Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance
Chapter 3: Atlantica
Sora sat at the bottom of a cliff-face, upon a wide rock that protruded slightly over the ocean surf. Waves gently crashed against and around the stone, sending droplets of water across its surface. Yet no matter how close they came, none of the them reached the teen herself. Whom gazed out toward the horizon ahead, the sun hanging high above, with a brightness that caused the water to shimmer with a brilliant golden hue.
Though, the teen's expression was a thoughtful one, as she took in and let out a long breath. She could still hear Yen Sid's and Mickey's words deep within her mind; 'It must be due to the Jenova cells.' 'They're probably interfering with your Keyblade's ability to reveal its power.'
As these claims cycled through her head, the girl slowly and gently moved some of her hair into a hand. Glancing down to the long strands of brown, she gently began pressed them between her fingers. Doing so, allowed the few silver strands hidden amongst the rest to become visible to her eye. Sora focused on these with a narrowed gaze, before flipping her hair over her shoulder once more. "If they only knew..." she whispered in a sigh, closing both eyes and shaking her head.
"If they only knew what?" a familiar voice spoke up suddenly from the water.
Sora instantly let out a loud yelp of fright with her eyes snapping open. Her losing balance and falling to the side, which led her right toward the water. But with unnatural reflexes and strength, she dug her fingers into the stone she was sitting upon to keep herself from falling in. Some of the ocean spray splashed against her cheek as she pulled herself back into a sitting position. Though, she didn't notice that several cracks had formed around these finger-sized holes she created.
Wiping the water from her face, Sora turned to Ariel with a deep pout. Said red-head was simply treading water with an expression of trying not to laugh. Of which just made the other teen pout even more and let out a huff to her friend. "You should have warned me."
Ariel offered a nod of her head while moving a bit closer. "Sorry, I just didn't expect to see you here." she answered, placing her arms on the edge of the wide rock and resting her chin against them.
Now locking eyes with the brown-haired girl, Ariel could immediately tell that she was troubled. Yet while it didn't seem like something small, she still wanted to at least try and help however she could. "Something on your mind?" she questioned with a small and encouraging smile.
The other teen let out a breath and shrugged, almost disappointed in herself that she couldn't hide these feelings better. "A few things, yeah." Sora started, her head tilting down before continuing on.
"I had my Mark of Mastery exam today with Kairi and Riku. It was a test to see if we all had what it took to become Keyblade Masters. And while they both passed..." she said, gaining a genuine smile of pride in this fact.
"...I failed." the teen finished after a few seconds, letting out another long sigh.
"But honestly, I'm not bothered in the fact that I failed. I was prepared for that possibility from the start." she continued in a clearly aggravated tone.
"It's the potential circumstances behind why I didn't pass." Sora stated while shaking her head.
Blinking a few times in confusion, Ariel couldn't help but merely tilt her head in curiosity. Most of the information she knew about the Keyblade, came from her father and what he had learned over the years. Yet even he didn't know everything, and she never heard him once mention anything about a 'Mark of Mastery'. But she still offered an understanding gaze to her friend while leaning forward slightly. "How do you mean? What circumstances?"
Unbeknownst to the pair, the cracks in the stone began to widen. The added weight beginning to cause the rock to break in ever so faint ways that were invisible to the eyes and ears.
"Well, long story short...they're things that are kinda out of my control. Or at least...that's what everyone is assuming anyway." Sora answered, tilting her head down once more as she clearly wasn't entirely convinced this was the only reason.
"Hmm, that definitely sounds like a tricky situation." Ariel uttered silently, her trying to come up with some sort of words of wisdom to help her friend.
"You're telling me...I don't even know what to-" Sora started, but was cut short as the cracks in the stone finally reached the ends and a loud snap was heard.
In an instant, the small boulder broke in half, not giving either teen enough time to react. Sora immediately fell forward with yet another yelp in surprise, while Ariel could only manage a meager attempt at saving Sora from hitting the water. However, both teens swiftly tumbled into the water with a splash, despite still being mostly in the shallows. Once the girls managed to untangle their flailing limbs, they reemerged from the water with a gasp.
Despite Ariel not needing air, she almost instinctively copied Sora as they grasped the edge of the remaining half of the rock. "Sorry about that." the red-haired teen said with a sheepish smile and tone.
Sora herself just pouted to her in response, yet couldn't be mad at the girl since it was an accident. "It's alright. Though...now I'm soaked." she muttered, slowly pulling herself out of the water and onto shore.
"No problem, I'll fix that for you." Ariel spoke while holding up a hand and waving it slowly through the air.
This gesture caused all the water in Sora's clothes and hair to be pulled off, gathering into a small sphere that hovered in the air. Blinking a few times, the brown-haired girl just watched as every last droplet was removed, leaving her completely dry within moments. With a few pats across her clothes, Sora couldn't help but smile and give Ariel a thankful nod. "Thanks. That was really impressive. You've definitely refined your precision since the last time." she claimed in a proud tone.
Ariel returned her smile, pressing some of her messy hair behind one ear as she did. "It was no big deal, I've been practicing like you said I should...at least twice a day." she said with a shrug, to which the sphere of water dropped back into the ocean.
"I'm glad to hear it." Sora spoke softly, her smile widening somewhat as she felt calmer than before.
The girl's gaze drifted toward the horizon once more, as she took in and let out a deep breath. "You know...maybe a splash of cold water was exactly what I needed to clear my mind." she whispered silently to herself.
"I get too caught up in my own mind, that I dwell on things too much." Sora added in a soft giggle.
Ariel gave her friend a curious glance, but she could see the swift shift in demeanor. Though Sora likely believed it was thanks to having a strong enough distraction, the red-haired girl could see it was something else entirely. That something being a sense of accomplishment. Specifically, the knowledge that she helped Ariel to grow better, as a result of following her advice. With this realization, the mermaid gained a slightly wider smile as she moved a bit closer to the shore. "Well, if you ever need it again, I'm always here to help." Ariel chuckled out with a quick wink.
It was obvious that she was offering to help Sora whenever she needed, regardless of how big or small the issue was. This made Sora smile happily, feeling very grateful to have so many wonderful friends around her. Though she soon blinked a few times and arched a brow, noticing something odd. "Speaking of...why are you here anyway? Aren't you still grounded?"
The red-haired girl froze on the spot for a few seconds, to which she then looked to the side in a sheepish manner. "O-Oh...not really. Daddy said that it would be alright if I...well..." she started, but slowly trailed off nervously.
Sora quickly got the impression that she had snuck off to avoid her punishment. Which led for her to giggle softly, and then wave a hand in a dismissive manner. "Don't worry, my lips are sealed."
Ariel blinked briefly from this comment, yet she swiftly gained a small smile and nod of her head. "Thanks."
"Though, I should probably head back, as I don't want to be scolded again." the girl continued while offering a sheepish expression.
The brown-haired teen nodded her head in response, a slightly nervous smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Yeah...I know what that's like." she uttered out, immediately thinking of her mother.
Due to being so caught up in these thoughts however, Sora didn't catch the ever so slight shifty gaze Ariel had as she briefly glanced around. "See you soon." she said with a wave and headed further out into the ocean.
Returning this wave, the other girl just smiled softly and watched her friend leave. "I wonder why she said that." she whispered to herself, looking up in thought for a moment.
"Well, her punishment is probably coming to an end soon, so she'll probably get the chance to come visit me." Sora continued as she turned to the side and held out a hand.
Upon doing so, a corridor of darkness swirled into existence. Her expression briefly hardened while looking at it, yet she shook her head and stepped through with a deep breath. After defeating Xemnas, Sora finally gave herself permission to use this power again. While it still reminded her of him, she didn't feel like she needed to continue refusing its use. Especially considering the fact that it was incredibly useful for travel, even feeling like a cheat at times.
As she moved to the other side of the portal though, it revealed the girl's room back home. All her toys, kick-knacks, and clothes still strewn about with no clear organization. But as she heard footsteps approaching, the girl gasped and waved her hand quickly through the air. This caused the mess on the floor to be pushed beneath her bed, leaving the room to appear clean as a result. 'I completely forgot I was supposed to clean my room before I left today.' she thought with a gulp, to which she swiftly sat down on her bed in an attempt to look 'natural'.
After a moment, there was a knock on the closed door before it slowly opened. "Sora?" the teen's mother spoke up from the other side while peeking around the entrance.
"Yeah mom?" Sora said in a vaguely sing-song manner, which was usually a dead giveaway that she was hiding something.
The girl's mother arched a brow to this suspiciously, to which she began glancing around the room while opening the door fully. Not seeing anything immediately wrong with the room, she continued on in a somewhat skeptical tone. "Riku is here with a message...he said it's important."
"Oh! Then I better go see what's up~." Sora hummed out quickly, rushing past her mother as she continued looking around for whatever her daughter might be trying to hide.
As Sora arrived at the house entrance, she saw Zola pushing her head against Riku's leg, demanding his attention. All the while, Ursa appeared to be mimicking her motions, forcing the silver-haired boy to just pet both their heads. "What's up?" she asked with a curious, yet rushed manner.
"Hey...I was looking for you earlier, but you just sort of disappeared after the exam." Riku started in a tone that showed he would be inquiring about this later.
"But Master Yen Sid and King Mickey called for us, they have something very important to talk about." he finished, but he too wasn't sure what the subject-matter of this discussion would be.
"I-" Sora started, just before they all heard the girl's mother calling her name in an aggravated tone.
"Then we better head out right away!" the brown-haired teen stated swiftly as she rushed out the front door, all as the foot steps of her mother rapidly approached.
"I'll be back soon mom~! I promise~!" she called out, fleeing down the street as Riku watched on with a sigh.
"I'll make sure she's back before sundown." the boy stated to the woman as she watched her daughter running away with a huff.
"Thank you Riku, I know I can rely on you to keep her in check." she said in a thankful tone, to which she looked to Zola and Ursa as they appeared ready to follow the teen.
"Come on, back inside. You can go with her another time." she said, patting the pair on the heads before they headed back into the house.
Zola and Ursa having gotten used to their lives in the house, as well as taking a great liking to Sora's mother. Them already looking to her as the 'alpha', and knew better than to not listen to her. Even without any super-natural powers or such, she was by far the 'strongest' person they had ever encountered. And for that, even Riku made sure to never make her angry. He didn't know how Sora managed to get away with it so much.
Within a few minutes though, Sora, Riku and Kairi were each standing in front of Yen Sid in his tower, while Mickey stood at his side. "Sorry for calling you back here so suddenly, after we dismissed you earlier. But we just heard back from a few of the others, and have two very important things to talk to each of you about." the king mouse began, his voice rather soft while offering a small smile.
"Indeed, to start with..." Yen Sid began, immediately following Mickey's lead.
"...after much deliberation of your particular circumstances Sora, we've determined that a more proper method for your Mark of Mastery is in order." the old sorcerer continued.
Hearing this, Sora's eyes widened slightly as she glanced between the two standing in front of her. "Seriously?" she uttered out, almost gleefully surprised.
"Yep. And judging by what we just heard, we think there is a place you can be, where the Jenova cells won't make a difference in your Keyblade's ability to manifest its power." Mickey explained as he offered a small smile to the brown-haired teen.
"There is? Where?" said girl couldn't help but ask in her excitement.
"It's known as the Realm of Sleep. Though it's difficult to call it an actual 'place'." the king answered, to which he smiled a bit sheepishly at the end and looked to Yen Sid.
"To be specific, it's a collection of worlds that were saved from the Realm of Darkness, after you defeated Xehanort's Heartless. But, because of one reason or another, those worlds weren't able to return to this side of the Light. So they've been placed under a deep slumber, and aren't able to awaken. Therefore, your Mark of Mastery will be to venture into these worlds and bring them back." the elder man stated, his eyes narrowing slowly as there was obviously more to it.
Picking up on this immediately, Sora's expression hardened as she nodded her head. "I'm guessing that the source of this information is..." she started, but didn't need to finish as the implication was obvious.
"The Organization's data we collected from their base, yes." Yen Sid responded in a soft sigh, allowing Mickey to continue on.
"The worlds themselves are filled with beings known as Dream Eaters. As the name suggests, they eat and thrive on the dreams of the world's inhabitants. Most are benevolent, which we refer to as Spirits, but there are corrupted versions known as Nightmares. They are malevolent and will likely attack anyone on sight." the mouse king began, his features becoming more serious as he continued.
"Unfortunately, we believe that the Organization corrupted Spirits into Nightmares within those worlds. While we're still unsure of the exact purpose, Even thinks that they might be a means of mass spawning Heartless and Nobodies." Mickey claimed in a firm tone, showing the true weight of this possibility.
"The moment the worlds would return to this side of the Light, the Nightmares effects on people's minds would take their toll...and likely pull them into Darkness. They would lose their hearts within seconds, which would instantly create thousands of Heartless and Nobodies for the Organization's army." he finished while tilting his head down, leading for the room to go quiet.
Even in defeat, the Organization's plans were still so wide spread that they were hard to keep up with. Though it did make Sora wonder if she was really up to the challenge, she soon felt a pair of hands on her shoulders as Riku and Kairi patted them gently. "Thankfully..." Yen Sid began, gaining everyone's attention once more.
"...with the Organization gone for now, there is the opportunity to purify the Nightmares back into Spirits. Which will eliminate the threat, allow you to lock the Keyhole to each world, and awaken them from their slumber." he continued, offering a bit of relief to the tension building in the teens.
Sora looked down in thought as she nodded her head slowly, understanding the true test behind her Mark of Mastery. "Which means I have until I bring the last world back, to figure out how to unleash my Keyblade's power." she uttered aloud, earning nods from both Yen Sid and Mickey.
The former of whom then gave a glance to the other two teens; "You two on the other hand, while I know you wish to assist Sora...will have your own missions to handle." he started, which led for each of the three to let out a sigh of disappointment.
"Riku...you will be joining King Mickey into the Realm of Darkness, as it seems Ienzo has made progress in locating an old ally." Yen Sid explained, making the silver-haired boy blink a few times in surprise and curiosity.
"Kairi...you will be helping Merlin to teach Lea and Elrena. They have shown an aptitude for wielding the Keyblade, so I'm hoping you can assist them in summoning theirs." the sorcerer continued, leading for Kairi herself to take pause for a moment before nodding in response.
"I'll do my best." she responded softly, yet with a determined expression on her features.
"Was 'that' everything you needed to tell us?" Sora asked curiously as she noticed there seemed to be something more the two had yet to talk about.
"Not quite." Yen Sid stated, glancing to Mickey with a quick and easy to miss smile curling his lips.
Which just make the teens look between them in confusion, not knowing what more they could say. But there was nothing more surprising than what the mouse king said next. "After all that you've done for everyone, we wanted to do something in return as thanks. So we've decided to hold a ball in celebration."
"We've invited everyone we could, and received nothing but agreements in response." he continued while giving a wide smile.
"It'll be in three days. And since it is a ball, we'll make sure to spend that time teaching each of you how to dance." Mickey added in a more teasing tone as he was obviously looking forward this.
"Oh no..." Sora whispered out, gulping down nervously; 'I'm a terrible dancer...'
Everyone get your suits and gowns ready, it's time for a ball~! I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter and will let me know your thoughts.
Also, as a reminder, I do have a poll for including Star Wars in this part of the story. If you haven't voted yet, make sure to do so.
Until next time.