title screen appears as it fades from white, showing an image of a girl sitting on her windowsill. She has slightly tanned skin, with long dark red hair tied back into a ponytail, and light-blue eyes. Her attire was a light blue jean jacket covering the white t-shirt underneath, with jeans and tan boots to match her left wristband and belt. She's staring out her window, watching as the sun rises just over the clock tower of Daybreak Town. Resting on the wall next to her was a Keyblade, while she held a sleeping Chirithy in her lap. The game logo, titled "Kingdom Hearts: The Ancient Light", appears on the right side of the screen, on the wall. Two options appear beneath, "New Game" and "Continue". The "New Game" option is highlighted by default.)

Hello. My name is Broncozfan623. Before we get started, here are some things you may need to know.

1) This story is part of my AU series for the Kingdom Hearts series, "The Soldier of Darkness" which takes place during the time of "Kingdom Hearts: Unchained χ/Union Cross". By the end, the events of this story will have tied into my other ongoing KH story, "Kingdom Hearts: The Soldier of Darkness - Final Mix". To put it simply, when this story ends, it connects with the other, and when that story ends, the AU will have been completed. It's Kingdom Hearts, not even the fanfictions make any sense.

2) This story stars one of my OCs, who I will not name at the moment. However, they will probably be familiar to those that have read some of my other stories.

3) Same thing as my other KH stories. Focus on Story, Combat, and Music, and I like to integrate them all into my writing.

3.5) Note for Above: "Combat" and "Music" in this story are very…unique. Unlike the story focused on my other OC set during 358/2 Days ("The Soldier of Darkness - Final Mix"), I wanted to approach this story differently. I have no gripes with Unchained χ and Union Cross when it comes to their stories, but the fact that they were relegated to mobile games limited the scope of gameplay for me. That and the microtransactions, but there's no need for a tangent today. To sum it up, I've taken it upon myself and my creative freedom to create a unique gameplay style with inspiration from other gaming properties, and will also be using music from other properties to properly convey settings and scenes with tracks that KH cannot provide. For some of you, that might be a dealbreaker. I apologize if you want a story that's as close to a true KH story as possible. This probably won't be for you.

4) At certain points, much like the "Title Screen" section above, there will be a break in the text to highlight certain points in-game, such as what would be happening on screen. I'm trying this to try and create more immersion and feel as if you're reading through a playthrough.

5) All rights to "Kingdom Hearts" go to Square Enix and Disney. I own nothing other than the characters I created.

6) Rated T for Mild Language and Fantasy Violence

I know that the opening notes are a lot, but I hope that you will stick with me. At the end of the day, I'm not trying to overwrite what Tetsuya Nomura and the Kingdom Hearts teams have created. I love these games despite their flaws, and I would never try to or act like I can do better with this franchise, because I couldn't. I just want to tell a story, one that can connect with the audience as much as the story of these silly Disney RPGs has for me.

Okay, I'm done. We can finally get to the actual content.

(The player selects the "New Game" option on the title screen, prompting the "Choose your Difficulty" submenu to appear on the screen. There are three options: Beginner, Standard, and Proud. The player selects the "Proud" option.)

(Once the submenu closes, the logo changes. The text fades away as the heart behind the "Kingdom Hearts" spins as the screen fades to white just before fading to black.)

Stop: Dearly Beloved - Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover

Play: Prologue - Tale of the Master (Cutscene - Chip's Memories - Sonic Unleashed)

It began with a book, resting on a lectern in the darkness, only a single light shining down and illuminating its cover.

The book opens, and a voice begins to recite its contents.

…

The first page shows many different worlds, floating in space surrounding one massive source like a solar system. The object in the center was a large, heart-shaped "moon".

A female voice narrates the words on the pages, "Long ago, the worlds lived in harmony. All people lived in the light, under the protection of the source of all light, Kingdom Hearts."

The page flips, showing another image alongside a column of text. The picture shows people gathered in a small center, all smiling as a bright light shone down on them all.

"With the light from Kingdom Hearts, everyone could be happy. Free to live their lives to their heart's content. Everybody loved the light."

The page flips once again, showing another new image. This one had a group of individuals in a circle, all in white robes and with their hands outstretched over a table. An etching of Kingdom Hearts was engrained within the wood.

"However, many people loved the light too much. Some wanted to take the light and keep it all for themselves. In their hearts, darkness started to grow."

Another page flip, another new image. This one was the most gruesome thus far. It detailed the old conflict, as people fought over the precious light. Individuals wielding guns took up the two sides, some firing at the other line, others taking cover, a scattered few lying on the ground lifeless.

"Darkness continued to spread. People banded together to take the light away. War had broken out, as anger, fear, and sadness had overtaken the worlds."

The page flipped once more, onto another harrowing sight. Crashed starships, burning buildings, people laying lifeless. The brutality of the conflict had taken its toll on the entire universe.

"In the end, nobody won. The darkness overtook their hearts, and eventually, the light faded away, never to be seen again."

Another flip of the page showed a much brighter scene. A robed figure was holding a key-shaped sword pointed towards the sky, a beam of light shooting out in the same direction, and a familiar clock tower standing behind them.

"Until one day, the Old Master came to the world. Using the power of the mysterious χ-blade, he summoned Kingdom Hearts once again, bringing the light back to the world."

One final page flip. The last image showed the hooded figure from before, handing a different "Keyblade" to another figure, clothed in the same robe as the former.

"With this task, the Old Master claimed his job was finished. He passed down his power, the power of the "Keyblade" to his apprentice, and left the world to his protection."

And with that, the book closed.

Stop: Prologue - Tale of the Master (Cutscene - Chip's Memories - Sonic Unleashed)

"And to this day, the light is protected by the Master and his apprentices. With his guidance and the constant training of new Keyblade wielders, the light will always have guardians to defend it."

The woman that was reading closed the book with "The End".

And while it was slightly relieving for her, her audience was less than thrilled. Then again, how easy was it to please a group of twenty-plus school children with a story like that?

Pretty much immediately after she had said "The End", there were calls for more. Some of the children were asking questions like "Where did Kingdom Hearts go?" and "Who was the Old Master?"

There was one student, however, who at the very least, didn't blurt her question out. She raised her hand, only letting out a "Master Invi?"

Surprised, Invi shushed the crowd and focused on the girl in question, pointing to her and answering, "Yes? What's your question, dear?"

The girl put her hand down. She looked like one of the younger members of this class. She had long, black hair and brown eyes, eyes that stared back at Invi's (which technically wasn't allowed by the Master, but Invi made an exception this one time, for the children) with a mixture of curiosity and fear(?), "Will the darkness consume the world again, like in the past?"

Invi was quite surprised by this question, as were the teachers who were keeping a keen eye on the class. A couple of the other students started whispering to one another, a lot of which she wasn't able to make out.

One of the teachers was going to step in to do something, but Invi put a hand up and gave her an "It's fine" before turning her attention back to the girl with the question.

"Could you come closer please?" Invi asked the girl, who looked as if she wanted to sink into the floor and disappear now. Nonetheless, she did get up, step around her classmates, and make her way toward Invi.

Once the girl had reached her, Invi asked her a question, "What's your name?"

The girl was hesitant, but she did give her an answer, "S-Skuld."

To try and clear away Skuld's nervousness, Invi gave a reassuring smile, "Well Skuld, everything will be just fine. So long as you keep your light burning nice and strong."

"W-what light?"

Invi then pointed to her chest, where her heart was, "Right there. It's always with you. And don't you ever let it fade, okay?"

That seemed to get Skuld's spirits back up, as she cracked a smile and giggled.

With that, Invi turned her attention to the rest of the students, "That goes to all of you too. Remember what I said, okay?"

There were a few "Okay"s from the crowd of children before one of the teachers stepped forward and said, "Okay everyone, it's time to go. Everyone thank Master Invi for taking time from her day to meet with us."

A good amount of the kids, including Skuld, gave Invi a chorus of "Thank you!"s as they stood up and filed out of the library. Admittedly, it did warm her heart a good bit to hear that. It made days like these worth it for her, and hopefully for her fellow apprentices too.

After a brief thank you and discussion with some of the teachers, Invi placed her mask back on her face and left the library as well.

…

…

…

It was days like these that made Daybreak Town her favorite. A sunny day with minimal clouds, a soft breeze now and then, and the townsfolk going on with their daily lives, either giving her a smile or a "Hello Master!" as she passed through. Occasionally she would be stopped by someone to give them a bit of good news or a more personal thank you, but she didn't mind.

Eventually, though, she had found a favorite spot of hers. A secluded bench near a bridge, right along the river. A quiet place, far from the bustle of the town. She loved Daybreak Town and its people, but the hustle and bustle could be a bit much for her.

Here, she could collect her thoughts, take some time to relax, and generally just enjoy the privacy.

She removed her mask again, this time pushing her hood back as well. She ran her hand through her long, blue hair, sighing heavily before looking back towards the water.

Now, it was relaxation time. Invi leaned back and closed her eyes, letting the sounds of the river take over her ears.

This peace…was nice.

…

Until she heard a commotion, and then a splash.

She opened her eyes and looked back at the water. Just as she looked, a small milk crate flow down the river.

And then, she heard the shouting.

"Hyah! Take that! And that! And THAT!"

"Is that…a child?"

Invi got back up, putting her hood back on (but not her mask) and walking over towards where the commotion came from. After moving through an alleyway, she entered a small clearing of grass with the occasional flowers growing close to the river and in the divides of hedges. In that clearing, there were various other small crates scattered around, some stacked together, others lounging around alone.

Finally, she noticed where the yelling had come from earlier. There was a little girl in the clearing, running around, yelling, and smacking the crates around the yard with…a little wooden Keyblade in her hand.

Play: Skyler's Theme (The AI and the Heart - Persona 5 Strikers)

"Take that, you monsters! This is what you get for being bad!" she said as she thwacked a crate that was stacked on another. It bounced along the ground and landed in Invi's direction.

The girl turned back to the crate and was going to run and smack it again, but she noticed Invi and froze.

Their eyes locked, and it gave Invi a chance to look over the girl in question. She had light blue eyes, similar to hers, but dark red hair that was tied back into a ponytail to go with her more tanned skin. The girl dropped her "Keyblade" onto the grass and was stumbling trying to form words.

"M-Ma…Master-" the girl mumbled, seemingly stunned that Invi was standing before her.

Invi looked down at the Keyblade and all of the crates scattered around. "I hope I'm not bothering you, little one."

The girl was broken out of her bit of shock, letting out an "N-n-no Master! I'm-so-so-sorry-I-hope-I-didn't-do-anything-wrong!"

Her spouting out all of those words at once made Invi chuckle, and she started approaching the girl. She crouched down when she got close and pointed towards the Keyblade, "Is this yours?"

The girl nodded nervously.

"May I?"

Another nod.

…

Invi took the Keyblade in her hands and looked it over. It was made from wood but was as smooth as silk when she ran her hand along the "blade" part. It was similar to the Keyblade she and her fellow apprentices had used while they were training, even with the keychain engrained at the bottom of the handle.

"This is amazing," she commented, "Who made it?"

The girl was seemingly starting to relax, so she answered, "My dad. He's a carpenter so he made it for me."

Invi handed the Keyblade back to the girl, who took it as Invi asked, "Do you come out here and…practice often?"

The girl enthusiastically answered, "Yep! This is where I train! One day, I'm gonna have a real Keyblade!"

Invi giggled at the girl's enthusiasm, "Is that so? Do you want to be a Keyblade wielder?"

"Mh-hm! I wanna be strong and protect people, just like you Master!"

Invi's smile only continued to grow, patting the girl on the head, "I'm sure you will be, once you're a bit older. I'll look forward to seeing you by then. What's your name?"

The girl put her Keyblade up behind her shoulder, which was adorable, and gave Invi a massive smile, "Skyler! Skyler Kaze!"

"Well, Skyler, keep training. Maybe one day, when I'm a Master, you'll be one of my apprentices."

Skyler's eyes widened, as she yelled out, "Really?!"

Invi nodded, "Really."

Skyler started jumping up and down excitedly, "Yay! I'm gonna be a Keyblade wielder! Master Invi is gonna be my master!"

The girl's excited antics only caused Invi to laugh. Who couldn't, it was too cute.

…

A few seconds after, a female voice called from the road.

"Skyler! It's time to come home!"

Skyler yelled back, "Okay Mom!"

She was going to run back home, but stopped right on the steps, turned back around, and hugged Invi.

"Thank you Master Invi. I won't forget this."

Before Invi could react, Skyler let her go and ran home with Keyblade over her shoulder.

All Invi could do as she watched the child run off was smile.

…

…

Ten years later…

…

…

The yard hadn't changed after all of these years. The crates were all gone, she and her father had come and taken them away one day years ago.

Skyler stopped at the bottom of the steps, her right arm holding the strap to her school bag that was slung over her shoulder.

She had a lot of memories of this place over the years, but one stood out.

The day that Master Invi had come by, and promised that one day, she would be a Keyblade wielder and that she would train under her.

That day was ten years ago. Since then, she had seen countless numbers of her peers be chosen to protect the light and go train under the Foretellers.

And yet, here she was. Still without a Keyblade.

Skyler sighed at that thought.

"I didn't forget, Master," she whispered to herself, "And I won't give up hope. I will be a wielder…someday."

With that, she turned back to the steps and continued her way back home.

And there it is, the start of another journey in the Kingdom Hearts universe. Let me know what y'all think, positive or negative. I'll gladly take any criticism if it'll make the story better.

Also, I'm thinking about an update schedule for this story and "The Soldier of Darkness - Final Mix". Since the latter story is much longer, I think the schedule will be two chapters for that, and then a chapter for this. We'll see how that goes.

Either way, I hope y'all enjoyed and will join me on this journey. Thank you, and until next time.

-Broncozfan623