"So… what are we supposed to do with the cards?" asked Kagari curiously, staring at the cards that Dylan held in his hand. "Something tells me that… they're really important."
"They are," muttered Dylan in response, absentmindedly sticking the cards into a pocket of his baggy jeans. "I just know it. Something's going to happen. Something that'll change our lives."
"Dylan, stop joking," protested Kagari, tugging at the older boy's black shirt. Her tone was serious. "We're just going to resume our lives. You're just disappointed that summer vacation was so short!"
"What! Am not!"
Kagari laughed, before pleasantly patting her friend on the back. "It's okay. I am too."
"Kagari!"
"Hm? What are you lovebirds doing?" came a new voice. They turned in the direction of the voice to find a handsome boy leaning against a wall, arms crossed. A knowing smirk was on his face. "Yes, I know that you feel for each other. Stop pretending." He pushed off, walking towards them. Dylan combed a hand through his spiky hair.
"…I'm not in love with Kagari, Ryou," he stated in a flat tone, but flinched when he saw Kagari wear a hurt look on her face. "I'm sorry, but… I'm just not. Love seems… weird. I don't love or like anyone in that way right now. But… maybe in the future…" Kagari wiped her eyes a little but nodding understandingly.
"I understand. Don't worry about it."
"Thanks…"
Ryou stared heavenwards into the pink-orange sky, silent for several moments. "Looks like the sun's setting. We should get home before our parents flip. Seriously. They will. I know them well enough."
"Sure," replied Kagari, brushing some of her platinum blonde hair out of her face. "I'll see you guys tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay," said Dylan, smiling. As Kagari walked away, he sharply turned to Ryou and asked, "The cloaked guy… what did he look like? I need to know."
"Why?" asked Ryou, shaking some of his black bangs out of his eyes. "Fine, don't answer me. His hood completely covered his face. I couldn't see it at all. But what I do know is that the cloak was zipped at the top, but not at the bottom. There were these chain-like things hanging from the top of the zipper. I think they wore boots… not sure. They were a little taller than me."
"Oh… thanks, Ryou," answered Dylan quietly. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Sure. Oh, and don't greet me in the morning with that "why did you dye the tips of your hair silver?" question. Got it?" shouted Ryou as Dylan turned away and walked a few decent feet away.
"Well, I'm just wondering, jeez!" Dylan shouted back, grinning. "I wasn't saying it looked bad!"
"Good," said a smug Ryou. "I like my hair the way it is." The hair, in question, was long, reaching a little below the oldest boy's shoulders. The tips, or we should say, the area around the tips, were dyed a shimmering silver color. It matched him.
Throwing one last grin back at Ryou, Dylan turned around and sprinted all the way home, which was quite quickly, given how agile and lithe he was, despite the point that he always stuffed himself with food, when given the chance. Maybe it was because he sparred with both Kagari and Ryou so much. 'Yeah… that must be it,' he thought, inserting his key into the lock of the front door, turning it and pushing the door open. Withdrawing his key and dropping it on the dining table, Dylan looked around.
"Mom?" he called. There was no sound. The silence was deafening. Gnawing at his bottom lip, the brunette boy looked around with wary, alarmed blue eyes. After a while of searching, he surrendered and decided that his mom was still working.
Quickly warming some dinner, he ate in silence before bounding up the stairs and retiring into his bedroom, which, as always, was messy. Clothes were strewn across the ground, papers littered the surface of his desk, and even some were on the ground as well. Candy wrappers blended in with the mess. Ruffling his hair, Dylan suppressed a chuckle and stepped over the junk and dropped onto his bed, pulling out his cards, slowly looking at each one in turn.
'Passion, Ecstasy, Sorrow, Rage, Crave, Jealousy, Coy, Taint, Light, Dark, Chosen One, and Key… what's the link?' he mused, his gaze lingering on the card Taint was written upon.
"A good amount of them are emotions… then there is Taint, then two opposites, plus two more that I don't understand at all," Dylan wondered aloud. "What does this all mean?"
He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he barely noticed the tendrils of darkness that were slowly wrapping themselves around him until he felt it. The sensation was so icy that it felt like he had suddenly been plunged into a bathtub filled with wintry water. Dylan shivered, and that was when he noticed it. By then, it was too late to resist. He was swallowed by it, falling through an endless abyss of shadows… until he fell onto a glass platform.
"Ow…"
The boy leapt to his feet, slowly observing everything that was happening. He jumped when a cool voice spoke.
The game begins…"Who are you?" he called out after a failed attempt at registering the voice's words. "Where am I?"
There is much to do now. The door has been opened. Step forward and accept your destiny… or will you perish?
"Over my dead body will I perish," retorted Dylan indignantly, running forward until he was in the direct center of the platform.
Asleep within you is immense power. Mold the power into your own.
Sprouting from the ground, simultaneously, were three weapons, floating one foot from the ground, slowly rotating like it would help Dylan view them better. One was a plain, normal sword. The next was what looked like a staff. The last of the group was a shield. Blinking, Dylan stepped up to the sword and took it into his hands.
Do you choose strength as your major?"Yes," answered Dylan clearly, his voice ringing out like the echo of a bell when it chimed.
There was a flash, and the other two weapons vanished. Another flash, and the largest amount of artillery he had ever seen took their place. They laid on every centimeter of the glass platform, with only enough room for Dylan to navigate, and even then, the space was limited.
Choose your path.
"Don't you mean, "Choose your weapon?"" Dylan called out. Only silence responded him. Sighing, he slowly took his time to examine each of the weapons. There were scimitars, bows, spears, javelins, katanas, shields, flails, staffs, claymores, tomahawks, throwing knives, ninja stars, chakrams, broadswords, every weapon imaginable. Only one weapon, however, shone brighter than the rest. He immediately walked over in its direction, grasping it into his trembling hands.
You choose the Keyblade?In a shaking voice, he responded, "Yes." The Keyblade, or whatever it was called, exploded into wisps of light, flying into him. He felt his energy expand.
Now… what will you relinquish in exchange for your newly gained strengths?The weapons vanished, and were replaced with the shield and wand again. Dylan stubbornly crossed his arms, persistence sweeping into the mix. "None." The voice chuckled.
Why is that, young one?Dylan grinned. "If I forfeited one, I wouldn't have enough strength to take on the enemies I'll face. What happens if there are enemies completely immune to physical damage, and I give up the magic? I'd be dead. If I surrendered the shield, I'd be completely dead anyway. That one is my defense. If I had none, one strike and I'm out, never to wake up again. That good enough for you?" The voice chuckled again.
Very clever of you, mortal. Let that be your strengths… and allow your weaknesses to wax and wane. No one is immune to all.
"At least I'm better off than giving something up," protested Dylan, still grinning. "Now what?"
Choose your form.
In another flash, Keyblades of all shapes and sizes appeared all over the ground. Dylan's mouth promptly fell open as he gaped in awe at all of the weapons. As he walked around, names popped into his heads as he viewed each. 'Kingdom Key… Crab Claw… Oathkeeper… Lionheart… Follow the Wind… Sweet Memory… Oblivion…' He didn't bother attempting to recognize them all. One caught his eye.
This one had a black handle and a white blade. The hilt had two wings protruding from the sides, both jet-black with a texture of scales, a horn jutting from the sides of the wings, at a position that would make people think that the wing's belonged to a demon of some kind. The white blade was no one, but two extremely thin ones that arched parallel from one another, ending in what looked like a beautiful, glowing heart. Sticking out of the side of the heart were two majestic wings, lovely and sharp at the same time. These two were pure white, so white that the color seemed to blind Dylan. This completed the key-like look.
You choose the Melancholic Radiance?
"Yes."
The Keyblade exploded into light, which he absorbed as well, glowing slightly before the glow faded away and the voice decided to speak again.
Prove your merit to me. During the times of struggle and battle, come the most likely and unlikely enemies…
Appearing in a ring around him were various different creatures and people. Two of them were Ryou and Kagari, both wielding some strange kind of weapon. Another was wearing a black cloak. Yet another was dressed in gray robes and wore a mask. One was a strange ant-like creature that was jet-black and had neon yellow eyes. There was one creature that was a white-silver color that swayed continuously. The last of the group was a multi-colored monster that looked like it was a quarter of everything, which included fire, electric, vines, ice, light, and darkness.
Dylan gritted his teeth, readying for battle. The Melancholic Radiance reappeared in a flash of light in his hands, and he lunged forward at the various enemies. First to be destroyed was the black creature with neon eyes. Second came the white-silver one.
He ducked under a slice from Kagari, and after muttering a sorry under his breath, stabbed her through the stomach. She disappeared. Whirling around, Dylan thrust forward his Keyblade at Ryou, who dodged and jumped behind him, knocking him forward with a slash of his own. He stifled a yelp and charged behind the other boy, slicing him in half after muttering another sorry. He too disappeared.
Dylan yelled out in pain when he felt an icy sensation behind him, akin to an ice shard being forced through his arm. Turning around, he began a massive array of attacks, slowly turning into an onslaught, and destroyed the multicolored monster. Then he engaged in battle with the cloaked figure.
It felt like hours before they finally went down and disappeared in tufts of darkness. He turned towards the masked figure, which had not moved a muscle the entire time. They raised their hand, and began drawing the insignia he had seen on the colorful monster. When it was completely, the symbol glowed, and they pressed their palm against it, activating its effects. The glass beneath Dylan shattered into thousands of shards. They took him down with them.
You have passed the test. Embrace your destiny and complete your mission. Good luck, Chosen One.
All went black.
"Ugh…"
Sora sat up, swaying slightly, as he raised his hand to his temples, massaging them to ease the pain he currently felt throbbing through his head. It was unbearable. Turning his head to look around, to his dismay, he realized that Kairi and Riku were no longer with him.
He groaned, and stared upwards into the sky. Judging by how bright it was Sora assumed it was around six in the morning. Sighing, the brunette tentatively looked around from where he had sat up, and stood to his feet for a better view. Nearby him was an incredibly large stream. A bridge spanned its entire distance until it reached the other side. What caught his eye was the fact that there was a girl standing on it, leaning over the wood of the railing to gaze downwards into the water.
Only when the pain subsided did he muster enough strength to be able to view her clearly. What really caught his attention was her auburn hair…
"Kairi!" he cried, racing over to her, hand outstretched. His heart dropped when she turned, and there was a flash. In her place stood a fair-haired girl with sapphire eyes.
"Huh?" she asked, staring at him in confusion.
"…Naminé?" he questioned, staring into her eyes. She still blinked in confusion.
"…Whose Naminé?" she whispered, biting her lip. "I'm sorry, but I guess I'm not who you're looking for…"
She seemed to look like Naminé, but instead of a long dress, she wore a rather short one that ended around her thighs (much like a white version of Kairi's pink dress in KH2) and black boots on her feet, the laces tied around her ankles as if to keep them on. After taking a deeper look into her eyes, he sighed. She was neither Naminé nor Kairi.
"…I could help you find them, if you want me to…" she said hesitantly, walking closer to him. "I'm Kagari. What's your name?"
"Sora," answered Sora softly, smiling at her. "Thanks for the offer, but I don't even think they're in this world…"
"Huh?" Kagari blinked in bewilderment. "Worlds?"
"Never mind," Sora corrected himself hastily. "Ignore that comment. I guess that's what happens when your mind is too cluttered…" Kagari giggled at that remark, before turning back to the water, staring at fish as they swam by.
"So, what brought you out for a walk so early in the morning? You look like you're lost, and I've never seen you before. This may seem like a city, but we mostly know everyone around…" said Kagari, grinning. "I thought I was the only one who took walks at six in the morning. My friends are too busy being lazy bums to come." She laughed pleasantly, her voice echoing like the clear tones of bells.
Sora paused when he heard the term "lazy bum", another phrase that Kairi had called him while they lived at the islands. "…Uh… well… I'm kind of… lost."
"I thought so," she replied, turning around to face him again. "Come on. I'll take you to my house. You can stick around for a while and meet my friends later on!"
"Sure," agreed Sora. There wasn't much he could do. At least there were no heartless, nobodies, or those other weird creatures popping up out of nowhere before him. This world seemed more peaceful and isolated, which, he guessed, was good.
The entire walk was silent. When they reached Kagari's house, she opened the door and ushered him in.
"My parents are nice people, so they wouldn't care if I brought you are not," she clarified. "They're always urging me to make some friends. But that's a little hard, given the personalities of the people living around here… They're either really nice or downright mean."
"Oh…"
"About what you said… um…" began Kagari hesitantly, drumming her fingers on the surface of the counter she leaned against, "…have you seen a person wearing a black cloak around here? One of my friends met up with one, and since then, I've been wondering about who they are."
"Organization XIII!" shouted Sora immediately, springing from the chair he sat on to his feet. "One of them was here?" Kagari nodded.
"Well, that's what Ryou said… and he wouldn't lie!" she added. "But I don't know if they're actually this Organization you're looking for. They gave him some cards, like the ones from a deck, and told him to give them to my other friend, Dylan. I saw them before. They were just cards with words and symbols on them."
"Could I talk to your friends… in person?" prompted Sora. He had a feeling that this would help him find out what was happening.
"Sure," she answered, shrugging. "I was thinking of giving them a wake up call anyway." She sniggered, and walked over to the phone, dialing some numbers.
"…Hello?" asked a voice groggily.
"Hey, Ryou! Could I come to your house? Oh, and I'm getting Dylan to come too!"
"…Why?"
"I met a boy who wanted to talk to you and Dylan. Something about "Organization XIII", the cloaked person you met, and the cards they gave you to give to Dylan."
"Hm…" Suspicion laced his voice. "…Fine. Bye." The phone hummed, signaling that Ryou had hung up.
"Jeez, cranky lazy bum," muttered Kagari, before hanging up and turning to Sora. "Well, if you really want to talk to them… I'll drop you off at Ryou's house, and I'll bring Dylan along."
He was awakened from his slumber by the doorbell. Woozily reaching his hand up to rub his eyes, the boy groaned. "Kagari? Never mentioned about coming so early…" Dylan swung his legs over the edge of the bed, groggily making his way out of the room and towards the front door. After waking up at around nine to realize that what he thought had really happened (meaning the voice thing with all the choices to make) was a dream (or was it?), he wasn't able to sleep for the rest of the night, even after he got up and forced himself to do extremely boring things such as studying.
When he reached the front door, he pulled it open, and saw a figure cloaked in gray standing there with a mask concealing their face. Stepping back, almost as though intimidated by them, he stared at their mask. It was one that depicted an extremely angry face.
"Chosen One…"
Then they were gone.
Seconds later, Kagari turned up, staring at him like he had grown two heads because he was standing there like an idiot, wearing his pajamas.
"Hey, could you come over to Ryou's? There's this boy I met who seems to really need to talk to you," she said cheerfully.
"Well, aren't you your chipper self," grumbled Dylan, still wondering whether or not the cloaked figure had been there, if that dream was really a dream, and why Kagari was there. "I'll get down in a few minutes. Stick around, would you?"
Minutes later, he had brushed his teeth, washed his face, showered, dressed, and eaten breakfast. After quickly grabbing Perpetuality's Deck and stuffing it into the pocket of his jeans, he hurried after Kagari, who was already rushing out the front door. "Slow down, will you?" he called after her. She merely turned around, grinned, and began sprinting towards Ryou's house. For a girl, she was pretty fast. Dylan grinned when he realized he was the fastest out of all his friends and ran after her.
When they reached the house and rang the doorbell, Ryou answered it quite quickly, and forced them in, where they met Sora. Now they were discussing Organization XIII, the cards, and other things related to those two topics.
"Organization… nobodies… heartless… and then those creatures…" muttered Ryou thoughtfully. When he first ran into Sora, the boy had stared at him for a while, before calling him "Riku". He was no longer bothered by that thought.
"So there are different worlds!" Dylan said, amazed. When Sora had first met him, they had a staring contest. Why? They looked alike, besides the fact that they wore different clothes, that Dylan's hair was a little lighter, that their voices were a little different, and that Dylan's hairstyle was less spiky.
"Does that mean we can go and visit them?" asked Kagari eagerly, glancing to Sora for approval. The brunette looked slightly hesitant.
"Well…" Sora started, sighing. "I don't think so. It isn't dangerous. You don't know the darkness like I do. It's pure evil!"
"Sure, but I don't like it too much here. A group of boys always pick on Kagari… the girls always annoy Ryou by swooning over him… and me… it just seems… boring," breathed Dylan, a pleading look in his eyes. "Besides, didn't you just say that you needed help finding your friends? We can help!"
Sora still looked unconvinced. "I don't know…"
Suddenly, a huge tremor shook the entire city, knocking the four straight off their feet and sending them sprawling onto the ground. Their surroundings were slowly being ripped apart into particles, which slowly vanished until they were standing on a badly paved road, the night sky surrounding them even though they were sure it was supposed to be morning.
Then they saw it.
Cliffhanger! Isn't that awesome? –Cough- Nope, I don't think so, for you guys at least. If you want another update, make sure you review and tell me your favorite part. Thanks…
Oh, and I apologize if future chapters are confusing.