"Hey guys, look. There's some kind of...house in the middle of a pond?"

Just as Jaune said, there was a tiny, curiously constructed cottage in the center of the body of water that dominated this bizarrely placed cave. The night sky was still visible above, and what looked to be large stone platforms in the water seemed to form a trail leading to the house. "I wonder who lives there? Let's go s-AGH!"

Just as he was about to step onto one of the stones, it suddenly seemed to move aside, causing Jaune to fall right into the water. Everyone ran to the edge to find him, and he fortunately he emerged, spitting out some water while desperately holding the still-shifting stone. "What the heck just happened?!"

Unlike him, Ruby looked rather excited and giggled as she saw that all the stones were moving. "This looks so fun! It's like a little obstacle course!" she said in glee before skipping merrily across each stone, taking a moment to time her jumps perfectly. Zwei, surprisingly, kept pace with her despite his stubby little legs, and hopped with perfect timing alongside her.

"I swear, she is five years old." Weiss said, rolling her eyes in annoyance. Not hearing her, Ruby exclaimed to them, "I don't know how this is happening but you guys gotta try it! Use your parkour, balance and gymnastics to-!"

Her delightful melodramatic announcer voice died down as Weiss used one of her glyphs to bring herself and Blake across the water, gliding all the way across without touching it.

"Okay, well, that's just cheating." Ruby said with disappointment. Brushing that off, she put on another smile for the others, hoping they would at least indulge in the game she had in mind. "Alright guys! One mistep and you'll fall into the water, just like Jaune! So be careful to-!"

As if on cue, Pyrrha levitated herself and Jaune very slowly over the water to where they were. By this point, Ruby's disappointment in her friends was immeasurable. "You guys are the worst..."

Fortunately for Ruby, she had at least three people who decided to play by her rules. Not that they had much of a choice. So Sora, Donald, and Goofy did their best to follow her example, hopping across the stones one at a time. Obviously not with as much carefree cheer and chipper skipping as Ruby. They had to be more cautious and careful about their timing. Sora at least was, but Donald and Goofy made a bit of a silly spectacle out of it before they finally reached the other side.

And just like that, Ruby's mood instantly brightened up as she turned to see someone was actually indulging her. "See guys!? That's all you had to do!" Ruby called to her friends, who were busy looking at the strangely boarded up front door of this house. "Yes, yes, we're very impressed. Now could you help us find a way into this place?" Weiss replied impatiently, prompting Ruby to stick her tongue out at her partner.

Her pouty episode faded as she turned to smile at Sora, patting him on the shoulder in a congratulatory manner. "Good job, Sora! You are now a junior gymnist."

"A-hyuck! Great job, Sora!" Goofy congratulated as well, patting Sora on the back. It wasn't surprising that he was the most happy to play along with Ruby's little game.

"Uhh, eheh. Thanks?" Sora said with a confused chuckle. For such a fierce warrior, Ruby really was quite a free and cheerful spirit. He could barely keep up with her, and he wasn't even factoring in her Semblance. But now wasn't the time for that. They had a house to investigate. Which Donald reminded him of with an equally impatient "Ahem." as he and Goofy went to join the others.

With a mutual shrug, Ruby and Sora followed suit, choosing to check out the left side of the house while Donald and Goofy took the right. A moment later, the group heard Sora call out, "Hey! We found a hole leading inside!" with Ruby waving along with him.

Everyone walked along the left side of the house and saw a curtain hanging inside of a hole in the wall. Blake moved in first, peering inside. Curiously, there seemed to be nothing other the circular walls and a small staircase leading to a vacant pedestal at the center. As Blake led the way inside, Jaune couldn't help commenting when he entered last, "It doesn't look like anyone lives here."

"Well, why would they?" Weiss said with a derisive tone. "This place has no rooms. It's just four walls and a roof. There isn't even a real door here. Just a shoddily boarded up hole and one that has a sheet cheaply covering it. That's it."

"Perhaps it's the kind of home for somebody wanting to live in solitude?" Pyrrha theorized, though she wasn't entirely certain of it herself. Unless the person who built it was some sort of hermit, it would beg the question how they managed to even construct it by themselves.

Blake pondered it as well before sharing her thoughts. "The way to get in here seemed strange, too. Fire on a door then moving stones in a large body of water. It's as if this place is meant to keep others out. Or at the very least be difficult to access unless you know your way in."

Sora, Donald and Goofy looked around, but no matter where they looked, nothing seemed to be different apart from what Weiss described. As the rest of the group tried to find anything different, definitive, or even out of place that might explain why Cid asked them to bring the book here, Sora stopped at the sound of a familiar voice behind him..

"There's something about this musty place."

A soundless gasp emerged from Sora's throat as he couldn't believe who he was hearing. But when he turned around...he saw her there. Kairi! She smiled at Sora as she walked around the empty space, looking at one of the walls nostalgically as she held one of her arms behind her. "It reminds me of the secret place back home, where we used to scribble on the walls. Remember?" she reminisced with a smile.

Unable to believe what he was seeing, Sora stared in awe realizing that one of his most precious friends was suddenly right there in front of him. Why wasn't she more excited to see him though? "Kairi?" was all he could eke out as he reached for her, needing to know if she really was standing before him.

"Sora?" Goofy's voice drew Sora's attention, causing him to turn and see his friends all staring at him with confused expressions. He quickly turned back to face Kairi... only to realize with shock that she was gone.

Everyone's gazes were fixed upon Sora, wondering who he was talking to. From their perspectives, he seemed to have just said something to thin air. "You okay, Sora? You see something?" Jaune asked, stepping toward him.

Sora hung his head as he realized that perhaps he was just imagining things. Just like when he woke up in Traverse Town, and after Blake and Tarzan saved him from Sabor...he must have just been imagining things. "I thought so...but I guess not." Sora's glum shift in demeanor caused Ruby look at him Sora with a far more concerned expression. "Sora? Are you feeling okay? You're not tired or anything, are you?" she asked. "No, I...don't think so." Sora said, pinching his brow with a light shake of his head. He didn't feel exhausted, tired, or even mildly lightheaded. So...why was he seeing and hearing Kairi if she wasn't actually there? He was...so confused.

"Well, well." The sound of an aged, refined, fancifully accented voice caught everyone's attention. Turning toward the hole they walked in through, the group saw a skinny old man wearing a plain blue robe and long pointy blue hat. That combined with his exceptionally long, well groomed beard and moustache certainly made him out to be quite a colorful character. In his right hand was a large brown leather bag, while a wand was in his left. "You've arrived sooner than I expected." he said in a classy manner.

Sora blinked with confusion as he cautiously approached the old man. "Wha- ...You knew we were coming?" he asked. An inquiry to which the old man affirmatively nodded and chipperly said, "Of course." Ruby stepped a bit closer, looking at the old man with less caution and more curiosity than Sora. "Who are you, exactly?" she asked. Sora still wasn't sure what to think of the old man. After that inexplicable episode he had, he was a bit uncertain, to put it mildly. "Are you...a Heartless?"

"What kind of question is that?!" Weiss exclaimed, unable to believe that Sora asked something so ridiculous to someone they just met. The old man gave a small chuckle, fortunately saving Sora from a Schnee certified bonk on the head. "Oh, my. No." the old man replied, thankfully not offended as he moved forth with his introduction. "My name is Merlin. As you can see, I am a Sorcerer. I spend most of my time travelling, so it's good to be home. Your King both requested my help."

That particular detail caught Donald and Goofy's attention immediately. "King Mickey?" Goofy asked hopefully. "Yes indeed." Merlin affirmed with a nod, looking between the King's men and the Keyblade wielder. "Donald, Goofy, and who might you be, young man?"

"I'm Sora." the youngest of them answered. Merlin's face rose with delight and relief hearing the boy's name. "Ah. So you've found the key." That statement made it clear that Merlin had been aware of the goings on in Traverse Town, either hearing it from Leon and the others or simply paying close attention to current events.

Sora gestured to the others. "These are some friends I've made along the way. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Jaune and Pyrrha." Followed by the king's loyal servants introducing themselves enthusiastically. "And I'm Donald!" "Goofy!"

Merlin nodded to each of them as his guests gave waves, nods of their heads, and various other gestures of greeting. With such out of the way, Donald asked the old sorcerer, "What did the King ask you to do?"

"Just one moment." Merlin said as he stood on the pedestal. Everyone watched in confusion as he set his bag down and started waving his wand and free hand around in a bizarre manner. "Higitus Figitus zumbabazing." he announced, twirling the wand in his hand, briefly tangling his long beard around it by accident. "I want your attention everything!"

Everyone stared in silence before glancing to each other than back to him, wondering if he suddenly went crazy. Merlin didn't seem to notice, or wasn't bothered by their looks, and continued speaking... to his bag. "We're in our new place now. Time to come out and unpack. Ah-ah! Books are always first."

Before anyone could say something, Merlin seemed to be singing as he continued gesturing like a conductor. Even more bizarre was that as he waved, a curious melody seemed to flow through the air around them. Even more surprising...objects, starting with a line of books, started emerging from his bag and growing in size while levitating about in a line that seemed to bop to the rhythm of the music around them.

"Hockety pockety wockety wack,
Abracabra dabra nack.
Grow in size, wide or tall
We've got plenty of room for all.
Higitus Figitus migitus mum,
Prestidigitonium!"

Everybody had to move away when something almost hit them or soared at them as it all made a spot for itself. Books, furniture, kitchen utensils, and any number of things one would see in a home moved about.

"Aliicafez, Balacazez.
Malacamez Meripides
Hockety pockety wockety WACK-!"

Everything stopped in place as Merlin shouted that last word. Specifically the kitchen supplies which seemed to be roughly forced to follow behind a sugar bowl with its handle holding a spoon like a tool. "Now stop, stop, stop, stop!" he demanded, marching in front of the silverware. "Now see here, Sugar Bowl. You're getting rough. That poor old tea set is cracked enough." A lecture to which the sugar bowl seemed to respond to...by shoving the tea set with the spoon in its 'hand' one last time.

He cleared his throat and went back to the pedestal. "Alright now let's start again, ahh... oh. Um... where was I, boy?"

Realizing he was the one being spoken to, Jaune paused and replied half-certainly, "Uh... Hockety... Pockety?" He couldn't believe he just said something so nonsensical as an answer to a question.

"Oh, yes yes. That's right." With that reminder, Merlin got back to his bizarre incantation and dance.

"Hockety pockety wockety wack
Odds and ends and bric and brac
Be with ye in just a moment son
Unpacking's almost done!

As the myriad of odds and ends and bric and brac flowed out of his bag in his rhythm, Merlin's guests all had to weave and duck and dodge to make room for the objects filling the room. Or in Zwei's case, jump in an attempt to catch one of the objects in his mouth. One of which looked to be some sort of wheeled white pumpkin shaped carriage that rolled about and bumped into Weiss, knocking her down onto the floor.

The Schnee heiress pushed herself up with an indignant glare and yelled, "Y-You-You bumbling blockhead!" Though Merlin payed her no heed and continued his magical, unpacking.

"Hey! Easy there! No no, go ahead!" Merlin exclaimed as the objects began coming out at a more unruly pace, forcing Sora and Ruby to duck, Weiss to stay grounded, and Blake to sidestep with an ever confused expression. Pyrrha on the other hand was astounded when she tried to aid with the movement of the metallic objects with her Semblance. To her surprise, she couldn't move them. They only responded by Merlin's gestures and incantations. He didn't look like much, but just how powerful in the magic arts was this old man?

"Dum dood'ly-dood'ly-dood'ly dum
This is the best part now."

With that, Merlin became even more animated than before as he started dancing with reckless abandon and singing more energetically. And soon enough, the room was looking far more like what one would expect of a wizard or sorcerer.

"Higgitus, figgitus, migitus, mum!
Prestidigitonium!
Higgitus, figgitus, migitus, mum!
Prestidigitoni-UM!"

His incantation was finished by Merlin letting out a silly cry of shock as he accidentally threw himself off the stool and his suitcase closed. "Ha-ha!" Merlin cheered, not concerned about his stumble in the slightest. For sure enough, the previously empty room was full with his things neatly unpacked.

"What a way to pack." Ruby said, eyes wide with awe.

"There now. Ahem," Merlin said as he stood up and dusted himself off and turned to Sora. "Your King asked me to train you in the art of magic."

"Oh yeah. Sora does know magic like Donald does. So you can teach him?" Jaune said with interest.

"Indeed. We can start anytime he'd like. Just tell me when you're ready to begin."

Donald and Goofy approached him as the former of them asked, "Do you know where the King is?"

Pondering as she stroked his beard, Merlin replied, "Hmm. That is a good question. One thing's for sure. He's trying to bring peace to the worlds since they're currently in chaos." He looked to the pumpkin that hit Weiss earlier and remembered something. "Oh yes, and one more thing."

Blue sparkles of light began filling the room. Everyone watched as it gathered to the pumpkin and in a flash of light, an older but sweet looking woman with white hair appeared, wearing a blue hooded robe and a red bowtie while waving a long white wand. "Hello. I'm the Fairy Godmother. Your King asked me to help, too. I will assist you throughout your journey."

With that introduction done, the Fairy Godmother vanished in another flash of light, turning back into the little white pumpkin carriage. Merlin turned to Sora again. "I do not know how much I can be of help, but do stop by anytime. I suggest we start your training soon though. You've done well to learn your magic through instinct alone. But that way of learning limits your potential. Your mind can be your greatest ally, after all. Provided it becomes sharp as any sword can be."

Though fairly uncertain, Sora was curious about seeing the potential of his Keyblade, both martial and magical. Of course, were Riku here, he'd likely have teased that Sora's mind was the polar opposite of sharp. So much that it made dull things look capable of cutting.

But such thoughts could wait. "Oh yeah! We were told to deliver something to you." Jaune remembered, reaching for the book Cid told them to deliver here...at least he felt safe to assume it was for Merlin, given the evidence.

The old sorcerer perked up with pleasant surprise at the sight of this particular book. "Aah, thank you." he said, taking ahold of the mysterious book. "You wish to know what kind of book it is?" Everyone, even Zwei it seemed, gave a shake of the head. To which Merlin answered, "I don't even know myself. In fact, it's not mine."

"Wait, but if the book isn't yours, then how did it end up here?" Blake asked. Being a book person herself, she found herself more curious about this one in particular, since it seemed to befuddle Merlin too.

"Somehow it found its way into my bag one day. It was such a curious book, I asked Cid to repair it for me." Merlin answered, showing himself to once again be just as uncertain as they were. But there was no use fretting over it. "Well, I guess I'll put it here somewhere for now." he said, stepping away from the group to set the book down on a nearby nightstand in the corner of the room.

"Wait a second. If you don't know anything about the book, then why ask Cid to repair it at all? That seems a bit unorthodox, don't you think?" Weiss asked, holding her chin in her index finger.

"I said I didn't know what the book was, my dear. Not that I know nothing about it." Merlin corrected. "This book holds a great secret. The missing pages will unlock it." Now the group was even more curious about just what this book held within it. "I'll leave the book over here. Do look at it whenever you like." Merlin said, plopping it down on the nightstand at the foot of his bed. "My best regards to Cid for repairing it for me."

Sora and Ruby were more and more interested as Merlin went on about the book. They smiled in excitement and walked over to where Merlin put it down. Unable to help themselves, Sora and Ruby opened it. Inside, the pages all seemed blank. All except for the bottom left corner showing what looked to be a log on top of a tall grassy hill. The moment Sora and Ruby looked upon it, a large ray of light shined from the pages. Everyone gasped with shock as the light filled the room, enveloping the pair as everyone shielded their eyes. When the light faded, everyone looked and gasped with shock as suddenly...Sora and Ruby were gone.

"Sora?!" Goofy exclaimed.
"Ruby?!" Jaune said in the same worry.

Pyrrha looked around as worry consumed her and the others at the disappearance of their two youngest comrades. "Where did they go?!"

Merlin hummed and walked to the book. "I believe they're inside this. Most curious..." Donald let out a "Wak?!" of confusion and concern at the old sorcerer's words. "You mean they're...inside the book?!" he exclaimed. Blake looked between Merlin and the book with a rapid blink of disbelief. "But how is that possible?" she asked, causing Merlin to stroke his beard. "How indeed. Hmm...It is possible the book reacted to something about them. Or perhaps something to do with their hearts. Most curious indeed."

Weiss could not believe Merlin's seemingly unconcerned demeanor and became absolutely incensed. "How can you be so relaxed about this?! They're trapped inside this thing! We have to get them out of there!"

Merlin let out a hearty laugh as he smiled at the worried Schnee. "Oh now, don't worry about that, my dear. Whatever sort of power this book contains? I can sense it has no dark intent. Sora and Ruby aren't in any danger, nor are they trapped. Of that, I'm absolutely certain. Let's just wait here until they come back."