Chapter 6
As Jayson stepped out of the light portal he was placed in the middle of an inground rail road, wrapping around a shop. The store owner seemed to be a fluffy white creature with a red pom-pom attached to its head. The area had other shops and in one corner there was what appeared to be a restaurant, it was filled to the brim and even the tables outside were packed with people. Everything seemed to be bathed in an orange glow. It seemed peaceful enough, until someone tapped Jayson on the shoulder.
"You do realize that traveling between worlds without a passport or proper permission is a violation of the law, right?" the voice was deep and mellow. The person speaking was taller than Jayson, with shoulder length dirty blonde hair and light brown eyes, he had chin scruff and he looked serious. It startled Jayson and he began mumbling.
"But Riku never told me about that, I feel like he would have if it was a real thing, but maybe other worlds have different rules from our own…" Jayson was going to apologize before another voice, this one attached to a lady with shoulder length brown hair and green eyes, with a soft face; there were smile lines already forming on her face.
"Hayner, you know you're not supposed to scare newcomers like that! He might not know the rules, and that's a bad joke." Hayner laughed heartily, scratching the back of his neck.
"Come on, Olette, can't I have a little fun? And besides, I don't think he really believed it, he knows Riku somehow." He shot Jayson a well-intentioned smile, and he returned a wary one. A shorter man ran up to them, panting.
"You guys couldn't have waited for me, you know what Yen Sid said, 'You have to approach him as one, be accepting, and don't say anything that can be misconstrued as malevolent.' And Hayner you did…. Exactly that." His hair was standing up, aided by a hair wrap. He had a round face, boyish in nature, and light blue eyes. They all turned to Jayson, expecting his input, and he provided.
"Riku told me about the world order, but it seems like that doesn't matter, and who are you guys? How do you know Yen Sid? I though only Keyblade wielders and people like Donald and Goofy could meet him?" They looked at each other and shrugged, tossing the question back at Jayson.
"You don't have a Keyblade, last time we heard, and we're assuming Riku told you about him. Where is Riku, anyway? I don't think you can be out and about without-"
"Well I am, because Riku and Kairi are in the realm of darkness, and I can wield a Keyblade, kinda had to so the worlds won't be destroyed by darkness and the Foretellers." He replied with a snap, looking down at the ground guilty a moment later. "I'm sorry, is there any way I can see Yen Sid? I think he should know what's going on, powerful former master and all…" They nodded in sync, and before heading to the train station, showed Jayson around. The tour was quick, starting in the Tram square and going towards the Mansion, then rounding back and heading towards the station. On the hill climb up towards the tram station a sudden question caught Jayson.
"So how do you guys know about other worlds? Are you guys part of the new batch of Keyblade wielders that I've heard about?"
"Uhhhh, no. We knew about the other worlds well before that. Sora showed up one day near the end of summer vacation and we had never seen him before and we asked if he had finished the Homework and he looked so confused." The three had a good laugh about that memory, but Jayson was deep in thought. "Who's Sora? He obviously did something good, and Kairi and Riku seem to know him, they just don't mention it. An old friend from before the second war? Hmmm, it's really weird." He shook his head, deciding to ask Yen Sid about it as soon as he could. And off they went, to the mysterious tower…
The train ride to the tower was very quiet. The sun setting in the distance as the stars whizzed by at incredible speeds. The track seemed to be forming itself as they went along, guiding them towards their destination. At last the train slowed down and came to a complete stop, as Jayson stepped out he was taken aback by just how small the island was, lacking surprise as Kairi had told him about the lone island floating in space, with a strange tower near the edge. Thinking of little else he had stepped ahead when a small batch of Shadows and Soldiers popped up, only to be quickly struck down by immensely powerful, yet small strikes of lightning, targeting each of the heartless individually. After they were dispatched Hayner scoffed before lightly speaking "Show off…"
The climb up the tower was a different beast and thinking about how the staircase was just levitating in the air was a bit concerning. They knocked on the door and an even, baritone voice wizened with age spoke through, softly yet booming in nature.
"Come in, I have been expecting you for some time now." They followed his command, entering the room and spreading out, with Hayner and Olette on Jayson's right, and Pence on his left, Jayson center, right in front of Yen Sid. They all bowed respectfully, before Jayson spoke.
"Master Yen Sid, I have terrible news from Destiny Islands and the Kingdom of Arendelle. But there is some good news as well, if you'll allow me." An affirmative grunt was all that accompanied the silence, Jayson took this as a yes and kept going. He told the story of Destiny Islands and of Luxu, of Arendelle and Aced. The Foretellers were back somehow, and they were determined to force the worlds to fall to darkness. After he had reached where he was now he decided to ask his question.
"Master, if these people aren't from this time, if they really are from the past, how were they able to be here, now? Shouldn't they all be dead, or at least really old?"
"It seems they did not time travel in the sense we know it, it was more that they were summoned here by one of their own, someone who knew what they were doing, where to meet, and all other things necessary to lead them."
"Luxu! He must be the missing link, then. He seemed like he knew what he was doing when I encountered him on Destiny Islands, he tossed me aside like I was a wad of paper."
"Before we continue, Hayner, Pence, Olette, you may all leave us now. You did your jobs commendably." They all bowed and left, but Jayson had a suspicion they were hiding just behind the door and graced himself with a small smile. Another grunt, and he knew to continue.
"Why doesn't my Keyblade have a Keychain? Riku's and Kairi's does, so why not mine?" A small laugh escaped Yen Sid as he stood, walked slowly over to a cabinet, and fished out of it a single keychain, tossing it over to Jayson, who caught it after fumbling with it for a few seconds.
"Attach that to the end of your Keyblade and see why you don't have one of your own." The keychain in question was short, linked with gold, ending in a silver star set with a strangely vibrant gem. Doing as Jayson was asked, his Keyblade began to glow and shift, and once the glow dissipated the Keyblade had changed from its usual gold and silver design to a flowing, rounded blade. Golds and blues flowed from the star shaped teeth of the blade. He flipped the blade around in his hand, looking up with wide eyes.
"This is new…"
"Ha! Hardly, Sora had a similar ability to fish out Keychains from the worlds he visited, sometimes they were gifts from the friends he made, other times they just seemed to appear on his person. I feel that you will have similar experiences in your travels. Now, focus on your original Keyblade, and allow it to take form in your grasp." Jayson concentrated on his first Keyblade, the gold and silver and blue and in another flash of light like the first, his base weapon appeared in his hand, but the Keychain of the second remained.
"Woah! Cool! How many can I have on at once on this? Do they have any effect or are they just aesthetic? And will I get any new clothes?!"
"…In order of your questions, I believe three would be the most, they do influence your attributes, which I will explain shortly, and yes, I have new garments for you, young Jayson. They may not be up to par with the others clothing but I feel that you will find them sufficient and comfortable. Go into the room adjacent and get changed, I will explain more of your mission after you have finished." With a wave of his hand and a puff of smoke a black and blue suitcase with hearts and stars adorning the outside materialized on the desk in front of him, Jayson stared in awe and grasped the handle, giving a quick thanks before rushing into the room. Many covered mirrors of various shapes and sizes were strewn across the walls. And with a playful huff he set the suitcase down and began to change.
After changing into a white shirt, black pants with matching red and black shoes, and a reversible vest-jacket with black and red on the outside and inside respectively Jayson stepped out of the room and found that a man with a fiery mane wearing similarly dark clothes was standing in front of the desk, and hand on his hip and sass in his tone as he continued to speak.
"-C'mon, Yen Sid! He's just a kid, he doesn't even know how to properly wield his Keyblade!"
"He appears to be naturally adept, Lea. Give him a small chance and see where it goes." Yen Sid's response was calm and collected, as to be expected, Jayson thought. He walked over and bowed to Lea and to Yen Sid, before summoning his own Keyblade, then morphing it into the shooting star. He gave a smirk to Lea.
"Bet you can't do that."
"Oh, you wanna go kid? Riku's told me all about you-"
"You've been in contact with Riku!?" Jayson's eyes lit up as he dismissed his Keyblade, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet as Lea looked at him with a mix of sadness and understanding. He looked to Yen Sid and He nodded, turning to Jayson before speaking,
"Jayson, you must go to these worlds and re-seal the Keyholes that the Foretellers are unlocking to stop the tide of darkness they are allowing to flourish within our worlds. Do you understand this?"
"Yes, but why can't one of the other masters do it? Aqua, Terra and Ventus are all much more experienced than I am with dealing with the darkness, and shouldn't I be training?"
"Of course, but Luxu, the leader of the Foretellers, targeted your world and you specifically, there has to be a reason for that, I believe it is your purpose to stop them because of this."
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense, but what are these clothes and keychains supposed to do?"
"The garments are imbued with a magic that will change your form to suit the world you will be going into. The Keychain is similar, it will boost certain aspects of yourself, such as your magical ability or strength. There are many scattered across the worlds, you must find them to help you on your travels." Jayson nodded before turning back to Lea, sighing before attempting to walk to the door, Lea coughed rather obviously to get his attention.
"Why don't I take you somewhere real quick? It'll help pep you up for your journey, promise!" Jayson pondered it for a moment; he never got the chance to truly talk to any of the key wielders personally. He nodded, following Lea as he made his way out the door and down the stairs. Bowing quickly to master Yen Sid, he followed quickly.
After stepping off the phantom train, Lea and Jayson snuck up onto the roof of the clocktower, he waved at the sunset as he sat down on the edge of the platform.
"Come on, kid, you won't fall unless you really want to! I got something for you too, so come here!" Hesitantly Jayson made his way to the edge and sat beside Lea, suddenly he pulled out two bars of blue ice cream, handing one to Jayson and unwrapping his own and chowing down. Jayson opened his own and took a small nibble, noticing its flavor and wanted to voice it.
"Salty, but sweet… not bad."
"That's what everyone says, and I mean everyone… so kid, what's got you all worked up?" Jayson sighed before beginning.
"Well, my home fell to darkness, and I was thrust here with little to no actual knowledge of what I'd be facing! Now I'm told that I'm supposed to save everyone on my own! It's a lot, you know?" Lea nodded in understanding, gazing out at the sunset. He smiled softly before giving him his wisdom.
"You know, it might be a lot to handle, but you have a strength that isn't seen in a lot of people, that's why the Keyblade chose you! I mean, we've all had to deal with saving the worlds, we've done our part, and now it's your turn."
"But still! Shouldn't I get a little help?! Sora had Donald and Goofy, after all!"
"How did you know that? I'm pretty sure Riku and Kairi didn't tell you anything about Sora, or about his journey…" Jayson was definitely stumped, himself. The words had just flown out of his mouth as naturally as breathing.
"I don't know… that just feels right, though. I feel like I shouldn't be alone for this, but I guess I have no choice."
"I know you can do it, kid. Don't worry about it so much, things like this come naturally to us." He could tell that Jayson wasn't too cheered up by this, so he decided to switch things up a bit.
"Hey, do you know why the sun sets red?"
"Why are you asking me?"
"Well, because I feel like everyone should know, is all…" Jayson decided to humor him and chuckled a bit before letting Lea continue.
"Go on…"
"It's because light is made up of lots of colors, and out of all those colors, red travels the farthest. Pretty neat, right?"
"Yeah, that is pretty neat…" Jayson smiled slightly, gazing out at the sunset, taking occasional bites out of his ice cream as they stared at the sunset in a small bubble of quiet. It was a nice quiet though, peaceful even. After finishing the bars, they parted, Lea waving goodbye as Jayson stayed behind to reflect on what he said.
"It might be a lot to handle, but if what Lea said was true, it should be easier than I imagine… maybe I can make some friends on the way, that would be nice… whelp, time to go!" As Jayson stood up he summoned his Keyblade, focused extremely hard on his next destination, anywhere I can help people and save the worlds, and the light shot forth from his Keyblade once more and he entered, unknowing of the person watching him from around the corner, who turned away and left through their own dark corridor, destination: unknown.
Gummiphone entries:
Hayner: A boy that met Sora some time ago, after his encounter and subsequent knowledge of other worlds, He, Olette, and Pence all banded together to form a police force of sorts to regulate the world order and travel to and from Twilight Town. Him and the others work under Yen Sid to help new wielders that pop up to find their way to training. He enjoys pranking people.
Olette: Friend to Hayner and Pence. She met Sora at the same time as the others. She also works under Yen Sid. She has to keep Hayner's pranks in check.
Pence: Friend to Hayner and Olette. He met Sora at the same time and also works under Yen Sid. He enjoys taking photos of strange and mysterious things.
Ability Sewn Clothing: After Sora's first adventure against Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, Sora was given new clothing that gave him new abilities such as dual wielding Keyblades. While Jayson cannot do that, the magic sewn into his clothing gives him the ability to blend into any world he's in.
Keychains: Chains with little trinkets on the end of them. Attaching them to the end of Jayson's Keyblade will change their appearance and boost certain aspects of himself. Such as Strength, Magic, and so on. He can have three Keychains equipped at a time and can change between Keyblades at will.