Somewhere in space, the Cyclone was smoothly gliding through an asteroid belt. Being quite the accomplished pilot despite his age, Tails didn't really have trouble navigating through the rocks. If he couldn't go around them, the plane's artillery was enough to bust through them. Before long, the Cyclone had emerged from the belt, and a world was now in sight. From what could be seen, it was a town of some sort.
"Is this the place?" Knuckles asked from the middle seat.
"According to the navigation system, yes." Tails answered. "The Safe Zone...I hope we can find the Royal Key here."
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a star flickering on the horizon. He watched in surprise as it gave one last flash before dying completely.
"So it is true…" He said in worry. "We have to hurry and find the Key…"
"Then speed up the Cyclone and land in that world!" Knuckles said with a scowl.
Tails put more power into the thrusters, and the Cyclone sped towards the Safe Zone.
….
Tails parked the plane right outside the gate to the town. After equipping some weapons, he and Knuckles hopped off and entered the place. What they saw was quite astounding.
The town was very slum-like, with simple and worn buildings that had seen better days. There was a cafe to the right, where some tired waitresses were serving sullen customers small portions of sweets. To the left, there was a blacksmith's place, which currently had a sign that read "closed". Straight ahead of them, a set of steps led to a general store, which was said to be open even late at night.
"Let's go there and ask for information." Tails suggested, pointing at the store.
"Just don't let on that we're from another world." Knuckles warned. "At least, that's what Sonic told us that one time."
"Didn't Sonic say this place was for wayfarers? That means everyone here is from another world. So there's no point in hiding it this time."
With that said, the red-yellow duo walked up the steps and into the general store. Unbeknownst to them, one of the cafe's customers was keeping an eye on them while she sipped some warm tea.
…
Ray groaned as he slowly came to. For a moment, he thought he had just been through a nightmare. But everything felt too sore for all of that to be one…Then he remembered Gwen disappearing into the darkness, and he forced himself onto his feet.
He looked around, realizing that he had woken up in a dirty alley that was littered with broken boxes. He didn't know anywhere like this in Dawnshine City. Ray used the wall as support as he limped to the light at the end.
He came out to see...that he definitely wasn't in his city anymore. There definitely wasn't any place this rundown at Dawnshine.
"I'm in another world…" He muttered, taking out his phone. "Is Gwen here too?"
However, his phone was busted with a huge crack on the screen. He sighed and tossed it away. He would need to look around the place for any sort of clue for Gwen's whereabouts.
He could see a cafe ahead of him, where sad-looking waitresses were serving meager portions to equally glum customers. Remembering that Gwen liked sweets, Ray figured that maybe she would be there, so he limped forward. As he got close, everyone looked at him with unsurprised faces.
"You too, huh?" One bearded guy said gruffly.
"Too?" Ray said tiredly, slumping into a nearby chair. "What is this place?"
"This is called the Safe Zone. Everyone here has come from another world. We all lost our homes, and now this is our refuge."
Just then, another waitress came out of the building. She was younger than the rest, probably Ray's age, and wore red ribbons on either side of her brown hair. She was also much perkier than her co-workers, giving customers a brilliant smile as she served them.
Strangely, everyone cheered up when she arrived. The other waitresses served their customers with a bit more enthusiasm, and the customers' conversations became livelier. Even Ray was able to soften and relax.
"Ah, I don't know what we would do without her!" The man beside him said with mirth.
The young waitress came over and placed a large strawberry milkshake right in front of Ray, who looked at it in shock.
"Um...how much?" He asked.
"It's on the house!" The waitress said with a wink. "New Wayfarer's Special! For those who manage to make it here alive!"
"Drink up man, you won't get anymore of that." The gruff customer said with a chuckle.
Seeing as he couldn't refuse, Ray sipped the milkshake. It was rather refreshing, and the soreness of his body soon became a dull ache as he allowed himself to just take a break. The young waitress giggled in amusement.
"Welcome to the Safe Zone, newcomer!" She said happily. "I'm Silica, the head waitress of this cafe! I'm also part of the Wayfarer Safety Committee! Once you're finished with that, you should head to the second floor of the general store. There you can get registered as a new citizen of the Safe Zone."
Ray spoke up. "Before that though, did anybody else come here? A girl with silver hair. Her name's Gwen, and she's my girlfriend."
Silica pouted a bit and looked down. "No...I don't recall seeing anyone like that. But maybe she went to the store right away and got registered."
"Well, thanks anyway. I'll be off then."
Ray slid his half-empty milkshake to the gruff man, who gladly drank it up. The blonde then walked up the steps to the general store, feeling refreshed and ready to keep up the search. Behind him, Silica waved as she wished him luck.
The inside of the store was surprisingly well cared for, rather different than the outside. There were a couple of tables at the right side, probably for customers to rest at. In the corner was a set of stairs that led to the second floor. Then to the left side was a polished wood counter, and behind that was a small stock of medicines and snacks.
Manning the counter was a dark-skinned man, who appeared to be middle-aged. He was rather intimidating at first glance, with his massive height and bulky build. But the smile he gave Ray was good-natured.
"Another new wayfarer!" He said jovially. "Welcome to the Safe Zone! You look like you could use a Potion, so here ya go!"
He tossed Ray a glass bottle, which he nearly dropped. The boy looked inside and saw some kind of light blue liquid.
"This is a Potion?" He said skeptically. "Is it safe?"
"It'll taste nasty, but it'll make you feel better." The shopkeeper said with a smirk. "Go ahead, drink up."
Ray hesitated, then shrugged and downed the Potion in one go. He coughed and doubled-over from the bitterness of it, almost feeling like throwing up. Then he blinked and straightened up as his body felt...much better than it did a second ago. He was no longer sore, though he still felt kinda tired.
"Huh...not bad." He said as he looked at himself. "Thanks for that."
The shopkeeper chuckled. "Glad it helped. By the way, that'll run you 50 Col."
"Col?" Ray said incredulously. "Like...money, Col?"
The big man frowned and narrowed his eyes, looming over the boy and casting a shadow over him.
"You don't got money, kid? You know what we do with people who don't pay up, don't ya?"
Ray stepped back, pulling out his pockets. "I uh…about that…"
Then he was taken aback as the shopkeeper laughed and slammed the table.
"Gets them every time!" He said with amusement. "Don't worry kid, it's on the house. I know better than to be unfair to newcomers. Go on, get yourself registered by my buddy upstairs."
Ray sighed in relief, then went to the staircase and walked up to the second floor. He entered what looked like an office, which was mostly tidied up, save for a beer bottle or two on the floor. At the back of the room was a worn cushioned bench, and in front of that was a desk.
Sitting there, going through a tall stack of paper on one side, was a college-aged man with spiky red-brown hair. He looked rather tired, but still had a certain energy to him as he greeted the newcomer.
"And here's the third wayfarer of the day! Come here, I'll get you registered!"
Ray sat down on the bench, which creaked a little too dangerously for his liking, but held up fine. He saw the nameplate on the man's desk, which read…
"So your name is Klein?" He asked.
"Yep!" Klein said with a lopsided grin. "I'm the officiator for all the business that goes on around here. Let me tell you, it's a lot of work. But it keeps everything together, so I can't complain."
He took out a paper and pen from his desk, then handed them to Ray.
"Read this and sign it, and you'll be good to go!"
The blonde skimmed over the paper. Safety notices, terms of being a citizen of the Safe Zone...they all seemed reasonable enough. He signed his name on the line at the bottom, then handed it back to Klein, who then stored it in another section of his desk.
"And that's it!" He said with a grin. "Got any questions before you leave?"
"Yeah, just one." Ray said hopefully. "Did my girlfriend come here? She has silver hair, and her name is Gwen."
Klein frowned and shook his head. "Nobody like that came here. Just two weird animal dudes. It's possible your girl ended up in one of the other districts, but-"
"Other districts? You mean this isn't the only area of the world?"
"Well yeah, there's five districts in all, but only the First District is sa-"
Ray got up and rushed out, thinking of nothing else but finding Gwen.
"Hey man!" Klein shouted after him. "I know girls are important, but are they really worth dy-Okay maybe they are, but don't do anything stupid!"
The shopkeeper was surprised when the blonde ran up to the counter with a serious look.
"Where's the Second District?" He demanded.
"There'll be a door to your left." The big man said with a raised eyebrow. "Hey now, you aren't thinking of going out there alone, are ya? Do you even got a weapon?"
"Of course I do, look!"
Ray held up his hand and concentrated, and the incomplete Keyblade appeared in a flash. The shopkeeper blinked, then looked the thing up and down.
"That's...interesting. Well, the Safety Committee is doing some patrols out there, so if you do run into trouble just go to them."
"Yeah yeah, whatever, thanks. See ya!"
With that, Ray ran out and took a left turn, heading for a big door marked with a 2. Back in the store, the shopkeeper picked up a pager in his drawer and turned it on. After tuning the knobs a bit, he got the right signal for the person he wanted to speak to.
"Hey man, I think we got the key. You might want to head back."
...
The Third District was a plaza with food vendors scattered about, and a fountain of sparkling water as the centerpiece. Here and there, flowers grew in little gardens, spreading a pleasant aroma through the air. Lamps hung on poles beside the vendors, giving the area some light.
In the fountain, Knuckles was rummaging under the water and picking up gold coins. Tails stood by and watched nervously, sometimes looking from side to side.
"I don't like this..." He whimpered. "Knuckles, let's just get out of here before we get in trouble. I don't like those Heartless."
"I'm not leaving until we have enough funds to live off." The echidna said stubbornly. "That damn key isn't here, so we may as well get something out of this visit."
Then out of nowhere, multiple Heartless appeared around the boys, these ones wearing suits of armor and had blades for hands. Tails yelped and jumped, accidentally tripping into the fountain and splashing water everywhere. Knuckles growled and took a stance, his Shovel Claws gleaming as they came out of their sheathes.
"So what if you got more buddies than last time? We'll just bust right through you!" He declared.
Tails stood up and shook the water off himself, then gasped and jumped up as the Heartless swung their blades at him. He landed on top of the fountain and activated the thick bracelet on his wrist, morphing it into his Energy Cannon.
Then as the duo started to go on the attack, a surprise came from behind the wave of Heartless. One-by-one, arrows streaked through the night, piercing their helmets and destroying them. Confused, Tails looked around until he found the source. Up on the wall, was...someone with a bow. But he didn't have time to get a good look as a Heartless jumped up at him. Before he could raise his cannon, another arrow struck the Heartless.
"Get your head in the game, Tails!" Knuckles chastised, punching a couple of Heartless.
"R-right!" The fox said, getting his game face on.
He jumped down and stood back-to-back with Knuckles, working with him and the stranger to defeat the Heartless.
...
Ray walked through a wide street with little shops on either side. Strangely, they were all...empty. There was not a sound to be heard, not even from the apartments the shops were built against. It was if it was a ghost town out here. Then the old man suddenly spoke, making Ray flinch.
"The Heartless...they're here."
The blonde shook his head and frowned. Heartless were...
"Those are the monsters I fought at Dawnshine, right?" He said.
"Yes. Creatures of darkness who seek to consume every world's light. That Keyblade you hold is the weapon most effective against them. They fear that Keyblade, and so-Watch out!"
Ray was suddenly surrounded by a half-dozen armored Heartless with bladed hands. They swung with swiftness, and he just barely managed to jump aside. He winced and held his right arm as he still got grazed.
"You need more room." The man advised. "Keep going, hurry!"
Ray nodded and pushed past a Heartless, knocking it into one of the others. They quickly recovered and joined their brethren in pursuing the keybearer. He continued to run until he reached the town square, where a tall stone monument stood. He turned to meet the Heartless, Keyblade held in defense.
Before he could attack, two unfamiliar voices rang out from above him.
"Lightning Hammer!"
"Wind Blade!"
A pink-haired girl in a red dress and white leather apron came down to strike a knight with an electrified smithing hammer, crushing and shocking it to death. Right after her was a curvier girl, sporting blonde hair in a ponytail. Her hakama flapped as she sliced a second Heartless in half with a wind-empowered katana. The rest backed off and stood still, looking at the newcomers carefully.
"Hey bonehead, did you not read the safety notice?" The pinkette said to Ray in irritation. "All areas past the First District are unsafe!"
"I think someone I know ended up here!" Ray protested.
The girl's eyes wandered to his weapon, and she raised an eyebrow.
"Wait, is that-"
Suddenly, six more Heartless appeared out of thin air to join the others, and they all surrounded the newly formed trio.
"We'll talk about that after we beat these monsters!" The blonde girl shouted as she deflected a couple of swords.
Ray jumped back to avoid a third knight, then brandished the Keyblade at it.
"Fire!" He yelled.
It was knocked back by the exploding fireball, taking a fourth knight down too. Meanwhile, the pinkette ducked under a strike and swept a fifth Heartless off its feet, following by knocking the sword arm off a sixth. As that went on, the other girl dispatched first two knights with swift slashes at their legs, then parried an incoming attack from another.
Ray fought the ninth Heartless, but in a clash of blades it was clear that even a near-mindless creature had more skill. It nimbly avoided his unpracticed swing, then when he tried to block its own attack it just knocked the Keyblade out of his hand. With a panicked shout, he crossed his arms as the Heartless went for the kill.
Then there was a sharp cutting sound, and the boy looked to see that the swordswoman had bisected and destroyed it. The last Heartless was taken care of by the pinkette in one hard blow to the helmet. With that, the fight was now over.
"Man, you cut it close there." She said with a sigh, shouldering her hammer. "What idiot has THAT weapon, but doesn't know how to use it?"
"Shut up!" Ray snapped, picking up the Keyblade and dismissing it. "Anyway, I'm guessing you're from the Safety Committee? Have you two seen my girlfriend anywhere? She has silver hair, and her name is Gwen."
"Sorry, there wasn't anyone like that in this District." The curvy girl said in a soft tone.
"Then I'll just go to the others!"
"Oh no you don't, bub." The pinkette chastised, grabbing Ray by the collar. "No civilians allowed. Now get out of here, and we'll find that girl of yours for you. Capiche?"
In the end, Ray had to be dragged back to the First District. He groaned and struggled in this chick's strong grip, while the blonde swordswoman followed and looked at him sheepishly.
"Sorry about this, but it is for your own good." She assured. "Don't worry, uh...Gwen, right? She'll be in good hands."
"She needs me, dammit!" Ray protested. "Take me with you!"
His words fell on deaf ears, and the pinkette threw him into the general store, then looked at the surprised shopkeeper.
"Keep an eye on this guy, Agil!" She said in irritation before slamming the door.
The big guy shook his head and sighed, while Ray got up stomped to the door.
"Why I oughta-" He grumbled.
"Hold it right there." Agil said sternly.
He walked over and picked up the blonde by the collar, then set him away from the door.
"You should probably stay here before you get Liz really pissed off."
"Excuse me, but I just want to find Gwen." Ray reiterated. "I don't care what that Liz chick says, I'm going to find her one way or another."
"Hmph...fine then, I can't stop you. It's your death wish at this point."
Agil stepped aside, allowing the shorter guy to pass through the door. With a huff, Ray stepped outside and turned to head toward the Second District. Only to find someone else waiting for him at the entrance.
He looked about Ray's age. The best way to describe him was...black. Short black hair, black shirt, black pants...black coat. Even a pitch-black sword that still gleamed a bit under the shop's lights. All in all...he looked weird.
"Uh...do you need something?" Ray said in a skeptical manner.
The swordsman pointed at him. "That key of yours. I'm going to have to borrow it for a bit. I hope you don't mind."
Ray summoned the Keyblade, then looked at it with a frown. At that moment, the mysterious man spoke in a low tone.
"Ray, I sense danger. Be careful."
The blonde scowled and took a fighting stance, narrowing his eyes at the other teen. This Keyblade was his ticket to saving Gwen, and he wasn't going let this emo guy take it away.
"As if I would let you have it!" He said bravely. "This is my Keyblade, not yours!"
The black-coated boy sighed. "You boast, but can you really back it up? Fine then, I'll have to see for myself how wasted the Royal Key is on you."
"Don't you talk down to me. As if you know who I am! Who the hell are you, for that matter?"
The swordsman held his blade to the side and held out a hand, taking a battle stance.
"Just call me...the Black Swordsman."
That would have made Ray laugh in any other situation. Did this guy seriously nickname himself after his own fashion sense? But right now, Ray was too pissed off care.
"Well Black Swordsman, get out of my way! Hiyah!"
He ran right up to him and swung down, aiming for his head. Then with blinding speed, the Black Swordsman swung horizontally, knocking the key aside. Ray gasped and stumbled, then before he could recover, the swordsman quickly followed by manuevering his blade for an upward strike. The Keyblade flew out of Ray's hand, landing at the bottom of the steps.
The Black Swordsman pointed his blade at Ray's face, giving him a look of disbelief.
"Why did it choose a rookie like you?" He muttered.
Ray scowled and jumped down the steps, grabbing the Keyblade and aiming it at the enemy.
"Try some magic! Fire!" He shouted, shooting a fireball.
To his shock, it went straight back at him with one swing of the swordsman's black blade. Ray yelped in pain as the fireball exploded on him, sending him flying back with his clothes covered in little embers. He coughed and sat up, wincing as he glared at the Black Swordsman above.
"Don't embarrass yourself any further." He warned, gesturing to the cafe.
Ray looked there, and only then became aware of the citizens of the Safe Zone watching him. They all looked shocked and confused at what was going on. At the front of the group was Silica, whose worried gaze shifted between him and the other boy.
Ray looked down and took a shaky breath. Feeling a mix of exhaustion and humiliation. To get his ass handed to him like this made him mad. If he couldn't beat anything with this stupid key...how was he supposed to save Gwen? No...he had to keep trying...
He staggered to his feet and readied his Keyblade to continue the fight. But he flinched as the Black Swordsman wasn't on the steps anymore.
"Where-" He started to say.
"Behind you!" The mysterious man warned.
Ray turned to see the swordsman, who had a fist drawn back.
"Sorry about this." He muttered.
Then Ray blacked out as he was punched hard in the face.
...
The Black Swordsman sighed and sheathed his blade, then looked down at the guy he just knocked out.
"You just had to make it hard on yourself." He said, shaking his head.
He looked at the crowd at the cafe and waved at them.
"Nothing to panic about, just doing business. Enjoy your cupcakes."
Reluctantly, the people went back to their dull pastimes. Silica said something to waitresses before coming over to look at the kid on the ground.
"Geez Kirito..." She said with a worried pout. "Did you have to be so hard on him?"
"He asked for it." The Black Swordsman said with a shrug.
Just then, Liz and the blonde girl arrived, having come back from their excursion at the Second District. Liz laughed as she saw the blonde dude's state of unconsciousness.
"Serves him right!" She said with a smirk, hands on her hips. "Man, this guy is a total newb! Look at that bruise, you really hit him hard!"
The blonde swordswoman crossed her arms and sighed. "I hate to say it...but he shouldn't have gone swinging that key around without any proper training."
"Oh yeah, did anybody else notice how...weird it looked? Like, it's not broken, but...missing pieces."
Kirito nodded, then looked down at the spiky-haired blonde again. Yep...things weren't just bad.
"We're in more trouble than we ever thought we'd be in...Well, how about those talking animals Sinon was tracking?"
Liz nodded, now curious. "Oh right, them. They're all waiting in the Fourth District as directed. Do you really think they're related to...this guy?"
"We'll find out soon enough. Come on, let's bag him and head out."
After getting a body bag and tying the delinquent inside it, the Safety Committee went on their way to the Fourth District, the leader's plan being set into motion.
