The Age of Fairy Tales

Chapter III: The Island of Lost Dreams

Aqua's journey had not gone unnoticed. Neo, Terra, Oscar and Penny were observing the portal that led to Remnant, watching as Aqua saved the young red haired girl from what was apparently a Grimm possessing her.

Neo turned to Oscar. "What just happened? Was that a Chill? I've heard of Grimm that can possess people before but never one that could wipe out an entire village as fast as that one did."

Oscar looked stunned, as if recalling something from Ozma's long past. "The Grimm Child…"

Terra glanced at Oscar. "The Grimm Child?"

"An old fairy tale. It was about a girl who sent her brother into the forest outside their village. She eventually went looking for him but found him with his skin becoming and his eyes black. She took him back to their home but in the middle of the night, the girl found her parents along with her brother who red veins covering his face." Oscar slowly explained. "And it wasn't just them…Everyone else in the village was also dead. She ran back to her house to gather her things to escape but found another body underneath her bed...and then she felt a chill. She looked in the mirror and saw she was possessed by the very thing that killed her family and village."

"I remember that fairy tale." Neo recalled, remembering the story she had read in her childhood and shivered. "That actually happened?"

"And it happened…Right outside the forest Salem used to live in." Oscar continued, surprising the rest with this revelation, his tone becoming taking on a note of horrified realization. "During her time of isolation between the time of the gods and when Oz first reincarnated, she lived in a simple cottage in a forest with a human village nearby…This was her doing. That Chill must have been some kind of Grimm she made or modified to keep people away from her home or even some kind of curse. Thanks to Aqua, there's at least one survivor this time."

Neo looked back at the portal, showing Aqua using burying the dead villagers now. "Salem could do something like this the whole time? Why bother attacking the kingdoms if she could have done something like that?"

"It would take at least an hour to create a curse that would wipe out an entire village and if one survived, the curse would be broken. And Huntsmen along with defenses against the Grimm have had thousands to improve that it was likely unfeasible by the time of the academies. Aura can protect them now and we have the technology to save anyone possessed by a Chill…With the right amount of time." Oscar answered.

"Good to know." Neo said with a small shiver and she knew the irony in that. "Just another reason to think of her as the creepiest thing on the planet."

"Since Aqua broke the curse, will Salem come for her and the girl?" Terra asked, keeping his 'eyes' on Aqua.

"I don't know…" Oscar admitted. "Salem wanted nothing to do with mankind until Oz finally came back for her. I'm not sure what she would have done if he decided not to."

Xxx

"It has been said that one must be careful when string out into the world for too long or eventually something will stare back and it could be more than just a person, animal or even a Grimm. For this however, I do not refer to a specific living being but rather that of something supposedly born from the thoughts and desires of a man desperately trying to recapture the past. This is a dangerous line of thinking for if we become too obsessed with the past, we risk giving up looking to the future."

Xxx

A little girl with red hair and curious green eyes walked the beach of her home town, staring out at the sea.

So calming.

So soothing.

One could stare out at the sea for hours and feel nothing but peace and tranquility for the marvelous sight before her.

The sky and sea matching in a beautiful shade of blue with white clouds scattered amongst the sky and the occasional splash made in the ocean that only lasted for a brief instant but seemed to only enforce the peaceful feeling she felt as she stared out into the open and seemingly endless expanse before her.

And then she noticed it.

At first there was a mist that appeared out of nowhere, covering the sky and blocking out the sun, casting a light misty grey tint around the land. She stepped back but stopped when she saw a dark outline out in the sea, concealed by the mist.

It looked like an island.

She stared out, trying to get a closer look at it and thought she heard something.

It sounded like animals hollering in the distance.

Grimm?

She took a step back and was about to flee when something emerged from the water and she let out a startled cry. At first she thought it was a Grimm but then she noticed it was not like any Grimm she had ever seen in any of the books she had read or seen on TV.

It did not have the signature white skull/mask that were the signature faces of the Grimm.

Instead it resembled a…

Was it a cat or a dog?

Or was it both?

It was a plump creature that had a point at the top of its head and its eyes resembled plus signs. It had a dog like muzzle, spots on its side and pointy ears. There was a small ring of color on its legs, separating its legs from its paws.

She reached out to it as it stared at her and then vanished into the water. She rushed over to edge, looking down at the waters and seeing her reflection.

As she did, the water suddenly turned dark. She looked up and saw something else approaching now.

The surrounding clouds turned dark with the water and she fell on her back as something emerged from the mist.

It wore a long dark coat with purple flames trailing the edges and under its hood was nothing but darkness.

And glowed red eyes.

"Pyrrha?"

Xxx

"Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha Nikos shook her head awake as she woke up, sitting up on her bed and glanced around briefly, seeing Jaune standing next to her bed. "Jaune?"

"Sorry but you were sleeping in and we only got time for a quick breakfast before class starts." Jaune said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Ren and Nora had already gone ahead."

"Oh." Pyrrha threw her covers off. "Sorry. Thank you for waking me up."

"No problem…" Jaune said awkwardly as Pyrrha rushed into the bathroom to clean and change into her school uniform. "Is everything okay?"

"It's fine." Pyrrha just before she closed the door. "Just…a dream."

"O-kay." Jaune said slowly but decided not to push.

He heard learned his lesson after all from his sisters.

Xxx

"Now then, students. It is essential you are aware of and prepared for every type of Grimm that exists while also being prepared to encounter Grimm that have never before been encountered, even by Huntsmen such as myself." Professor Port said, gesturing to the board behind him that showed various Grimm. "You never know what you might encounter an abnormal one, even amongst other Grimm."

"What's the difference?" Cardin Winchester called out. "Just kill them and they die like all other Grimm."

"That would be a good idea…One paper, Mr. Winchester." Port replied sternly. "But not every Grimm is easy to kill, even if you were to cut off its head."

"You mean, some Grimm can survive their heads being cut off?" Ruby asked with a surprised look on her face.

"Precisely, though very rare." Port to a particular drawing. "Take the Nightmare for example. A Grimm with such a terrifying reputation, said to feed off the fears and insecurities of its victims. It is said it can even take the shape of what its victims fear the most."

"That's impossible." Weiss muttered.

"Oh?" Port looked at her, having heard her comment. "And why is that Miss Schnee?"

"I…uh…" Weiss hadn't expected the professor to hear her.

"This Nightmare Grimm might seem like a fairy tale to you but we have accounts of people who claim to have seen it, several times before and during the Great War. It would be smart not to dismiss them, even if what they saw might not have been as real as they claim." Port held up one finger. "Why, I even had such an encounter myself as a strapping young Huntsman near the sea. For those who are familiar with Fairy Tales, what place is in the sea is the Nightmare said to hail from?"

Pyrrha raised her hand. "The Island of Lost Dreams."

Everyone in the class glanced at her but she kept her gaze on Professor Port who nodded. "Correct, Miss Nikos. The Island of Lost Dreams…a superstitious idea that an island exists somewhere out there in the seas of Remnant where dreams are brought to life. Obviously another fairy tale but important to understanding the legends surrounding our long history."

'A fairy tale.' Pyrrha thought.

"It's wise to pay attention to these stories, students. Even if they are greatly exaggerated, there is always a hint of truth in them." Port said just before class ended. "Remember this story well, students. It might be on the surprise test next week."

There was a collective groan as the students exited the classroom.

Xxx

All attempts to regain magic have failed. We were stripped of our magic the day a foolish woman deceived so many greedy kingdoms into rebelling against the gods and were punished by being stripped of magic, the very power we were given and used against our creators.

Entry One: My name is Yu Yevon, a would be great sorcerer, descendent from a great line of summoners going back for centuries. Until the day when our magic was stripped from us and we were defenseless as the creatures created by the God of Darkness spread throughout the land. Without our magic, we were forced to rely on crude and primitive weapons to defend ourselves. A once mighty people brought so low by the lies and arrogance of a single woman.

And yet there is still a chance of hope.

I saw it as a boy, four streaks of golden light shoot across the sky…No one believed me when I spoke of it but I know what I saw. Our kingdom is safe only by dangerous rock formations that sprouted from the land when the moon was partially destroyed and many pieces of it fell across this world. I know this protection will not hold out forever.

That is why I have waited until I was old and well enough to travel to follow the streaks of golden light. The nearest one landed in the fast forest lands of the east. I am confident I can find it and if I do, perhaps there is a chance to restore magic after all. Today I begin my recording of my quest to find and restore magic.

After nearly three years of non-stop traveling, I finally found it. A power source for regaining a small piece of magic. Before we lost our magic, my family specialized in glyph based magic, magic that worked in tandem with natural magic of the world and thus was not considered the best use of magic compared to the practices. However what they do not realize is that glyph magic offers more if one takes the proper time to study, such as the ability to manipulate time around one self or even summon the fallen forms of beasts that have been slain but these are mere examples and not even close to the true potential of glyph based magic.

In addition to channeling the elements, manipulating time and even summoning, glyphs can do such much more if one can discover the proper runes. If one can discover and create glyphs for channeling the energy of the world itself, from all living things. Unfortunately, with magic stripped from us so was our ability to activate glyphs. A power source is needed to properly activate the glyphs and call upon the energy they represent.

And I have found one such source.

It takes the form of a golden ornate staff with a blue jewel at the top that radiates unlimited power that runs throughout the land it has rested in. I managed to find its resting place and within it lay a spirit by the name of Ambrosius who has explained to me it is the Spirit of Creation, charged by the God of Light to aid humanity in coming together, learning the joys of creation.

This is the breakthrough I have been looking for.

I asked him if it was possible to restore magic to me and my family but to my disappointment, the Spirit of Creation is bound to create one and one thing only every time he is called upon by whoever holds his staff. He cannot grant me back the magic of my ancestors but when I showed him the glyphs of my ancestors that was when I saw a chance. Ambrosius explained his staff could be used as a source of power for activating the glyphs and much to my joy, it actually worked.

For the first time in a long time, a human was capable of using magic.

Admittedly, I needed the staff to activated the glpyhs but since Ambrosius explained to me that a source of power is needed for the activation of my family's magical arts, I have begun to consider a way to restore it fully.

I now know what I must do.

Xxx

When the dead villagers were all given proper burial Aqua had gathered as many supplies as she needed, deciding it was time to leave. She still sensed the darkness deep in the forest but decided for the time being to not pursue it.

'I think as long as no enter that forest, no one will die. Unfortunately I cannot be on guard here all the time nor can I afford to take the only survivor with me into the forest where the creature that killed her entire village came from.' Aqua sighed as she picked up the pack she had picked for holding her supplies and walked outside.

Poppy was already outside, having packed her own things and was ready to leave. She cast one last look at the graves, specifically the graves of her parents and brother. Aqua gave her a moment of silence, wanting to let her say her final goodbyes.

Poppy then turned to Aqua with an unreadable expression on her face. "…So, where do we go from here?"

Aqua stared and then shrugged. "I don't really have a destination in mind. The best answer I can give is perhaps trying to find the nearest village and then decide what to do from there."

The look on Poppy's face told her that her answer wasn't what the young girl was looking for but Poppy simply sighed. "Fine, I guess that'll do."

Aqua only could offer a sad smile as she and Poppy began their journey, leaving the now empty village behind.

Xxx

Poppy has continued thinking while following the silver armor woman that saved her with a few of her belongings and supplies on this journey they were partaking on. She wanted to have an adventure and go out to see the places beyond her village ever since she was a little but not like this any way given what happened to her and the rest of the village. Poppy's sense of joy was now lost along with everyone and everybody she knew in that village that were gone because of her. She was responsible for what had happened to everyone including her family including her little brother.

She felt even more guilty for not even listening to the other's warning about the forest that lived there.

If she wasn't so naive that no one would have died because of her.

Aqua noticed that her completely heartbroken companion needed to be mended but it only depended on whether the redheaded girl was willing to heed her words or not. That will give her strength but she hoped she wouldn't have to go into detail about who she is as a keyblade master. She preferred to using her own experience to show sympathy towards one another.

The two eventually came to stopping point to set up camp.

Even for Aqua's long journey she knew she would need to stop and rest.

Poppy began setting up the tent for each of them to sleep separately. As for Aqua, she set up the fire. Fortunately for her, she found in the village a piece of steel and flint with some dry materials of wood and small pieces to start the fire perfectly. Just because she grew up in a temple, learning how to be Keyblade Wielder didn't mean she didn't learn the basics of living in the wild. Since Keyblade Wielders travels from world to world it was expected of them to know how to look after themselves.

Aqua set up the stand to set up over the fire with a pot and chain rest in nearby the flames. While the food begins to cook Poppy found herself always looking back toward the blue hair woman that saved her. No matter how many times she looks at her she doesn't recognize her at all but for some reason these images of what she had done and the good she has been receiving from others, especially, a certain order that was given out to her for some reason unknown. The message repeated in her mind before she was freed by the Silver Knight.

That she was not allowed to hunt or harm her.

The reasons were completely unknown unknown to her and she wondered why the monster that killed her village and possessed her wouldn't attack this woman.

Aqua noticed Poppy was staring at her for some reason. "Is there something you'd like to ask of me?"

Poppy nodded and slowly spoke, her voice sounding hoarse since she had not spoken since being freed from the dark entity that possessed her. "Back there…That…Thing didn't attack you. It killed everyone else, leaving me for last but when it saw you…You said it couldn't attack you because it was ordered not to by its creators."

Aqua signed and leaned back. "Well, that's a bit of a story."

Poppy said nothing, just watching the blue haired woman intently.

"I guess, it all starts at the beginning, before humanity came to be." Aqua began. "There were these two brothers, both of them gods with the elder one being a god of light and the younger being the god of darkness…"

Xxx

It was marvelous to look at.

The man held this golden ornate staff in one hand and held it up for the people of his kingdom to see. "Behold, the Staff of Creation."

The people stared at it, some in awe while most appeared skeptical.

"With this, we can regain the gift of magic." The man pointed the staff at the strange rune markings on the ground. "Glyph magic was what our grand kingdom was known for…before the gods unfairly stripped our ancestors of their magic. But all is not lost, for they left behind this and three other objects of great magical power for us to use." He held the staff up again. "If we would be able to find the other three we would be unstoppable, becoming the new dominant force in this world. Nay, we would become the new gods."

The people were quiet, listening in silence before one stepped forward. "And why should we believe any of this? You left us for years, Yevon and just now you return, claiming you have found magic again and gone as far as to draw this glyph around our city. This all sounds like pure hogwash to me."

The man then turned to the crowd. "Every day has been a struggle for survival against the Grimm and this man goes off gallivanting on some imaginary quest, thinking he can just solve all our problem by coming back with some fancy staff and waving it like a magic wand."

The people started to mutter in agreement, casting dark looks on the cloaked man that had suddenly returned out of nowhere, claiming he would solve all their problems.

Yevon smiled as he held up the staff. "Then allow me to show you."

A blue mist emerged from the staff and time to literally freeze around everyone as they stared with open mouths and wide eyes.

"Ah, my first job." Ambrosius, the Spirit of Creation stretched his arms and legs, flexing his muscles and let out a yawn. "Now, what do you have to indulge my creative wiles?"

Yevon pointed to the glyph he had drawn into the ground, encompassing the entire village that was all the remained of the one great kingdom his ancestors had built. "Use your magic to power the glyph I have drawn here."

Ambrosius frowned as he looked over the glyph, kneeling down and inspecting the runes with a magnifying glass. "You do know what this will do to everyone, right?"

"I do." Yevon nodded. "It's to ensure our great kingdom rises and is preserved forever…Do it."

Ambrosius sighed and shrugged. "I suppose I should not be surprised. Very well."

With a wave of his hand, Ambrosius sent a jolt of magical power through the runes that spread all throughout the village wide glyph, creating a bright glow. The villagers began to scream and panic, trying to flee but it was already too late.

"And with this, I bind your souls to this world." Yevon spread his arms out as the light from the glyph grew brighter. "Together, we shall restore our great kingdom of Spira and rule over this broken world."

The screams eventually became silent and moments later, a spiral of light shot into the sky.

Xxx

"…And so, Izanagi and Erebus agreed to spare the people who not involved in Salem's plot but stripped them of their magic." Aqua finished her tale.

Aqua pretty much spent the last hour telling Poppy about the two brothers that she had named and defended them against the woman that deceived humanity but did not name herself as the one who did all those things.

She didn't need to explain how she had suddenly traveled through time.

As she began telling her story Poppy slowly started the pieces together about the woman Salem that deceived humanity. "This woman…Salem, whatever happened to her?"

"I don't know." Aqua hated herself for that answer since she was technically lying but at the same time, she had no idea what happened to Salem since they had last met.

In this timeline anyway.

"She and my ancestor parted immediately after the Brothers left and it was on less than friendly terms." Aqua answered honestly. "I suspect though she has a connection to the Darkness living in the forest near your village."

Poppy looked at the fire. "I heard stories of a witch living in the forest but never believed them…She sent that creature after us…To keep us out of her forest."

Aqua watched Poppy as she stared at the fire.

Xxx

Meanwhile, Ozma as Diggs has continued on his journey passing through each of the lands and villages. Especially, after overhearing the rumors about a witch living in the forest not far from where he is now. He took his chance to find the witch that he believed may be Salem.

He had to try to see his beloved.

"Did you hear about who liberated all those animal freaks?"

Ozma stopped and paused, hearing a couple speaking as they walked past him.

"They were all freed by some woman wearing silver armor." The woman spoke softly. "I heard she also has blue hair."

"I heard that rumor too. Heard she called herself the Silver Knight…Or was it the Ocean Knight." The other one, a man replied as he brought a hand to his chin. "I don't know for sure what she called herself…Heard her name was water or something like that."

"No it was named after water…Like Aqua or something." The woman replied.

That single name caused Ozma to freeze.

He couldn't even believe what he had listened to.

Aqua, his friend was here.

Alive!?

In this timeline.

He remembered the time that both of them fought against the warlord and his demon form. If his beloved was alive and well how come his friend is still here?

"Excuse me." He suddenly appeared behind the couple who had been speaking. "What did this woman look like?"

The two look at each other briefly before the woman spoke. "I heard she has blue hair, blue eyes too with fair skin. She wore armor that was blue and silver and had a weapon with her. A sword that looked…weird. Like a key or something like that."

As they gave him the description of what she looked like he was silent and frozen in disbelief. The description of her matches exactly what he remembers. Diggs began to process the information that he had acquired especially knowing Aqua is here.

Was she revived by the gods too?

If so then why?