Whew, it sure took long enough. Here's chapter four, one in which I am a bit reluctant to release, but I didn't want to leave you people hanging for too long (plus it was already bordering three thousand words anyway). As my profile page states, I am indeed a busy person now, and I'm sorry I can't update any faster. Writer's block isn't helping me any, either D:

Anyway. Enjoy!

Prototype

By FlikFreak

Chapter Four: Fabled Countryside

Roxas woke up feeling particularly groggy, and the dizzying sensation returned for a moment. The dream was still clear in his memory. He recognized the room as the dining room in the old mansion, only it was in much better condition. The boy that passed by so closely was also so familiar to him, hey he couldn't make out his face clearly. That dream...could it have been linked to the mansion's past?

Rubbing his head, Roxas dismissed the thought and pushed open his window, staring outside at the flock of birds that swept past. After getting dressed and grabbing some breakfast, he headed straight for the usual spot. Like usual, he was early, and Sora was sitting on the sofa, staring at the ground oddly. When he noticed Roxas's arrival, he glanced up and waved. Morning.

"Good morning," Roxas replied. "Were the others here earlier?"

Sora shook his head. No. They haven't come yet. He went back to staring at the floor. Hey, Roxas...could you do me a favor today?

This was new. Roxas tilted his head, shrugging. "That depends, I guess."

Well, I should probably explain first. See, this morning, right before I woke up, I felt part of my memory come back.

Hesitation. Roxas recalled that Sora had mentioned having no memory of his past. Maybe being asleep for so long kept him from recalling it right away. If so, it probably wasn't something serious that prevented him; only sleep. "Really? What'd you remember?"

Not much. There was also this old man that I knew. He lived away from town, and we had to take a special train to see him. He was a good friend of my family; he might know something about me.

"It's a start," Roxas replied. "Are you going to go see him today?"

At those words, Sora shifted uneasily. Actually, I was hoping you would go with me.

Roxas felt uneasy at this. Once again, Sora was singling him out. But what for? It wasn't that he seemed suspicious, but Roxas simply couldn't discern why Sora picked him of all people. Maybe it had something to do with them being able to communicate like they did. He rubbed his arm. "Well, I don't think it'd be a good idea to just leave everyone here without telling them where we went. Besides, I don't feel comfortable keeping secrets from them."

I'll leave them a a note. Besides, we can always tell them about it when we get back.

Hearing this, Roxas began to protest that he could just bring everyone with them, but Sora seemed firm about his decision to only bring Roxas. He sighed. "Alright, but we can't stay gone for long, okay?"

Sora smiled brightly. Got it. Follow me.

It turned out that Sora hadn't wanted Roxas to follow him to another house, but all the way across town. By some twist of luck, they made it to the train station in record time, where Sora immediately led him past the ticket stand to an old, violet train. Roxas bit his lip. "We have to take a train to see him?"

It's not as far as you think, Sora insisted. And don't worry about buying tickets. Come on.

Reluctantly, Roxas followed Sora as he pushed open the door to the train and stepped in. The inside of the train wasn't nearly as ancient-looking as the outside, and the seats were actually very comfortable. It was only when the door closed that Roxas noticed that they were the only ones on board. "...Sora? Who runs this train?"

Sora either didn't hear him or ignored him. Currently he was leaning against the door, looking wistfully outside of the window. Only then did Roxas recall a story that Pence had told him once.

"There's an old urban legend about a Ghost Train. It runs past the beach, and you can see it from Sunset Hill. There's no driver, no conductor, no passengers...NO RETURN."

Hayner rolled his eyes. "Cut the dramatics, Pence. So it's a ghost train. Has anyone ever gotten on it?"

Pence furrowed his eyebrows for a moment. "I dunno. The story only started coming up around the time Ansem the Wise was getting all that attention for adopting those kids. I asked the people at the train station about it, but they said that they don't know anything about a train that runs by itself. They said it's impossible."

"Maybe Ansem came up with some new technology?" Olette offered.

Pence shook his head. "If he did, then why would they not use it now?"

"Because it makes people like you ramble on about it like it's some supernatural occurrence," Hayner retorted with a hidden smirk.

Roxas suddenly realized that he was aboard the train in question, and shot to his feet in alarm. He had to make it to the exit. If what Pence said was right-

Sit down, Sora said, noticing him. We're about to go.

Unfortunately for Roxas, Sora's warning came too late and he ended up falling awkwardly to the floor as the train took off from the station. Sora made a chuckling movement, and Roxas felt his face turn red as he righted himself and held onto one of the iron bars. "Thanks for the warning," he muttered, but after a few seconds he couldn't help but crack a smile, too.

Prototype Stimulation approaching high levels. Assimilation speed increaKKKRRRSSSHHHH.

Prorotype location unidentified. Scanning...

Scan complete. Prototype location unknown. Assimilation entering Standby Mode.

Error.

Roxas could hardly believe what he saw when he stepped off the train. Not only did the sky look like someone threw a bucketload of auroras in it (which made it look beautiful, mind you, but it also threw him for quite a loop), but they were on a floating chunk of land in the middle of what strongly reminded him of outer space. When he turned toward the train, it vanished behind him. 'No return' indeed. "S-Sora..."

Don't worry, Sora replied with a reassuring smile. When we're ready to go back, it'll show up again.

Though he considered asking Sora how he knew such a fact, Roxas began to realize that he wasn't quite ready to return. He was curious, he inwardly admitted, about whoever lived in the strangely-shaped tower before them. Sighing, he turned to follow Sora.

The inside of the structure was definitely much larger than what the outside had implied. While Roxas was astounded by this fact, Sora didn't seem set off at all, and simply began heading up the stairs and gesturing Roxas to follow closely. Don't worry. It's safe.

"That's not what I was worried about," Roxas replied, still staring at his surroundings. There were pillars lining the walls and the floor was made of stone. At the foot of the railway for the stairs were odd cone-like shapes decorated with crescent moons and stars.

Come on. We don't want to keep him waiting for too long.

Nodding absently, Roxas headed up the stairs after Sora. It wasn't long before the stairway shifted entirely, forming a stereotypical staircase that one would see in a medieval tower: made from stone, with large brick walls all around them. The main difference, however, was the fact that the stairs seemed to be floating in midair. Not only that, but now the tower seemed even bigger.

The stairs seemed to go on forever, and Roxas had to pause a few times to catch his breath. It wasn't helped that twice on the way up, they seemed to reach doors to rooms that he hadn't even seen before...rooms once again decorated with crecent moons and stars. Whoever built this place must've had a thing for astronomy...and heights. Finally, they reached a straight set of stairs before arriving at the final door, which was decorated with a shape similar to what rested at the very bottom of the staircase (which, by now, felt like it was miles away). It was at this point that Sora stopped.

Before we go in, Sora began, Just remember to be polite, okay? He was a friend of my family and all, but he's really high up, if you get what I mean.

Roxas crossed his arms. "Kinda like one of those people you just don't question?"

Sora nodded. Yeah. A lot like that.

"Okay," Roxas replied. "I'll just...stay quiet, I guess."

That works too, Sora shrugged, pushing open the door and walking in.

The room beyond had several shelves full of books. One shelf had a number of journals, and there was even a small chalkboard tucked away in one corner, along with several pots. In the center of the room, however, stood a table and a large, skinny chair, in which sat a blue-robed man with a familiar pointed hat (the same shape on the stairwell and the door, Roxas later realized) and long, gray beard. His eyes were as mysterious as the tower itself, and seemed to bore right into Roxas's soul. Sora bowed respecfully before the man without hesitation. Greetings, Master Yen Sid.

The amount of reverence in Sora's thoughts was immence. After initial surprise at this, Roxas turned to repeat Sora's statement to Yen Sid, but hesitated when the man nodded. "It has been a while since I last saw you, Sora."

And at that, Roxas blinked. Then he gawked. Then he realized his rudeness and closed his mouth again to speak normally. "Y-You can hear him?" And there went his temporary vow of silence.

Yen Sid gave Roxas what seemed to be a scathing look, but he nodded all the same. "Yes. In a place such as this, it is possible."

Why is that, sir? Sora asked.

"There are several powerfal wards that I have set upon my tower," the man replied. "With this comes a great aura that suppresses some power and magnifies others. The force that grants you telepathy is magnified here, allowing me to hear you."

Sora nodded. That's how you can hear me?

"Correct. There are other effects from this as well. You may have noticed, Roxas, that your previous fatigue has left you."

"Yeah, you're right. I don't-" Roxas couldn't stop the gawk this time, cutting himself off when the old wizard's words hit him. "Wait, how do you know my name?! And how did..."

Yen Sid gave an amused grin, but didn't answer the question. "So, tell me why you are here, Sora."

The explanation was shorter than Roxas had anticipated. Sora recited the story of how Roxas had found him in the mansion, and how he had only been able to speak to Roxas and him alone and how his memories were gone and only one had come back to him. All through it, Yen Sid listened carefully. Once finished, the old man crossed his hands. "So I see. It is how I predicted..."

Yet another strange oddity about this man. This time, however, Sora spoke up. What is it, sir?

There was a moment's hesitation, and Yen Sid looked worried very briefly. "There is not much I can do for you, Sora. If it's your memories you're worried about, you need not fret over that. They will come back to you gradually. As for the rest..."

There's more? Sora asked.

Roxas was about to say the same thing, but he closed his mouth when Sora voiced his own thoughts (well, sort of) and nodded. Sora only really seemed more concerned with his loss of memories. Nothing else really bothered him, not even the loss of voice. Roxas himself remained silent, knowing that it was Sora that wanted to speak about this the most. The question again rose in his mind, however...why him?

"You have power, Sora," Yen Sid replied. "You may not remember, due to your time asleep in Nevras Mansion. This power will return to you, Sora, along with everything else you have lost. However, I must warn you that there are dangers to this that you may not anticipate."

Sora swallowed so hard it was audible. ...what kind of dangers, sir?

Yen Sid weaved his fingers together. "It is nothing serious at first," he began, "But eventually, if you do not learn to control this power, Roxas will be the one to suffer."

Roxas started. "M-Me? What do I have to do with this!? I just..."

The mere glance that Yen Sid gave Roxas silenced him, but thankfully the man didn't seem angry. "Roxas, you and Sora are strongly connected to one another through invisible ties. While this may be an aid to both of you, it will also place you in great danger."

I'll protect Roxas, Sora said firmly, No matter what it takes.

This news caught Roxas by surprise, but Yen Sid did not look quite so relieved. "That may be very well, Sora, but in your current state, that very protection could be the danger that I speak of."

Sora blinked, taken aback. How? How is protecting someone hurting them?

Yen Sid shook his head. "I cannot say. My apologies, Sora. I wish very much to tell you more, but knowledge can be a dangerous thing to have, even to the one that deserves to know it most."

But what should I do? Sora protested. I wanna know who I am! I can't just sit around and wait for it to come to me! What if something happens and I don't know how to fix it? And what about this power? How can I know how to protect someone from myself?! You can't just--

"Calm down," Roxas cried, shocked at Sora's outburst and doing all he could to keep from clutching his head. Something trickled into the back of his mind: anger, despairation, vehemence, confusion, all rolled up in one and threatening to crush him.

After merely two moments, there was a surge of something in the air and Sora ceased his telepathic rampage, and Roxas felt the weight in his mind lifting. Sora was gasping for breath, and Yen Sid had stood, making himself appear quite intimidating. "I do not blame you for your confusion," he said softly, "But you must understand that I do this for your own good, Sora. I cannot hold your hand through this; you must find your way to your memories on your own."

Sora's shoulders drooped. ...I understand, sir. I'm sorry.

"There is no need to apologize, Sora. Do you have anything else you wish to ask me?"

No, sir. I think I know enough for now.

After a few awkward farewells, they began to leave. Roxas could tell that Sora had been discouraged somewhat by Yen Sid's advice and warnings, but somehow he knew his friend would persevere. He was about to step out the door when he felt his legs freeze where he was.

"Roxas. A moment, if you don't mind."

Sora glanced back in confusion, but Roxas shook his head. "Go on. I'll catch up."

If you say so. Sora headed down the stairs.

Satisfied, Roxas turned back to Yen Sid. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

Yen Sid nodded calmly. "Yes. I believe you've been having strange dreams recently?"

Roxas froze. "You...know about that? How?"

"It would do you well to be cautious," The old man continued, ignoring Roxas's question. "Do not tell him this, but these dreams are a result of your connection to Sora."

"But how am I connected to him?" Roxas asked. "All I did was wake him up... I think."

Once again, Yen Sid took his seat and wove his fingers together. "I see. Well then, Roxas, I suggest you pay particularly close attention to those dreams of yours. Though your friends may be aware of Sora's plight, it would be wise not to involve anyone else in this if possible...and keep an eye out for someone wearing a black cloak. He is neither an ally nor enemy unless you so dictate it through your actions."

It was a strange suggestion, and Roxas couldn't see what it had to do with his current situation. Regardless, he nodded respectfully, giving a proper farewell and exiting the tower, pondering Yen Sid's words as he went.