Well, with Kingdom Hearts 3 right around the corner, this will probably be my last update before the game comes out. I'll have a short note at the end with a couple of announcements so stay tuned for that.
Usual disclaimer as follows: Anything that exists within the games, I do not own. This entry will have major spoilers for the Wanderer's Series and in particular the fifth and sixth books, Beyond the Dark Veil and United We Stand. If you have not read those stories, continue at your own peril. You have been warned.
The first entry in this story was on the Rikkison Lineage, and I appreciate all of the feedback I got on it. You four who reviewed, know that I greatly appreciate your doing so. I hope you and everyone else will enjoy this one as well.
Wanderer Lore Entry Two: The Ancients
The known world has been divided into the Realms of Light and Darkness since the dawn of human civilization. Though many different peoples and worlds exist within the confines of these places, humanity as a whole was for a long time unaware of the origins of everything around them. Where did human life come from? Where did the worlds come from and from what did the Realm of Light manifest? For most of humanity's existence, they had no answers to these questions. The truth always eluded them, or rather it had avoided them since the first generations of human clans.
The earliest humans did indeed know where they and their world came from: a very powerful race of beings that had come before them known as the Ancients. These Ancients, though human by appearance, were different in almost every way. They were immortal and could only die at the hands of mortal wounds, never of old age or disease. The most powerful among them could not even be killed by such wounds and were literally immortal for millennia. However, though the Ancients predated humanity, they too had a beginning. It is within the origins of the Ancient people that one can find the dawn of Kingdom Hearts, and with it, the birth of all known Realms.
Before the rise of the Ancients, there was an empty void where a vast universe would eventually rise. Upon a higher plane of existence dwelt primordial beings called the Ultimacians, sentient vessels made of pure light and powerful energy. Their own plane consisted of both nothingness and endless possibility. The Ultimacians held the power to craft new lives, worlds, and existences. However, they could not do so from this higher plane and thus had never done so. Time was immaterial for these beings and it is difficult to discern exactly when a change occurred, but one of the Ultimacians eventually chose to descend from their plane in order to craft a world of his own making. He was among the youngest of his kind, a scion of the gentle beings. His original name was Alaryth, son of Axion.
Within his new world, he would come to be known as Maechil Omnivion.
Now alone in an empty void, Maechil began taking from his own power and creating a beautiful realm. Having witnessed the dreams of his brethren for his entire life, he put landscapes together and formed the foundations of a great world. Within those foundations, he placed a shining ocean which sparkled with the lights he had hung in the sky above. Over time, land and mountains took form and Maechil crafted a sprawling city made of crystal. Seeing the wonders before him, he continued to create.
Unbeknownst to him, with each creation he took more power from himself. In doing so, he weakened himself with each new display. Once his realm was completed, he turned his attention toward a new task: creating life from his own image. Though he was not a god and did not think of himself as such, his place as the First within his new world would cause much turmoil within his mind in later years.
Drawing from himself, Maechil crafted six beings in his likeness with each bearing an aspect of his personality. Together, the seven worked to create a nation of people. Thus, the Ancient civilization came to be, rising from the first seven of their kind. Though the Ancient people shared the immortality of their creators, they were not nearly as powerful.
A thousand years passed in which the Ancients prospered under the leadership of their seven creators, dubbed the Council. In time, Maechil grew curious about the nature of life and decided to bring about a new race of people far removed from the Ancients. These new children would be left on their own to grow and learn outside of the tight borders of Maechil's rigid leadership, part of an experiment with his curiosity. He wished to see how the new people would differ from his Ancients by existing in mortal forms and in a world separate from the creators.
He and his six colleagues then formed what would be known as the Realm of Light, scattering thousands of worlds among its vast borders. They then planted the first seeds of the new civilization and watched as Maechil's second children took form. In time, they would be known as humans.
The humans were not Maechil's only experiments, either. Manipulating the pure light energy from which he had crafted the Realms' foundations, he managed to create a new sentient creature reminiscent of the Ultimacians in appearance: a silhouetted man of pure light energy. Maechil instilled the being with an overwhelming sense of order and stability, tasking him with keeping his realms void of chaos. His new creation took to his commands so zealously that Maechil named him "Justice." Justice was the first of what would later be known as the Divine Beings, and the humans would come to know him by the name "Light."
Delighted at the success of Justice, Maechil created a second being. However, the second quickly grew jealous of justice and conflict arose between them. Such chaos ensued between them that the younger being's essence turned into something tainted and hitherto unseen. As opposed to Justice's form of pure light energy, the new being's form changed to one of black energy, twisted of its original purpose. So turned away from the cause that his fellow being sought and doomed to eternally conflict with Justice, Maechil named the second being "Discord", and he would become known by the humans as "Darkness".
Centuries later, the conflict between Justice and Discord became so strong that a third being was unintentionally created from their struggles. This new being held a new power, one to taint the very essence of both living and non-living things. It turned metal to rust and food to rot. Disgusted by the unintended creation, Maechil named it "Decay" and banished it from his presence. Exiled to the human Realms, Decay would later be called "Corruption" by humanity.
As trouble began brewing with the humans, Maechil came to believe that he needed a fail-safe in case he had to wipe out much of the human populations at once. Out of this belief, he created the last of the Divine Beings, gifting it with his own ability over life and death. Maechil later realized that this action stopped him from having any personal power over whether the humans lived or died. He called this final being "Oblivion", but the humans named it "Death". Oblivion proved to be too unstable and too powerful for Maechil to control, and so he was locked away in the deepest reaches of the Ancient realm.
During this time, the Ancient people began to form their own identities. They learned to create things on much smaller scales, mimicking Maechil to their best capacity. One of these Ancients was a man of great wisdom called Zatorian Alkerias, who would come to be the greatest smith to ever live in all the known Realms. One of his greatest creations was a device known as the Anvil of Keys, upon which powerful weapons were forged. These blades were gifted to the most skilled members of Maechil's soldiers.
When the early human clans began to turn violent, Maechil sent his soldiers to put down any who could not be reasoned with. In the aftermath, he marveled at the power of Zatorian's weapons and began to desire more. It was around this time that his mind began to turn away from his human children. Growing paranoid and worried, he commissioned Zatorian to craft an all-powerful blade that would be mighty enough to defend the Ancient realm from any and all attacks. Unaware of Maechil's true ambitions, Zatorian drew power from both Justice and Discord and crafted an almighty weapon on the Anvil, the X-Blade.
However, upon finishing the weapon, he foresaw horrible events to come and attempted to conceal the weapon from Maechil. He was betrayed by his closest friend Adenar, who was given a place on the Council of Creators for his loyalty to Maechil.
The Council of Ancient Creators
Maechil Omnivion
Flowing blonde hair, ocean blue eyes
White and golden ornate armor covered in a ceremonial cloak and crown
A scion of the Ultimacian race, Maechil left his people behind to create the known world. His new body became the image for which all humans and Ancients emerged and he became known as the First and the Creator. Upon crafting the universe, the Ancients, Divine Beings, and humanity, he ruled and maintained the Realms for the following millennia.
However, over time he began to see the shortcomings of humanity. The humans had fallen into violence and conflict mere generations after their creation and seemed to be ever sinking deeper into chaos. Centuries passed and he grew disgusted by his once beloved creation. He began to form a plan to wipe the slate clean and begin anew, but one thing held him back: a treaty known as the Inter-Realm Pact. This was an agreement that he made with his fellow Ultimacians before he crafted his own world. The Pact prevented him from warring with any intelligent life once it had been created, as the Ultimacians firmly believed in the sacredness of all life. The only exception to the Pact was self-defense. If Maechil or his forces were attacked and a casualty occurred within Maechil's highest ranks, then the treaty would be nullified and the Ancients would be free to act.
When Zatorian betrayed him and faced execution, the Ancient smith foretold his final prophecy. Zatorian declared that in times to come a champion would rise to challenge Maechil and save the Realm of Light. Knowing that his challenger would come from the Rikkison lineage, Maechil approached one of its members, Naithyk, and manipulated him into a treacherous bargain.
After that, he kept a careful eye on the powerful bloodline, waiting for the day that his opponent would emerge. Nearly 1200 years after humanity first rose, that day finally came.
Jack and Marek Rikkison were born on a stormy night on a tiny island. Though both boys would rise to great prominence, it was Jack's destiny to face Maechil. Knowing that the time had come, Maechil enacted his carefully placed plans. Through a strategic maneuver, he tricked Marek into slaying Council member Anetar with an weapon forged on the Anvil of Keys, capable of killing immortals as mighty as Maechil himself. With Anetar's death, the Pact was void and Maechil declared war on the human Realms. Intent on wiping out his "failed" creation and beginning anew, he began a great conflict that would come to be known as The War for Kingdom Hearts.
However, one factor caught him surprise and ended up changing the course of the war: a member of his own Council, Dawnomar, cast aside his allegiance to Maechil and aided Jack instead. Furious, Maechil gathered powerful allies from both past and future in order to overcome Zatorian's prophecy.
In the year that followed, conflict spanned the Realm of Light. However, Maechil suffered from more betrayals at the hands of Adenar, Vanitas, and the Divine Beings Light and Darkness. Weakened greatly by this, he gathered his forces and met Jack with the full might of his people in the Keyblade Graveyard. Jack, aided by Marek and Pierce, was able to nearly best Maechil in combat once the Ancient had been cut off from Kingdom Hearts by Zane, the last son of Zatorian. Nearly beaten, Maechil retreated to his city with Jack in his clutches.
Once in the city, he and Jack battled once more. At this time, Jack revealed his own plan: he had merged with the Divine Being Light. With their powers combined, Maechil was defeated by a human. Jack dealt him a mortal blow with the Eternity Fang, and as a last act of defiance, Maechil summoned Oblivion from his cage. Oblivion spitefully finished off Maechil before leaving to pursue his own ambitions.
Council Title: "The Supreme Sovereign"
Cause of death: mortal wounds inflicted by Jack Rikkison, who had merged with the Divine Being Light
Tsunetar:
Icy blue hair knotted into spiky locks, cold blue eyes
Flowing white robes bearing ornate patterns and crystal jewelry
The very first living being created by Maechil was Tsunetar, cold and calculating with the powers of the vast ocean. Tsunetar was one of the most powerful Ancients ever created and she served as Maechil's foremost advisor. As his second-in-command, she helped put his plans in motion and also oversaw the missions given to the Kingdom Slayers, Maechil's Keyblade Wielding soldiers. The Slayer Commander reported directly to Tsunetar, who in turn schemed with Maechil without anyone else's knowledge.
In truth, she followed Maechil out of love. She worshipped him not because he created her, but because she wished nothing more than to be his bride. However, Maechil had neither need nor desire of any such things and coldly rejected her advances.
When it came time for war with the humans, Tsunetar was among those most in favor. She resolutely backed Maechil's agenda during the brutal and bloody campaigns throughout the war and also served as his bodyguard, almost never leaving his side during the conflict. At the end of the war, she outlived the rest of the Ancient Council except for Maechil, who died mere hours later. Only Dawnomar outlived them both, and he declared the Council dead. She made her last stand in defense of Maechil within the waves of the Endless Ocean, unleashing her true sea-serpentine form upon Aqua, Roxas, and Xion before being struck down with the Eternity Fang.
Council Title: "The Tsunami Wraith"
Cause of death: mortal wounds inflicted by Aqua, Xion, and Roxas
Saenatar:
Brown hair buzzed close to his head, gray eyes and countless battle scars upon his face
Dented and worn battle armor that had witnessed a thousand bloody victories
The second living being created by Maechil was Saenatar, ruthless and merciless. Such was his passion for battle that Maechil declared him conflict incarnate. Ever impatient and ill-tempered, Saenatar was his creator's general in the Adamant Army and led the charge in most of the battles and wars throughout history. Savage and ruthless were his defining traits and thousands of human soldiers took their last breaths upon his massive battleaxe.
Saenatar wholeheartedly supported Maechil's war with humanity and was among the few who remained loyal to his creator up until his death. Throughout the war with humanity, Saenatar developed a rivalry with the dark Keyblade Wielder Marek Rikkison. The two battled on many occasions, but their final duel came during Maechil's invasion of Radiant Garden.
Armed with the Eternity Fang and aided by Riku, Marek was able to finally bring low the man who considered himself to be war incarnate. Though, it should be stated that Saenatar held the upper hand until the timely betrayals of Light and Darkness, who took that moment to turn against Maechil. Together, they ambushed Saenatar and gave Marek the opening he needed to fell the powerful Ancient.
Council Title: "The Dealer of Destruction"
Cause of death: mortal wounds inflicted by Marek Rikkison and Riku, aided by Light and Darkness
Anetar:
Black hair slicked backward, blue eyes
Ornate black and gray armor along with a brown cloak and hood
The illusive and scheming Anetar was Maechil's third colleague. Lacking the physical power that Saenatar held, Anetar quickly established himself as a master of the mind. Using the powers given to him by Maechil, Anetar learned to alter realities and create intricate illusions. Using these powers of concealment and trickery, Anetar hatched many successful schemes over the millennia. Countless naïve humans fell victim to his vindictive treacheries.
Despite his scheming nature, he proved himself a loyal acolyte of Maechil to the end. When Jack and Marek Rikkison were born, Anetar and Maechil hatched a plan to nullify the Inter-Realm Pact. Using an old human Keyblade Master named Xehanort as a proxy, Anetar manipulated the lives of both Rikkison boys in order to set them on the needed paths for Maechil's plans. Anetar manipulated Xehanort into turning Jack away from where Zatorian's prophecy was taking him. When the Second Keyblade War failed to alter Jack's path, Anetar also played a hand in Marek's merging with Darkness and causing the Third Keyblade War. However, both of these plans failed.
Seeing that Jack could not be swayed from his destiny, Anetar hatched a new scheme. He recruited an old rival of Marek's named Eclipse and fabricated an intricate plot to pit the Divine Beings against the Ancients. Maechil then tasked Jack and Marek with stopping Eclipse. Manipulated from both sides, Marek fell right into Maechil's hands. When Anetar unmasked himself as Eclipse's handler, Marek slew him with the Eternity Fang. Anetar's death served as the casualty Maechil needed to nullify the Pact and begin his war without interference from the Ultimacians.
Anetar was loyal to Maechil to the end, giving his life to further the other man's ambitions to go to war with humanity.
Council Title: "Father of Phantoms", later "Master of Illusions"
Cause of death: mortal wounds inflicted by Marek Rikkison
Dawnomar:
Thin graying hair, brown eyes
Commoner's clothing covered in a red cloak and hood
Compassionate and observant, Dawnomar was unique among Maechil's first creations. Unlike most of his peers, he held the ability to think for himself and ended up opposing many of Maechil's agendas in the coming years. Always outvoted, he nevertheless maintained his own opinions and was later excluded from certain knowledge because of his disagreements with Maechil. While his colleagues had powers over war, ocean, reality, and other things, Dawnomar's power lay in memory. He never forgot anything that he learned or witnessed. Because of this, Maechil made him the Scribe of all Realms and keeper of the Hall of History. Under Dawnomar's stewardship, the Hall became the single most extensive collection of historical archives in existence.
Due to his unique perspectives and opinions, Dawnomar was fascinated by the newly risen humans and studied them at great length. Even when Maechil's view of humanity soured in later centuries, Dawnomar continued to have relations with him. Seeing the potential for greatness in them unlike anything he saw in his own people, Dawnomar held high hopes that leaders would rise among them who would prove worthy of the Ancients' respect.
On the eve of the Founder Age, Maechil sent Dawnomar into the Realm of Light for a chance at studying the humans more closely. In truth, Maechil was in the midst of hatching schemes with Anetar and did not want Dawnomar knowing. He spent several years in Radiant Garden and grew quite close to a woman named Hannah. When Maechil found out, Saenatar was dispatched to kill her as a warning to Dawnomar.
Though Hannah was killed, Dawnomar managed to hide their newborn son Aaron from Maechil's gaze. The boy would grow up to be a powerful warrior in his own right and eventually serve as an unwitting tool in Maechil's grander schemes.
Hannah's death turned Dawnomar against his superior, though he continued to silently serve for the following decades. During this time, he engaged in a romantic relationship with fellow Council member Kunomar. The two would frequently cease and return to each other over the early years of the Founder Age.
A year before the War for Kingdom Hearts broke out, Dawnomar saw his son Aaron emerge out of the shadows. His son was no longer a man that he recognized; he had become a powerful and vengeful mercenary known as Eclipse. Utilizing his mixed parentage, Eclipse had the immortality and powerful abilities of an Ancient as well as the base emotions and stubbornness of his human mother. Knowing that his son was answering to a much more powerful master, Dawnomar turned to Marek Rikkison, former friend and ally of his son. With plenty of bad blood between them, Marek avidly sought after Eclipse. Both men sought vengeance against one another for past deeds, and over the following year they clashed on many occasions.
During the Battle in the Crossroads between Eclipse, Anetar, and the heroes of light, Dawnomar finally realized Maechil's true plans: to allow Marek to slay Anetar and nullify the Inter-Realm Pact so he could declare war on humanity. Unable to prevent it, Dawnomar arrived with his fellow Council members after Anetar's demise. Maechil made his intentions clear, and sent the other Councilors to kill Jack, Marek, Sora, and the rest. Knowing that the death of the Keyblade Wielders would leave the Realm of Light wide open for Maechil, Dawnomar made his decision.
He intervened and saved the human heroes, escaping alongside them. His actions caused him to be considered a traitor by his own people, but he knew that unless Maechil was stopped, all Realms would perish. Knowing that Maechil had reached into the past to recruit Blaze Rikkison as well as an alternate future to gather Lorans, Dawnomar reached into the same future. Using Maechil's existing portal, he was able to draw that timeline's Pierce Rikkison, along with a few of his allies, into the current time. With the extra reinforcements, he turned his attention to the war at hand.
Over the course of the War for Kingdom Hearts, Dawnomar aided Jack and Sora on several occasions. Using his contacts within the Golden City, he was able to warn the humans of many attacks. This advance notice turned the tide and saved countless cities such as Denerim, Baron, and Bevelle. After the death of Jason Rikkison, Dawnomar recruited another powerful ally: Zane, son of Zatorian. The powerful Ancient warrior became one of Jack's fiercest allies in the final stages of the war.
After Maechil's death at the hands of Jack Rikkison, Dawnomar reluctantly assumed control of the Golden City. As the last surviving member of the Council of Creators, Dawnomar was almost unanimously voted leader of the remaining Ancient people. His patience and wisdom was a great boon to all Realms in the days following the War for Kingdom Hearts, with the Founders of the Light's Enforcers spending much time in his court. Sora, in particular, sought much advice from him during his time as the LE's Grandmaster.
When the surviving Founders mysteriously vanished, Dawnomar spent much less time in the Realm of Light. Zane remained among the humans for almost another century, until the War of the Factions. At the war's end, Zane returned to the Golden City and Dawnomar shut the city gates for good. No further records can be found of Dawnomar or the current state of the Ancient people.
Council Title: "The Stoic Scribe"
Cause of death: still alive when last seen
Maynaimar
Flowing gray hair and beard, deep blue eyes
Elegant white and golden robes with a hood
Calm, reserved, and collected, Maynaimar was the least known of all members of the Council. He rarely if ever spoke during meetings and cared very little for matters concerning other Realms. When he was created, Maechil bestowed Maynaimar with the power to maintain weather patterns. From this power, he not only regulated the weather in all Realms, but held unsurpassed power over magical elements as well.
He only left the Golden City on a couple of occasions and was consequently sheltered from the true happenings within the Realm of Light. Taking Maechil's claims at face-value, Maynaimar fell in line behind his leader despite the opposing arguments from Dawnomar. He had a close friendship with Dawnomar as the two were both keener on observing than being on the front lines. Still, this did not dissuade him from standing with Maechil when the War for Kingdom Hearts erupted.
At Saenatar's behest, Maynaimar left the safety of the Golden City and departed for the Realm of Light in order to help the war effort. His powers were unlike any the humans had faced and several worlds fell before him. Such was his magical prowess that he traveled across the human Realm surrounded in a vast vessel of solidified magic that he called the "Storm Fortress". Made entirely of cloud, ice, fire, and lightning with one earthen platform at the core for him to stand on, Maynaimar rained the fury of the weather upon the human worlds.
His victories proved to be short-lived, however. After successfully conquering two smaller worlds, he decided to try and take Disney Kingdom. Positioning his Storm Fortress in the skyline above the castle, he was able to almost conquer the world with aid from Lorans and Light. Sora, unwilling to let the kingdom fall, took the Eternity Fang in hand and flew into the heart of the Fortress to face him.
A ferocious battle ensued, with Sora struggling against the Ancient's might. Maynaimar's magic was unparalleled and the very Fortress obeyed his will. Despite his struggles, Sora managed to lure Maynaimar to the roof of the Storm Fortress. With the timely arrival of Dawnomar, Sora was able to deal a decisive blow to Maynaimar. Seeing Sora's stubbornness and tenacity, Maynaimar realized that humanity was stronger than he had believed. He died with the hope that his people would be saved no matter the victor of the war.
Council Title: "Commander of the Storm Fortress"
Cause of death: mortal wounds inflicted by Sora
Kunomar:
Flowing silver hair, gray eyes
Ancient leather armor accompanied with an ornately decorated cloak and hood
Cunning and deceitful, Kunomar was the last of the original seven Council members. Maechil gifted her with powers over dreams and emotion. She used these abilities to great effect in later years, finding humans easy prey with such things.
She spent a great deal of time with Dawnomar, the two engaging romantically on and off in the centuries leading up to the Founder Age. She disagreed strongly with his stance on humans, viewing them as naïve and base creatures. Her favorite pastime was using her power to enter the dreams of humans as they slept. She would then either assume the form of the person's greatest fear, or their greatest desire. She loved to entice fear and lust from them and see how they reacted to such things. Though she rarely did so, she was capable of killing humans from within their dreams.
During the human Dark Age, in which heroes were scarce and the Rikkisons had turned to selfish ambitions, she trained under senior Council member Anetar. Her powers over dreams and emotion were linked to his power over reality and illusion and she proved a most adept student. At the time of Anetar's death, she had gained nearly all of his skill and was capable of crafting illusions of her own. This made her a very potent and deadly adversary. She could craft fake realities for her foes and utilize her power over emotion to make her opponent even more susceptible to her traps and temptations. She became more powerful than Anetar had ever been and claimed his old mantle, calling herself the "Mistress of Illusions" during the War for Kingdom Hearts.
Despite Dawnomar's betrayal of the Council, she met with him on several occasions and tried to convince him to return. When she did not succeed, she came to realize just how deep his belief in humanity went. Though she never learned to love humanity, she always kept her fierce love for Dawnomar. She used her position in Maechil's court to subtly change certain reports and strategies to protect Dawnomar.
Eventually, she realized that only one thing had the power to end the war and save her beloved: the X-blade.
Zatorian's living weapon had found refuge within the girl Rayne Rikkison, who could not control it or draw it forth. Seeing into the girl's mind and realizing that her reluctance would stop her from wielding the X-blade until all had been lost, Kunomar forced her hand.
In a forest outside of Castlevania City, she ambushed Rayne and another apprentice named Tahara Lexon. Determined to force the girl to take control of the X-blade to make the war end, Kunomar relentlessly attacked. The timely arrival of Terra, Aqua, and Jack Rikkison almost ruined her plan. However, Rayne, desperate to save her father, successfully harnessed the X-blade for the first time and used it to weaken Kunomar. Taking the Eternity Fang from her father, she then dealt a fatal blow to the Mistress of Illusions.
These events caused Rayne to learn just how important the X-blade was going to be in the battles to come, and Kunomar's plan proved successful. She died in Dawnomar's arms and granted him one last request. With the last of her power, she crafted two powerful items called Blood Pendants, which allowed one person to take the form of another through a drop of blood placed within it. These Pendants allowed Jack to infiltrate Maechil's court and gain information that turned the tide of the war. Kunomar died still loving Dawnomar and wishing for an end to the conflict that she feared would destroy both him and her people.
Council Title: "Daughter of Dreams", later "Mistress of Illusions"
Cause of death: mortal wounds inflicted by Rayne Rikkison
Adenar:
Spiky brown hair, green eyes
Ancient armor bearing ornate symbols
Selfish and arrogant, Adenar was different than his fellows on the Council. He was not among Maechil's original creations and did not hold the same levels of power as the original seven. Adenar was an ordinary Ancient at birth, though he excelled in the military arts and grew to prominence within the Adamant Army. He had a close friend during this time, Zatorian Alkerias. Adenar spent many years watching Zatorian craft the Anvil of Keys.
When Maechil tasked Zatorian with creating an ultimate weapon, Adenar watched avidly as the legendary X-blade came to be. However, upon completing the weapon, Zatorian saw a dark vision of Maechil's future and tried to hide his new creation from the Council. Adenar was briefly torn between his loyalty to Maechil and his friendship to Zatorian. However, he quickly realized the opportunity: delivering the X-blade to Maechil would grant him praise and power that the ordinary Ancients could only dream of. His selfish ambitions finally possible, he betrayed Zatorian to Maechil. Following the execution of Zatorian and most of his family, Maechil granted Adenar an even greater gift than the man could have dreamed of.
He was granted a seat on the Council, becoming the eighth and last member of Maechil's inner court. Due to his new position, Adenar was also given extraordinary power. Only the other seven were mightier than he. Beyond them, he was the most powerful man alive.
Like Saenatar, his new powers augmented the skills he already possessed. As such, Adenar became a master of the arts of war and in turn became the leader of Maechil's armies. Though Saenatar was mightier than he, Adenar had a brilliant tactical mind that served better for war efforts than Saenatar's mindless brutality. For the next thousand years, Adenar took charge of the Adamant Army as well his as his own title: the "Martial Master."
He remained loyal as Maechil enacted his scheme to nullify his treaty with the Ultimacians and led the Ancient forces during the early stages of the war. However, seeing Maechil's apathy toward the losses of thousands of Ancient lives at the hands of the human Keyblade Wielders, Adenar began to believe that the first creator needed to be ousted. He began to scheme against Maechil, purely out of a desire to save Ancient lives. He cared nothing for humanity and likely would have continued the war had he succeeded. He laid the foundations for a resistance movement that would later be picked up by the Kingdom Slayer Alix Crescent.
Maechil became aware of Adenar's plans and decided that the younger Ancient had outlived his usefulness. Despite Adenar's treachery, Maechil did not want the betrayal to go public. He feared that the Ancient people would sway from their course upon learning of the divided opinions within his court. To catch Adenar by surprise, Maechil sent him on a mission to conquer Gaia. It wasn't until the LE intervened that Adenar discovered the truth: Maechil was leaving him to die at the hands of Jack Rikkison. This would allow Maechil to blame his demise on the humans and continue the war effort uninterrupted. Adenar's attempts to save his people had failed and he had been outplayed by his elder. Left with no other choice, Adenar engaged the furious Wanderer in battle and fell before Jack's rage and the Eternity Fang.
Council Title: "The Martial Master"
Cause of death: mortal wounds inflicted by Jack Rikkison
Beyond the Council of Ancient Creators, only a handful of Ancients were recorded in legend and tale. Among these is perhaps the most famous Ancient to ever live aside from Maechil's original six created beings.
The Line of Zatorian
Zatorian Alkerias:
Long flowing blonde hair, deep blue eyes
Illustrious white robes emblazoned with the symbol of Kingdom Hearts
Zatorian rose to prominence during the early days after humanity's creation. Other than the members of Maechil's Council, he was likely the most powerful Ancient alive at the time. Such were his gifts and abilities that he had visions of the future which nearly always came true. Despite his fame as a Seer, he was most known for his skills as a smith.
He spent many years supplying the Ancient military with peerless weapons and armor, but he had a yearning to craft things of greater magnitude. Through tireless effort and decades of unceasing work, Zatorian managed to craft one of his most famous inventions: a powerful forge that came to be known as the Anvil of Keys. Upon this Anvil he built weapons mighty enough to crumble the foundations of worlds. In the hands of Maechil's soldiers, these weapons turned aside countless assaults from the humans and the denizens of darkness, as well as Corruption.
Seeing the power in Zatorian's work, Maechil commissioned him to create a weapon worthy of his own hand. To strengthen the power of what Zatorian would craft, he gave the smith Light and Darkness. Zatorian took the most powerful metals and materials in all Realms and forged the most powerful blade in existence. Though, it was not yet ready for Maechil's hand.
Zatorian then extracted power from Light and Darkness. The essence from the two Divine Beings merged with the new weapon, transforming it into something capable of raising Kingdom Hearts itself.
However, upon completing the X-blade, Zatorian had a vision. He witnessed a dark and desolate future in which all Realms of had been reduced to rubble in the wake of a terrible war. Only Maechil stood alive in the center of a battlefield stacked so thickly with bodies that the ground could not be seen. Horrified by what he saw, Zatorian fled the Golden City with the X-blade and the Anvil of Keys. Determined to keep his most powerful creation away from Maechil, Zatorian set about crafting lesser blades in the X-blade's likeness, both as decoys and as weapons to defend it. These weapons were the first generation of Keyblades and the only ones forged personally by Zatorian's hand.
These Keyblades were not trusted to any Ancients, for he knew how blindly his people followed Maechil. Instead, Zatorian sought the most noble and trustworthy leader among the human clans. Finding a man named Lukas, Zatorian gifted him with the first of the Keyblades forged. Thus, Lukas took the title of "The First", as he was the very first human Keyblade Wielder in history. Lukas gathered twelve capable apprentices and vowed to help Zatorian protect the X-blade. Among these students was Rolan Vitrik, the man who would spawn the Rikkison lineage. Also among the original thirteen Keyblades Zatorian forged was the blade that would one day belong to Master Xehanort.
Despite Lukas' attempts to protect Zatorian, the Ancient was found by Maechil. His friend Adenar had betrayed him for selfish ambition. Due to his betrayal, the X-blade was delivered to Maechil and Zatorian was held prisoner within the Penitent Prisons of the Golden City. Though the X-blade had been taken, Lukas successfully hid the Anvil of Keys on a remote world called Kamirran. It would lie there hidden for the next thousand years.
The Kingdom Slayers had already formed during this time, wielding the weapons forged by Zatorian prior to creating the Keyblades. Among the Slayers' ranks was Zatorian's oldest son Andilar, a captain and powerful warrior.
Furious at his treachery, Maechil ordered Zatorian and his entire family publicly executed in front of the Ancient people. Before his death, Zatorian had a final vision. In it, he could see a new hope had risen. He saw a young human man with Keyblade in hand standing against Maechil alone. This lone human stood fearlessly against the creator of the known universe. He took comfort in the vision, declaring that a champion would one day rise and that Jack Rikkison's destiny was to see the end of the Ancients' reign. Without further words, he and most of his family was executed by Saenatar. Only his youngest son, Norran, managed to escape alive.
Cause of death: executed by Saenatar on orders from Maechil
Andilar Alkerias:
Short spiky blonde hair, brown eyes
Kingdom Slayer armor forged by his father
Eldest child of Zatorian the Great, Andilar established himself as a mighty warrior in the ranks of Maechil's elite task force, the Kingdom Slayers. Though this force would one day become the Ancient Keyblade Wielders, during Andilar's life they wielded powerful swords forged by Zatorian prior to his creating the Keyblades.
During his time as a Slayer, Andilar witnessed many battles with the early human clans as well as the newly risen Denizens of Darkness. His many victories caused him to rise to the rank of Captain, a position second only to the Commander of the Slayers.
Despite his loyalty to his people, Andilar was fiercely protective of his family and had a wife and children by the time Zatorian was commissioned to forge the X-blade. Fearing that things were about to take a dark turn, he sent his younger brother Norran into hiding. Prior to his father's capture due to the actions of Adenar, Andilar asked his friend and fellow Kingdom Slayer Alix Crescent to protect his younger brother from harm. No sooner had he done this than he was arrested by Maechil's Honor Guard and thrown into prison alongside his father.
Unable to prevent the murder of his mother, sister, wife, and children, Andilar was in furious despair by the time and he and his father were led before the people for execution. However, he was given a glimpse of hope in his final moments upon hearing his father speak of a hero who would successfully defeat Maechil in the future.
He was then executed by Saenatar moments after watching his father suffer the same fate.
Cause of death: executed by Saenatar on Maechil's orders
Norran "Zane" Alkerias:
Spiky blonde hair, bright red eyes(birth); later dyed his hair blue to hide his identity
Ornate Ancient armor emblazoned with various glyphs and symbols
Zatorian's youngest child was named Norran at birth. Norran greatly admired both his father and older brother, following in Andilar's footsteps and becoming a Kingdom Slayer like his sibling. He served under his brother during many ventures into both the Realms of Light and Darkness and grew into a mighty warrior in his own right.
When his father was betrayed and slated for execution, Norran was saved from capture by Alix Crescent, a close friend of his brother. Alix successfully kept Norran out of the Council's eyes and Norran witnessed the murder of Zatorian and Andilar. Furious and determined to see Maechil pay for his actions, Norran decided to remain in the Golden City and bide his time. His father's final words had promised that a hero would emerge to defeat Maechil in times to come. When that time came, he would be in the best position to aid in Maechil's downfall.
Shedding his birth name and dying his hair a brilliant blue, Norran Alkerias was laid to rest with his family. Now, he took the name Zane and left behind everything that could link him to his family. The sole heirloom that he kept was his father's sword, hidden safely outside the Golden City. The only person in the city who knew his true identity was Alix Crescent, who helped him create a new persona to hide behind. Just as Norran had done, Zane entered the ranks of the Kingdom Slayers. Despite starting back at the beginning, he swiftly rose through the ranks.
Within decades, he had assumed his brother's old position as Captain. His goal was to get as close to Maechil as possible. He knew he did not have the skill or means to kill the creator, but he needed to be in the right position when the fabled hero appeared.
Thus, he was determined to become Commander of the Slayers as quickly as possible. He was Captain and only one rank under Commander, but there was one other Captain vying for the same position: a ruthless warrior named Sacron. The two became bitter rivals over the following decades. In the end, Zane was able to secure the Commander's post with some subtle help from Dawnomar, who had discerned the truth behind who he really was.
As Commander of the Kingdom Slayers, Zane had gained the second highest position in the kingdom that a non-Council member could hold. He resolved to in time gain the next and final position, but settled in to his role as Slayer Commander for the following two centuries. During his time as Commander, he took an apprentice, a younger woman named Vathina who he came to see as a daughter of sorts. The two undertook many missions together, and Zane considered many times telling her the truth of who he really was. However, Alix dissuaded him.
He struggled as Slayer Commander, seeing the Keyblades, his father's creations, turned against their purpose and in the hands of those who had betrayed his family. Despite this, he was able to hold his tongue and keep to his vengeful purpose. During this time, Lukas and his apprentices had begun amassing power to challenge the Ancients and Maechil ordered the Slayers to deal with the situation. Zane and Vathina were on a mission hunting Corruption at the time, and thus the orders fell to the Captain, Sacron.
Sacron eagerly went forth and battled Lukas and his twelve apprentices. Despite the great power that the humans held, Sacron managed to strike down Lukas. Bereft of their master, the apprentices proved easy pickings for the mighty Ancient. However, one of the twelve managed to escape Sacron's slaughter, being Rolan Vitrik. This lone Wielder would incidentally spawn the lineage that gave birth to Jack Rikkison, the legendary Wanderer and champion of whom Zatorian had seen and spoken about.
Sacron received accolades personally from Maechil, who gifted the Captain with the title of "Devastator". Zane and Vathina returned to the Golden City to find that Maechil had promoted Sacron to Slayer Commander for his victory. Due to this, Zane was promoted as well to Captain of the Council Honor Guard. Due to the victory of his rival, Zane had gained the highest non-Council position in the realm and was now where he had intended to be all along. He spent the next many centuries at Maechil's side, biding his time.
When Jack was born, the Council had met urgently to discuss the development. Zane attended, standing silently behind Maechil as his personal bodyguard. He hid his amusement at the panic evident in the room. Though many argued for killing the infant Rikkison on the Islands, but Maechil knew that it could not be done. Any action taken at that moment would be an act of aggression and in violation of his Pact with the Ultimacians. They would step in and forcibly remove him from the created universe as punishment for his actions. Instead, he began to craft many different schemes to steer the young human onto other paths.
These schemes called first for the manipulation of an old Keyblade Master named Xehanort, who tried and failed(under Anetar's advice) to draw the boy into the darkness. Then, the Divine Being Darkness merged with Marek, Jack's brother, and tried to do the same, failing again. Left with no other plans, Maechil sent forth Anetar to goad the humans into killing him as a way to nullify the Pact. This scheme succeeded, allowing Maechil to declare war on humanity.
For the first half of the war, Zane remained in place at Maechil's side. He did what he could to aid Jack unseen when the Wanderer infiltrated the Ancient Court. After the death of Jason Rikkison, Zane officially defected and joined Dawnomar at the humans' side. Though he and Jack clashed initially, they both came to greatly respect one another. Zane realized that Jack was his father's prophecy coming to pass, and Jack saw in Zane hope that the Ancient people could be swayed against Maechil.
While Zane took up arms with the LE against his own people, Alix Crescent took command of the Kingdom Slayers following the death of Sacron. Loyal to both Zane and Dawnomar and wishing to see Maechil defeated, Alix used the foundations of Adenar's schemes to form a powerful rebellion within the Golden City. Once he had gathered everyone willing to stand against Maechil, Alix followed Zane's example and joined the humans, accompanied by over a hundred Ancient warriors and Kingdom Slayers. This would mark the first time that Kingdom Slayers and human Keyblade Wielders fought alongside one another.
Throughout the remainder of the war, Zane served as a powerful ally of the LE as well as an example to his fellow Ancients. Revealing his identity as the last son of Zatorian, he joined his human allies in the final advance upon the Golden City.
As Jack battled and defeated Maechil, Zane helped secure the city. Following the deaths of Jack and Maechil and the rise of Oblivion, he mobilized what Ancients he could to combat the new threat. He remained at the humans' side during the clash with Oblivion, even piloting the LE's Gummi ship into the End of All Worlds in search of the True Kingdom Hearts.
Following the War for Kingdom Hearts, Zane chose to remain among his human friends while Dawnomar began to rebuild what was still intact within the Golden City. He took a place on the human Council of Sovereigns as the ambassador representing the Ancients and spent much time arguing in the LE's favor against many of his fellow Council members. He also remained welcome at the Hall of the Keybearers and spent countless hours in Sora's office, offering the Grandmaster advice on the matters at hand. It was also during this time that he took up his father's name again. He began to call himself Zane Alkerias, restating his belief that Norran had died with his family. Now, he would live as Zane.
He was alive and present when Sora and the Founder generation disappeared, though he was unwilling to give any answers as to the fates of Sora, Riku, Marek, and the rest.
During the years leading up to the War of the Factions, he remained on the Council of Sovereigns as well as a friend to the Keyblade Wielders. Just as with Sora, Zane was good friends with the Grandmaster of the time, Turias Yoric, and was the Wielders' fiercest ally on the Council of Sovereigns. During this time, he was the only living veteran of the Ancient War.
He was the only man in the Realm of Light to know that one of Jack's descendants survived a raid on the Rikkison camp, tracking down Jacob Rikkison and promising to keep his existence a secret.
Zane ended up being at the heart of events that caused the War of the Factions between the Keyblade Wielders and the Council of Sovereigns, detailed in the reports pertaining to Subject Freedom's Fall. Following these events, he returned to the Golden City and was never seen among humanity again. No further records of him exist.
Cause of death: alive when last seen
The last of the noteworthy Ancients belong to the group called the Kingdom Slayers. These were elite warriors under Maechil's command that were the Ancient equivalent of a Special Forces division. In its early days, the agency wielded powerful swords forged on the Anvil of Keys by Zatorian the Great. Following his death, they stole several of the original Keyblades and were able to mimic them into lesser copies. Thus, they became the Keyblade Wielders of the Ancient Realm. In time, Maechil would name them the Kingdom Slayers, as they were responsible for felling countless cities, kingdoms, and governments among the worlds of men. Both Zane and Andilar Alkerias served as Kingdom Slayers, but those that follow met their ends during the War for Kingdom Hearts.
The Kingdom Slayers
Sacron the Devastator:
Brown hair buzzed close to his head, gray eyes with many facial scars
Ornate Slayer armor fashioned personally by Maechil for his most powerful champion
Sacron was already a very powerful warrior by the time he was given a Keyblade as a Captain in the Kingdom Slayers. At the time, he and Zane rivaled over who would be chosen as the next Commander. Through political maneuvering, Zane managed to win out. Furious, Sacron set about making himself even stronger and more powerful.
He spent many years among the Realms of Light and Darkness, battling endlessly and gaining much strength from his plethora of victories.
When Zane departed on a mysterious mission, Sacron saw his chance to upstage his rival and went to Maechil with information about Lukas. Maechil in turn sent him after the human Keyblade Master and Sacron struck down not only Lukas, but nearly all of his apprentices as well. Only one, Rolan Vitrik, escaped him.
As a reward for his tremendous success, Maechil promoted Zane to Captain of the Honor Guard so that he could name Sacron as the new Slayer Commander. It was also at this time that he earned the title of "Devastator" for his defeat of the most powerful human warrior at the time, Lukas the First.
Sacron spent the following centuries in loyal servitude to Maechil, carrying out any and all orders that flowed in from the Council chambers.
By the time the War for Kingdom Hearts had erupted, he was eager to do battle against the new heroes of light. However, Maechil kept him and the Slayers in reserve as a last line of defense if the Golden City were invaded. After the deaths of Maynaimar, Kunomar, and the whole debacle involving Darian Voltare, Maechil had had enough of Jack Rikkison's dispatched the Kingdom Slayers into the Realm of Light. Sacron, having previously defeated humanity's strongest champion a thousand years prior, believed himself capable of doing so again.
Taking both of his Captains, Anzin and Vathina, he launched an assault on the kingdom of Camelot and faced off personally against both Jack and Pierce in battle. Though narrowly defeated by the two, he was unfazed and moved to other schemes.
One of his Captains, Anzin the Savage, died during the assault on Camelot at the hands of Zane. Enraged at the death of his loyal lieutenant, Sacron moved on to the city of Castlevania. Knowing that a powerful warrior lived there that had once defeated the Divine Being Light, he worked to prevent Jack from finding the man calling himself the Prince of Darkness. The man turned out to be Gabriel Belmont, a member of the early human clans from before Lukas had risen to prominence. The only human to ever defeat him without using a Keyblade, Sacron tried to bring Light back into the world in order to kill both Gabriel and Jack.
Together, the two heroes were able to defeat Sacron even after he merged with the Divine Being. The Devastator, victor of ten thousand battles, was slain at long last. With his death, Maechil lost one of his most deadly servants and the void left by Sacron's demise split the Kingdom Slayers into two opposing factions.
Cause of death: mortal wounds inflicted by Jack Rikkison and Gabriel Belmont.
Vathina the Merciless:
Black hair, brown eyes
Slayer armor gifted to her by her former master, Zane
Vathina was a rising warrior during the days when Zane became Commander over the Kingdom Slayers. Seeing great potential in the young woman, he took her on as his apprentice. She looked up to him and in time came to see him as a mixture of older brother and father figure. Learning under him for decades, she came to respect his passion for justice and dedication for truth. However, she never suspected just where these strong opinions came from.
When Zane was promoted to Captain of Maechil's Honor Guard, he had to leave the Kingdom Slayers behind for his new post. As his last act while Slayer Commander, he declared her a Master Agent, the Ancient equivalent of Keyblade Master. He then gifted her with his own Keyblade and trusted her to stay true to the values he had taught her.
He then left the Slayers' court for Maechil's side, leaving Vathina behind under the leadership of the new Commander Sacron. Though she initially held to what Zane had taught her, she soon fell behind Sacron's new vision for the agency. She found that her opinions of humanity were much closer to her new Commander's than to Zane's and dedicated her time to helping shape the new era of Ancient influence in the other Realms.
This led her to becoming one of two Captains directly under Sacron, the other being Anzin, a veteran of Sacron's sieges against Lukas and the early human clans. Her blossoming relationship to Sacron caused a rift between her and Zane, and by the time the War for Kingdom Hearts began, the two had not spoken for some time.
When Zane defected to join the humans and Dawnomar, Maechil tasked Sacron with leading a task force to dispatch both Zane and the leaders of the Light's Enforcers, namely Jack Rikkison and Sora. Sacron departed for the Realm of Light, taking both Anzin and Vathina with him.
During the following assault on Camelot, Vathina faced her former master in combat alongside Anzin. They were both defeated by the ex-Slayer Commander and Anzin died in the process. Vowing to kill her old mentor out of hatred for his betrayal, Vathina fled with Sacron and helped him stir up turmoil in Castlevania. When the humans followed, she once again challenged Zane to single combat. Though Zane did not wish to battle her, he did so.
The duel was brutal, but brief. Vathina was easily overpowered and impaled by her own blade, which had once been Zane's. Though he tried to reconcile with her, her dying words were spiteful and of a hope that he would die alone and forgotten. Angered over what Sacron had turned his old apprentice into, Zane shattered his old Keyblade and left her body where she had died. His resolve to stop Maechil's senseless actions burned stronger than ever.
Cause of death: mortal wounds inflicted by Zane Alkerias
Alix Crescent:
Shoulder-length blonde hair, brown eyes
Slayer-Plate armor with no sleeves, leaving his arms exposed
Alix Crescent was one of the original Kingdom Slayers, having joined and served in the time before Zatorian created the X-blade. He served alongside Zatorian's eldest son Andilar, the two developing a close bond of friendship over decades of service.
When the humans first arose, Alix was among the few Ancients to remain open-minded about their potential. His friendship with Zatorian's family caused him to sit in on many meetings between the great smith and Dawnomar, leading advocate for peace between all peoples. Alix came to respect Dawnomar greatly, seeing much wisdom in his words. As such, he was one of the few within the Slayers who argued against warring with humanity.
When Zatorian and Andilar were captured and set to be executed, Alix was able to snatch Norran out from under the noses of his fellow Slayers. The two witnessed the murder of Zatorian's entire family, unable to do anything to stop it. When Norran decided to remain in the Golden City and wait for the opportune time to strike against Maechil, Alix reluctantly helped him do so. With Alix's assistance, Norran took a new identity as well as the name Zane.
The two served together in the Kingdom Slayers for the following century, developing a close friendship just as Alix had once had with Andilar. Despite being in the Slayers far longer than Zane, Alix refused to accept any promotions within the agency and wanted to be overlooked as much as possible. When Zane become first Commander of the Slayers and then Maechil's Guard-Captain, Alix continued serving as if nothing had changed. Even after Zane left the Slayers, the two kept in contact and were very worried when the War for Kingdom Hearts broke out.
When Zane openly joined the humans, Alix began to make plans of his own. Using the foundations of Adenar's resistance, he was able to form a powerful opposition force to Maechil. When Sacron, Anzin, and Vathina died in the Realm of Light, all of the highest ranking Slayers were gone. Alix stepped in as acting Commander. However, he merely used this role to further develop his resistance forces. Once he had gathered everyone in opposition to Maechil, he reached out to Zane and met with both him and Jack Rikkison in the Realm of Light. A powerful and unprecedented alliance was formed between the two forces. For the first time in history, human and Ancient Keyblade Wielders joined together to do battle against a common foe.
Alix's goals were in line with Zane's: oust Maechil from power in order to end a war that was doing little beyond causing Ancient casualties. Alix firmly believed that only Maechil's death would save both Realms and fought alongside Zane and the humans in such hopes.
After Maechil's attack on Radiant Garden, Alix and Zane came up with a plan to trap Maechil at his weakest point. The Slayers loyal to them would use their collective power to prevent Maechil from drawing power to himself from the Golden City. Isolated from the energies built into his own Realm, Maechil could be beaten. Acting on this plan, Jack Rikkison gathered all available forces to the Keyblade Graveyard for a hopefully final battle against Maechil's armies.
Alix and his Kingdom Slayers were just one of such factions brought together by Jack. Others included a powerful Gummi Fleet provided by Mickey, the combined armies of the human world leaders on the Council of Sovereigns, and the entirety of the Denizens of Darkness commanded by Marek Rikkison. Alix himself joined Zane in standing beside the Keyblade Wielders during the climactic battle that followed.
As Jack, Marek, and Pierce battled Maechil in combat and war raged across the Keyblade Graveyard, Alix found himself in combat against Tsunetar. Angered by what the Slayers had become because of her, Maechil, and Sacron, Alix fought his hardest against Maechil's second-in-command. Zane tried to reach him in time, but was too late. Alix, his oldest friend and the closest remaining thing he had to family, was struck down coldly by Tsunetar.
Though Alix sadly did not live to see the results of his work after the war ended, his work on uniting the Ancients against Maechil helped make the difference in the war's conclusion. Zane spent the rest of his life honoring Alix's sacrifice, as did the humans. Following the war, Sora even commissioned a statue to be built in Alix's likeness, which was placed in the Hall of Memory alongside the most revered human Keyblade Wielders of the Founder Age including, Yen Sid, Eraqus, Jason Rikkison, and Jack himself.
Cause of death: mortal wounds inflicted by Tsunetar
In the days that followed the War for Kingdom Hearts, Dawnomar took leadership of the remaining Ancient people. Under his wisdom, culture changed drastically. Relations with the humans were relatively warm in the centuries following the Ancient War, at least until the end of the Founder Age. After the disappearance of Sora's generation, Dawnomar found the Council of Sovereigns pushing against him more and more. In time, things grew so tense that he began to fear another war. Even with the Divine Beings locked away and Kingdom Hearts submerged again, he believed that neither the humans nor Ancients could survive another conflict between each other.
When the War of the Factions broke out, Zane finally decided to return to the Golden City out of disgust for what the humans had become. With his worst fears realized, Dawnomar could only place his hopes for the future in the plans the Founders had laid prior to their disappearance. Left with no other choice, he shut the gates of the Golden City for good, once more separating the Realm of the Ancients from humanity.
Current records indicate that there still has been no further contact with the Ancient Realm since these events occurred. Whether Dawnomar is aware of events pertaining to Subject Veritas et Caelum is unknown.
And that is Entry Two complete! I have to say I'm enjoying this style of entry. These one-shots are a nice change of pace from the daunting multi-chapter arcs that are my norm.
Well, this will be my last update before Kingdom Hearts 3 is released. I'm going to take my time and enjoy the game when it comes out and I will probably be off the site for a couple of weeks to do so. I hope everyone else enjoys it too. When I come back after beating the game, I'm going to officially unveil my next project which has been alluded to many times in both this entry and the previous one.
Project "Freedom's Fall" is leaving the development stage and will hopefully be releasing by the end of February. It's going to be set in the Wanderer's Series just like the rest of my stories, taking place 150 years after the events of United We Stand which were talked about at length in this entry. I've laid much of the groundwork and foreshadowing for it already, so I hope you guys are excited for it. Obviously with it being so far in the future, we're going to have a new cast. I also took great pains to mention the disappearance of the Founder generation in these entries, with that obviously being Sora and the rest of the cast from the games and my other stories. It's going to be a new cast and new problems and enemies to face, but there will be quite a bit of callback to the old stuff as well. I hope you'll stay tuned for that when I manage to finally get it out. Beyond that, thanks so much for reading and let me know what you thought of this one! See you guys real soon!
