Chapter 16 is the new chapter!

Author's Notes: Hello everybody! Welcome to my fairly old KH fiction. This is a rewrite of a KH story I had originally posted on Quizilla, but uh... that site's gone now... so... yeah... But, I decided to change things up and focus on Maleficent and Pete as the main villains for this story. I also (as the summary states) added new villains to the mix for Sora and friends. I got a bit tired of the new or lost keyblade wielder stories - I'm not against them in any way, just tired of the repetition - so this is me throwing a fully loaded wrench in the cycle by making a new villain OC. Plus, I'm not really vibing with KH's story like I used to these days. I can forgive the convolutedness of it because that's what makes it fun and funny, but this is something else entirely. However, my love for the game will probably never actually die out, hence why this monster of a writing challenge was born.

As a disclaimer, the original characters here won't have official love interests starting out. I'm experimenting with the female villain OC as we speak through random updates. As of Chapter 15, she's on Riku's radar but this can easily change. If you find you like the dynamic between the OCs and a particular character, I'm all ears for what you think about them. One more quick disclaimer: Nothing from the Keyblade War will be present here, but - and this is a big but - I will reference events that happened in between Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts I because there is a character relationship in that timeline that is important to this story. The stories for the worlds aren't complete until you see "Mission Complete" in the scroll-down menu or next to the chapter title, so, when I update, I'll post which chapter is the new one at the top of this page like how you see it up top.

I babbled on more than I should have now, so I will end my notes here and let you all enjoy.

The spring season was always pleasant. Clouds would walk across the vast blue streets of the sky, and the sun would beam brightly as a symbol of a new beginning and peace. Even the gentle breezes of the wind would give this certain feeling of calm as it passed through the world. In the shadows of a forest, little rabbits and other woodland creatures were surrounding a figure resting on a patch of grass overlooking an ominous mountain. Why such innocent creatures were near such a foreboding thing rested with this sleeping figure. From the eyes of the animals, they saw a human lying on his back and lightly breathing. He wasn't hurt. He was just asleep. Not wanting the man to miss a beautiful spring day, a pair of birds landed on his chest and gently walked up to the man's freckled face. One of the birds tweeted and pecked his lips while the other bird sung a song in his right ear. This particular ear was decorated with silver earrings in the shape of wings. The man finally stirred, having heard the birds' chirping in his dreams most likely.

Purple eyes slowly parted open and a soft sigh sounded from his lips. He squinted his eyes at the vibrant blue sky and glaring sun suddenly invading his eyes, even through the dark leaves of the large oak tree overhead. His gloved hand blocked some of the sun before he rose from his bed of soft grass and wildflowers. Feeling the itchiness of the grass, he scratched at his lower back and stretched while yawning. While rubbing his eyes, he felt a rabbit hop into his lap and gently pet the creature with a soft smile. He couldn't be rough with the creatures. Not with his attire anyway. He was dressed for battle.

His body was cloaked in light blue, and he was dressed in a black body suit. Silver breastplates with protruding metal shaped like bird talons reaching out to something were strapped to his chest underneath the cloak, and the talons tore through parts of the cloak like the bird wanted to be set free. Said cloak stretched across his chest in a draped fashion but hung behind him like a lengthy, shredded scarf. A long katana was tied to his back and a utility belt was buckled along his hips. A single charm shaped like a statue surrounded by a black flame hung loosely from his arm and the chain the charm was attached to descended into a silver arm brace. There were unlinked chains hanging from his wrists and ankles, and a chain loosely hanging from his blue and silver belt. The hood of his cloak didn't cover his face fully, but it did cover half of it. One side was high enough to show his violet-purple eye, the other side was just above his mouth and covered the other eye completely. A mix between deep brown and blonde hair framed his face while the black hair underneath the blonde-brown mix hid most of his jaws.

As he stood up to his full height, he turned to the woodland creatures and nodded to them, giving them his gratitude for protecting him. A deer shyly went up to him to be petted and he obliged the creature before turning back to the sight of the mountain. He rotated his neck to relax it a bit and then pulled out some small trioculars from his side pack. He moved some of his hood and hair away from his left eye and viewed the perimeter from his position. Knights in medieval armor were keeping guard of a large castle formed at the top of the mountain. He placed the trioculars back in his pocket and watched over the land.

"Fait!" a little black mage called.

Fait turned around and was met with the pattering of feet in the knee-high grass. A black mage Heartless was riding on the back of a deer before hopping off it to run toward his comrade. The mage Heartless was up to Fait's waist in height, but his warlock's hat was tall enough to reach Fait's chest. His coat was red and had patches with symbols on each one. The symbols weren't for Heartless, Kingdom Hearts, or Maleficent, but they represented something else. They were broken like an incomplete quilt had been sewn onto his coat. His pants were green and his boots were brown. Fait nodded his head at the mage and turned back to the land in a calm silence until the Heartless broke it again.

"Uh, you could say hello, you know?" the mage Heartless started, folding its arms in disapproval.

Fait dug in his ear and as he stretched his arms and said while yawning, "Hey, Melvin."

Melvin, the black mage, then lectured, "Yeah, not with that bored expression!"

"Sorry, Mel," Fait responded, slumping his shoulders. "How was deer hopping?"

"Pretty fun until she got tired," Melvin answered. "But I'd probably be tired, too, if I had to carry something like me around from one end of the forest to the other."

"At least you're thinking of her feelings," Fait said, doing a few spinal twists before doing lunges. "Any word from Maleficent?"

"I was gonna ask you the same thing," Melvin answered. "I don't think she's here yet. She's probably still preparing everything."

"Then, we do as she said if she didn't show by morning..." Fait said, stepping out into the light.

Fait cracked his knuckles and positioned himself for a running start. One foot bent to push his body forward, the other bent higher so that he was on his toes, and his cloak hanging to the left side to cover him. Black vapors were lifting from his skin and his teeth were growing sharper. His hands and feet became clawed and black, and the chains were hanging from him to reach toward the ground. His body became longer and stockier as he morphed into a monster.

He then growled, "Reclaim her throne!"

With that, he took off running in a sprint before turning to black mist and plopping into the grass to blend into the shadows of the earth. Melvin sighed, shook his head at his taller friend, and took flight to join him. He waved to the other forest friends and disappeared underneath his hat before completely disappearing into black mist. With that, Fait and Melvin crept to the path that led to the dark castle in the mountains. The knights guarding the pathway took great care to monitor the path to the mountains and built a very strong wall just in case the witch summoned a large beast to pummel his way through the entrance. Unfortunately, they had the right idea but didn't expect a Heartless like Fait or Melvin.

The shadows were steadily snaking their way through the grass until the guards noticed a dark fog rising. They turned their heads to see what was moving around for a second, but the mist sunk into the ground almost teasing the guards. Some of the guards held their swords at the ready while others continued to watch the grass and fog forming. Unconvinced that nothing was coming towards them, the guards searched the grass for a moment or two. Abruptly, the two Heartless emerged from their mist forms and attacked the guards. Fait disarmed many of the guards while defending himself with his own sword against others who happened to rush at him. He didn't have to use any strong powers. He just used technique. Melvin used power because of his magic skills. He cast Firaga magic on some guards while freezing others with Blizzaga. Together, the two Heartless were practically unstoppable. When the guards were all apprehended, Fait and Melvin rushed to the mountain wall. With pure strength, Fait punched the stone gate and made a hole large enough for a dragon to enter while Melvin rebuilt it with Graviga and Blizzaga magic to create an icy wall.

"C'mon, we don't have long until more guards show up!" Melvin waved, running ahead of Fait. The taller Heartless nodded and ran after Melvin. When the mage Heartless saw his friend at his side, he decided to ask, "How long do you think it'll take us to reach the castle by foot?"

Fait slides to a direct stop at this question, waits for Melvin to run back to him, and then says, "Let's teleport."

Melvin and Fait exited their Corridor of Darkness to stop near the bridge of the Forbidden Fortress where Maleficent's abandoned throne awaited them. The Heartless marveled at their mistress' foreboding castle overlooking the land. When they heard soldiers sounding alarms through panicked horn blowing and flares from King Stephan's castle towers, their attention was gained to the magical entrance they had just formed a moment ago. Soldiers with some knowledge of black magic and the Three Good Fairies were trying to tear the walls down. Melvin shook his head at the pointless entry until a large blue ball of energy bashed at the stone and ice walls and forced them to crumble and crack a bit, respectively. Fait tapped Melvin's shoulder to signal him that they had to hurry across before they were stopped by King Stephan's army.

"We don't have time to wait here. Let's go!" Fait commanded, leading the way.

Just as they were lightly jogging to the double doors, a disturbing growl rose from the ground beneath their feet and vibrated through their shoes to crawl up their spines and produce shivers from the two comrades. Fait hummed in suspicion and thought. That was an unusual sound coming from an unknown presence. It didn't feel like a dragon's growl, but it wasn't something that came from a normal monstrous creature either.

"What is that?" Melvin questioned.

"I don't know," Fait answered honestly, bracing for an attack. "But it's big."

"Think it's a dragon?" Melvin then asked.

"No, it's too big to be a dragon."

Abruptly, a roar bellowed from the Forbidden Fortress and was so strong that the drawbridge flew open from the force! Both Heartless were able to get a glimpse of the creature they would soon have to face. Fait was not surprised by its massive size, but he was surprised by its horse-like legs and ogre-like face. This was a new monster altogether and tough from the looks of it. Its armor was made from silver Mythril and hardened stone that could only be found in the mountains, and its spear was obnoxiously huge and could kill anyone or anything. What was this massive ogre even doing in this castle? When it kneeled down on one leg, it pointed its finger at Fait to call him out. Fait's eyes widened then returned to normal as he stood tall and reverted back to his human form.

Fait detached his key charm from its chain and looked at it as if he needed to be reassured. This creature was an intensely powerful Heartless. He knew that, but the power he needed to destroy it would consume a decent amount of magic. Looking at the key charm, he saw the black flames licking the small, white marble carving of a woman with its power and the strong, starry light the woman was protecting in her arms illuminated the darkness surrounding her. The clashing powers had already stirred for battle. Making his final decision, Fait summoned a burst of light from his right hand. Feeling a surge of power rippling through his arm, his muscles tightened and quivered before he felt a lightweight, fiery weapon solidify in his hand. Fait gripped his keyblade by the hilt, equipped the beautiful charm, and proceeded to walk forward as the weapon transformed into a familiar object. Melvin gasped lightly at Fait's sudden boldness but chose to follow him anyway. When Fait stopped and held his weapon out to stop Melvin from continuing, the mage Heartless protested aloud.

"Are you out of your mind? That thing'll kill you!"

"Your magic won't work against this one," Fait said, keeping his eye on the creature. "It's armor will nullify your powers."

"You can't go alone, Fait!" Melvin argued.

Fait turned to Melvin to silence him and then said, "Our mission was to reclaim Maleficent's throne. Casualties are inevitable."

Out of fear for his comrade, Melvin shouted as he saw his friend run into battle, "Fait! Fait, no!"

When Fait wouldn't come back, Melvin tried to stop him with some Firaga magic. Fait countered this with Blizzaga and ran through the parted flames to face the Heartless. Fait's magic formed an icy wall that was difficult for Melvin to melt or break as he threw random spells at it. Fait immediately got into fighting position and waited for the beast to come out.

"I don't know how you got in here..." Fait started, tightening his grip on his keyblade. He had his feet planted firmly in his boots as they slid on the ground for him to prepare for an attack, and he readied all of his strength attacks to break the ogre's armor down. The ogre let out a low clicking sound in his chest and glared at Fait. It gripped its own weapon in anticipation and dragged a heavy hoof across the cobblestone flooring of the entryway. Maleficent was going to be furious after this battle. Fait took a deep, slow breath and then said to the ogre before rushing at it, "But you're in my way!"

The ogre leapt into the air to counterattack Fait and slammed his spear down with impeccable speed. Fait managed to dodge the weapon and decided to find a weak spot for the beast, but there were only two places he could truly cause enough damage to weaken the ogre: its head and its underbelly. The legs and torso had tough armor protecting them. When the ogre turned to Fait, he raised his large arm and summoned five mountain golems from the ground. Fait's next plan of attack became a little easier as he grinned at his new foes. Melvin was frantically throwing fire at the icy wall to help his friend, but it felt like his powers weren't strong enough to melt the wall until he found one weak spot in the wall that became a mirror to see the battle. As the mage was watching Fait bluntly strike one of the golems to hit the large ogre in his face like a ball and baseball bat, a large, gloved hand laid on the wall next to him.

Melvin gasped as he turned around and whispered a soft, "You...?"

Fait was able to weaken the ogre significantly with the golems being used as weapons. Suddenly, the ogre gathered up his strength and unleashed a thunderous amount of power that severely weakened Fait. It was angry now. When the ogre lunged at Fait with his spear in position to kill, Fait was barely able to dodge the penetrating blow.

"Stop!" Fait called, placing the spell on the ogre. He lifted the blade to point at the ogre's eyes and released a thick blast of power to invade the ogre's mind. Fait then commanded, "I'm not here to hurt you. My mistress once ruled here. This is her castle. You have been living in this place under false ownership, but if you side with me then I can find a better place for you to live. The power within you is great. For this reason, I'll give you a choice: lend me that power and satisfy your thirst for battle as my summon or die by the might of my blade."

Fait held his breath, hoping his offer would be accepted by the beast, and released his spell over it. When the ogre's eyes shifted a bit, Fait began to doubt that his spell was strong enough to actually convince it to become his new summon. When the ogre finally decided to move, he stood firm, saluted Fait, and accepted the offer to be a summon! Fait was shocked!

He asked aloud, "Y-you accept me?"

When the ogre nodded and kneeled before Fait as his new master, Fait fell backwards on his butt and looked upon the towering Heartless with his jaw stuck open. He repeated the question over and over in his head. This mighty creature accepted him as a master! Why? Is it because he had a keyblade? Fait turned to his side and lifted the misshapen weapon that tamed the beast. Was Maleficent right about him? Was the light in him really so strong that even as a Heartless it could oppose anyone and anything?

Fait then whispered, "What do I do now? There has to be a way to call you without having to come all the way over here again and again."

The ogre growled with an almost proud sound and gathered electric forces into his hands to engulf himself in power. Soon, he disappeared in a burst of light and turned into a gem surrounded by stone and mythril. The item descended from the ogre's former position, and Fait stood up slowly to walk toward it and take it into his hands. A summon gem for the ogre was formed! Hearing Melvin's voice through the icy wall he formed, Fait tucked the summon gem into his pocket and dismissed his keyblade. The key charm returned to its place on his arm. Lifting a single hand, Fait melted most the ice away before Melvin shot one last fiery blast and shattered the wall to pieces. Melvin ran to Fait's side and rushed into his arms, making the taller Heartless tumble to the floor.

"Fait, you're okay!" Melvin shouted, embracing his friend tightly. He soon changed his attitude and punched Fait in the arm. When Fait somewhat yelped in surprised from the hit, Melvin then argued, "You idiot! What were you thinking?!"

"I beat him, didn't I?" Fait questioned.

"Quite impressive, Fait..." a familiar, feminine voice complimented.

Fait gasped then lifted his head slightly to see Maleficent walking towards them. A noisy shuffle was heard from behind the dark mistress, and the Heartless turned to the commotion and watched a large creature lumber towards them. Pete broke out into a heroic pose, making Fait smirk a bit at the gesture and Melvin slap his face with his palm. It was a known fact to Fait that Melvin couldn't stand Pete and vice versa. He didn't really understand why, but Melvin said it was because Pete was too cocky when in front of their dark mistress. Maleficent merely raised an eyebrow at Pete and shook her head only slightly. Fait hurriedly got into a kneeling position and waited for Maleficent to flip out because of the mess he made of the courtroom in the castle, but the dark fairy said nothing and instead lit the courtroom with her green fires of the Underworld.

Fait and Melvin explored the castle a bit before going to their leader's throne room. She was definitely acting strange - a little too calmer than her usual - but they didn't want to question her. Maleficent was practically silent until they reached the throne room together. When they entered, she took a seat on her chair and took a deep, relaxed breath. She placed her staff next to her and waited for Pete to follow and stand by her side. She hummed with interest at the fight she had just witnessed and then slowly began to guffaw. Her loyal companion, the raven, flying through the window and resting on a perch nearby to overlook the mountains.

"Quite impressive indeed!" Maleficent started again. "Your powers are returning, it seems. This is good. Were the guards too much trouble for you?"

"No, ma'am," Fait said.

"Do they know about this form you've taken?" Maleficent asked, grinning. Fait shook his head quietly then transformed into a Heartless. She then said, "Excellent! We will move on to our next phase. It shouldn't be a problem reopening the keyhole to this world so my Heartless can reclaim it, but I need my fortress guarded from King Stephan's army and the Three Good Fairies' magic until my powers are regained. That will be my job."

"'Scuse me there, Maleficent. But what's my job in this part of the plan?" Pete asked.

"You are to capture the princess of heart. Fait and Melvin weakened King Stephan's vanguard rather significantly since their arrival last night," Maleficent informed, nodding to the Heartless as an acknowledgement. She then continued, "With a stronger wave of soldiers and those three bumbling, old fools occupied here at the fortress, taking Princess Aurora should be simple with your strength and with the help of the Heartless."

"We're gonna show dem wise guys a thing or two, right Fait?" Pete asked with great enthusiasm, only to have his hopes dashed when Maleficent stops him.

"Absolutely not!" Maleficent interrupted, placing a hand on her chest as if the mere thought of the two Heartless working with Pete was an offense. "Fait and Melvin have their own tasks to complete. You will have to make do with other strong Heartless."

"B - b - bu - but!" Pete started.

"However," Maleficent said while humming in thought. "By Fait and Melvin overpowering the weaker vanguard soldiers, you are more susceptible to failing your mission because only the stronger troops are left. You will need a bit more manpower." Maleficent granted Pete a significant increase in his power with a gentle swing of her staff and then said, "This should be enough to occupy the soldiers. When you're done with that, Fait will have to decimate the troops near the World's Door and release the Heartless from there. At that point, King Stephan won't know what to do: defend the world or defend his daughter. As he's thinking about that, we'll crush him accordingly."

Fait bowed then said together with Melvin and Pete, "Yes, Madame Maleficent."

"You are dismissed."

With that, Fait and Melvin left the throne room not fully understanding their master but not wanting to question her either. Unlike the rest of the universe, only the two Heartless and Pete knew of Maleficent's more elaborate though brilliant plan. Betrayed by Xehanort after Sora had finally caught up to them in Hollow Bastion those few years ago, Maleficent's heart had been released with Xehanort's keyblade, but rather than be fully consumed by darkness and made into a pawn like her other so-called comrades, her heart drifted to Fait so it could be brought to a secret location. As a failsafe, she created a copy of herself within that moment of having her heart released and fought Sora as though she were there. She couldn't stop there, however. When Sora's memories were restored, she had Melvin place her heart in her discarded cloak and returned in both form and power. With Ansem-Xehanort defeated, she and Pete moved to their next part of the plan: finding a newer, bigger location as her base. Not wanting to dwell on her plans much further, Maleficent simply rested on her throne and smirked as her next part of her plan unfolded.

Abruptly, a large burst of power flooded the room and traveled swiftly down the mountain sides to the front gate the soldiers and fairies were trying to tear down. Fait and Melvin were even surprised by this wave of intense darkness and power. The Heartless stopped running for a moment and turned to see Maleficent's power rising to shift the clouds and turn them into a black maelstrom. Fait looked at the clouds and felt his chest begin to ache and a hard thump came from his heart.

"Fait, we have to go!" Melvin reminded him.

Fait turned to his friend and ran after him. Maleficent's defenses were returning with fuller force than before. She summoned numerous Heartless of great strength to take care of anyone who dared to cross her land. When the dark mistress had finally calmed down, she grinned widely when a green and black light lit the throne room. Inside of a fiery orb were the Three Good Fairies struggling to get out. She was beyond ecstatic to have her dark powers returning at such grander scales than those grueling ten years ago when she had just begun her world takeover plan with Xehanort.

"Let us go, you evil witch!" Merryweather, the blue Good Fairy, demanded with a frown and tackling the orb's walls.

When Maleficent simply laughed at her predicament, Flora the red Good Fairy then demanded, "What are you up to this time?"

"Me?" Maleficent asked coyly. "Why nothing that would interest you, I assure you."

"You lie!" Merryweather shouted.

"Are you saying you want to be a part of my plans?" Maleficent then asked, silencing the fairies. "I have a favor to ask of you three. I want you to send 'Master' Yen Sid a message."

"We'll never do you any favors!" Merryweather argued.

"Girls... Wait..." Fauna the green Good Fairy said, placing a gentle hand on Flora's wand and Merryweather's shoulder. "Why do you want to speak to Yen Sid?"

"You may not have heard about this, but my dear raven visited Master Yen Sid while Sora and Riku were taking their Mark of Mastery exam," Maleficent informed, hovering over the trapped fairies. "You see, I needed my pet to quickly observe this test. Before I met Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, my minions found a young child who they had mistaken for Princess Aurora. In all the years I had them spend searching for the princess, they interestingly wasted time searching through cradles for a baby. To correct this wrong, some of them searched for a youth between the ages of infancy and sixteen matching the description of the princess. In the forest, they did find someone with golden hair but not lips the shade of a red rose. Instead, the child had a keyblade and a small baby bird as her companion. Do not forget that at the time I was partnered with Master Xehanort, so I had only ever known about him and his keyblade. The youth was a curious one, but I wondered about that precious, freckled face and those frightened features. So, I took the child under my care and hid the youth away from Master Xehanort. Over the years, I trained the child as my apprentice the way Master Eraqus trained Terra, Aqua, and Ventus and the way Master Yen Sid trained Sora and Riku."

"That's impossible!" Fauna argued with a gasp. "You can't train a keyblade wielder. You're not a master."

"Ah," Maleficent hummed, turning slightly and stroking her staff's orb. "But that's where my pet comes in. You see, I named the child a keyblade master years ago. I didn't want Xehanort or anyone else to taint my apprentice in any way, but that came at the price of having his new title be meaningless in name. There is no prestige in a false position of power. My raven was then instructed to view Master Yen Sid's test. I needed the data worlds of Jiminy's Journal to test my apprentice and formally deem the youth master."

"And that was a fluke..." Pete grumbled, folding his arms at the memory.

"Yes, but it was not needed," Maleficent said, smiling wickedly. "My apprentice already has several useful powers as a wielder, but the child is still not a master. That is why I need you three to pass on a message to Yen Sid. My apprentice will be sent to other worlds to complete sets of tasks I have assigned, releasing Heartless on other worlds and getting the masters of darkness on those same worlds to join me are the main goals. Tell him he may send whoever he wishes to stop us. I think the child could use a challenge."