Here's the third installment to Book Four: Light. I'm not going to say anything other than that it's about to get very interesting very fast. Enjoy!
The In-Between, in its vast and seemingly infinite space, felt somehow contained as Riku and Kairi set out on their mission, as if a cylindrical barrier was surrounding them. Both Riku and Kairi have traveled between worlds before, but traveling the Lanes Between in their Armor was a far different experience than flying wildly in a Gummi Ship or stepping through a Corridor of Darkness. Sticking to the path seemed much more essential and it required much more skill to ride these vessels; make one wrong move and the Keyblade wielders could be faced with being stranded in space, getting separated from each other or crashing right into another world.
The first thing Riku needed to do when he arrived is contact Master Yen Sid when they approached the world. From there, Kairi and he would need to choose a place to land a little bit further from any major cities to ensure that they aren't spotted from the sky by a massive amount of people. As to what they needed to do from there Riku didn't know, but trouble always seems to find its way towards Keybearers, so he trusted that it wouldn't be too difficult to pick up what he needed to do.
The world Riku and Kairi were approaching was absolutely huge, bigger than any world they have ever encountered other than The World That Never Was. Unlike the Nobody's home world, however, this world wasn't in the least menacing; rather, the world the Avatar inhabited seemed serene and peaceful from a distance. Riku could tell, however, that what they saw was hardly representative of this world. For one, Riku could not see or sense the Spirit World; in many regards, it felt like just like any other world. The second thing to note was that he couldn't sense any Darkness radiating from this world. Riku took this as a good sign, but grew weary in the thought, knowing from Master Yen Sid that Darkness very much existed in this world. Perhaps the Darkness and the Spirit World manifested on a different plane of existence? Riku could only hypothesize as he gave Kairi a signal to halt and grabbed his communicator.
Kairi drew near the Keyblade Master, and while her face was impossible to read underneath that armor, Riku could sense her anticipation.
Riku and Kairi could make out the face of Yen Sid in the communicator, who gave a nod as the communication stabilized.
"I see that you have made it safely," Yen Sid contently smiled, "I have finally prepared the magic Kairi will need when you enter this world. Kairi," Yen Sid beckoned for her to come closer to the screen as Riku turned the screen towards her. Yen Sid then gathered magic in his hand, where various reds, blues, yellows, and other vibrant colors synthesized into a bright, white orb of light. From there, Yen Sid allowed the white orb to pass through the communicator slowly and carefully. The orb reappeared as it exited the monitor on Kairi's side, passing through her armor as her body and heart absorbed the magic, becoming a part of her.
"I have granted you the elemental powers of fire, ice, air, and lightening; the cosmic powers of time and gravity; the ailments of poison, sleep, and confusion, the defensive ability of reflection, and the transcendent power of light. Use them as you see it, Princess of Heart," Kairi nodded as she felt the warmth and power of her stronger magic envelop her.
"When you exit the portal and break through the atmosphere, land near the great walled city of Ba Sing Se. From there, enter the city's Upper Ring. I had already sent Lea ahead of you on a reconnaissance mission to collect intelligence, so note every observation he makes, no matter how minute. Blending in and wearing the traditional clothing of that region's people is critical, for drawing the attention of the new Organization XIII could compromise your mission. Your Armor can also change form, so I would recommend concealing it in any way you can as well."
"Above all, you cannot disclose information about other worlds or about the Keyblade to any other individuals than the Avatar or the new Keybearer," Master Yen Sid emphasized, "for that would be considered meddling in the affairs of other worlds and such meddling can have dire consequences."
"Understood," Kairi said. Riku just nodded.
"One more thing; this world has different properties than the rest, as I have told you. I do not know how this may affect you when you enter, but be prepared for any eventuality."
"I will keep that in mind," Riku stated, looking at Kairi, who nodded in agreement.
"I wish you luck. If either of you run into any problems, contact me so that I can offer any wisdom or advice you may need. If it becomes necessary, I will send reinforcements."
"Got it," Riku said, "I will report to you again when we have contacted Lea."
Master Yen Sid nodded as Riku signed off, looked to Kairi and opened a portal.
"Prepare yourself for anything; I've never landed in a world using this method, so it might be a bumpy ride," Riku smiled, giving two thumbs up, "but good luck, though!"
"Are you trying to give me a Death Flag?" Kairi rolled her eyes.
"Anyways, stick closely to me and we won't get separated," Riku placed both hands back on his vessel and flew into the portal, Kairi following closely. The portal, unlike before, felt turbulent, which Kairi immediately contributed to the roaring upper atmosphere as she emerged from the portal. Her red cape was fluttering in every imaginable direction; the sky was filled with storm clouds, the gales were mercilessly knocking her vessel around. Electricity was flying in every direction and Kairi set up a Reflectga to repel any stray bolts. Trying to keep the vessel under control and keeping up magic for a long period of time began draining Kairi fast. As she emerged from the upper atmosphere, past the storm clouds, a heavy blizzard smashed against her Reflectga, making visibility a challenge. Reflectga wasn't meant to be set up for long and the frost began corroding at her barrier and impairing her vision. Thinking on her feet, Kairi created a ring of Fira magic around her, dispelling the barrier and bringing the Fire closer to her to keep her Armor from freezing completely. In a last, desperate attempt, she tried to steer her vessel towards the eye of the storm.
Strength fading, Kairi saw a cave in the distance, but by the time she approached it, her strength left her as her Fira magic dispersed and, finally, her vessel losing energy completely. She could see the snowy, rocky, merciless terrain underneath her, the hills looking like jagged spikes ready to impale her limb body. Kairi's eyes stung from the battering wind as she began descending slowly, her closing naturally as her body fell limp, descending more rapidly than before.
Kairi was freefalling.
Falling…
Falling…
Falling into darkness…
Kairi snapped awake, her vessel disappearing as she summoned her Keyblade. She immediately tried to summon one of her newest Spells, Zero Gravitga. Having long since been drained, only a weak anti-gravity field formed around her, easing her descent greatly, but not stopping it. With Riku holding the supplies for their trip and without any Ethers and Mega-Elixirs, Kairi was out of options. She braced for impact, moving her arms up in front of her face to shield herself.
Kairi could not believe what she saw next. The snow beneath her seemed to move with her arms, moving upward and melting into water to form a cushion of water. Kairi hit the water, but the water moved around her to ease her fall without severely injuring her, moving with her arms as she uncovered her face. As Kairi moved her arms down, the water softly fell around her into the snow, freezing instantaneously.
"W-what was that?" Kairi's eyes widened, "my magic ran out, but the water moved itself to cushion my fall. So how did that happen?" Kairi looked perplexed, but feeling weaker and her Armor beginning to freeze, she slowly got up and moved sluggishly to the cave. Taking cover from the storm, she deactivated her Armor, leaving only her pink mini-dress, a white halter top, her sneakers, black spanks, and her Armor on both of her shoulders. She took off the Armor and kept it nearby as a precaution so that it would not freeze her.
It has been hours since Kairi has landed in this desolate, barren tundra. Riku was nowhere to be found. The storm relentlessly ranged on. She couldn't tell whether it was day or night outside with the sky being so dark. Kairi needed to wait until her magic returned to her so that she could travel out of this frozen hell without risking the loss of shelter. If the storm could seize or even lighten slightly, she would have higher odds of escaping as well.
Kairi had made progress into making herself more comfortable. She remembered learning in Yen Sid's study about a society of people who lived in the tundra and used the ice blocks to keep themselves insulated. Using her keyblade and a small amount of fire and ice magic, Kairi carved several blocks out of the frozen ground using the sharp edge of her Keyblade heated with fire magic, carried them to the entrance of her shelter, and refroze them with ice magic. She repeated this process several times, stacking the blocks on top of each other until she formed a crude, corbel arch, providing an opening to her effective, but crude shelter built.
Kairi also tinkered with the water, using her fingers to shift the water into various shapes before allowing it to settle into the snow once again to freeze. Her first priority was to keep herself warm, her second to keep herself hydrated, her new ability granting her the ability to satisfy both needs. Kairi learned quickly that she could manipulate the temperature of the water and used this advantage to superheat some of the snow into a mild steam, keeping herself warm. She also turn a little of the snow into drinkable water to avoid needing to eat snow. Keeping the steam warn, however, required a fair amount of energy, and so Kairi could not keep the air warm too often, just enough to avoid freezing to death.
After what felt like half a day, Kairi began to see lights glow from the outside of her shelter. Removing the residual steam from her skin to avoid frostbite, Kairi stepped outside her shelter, the bitter whips of the cold wind slapping her skin. She stared into the sky. The eye of the storm seemed to have made its way over her shelter above, but this isn't what caught Kairi's eye. An aurora covered the sky, dancing in brilliant colors, and Kairi was reminded of the vivid colors she often saw in romantic art. This entrancing light…it was calling her, as if voices from another world were pleading with her. Kairi tried to listen, but her desperate situation pulled her back as she realized this was the time to move. Kairi entered her temporary shelter, superheating her Armor before equipping it once more. Activating the Armor with a brilliant flash of light, she stepped outside of the shelter, throwing her keyblade to summon her vessel. Looking back at her shelter, she smiled wearily before flying off into the distance.
Kairi flew into the eye of the storm, flying past the aurora and above the clouds, with no idea as to which direction to follow. She flew over the clouds, using her Reflectga sparingly to deflect any lightning that headed in her direction, but doing her best to conserve her magic. Occasionally, her new ability allowed her to part the water molecules in the clouds impeding her way, but her ability still had it limits and she also used it sparingly, focusing on steering her vessel past the storm. After nearly an hour of flying, the storm seemed to lessen in strength below and Kairi would occasionally check below for any signs of life. After five or six times of disappointment, Kairi was able to make out smoke coming from a distance. Not wanting to lose her lead, Kairi braved the lighter, but persistent snow below as she desperately made her way to the first sign of civilization.
Kairi was rewarded with the sight of a city made of snow. Several tents, flying a blue flag decorated with a crescent shaped moon and waves protruding from the crescent inside a bigger circle, inhabited the outskirts of the city nearby a vast ocean that extended for miles. Several large, sailed boats could be seen at the docks, bobbing in the rough waves. Larger, more complex igloos sat inside the perimeter of an ice wall that extended over a mile long, where several smokestacks exhaled the smell of cinders and embers from their pipes into the atmosphere. In the epicenter of the city, the ice carved streets met where an intricate ice building, a shrine of frozen beauty, commanded attention from the surrounding igloo structures. Kairi's was relieved beyond words to find this civilization, but as her relief settled in, her energy began to falter. She attempted to land outside the city, but the winds carried her towards the tents. Kairi managed to lower her velocity and altitude greatly before lightly crashing into the snow below, the snow cushioning her fall once again. Landing in front of the largest tent in the military-like formation, Kari fell off her vessel as it disappeared, her Armor deactivating as she passed out in the snow.
Well, this was an unexpected chapter for me to write. I initially had something a little different planned, but I guess the writing spirit got to me and I ended up really liking how this chapter turned out. Anyways, I'll try and have the next chapter up as soon as I can, but I hope you enjoyed. Please review! Telling me how I did helps me write better in the future.