In a dark room, there was a young boy, whose body was covered in chains that are attached to the wall and floor. His head was lowered, with the hair covering his eyes. His clothing was partially covered in dirt and grime. In the room was nothing but only one window that had light radiating through it, slightly illuminating the room.

He looked around the room, starting to wonder.

"How did I end up like this...?" He asked himself. "What did I do to deserve this treatment...?"

Then as if fate had answered him, he felt his head throb, causing him to grunt with pain. That's when he heard a sound of enjoyment and laughter.

But where did it come from? He looked out of the cellar window, the only thing that the light had shone, but all he saw was nothing.

'If it wasn't coming from outside, then where did it come from?'

Then, he had a vision from the past. Looking from it, his face became more angry than pained.

"Oh, right. It was because of them, I got here," he said coldly.

As his head throbbed from remembering, he saw them.

There they were, enjoying their time. Socializing, having fun, everything. Even some of them are playing around with their children…

…while he was ignored… treated differently because of who he is…

He resented them the more he saw them, and his rage and envy grew at every moment.

"After all I have done for them.. after I tried to be nice.. after I attempted to help them.. this is how they repay me?"

More of that anger and resentment grew inside of him.

"They get to have fun and live their lives, while I end up in this damn room, chained up, wallowing in my own despair?!"

As much as he wanted to harm them for committing something like this, he couldn't. The chains and cuffs on his body limited not only his energy, but also incapacitated his powers as well.

Eventually, all of that rage subsided and he cried quietly.

"This is so unfair… Why did I deserve this…?"

The boy continues to cry until he hears a small whoosh as well as feeling a hiss of wind.

"W-Who's there?" he asked nervously. "S-Show yourself!"

The sound of power humming was the only noise in the expanse of time. Then suddenly, several rifts of shadows appeared in the middle of the area. Their sudden appearances shifted the boy's eyes toward the strange phenomena. He puts his guard up as he notices several silhouettes walking out of the rifts.

The first life form that appeared out of one of the rifts was a somewhat feeble old man. He is completely bald except for thin eyebrows and a curled, silver goatee. His ears are pointed and his eyes are yellow. He has broad, hunched shoulders and a crooked back. His clothing is composed of a white and black coat with a red inner lining, which is worn over a white shirt with two thin black belts, as well as white gloves and calf-high black boots. His overall appearance is certainly deceiving given his immense power. He was walking forward with hands on his back.

The other four that exited the rifts were wearing black coats with long zippers, but their faces revealed their differences.

While the boy was in awe by the newcomers' appearance, he also noticed the black rifts start to collapse on themselves and shortly disappear. Out of the four of them, the boy noticed that the platinum blond man was holding a card depicting a hourglass. He then quickly looked around the area he and the new interlopers were in, and saw the connection.

'Does this guy have anything to do with this?' he thought, as he lowered his eyebrows and slowly looked back toward the group.

The blond man stepped forward as though he owned the place, humming constantly. "Master Xehanort, is this the one you sought?"

Master Xehanort walked forward. "Indeed it is, Luxord. Thank you, you have done well. You too, Vanitas.."

"Thank you, Master…" Luxord's quiet tone held gratitude. The man bowed and stood off to the side.

"W-Who are you…?" The boy breathed out and held his hand to his side, staying crouched since he couldn't be too bothered to move. "H-Have you come to personally kill me yourself? It seems like an unnecessary task for someone like you…"

"Not at all," Master Xehanort replied, shaking his head with a small smile on his face. But that only served to unnerve the boy. "I came for something much different. I've watched your efforts, your skills, your powers… and I must say, they were valiant indeed. You and I share a similar goal: we both seek something more."

"You should be honored, kid. It's not often he offers praise to anyone else." Vanitas held a smirk.

'Honored? Just what was going on here?' The boy had no clue.

"I can explain later," Xehanort replied. "You know very well that there is no peace in this world. Peace cannot exist as long as one thing exists: Those Guardians tipping the balance of light and darkness."

"...?" Safe to say, the boy honestly hasn't had a clue as to what Xehanort was going on about.

"Come with me." Xehanort said, offering his left hand to him. "You'll understand what I mean soon enough. You don't wish to stay here, do you? It would make this trip quite a waste."

When Master Xehanort of all people extended a hand to you, you took it. The boy wasn't entirely sure what was going on with his life at this point, but he took his hand. "I'll do it.."

"Hmmm.." Vanitas felt quite bored that he couldn't make the lives of anyone suffer here. But he was going to have a little bit of fun before they departed. He walked over to the shackles that held the boy captive, and with a wave of his Keyblade, slashed at the shackles, destroying them, and freeing the boy.

WHOOSH!

Master Xehanort then uses his magic to create a portal, and with that, he, his subordinates, and the boy were now gone, their presence having never existed in the first place.

The boy was taken to a giant room with loads of villains: the most notable being Bowser, Dr. Eggman, and several Marvel and DC villains like Thanos and Darkseid. Vanitas departed for a special mission, which eventually turned into their use of minions one year later.

But right now, the boy was tending to his wound while staring at them confusedly.

"I'm afraid I don't understand what's going on here. Have you all come to be rid of me yourself? Does this world truly despise me so much?"

"I wouldn't think so, young one," answered a male voice.

A dark portal appears right in front of the boy and out from it appears a mysterious figure. He had a cloak that was black, and was covering his whole body, except for his hands and partially his face. His hands and face were brown-skinned but his eyes were hidden in the shadows of the hood.

"What's your name, little one?" He asked.

The boy blinked. "Um… My name is… Khaliq…"

The figure leaned down and looked into Khaliq's azure eyes, slightly unnerving the boy. After a few seconds, he pulled himself away and nodded his head. "I see. Now for what you asked earlier, you are mistaken. I'm not here to be rid of you; I believe that to be a waste of talent. I sense you have a lot of potential… a lot of skills… a lot of power hidden inside of you. I've come to make you an offer."

"An offer?" Khaliq was lost. "I'm afraid I don't follow. What do you want with me?"

"It would probably be better if you would listen, kid." Bowser clicked his tongue. He was withholding the urge to embarrass Khaliq since this was a serious meeting.

"Most know me as Delta, but in many galaxies and planets, they refer to me as Master Paradox. After recent events, I've begun to prepare for my goal. There are still some things I need to think about and work out... but as it stands now, these worlds need to be balanced. Your strength would be wasted, so I am asking for your assistance."

"…" Khaliq blinked slowly. There was clearly a lot he didn't understand. He knew of his plan, but never would have expected its ruler to be this man of all people. "I'm not sure so I can turn against this world so easily. My brother and sister you see… they're still…"

"I knew that would be your hesitation. I know how it feels to lose everything you care about... which is why those with loved ones unlike myself should cherish what they have."

Delta then motioned his hand towards the wall, and his older siblings—Joshua and Michelle—emerged from behind that wall. "If there is only one thing keeping you bound to this life, then I will move you three to where you want with no issues."

Khaliq stared at them with wide eyes. His legs carried him forward and he wrapped his arms around his siblings for a tight embrace. The youngest sibling started to sob. There wasn't anyone he could confide in anymore…except his brother and sister. The one he risked everything for. "Josh… Shelle… I…"

"Kal..." His sister hugged her brother tightly. "It's okay... I know what happened. We're here now."

"You're with us now. We may have lost them, but at least we're together again," Joshua added.

"There will be much for Eggman to explain to you on the way, but I'll tell you one more thing: the heroes will be in the middle of it all," Delta said.

After sobbing into his sister's chest for a few moments, Khaliq pulled himself up and composed himself, giving Delta a grim smile.

"Say no more."