The Kingdom Hearts series is well known for its story, for better or worse. Many consider the story confusing, overly complicated, or just find it hard to take some of the dialogue seriously on account of just who's saying it. Even people who like the story, myself included, will freely admit that it has some problems. My goal in writing this story is to adapt the series plot while making things a bit easier to follow, balancing the Final Fantasy and Disney representation better, and integrating the Disney worlds into the story better than they were in the source material. Here are some things to note before I start this story:
1: A major character I plan on adding is technically an OC. I say technically because despite being a highly customizable character, they have a surprising amount of in-game characterization, and I plan to make them an extension of that, rather than adding a character I made from scratch. I wonder if anyone will correctly guess who I am referring to before they show up in the story...?
2: I will try to keep the same tone as the series this story is based on, but things could still potentially get darker than the source material. The first has a lot of different worlds that are believed to have been permanently destroyed for most of the story, and the nobodies are an existential nightmare, so even with minimal changes to the lore, things can get significantly darker than they did in the original story. I do not intend to make this a straight up dark fic, but I still felt this worth mentioning.
3: Part of the reason I am writing this is to get into the habit of writing, so do not expect a consistent upload schedule for a while. I do not intend to leave a story completely unfinished; I have seen enough fanfics I like end abruptly to not want to put anyone else through that, but large gaps between uploads are a distinct possibility. I also get really into one or two series at a time, so do not panic if I switch from this to writing something Fire Emblem related, or something, because I will likely go back to writing this afterwards.
4: Author's notes will be at the beginning and end of chapters to avoid interrupting the flow of the story and will be separated by bold text and a line. In other words, they will basically be written in the same way as this introduction.
With all of the explanations out of the way, it is time for the story to begin.
"I've been having these weird thoughts lately, like is any of this for real or not?" pondered a spiky-haired fourteen-year-old boy as he drifted through a watery abyss. He dreamed of his silver-haired friend facing down a massive wave and beckoning him as the wave crashed over them both. Under the water, the silver-haired boy offered his hand as he floated away, but a current pushed the spikey-haired boy away before he could reach. The spikey-haired boy washed back up on the beach he had been swept off of under a setting sun and saw another of his friends. A red-haired girl waved at the spikey-haired boy as he approached, and laughed at his exhaustion, but stopped when she saw something in the sky. The spikey-haired boy looked to see what caught her attention and saw himself falling amidst a shower of shooting stars. After seeing that, he lost his balance, and fell backwards into the sky as his friend looked on in shock. The spikey-haired boy fell into the water below and awakened in a dark abyss. He took a step forward and the hidden floor beneath him revealed itself as the darkness broke apart into a flock of doves, revealing the glowing, stained glass-like crystal the platform was made of. The spikey-haired boy was standing on the yellow dress of a woman who appeared to have fallen asleep after biting into an apple, and who was surrounded by a circle of forest animals and seven men.
After the spikey-haired boy watched the doves fly away, a friendly but unfamiliar voice echoed through the darkness: "So much to do, so little time..." It said. "Take your time. Don't be afraid." It continued. "The door is still shut. Now, step forward. Can you do it?" The spikey-haired boy approached the middle of the platform, and three pedestals rose from the crystalline floor, each having a different weapon floating above them. The first held a shield with three circles seeming to represent a head with large ears. The second carried a rod tipped with a blue jewel in the same shape as the symbol on the shield. The third bore a sword with a red and black circle at the center of the guard. As the pedestals rose, the voice once more echoed through the darkness. "Power sleeps within you. If you give it form... It will give you strength. Choose well." Without giving it much thought, the spikey-haired boy approached the sword, and held it in his hands. As he took the sword, he noticed that the circle on the guard had the same symbol as the other two weapons, and the voice called out yet again. "The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Is this the power you seek?" The boy answered "Yes" without a second thought, and the voice responded. "Your path is set. Now what will you give up in exchange?" The boy approached the pedestal with the shield and examined it. "The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all. You give up this power?" The boy answered yes, and the shield dispersed into glowing light. "You've chosen the power of the warrior. You've given up the power of the guardian. Is this the form you choose?" Once more the boy confirmed his choice, and the pedestals abruptly sank back into the crystal of the platform, which just as suddenly shattered, sending the boy plummeting once more into the abyss.
The boy landed on another stained crystal platform, one depicting a blonde woman in an elaborate ball gown, surrounded by depictions of a castle under a crescent moon, a horse, and a carriage that bore an unusual resemblance to a pumpkin. The edges of the platform were a circle depicting a dance, and three depictions of a blue slipper. The sword returned to the boy's hand, and once more the voice rang out through the shadows. "You've gained the power to fight. Use this power to protect yourself and others." A strange shadow appeared on the platform as the voice continued: "There will be time you have to fight. Keep your light burning strong." As the voice spoke, more shadows appeared, and rose from the ground. They were vaguely humanoid, and yet incredibly short, their skin was as black as the darkest night, and their heads bore antennae and glowing golden eyes. The boy might have considered them non-threatening, were it not for the inexplicable sense of dread the creatures inspired within him. The first shadow leaped forwards, and the boy quickly slashed it in half, causing its body to disperse into a dark mist. Not taking any chances, the boy rushed towards another shadow and brought his sword down upon it, before swiping horizontally and slashing three more in half. The remaining shadows sank back into the platform, and the boy believed himself safe, until the voice called out yet again: "Behind you!" it warned. The boy turned around and slashed the new shadow, then turned around again to dispatch several shadows that had appeared behind him with a horizontal sweep. More shadows sank into the platform, which began to be enveloped in darkness. A pool of darkness materialized beneath the boy, and he sank into it, and right when it had begun to suffocate him, he was deposited safely on another platform.
The third platform was a vivid pink, with three stylized hearts containing silhouettes of three princesses. Across from the boy was a door seemingly detached from anything else, and yet lit up by a pillar of light. As the boy approached the door, he noticed that it was completely transparent, and did not seem to truly exist. The boy attempted to open the door but was not able to. He looked back, and another pillar of light and a red and gold chest had appeared. The boy tapped the chest with his sword, and it opened to reveal a golden light, but vanished before the boy could see what was inside. A crate appeared next, and the boy looked for a way to push it around, only to give up and smash it out of frustration at the lack of continued progress. The crate was smashed apart after only three blows, revealing a potion, which the boy pocketed. The frame of the door phased into existence, and a barrel appeared next. The boy shrugged and picked up the barrel, but before he could throw it onto the ground and shatter it, the rest of the door materialized. The boy approached the door, and it opened to blinding light. After the boy's eyes adjusted to it, he saw that the door somehow lead to a wooden platform on the island he and his friends frequently visited. He stepped through the door.
"Hold on. The door won't open just yet. First, tell me more about yourself." The boy was surrounded by three of his friends, and he first approached the girl in front of him. The girl in the yellow dress asked, "What's most important to you?" and the boy replied, "My prize possessions." The girl asked, "Are possessions such a big deal?" and the boy went to talk to another friend. A boy carrying a bumpy blue and white ball asked, "What do you want outta life?" and the spikey-haired boy replied, "To be strong." To which the boy with the ball said, "To be strong, huh?" and the spikey-haired boy went to talk to the third of his friends. The spikey-haired boy approached a boy wearing an open yellow vest who asked, "What are you so afraid of?" to which the spikey-haired boy answered, "Being indecisive." And the vest-wearing boy replied, "Being indecisive? Is that really so scary?" After the vest-wearing boy gave his response, the voice rang out across the water. "You like to collect neat things. You want to be strong. You're afraid of being indecisive." The voice continued, "Your adventure begins in the dead of night. Your road won't be easy, but a rising sun awaits your journey's end." "Sounds good." The boy replied, and the voice answered. "The day you will open the door is both far off and very near." Everything was engulfed in light, and once the light died down, the spikey-haired boy was on another crystal platform.
The fourth platform depicted a girl who had fallen asleep holding a red rosebud. She was surrounded by silhouettes of three fairies, and green thorny vines. The edge of the platform was marked with a circle of blooming roses. A pillar of light shone upon the opposite edge of the platform from where the boy was standing, and the boy approached. Once the boy stood in the light, another swarm of shadows appeared. The boy quickly began slashing at the monsters, but some slipped into the ground to avoid his attacks. After the boy dealt with the shadows, another light shone, revealing a glowing green spot on the ground. The boy stood on the glowing spot, and a burst of green light washed over him, making him feel refreshed. The light which revealed the green spot moved across the platform, revealing stairs made of the same glowing crystals as the platforms leading upwards. The boy walked up the stairs to a final platform.
The fifth platform depicted a woman in a yellow ball gown who seemed to be asleep. She was surrounded by similarly sleeping anthropomorphic objects, with a rose floating in a jar shaped like a bell above her, and a fully awake chimeric beast behind her. The voice echoed through the darkness once again: "The closer you get to light, the greater your shadow becomes." The boy looked back, and saw that his shadow was incredibly long, and it began to move separately from the boy. It grew very wide and rose from the ground as a massive humanoid monster. "But don't be afraid. And don't forget..." The boy stepped back, then turned and ran for the stairs, only to find that they were gone. With no other options, the boy turned to face the monster. The monster was a strange beast, being a towering humanoid thing made of the same pitch-black substance as the shadows that came before it. It had digitigrade legs ending in strange, tassel-like feet, and arms that nearly reached the floor even while it was standing. Its muscular torso had a massive heart-shaped hole in it, and on its back were wings too small and spindly to allow such a massive creature to fly. Instead of hair, the beast had a swirl of tentacles that did not cover the burning golden eyes that stared into the boy's soul. As soon as the fight began, the monster lurched forwards and attempted to punch the boy, who ran out of the way. The monster's fist sank into the platform, creating a pool of darkness from which shadows began to emerge. The boy jumped onto the monster's arm and began to slash at its head. After the boy got several hits off, the monster knocked him off, and formed a ball of darkness in the hole in its chest. As the boy fought off the shadows, he was blasted from behind by a blast of darkness. The boy turned around and saw the ball of darkness release another shot, and the boy ran behind the monster to avoid the continued attacks. The monster got back up and attempted to punch the boy once again, and the boy slashed at the monster once it did so. The monster reeled back and tried to punch the boy once again, but this time, the boy's weapon abandoned him. The boy fell on his back, and the monster glared at him as a pool of darkness appeared beneath him. As the boy was engulfed in darkness, the mysterious voice echoed out one last time. "- But don't be afraid. You hold the mightiest weapon of all. So don't forget. You are the one who will open the door." The boy sank into the abyss, and everything went dark.
I forgot that the first Kingdom Hearts game opened with a bizarre dream sequence. I like this kind of surreal foreshadowing dream, but I have no idea if I did this any justice. The fact that none of the characters are actually given names until after the dream made this incredibly repetitive to write. At the very least, I have the Dive to the Heart set up for when the series decides to use it for things other than the tutorial, and things should be easier to write from this point onwards.