Chapter 8: Radiant Garden
A/N: Yes I'm back! Taking classes while you work is no walk in the park. I have so many projects and research papers to do that I don't even have time to play any of my video games let alone update my stories. I'm terribly sorry for the delay.
To make it up to you guys, I have a contest going on in my Deviantart account where fans get to draw out their favorite scenes from the 'A Trail of Memories' series so far and explain why it's their favorite. Winner gets a drawing done by me and a chapter dedication. I'm extending the deadline on it by December so that way if you want to do a holiday drawing instead, you can.
And last but not least, I'm cutting this world chapter into smaller parts since Radiant Garden has a lot going on, especially since we'll be seeing some very familiar characters….particularly a future heroine who will later become the main reason why I started this series ^-^
So without further ado, here's the next chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's.
Enjoy!
/
Lumen parted ways shortly after Maleficent was taken care of. Her mind was so wrapped up over Terra. How could he do those things? Why would he harm someone in order to get answers?
This wasn't the Terra that she knew. The Terra that she loved. Her mind denied that Terra would do these horrible things, but her heart was tell her that it was true. Ever since the Mark of Mastery Exams, he had been acting differently.
"Terra" she muttered sadly.
"How long are you going to make me suffer like this? How many times will you shatter my heart?"
She pushed her keyblade glider to the max and went to her next world.
/
After traveling to worlds that were filled with castles and forests, Lumen expected to land in another fairy tale like world that came with an enchanted castle and a princess.
Well, there was a castle, but that wasn't all. This world seemed to sparkle as the cascading fountains prayed water that seemed to sparkle like diamonds in the light. Everything was so bright and beautiful that it put her world to shame. There was a town that surrounded the castle where people were busy doing their errands and hurrying to their next stop. There was so much light in this world that it was like a weight was lifted off of Lumen's chest.
This world was radiant.
"If only dad could see this" she said.
She looked around the area that she was at and didn't know where to start. This world had so much to offer, she felt like she would be looking all day!
"I guess I should start with seeing if there are any Unversed around here" she thought.
With this much light there was sure to be Unversed.
She carefully made her way around the town, hoping to find the Unversed while trying not to gain any attention.
"I wonder if Terra, Aqua or Ven have been here yet?" she wondered.
Since she kept running to her friends during her travels, she had a feeling that she was bound to run into one of them. She could just imagine their reactions if they ever saw this place.
Ven would probably be the most excited and would run around looking at the beautiful buildings. Aqua would silently take the scenery in all the while secretly longing to stay here and bask in its beauty.
And Terra….
Lumen frowned. She really didn't know how Terra would take this world in. After hearing all of the horrible things he did on the last worlds, she didn't want to imagine what he would do on this world. She didn't even know what he would do or how he would react.
"Terra…" she said.
She shook her head. There was no point in thinking about him now. She wasn't going to let her thoughts stray her away from enjoying this world. As usual, she would put her needs aside and tend to others instead.
Besides, she was brought here for a reason. The Keyblade gliders always brought their masters to worlds that needed to be saved. Or somewhere that would later on be important to them.
And Lumen had a feeling that she was brought here for both reasons. She could feel it in her heart.
Placing a hand on her heart, she looked up at the sky.
"Well, I might as well see what this world has to offer" she said.
She continued on with her walk and went to see what this world offered.
/
Just as she thought, this world was absolutely breathtaking. The whole town was so sparkling and pure. Everything looked so clean and new that even the ground looked clean. Everyone was walking around and visiting different booths. It was like market day back in the Land of Departure.
She remembered her father always bringing her into the town when people set up their booths to sell their homemade goodies. She would always get lots of candy while her father would get himself ice cream. It was always funny to see her serious father act like a kid when he ate his frozen treat. Those were moments that she cherished about her father. He would always act serious and strict when he acted as a leader to their world, but he would also be loving and compassionate when it came to raising her. That was how a real father should act.
As she was walking, she accidentally bumped into someone. She gasped when she saw and old looking duck fall down and drop his cane.
"Oh my goodness!" she cried.
She quickly went up to the elderly duck and helped him up and dusted him off.
"I'm so sorry, sir" she said.
"I wasn't looking where I was going"
The elderly duck chuckled a little as he accepted his cane from her.
"It's alright, lassie" he said with a thick Scottish accent.
"People tend to get crazy when the booths are open"
Lumen smiled a little.
"I hope I didn't hurt you or anything" she said.
The duck shook his head as he adjusted his hat.
"I've been through worse with raising a couple of rowdy nephews" he said.
Lumen chuckled a little. He sounded like her dad after having a rowdy day with her.
"Oh, where are my manners?" she said.
"I'm Lumen"
The elderly duck smiled.
"Pleased to me you, Lumen" he said.
"I'm Scrooge McDuck"
Lumen bowed respectfully to him.
"So Miss Lumen, what brings you here on such a lovely day?"
Lumen blushed a little nervously.
"Um, well, I guess I just wanted to see what all the commotion was all about" she said.
"I've never seen so many stores open like this"
She couldn't tell him that she was actually here to look for Unversed. Strangers weren't supposed to know that she was from a different world.
Scrooge nodded in understanding.
"The same goes for me, lassie" he said.
"I'm trying to sell this new ice cream that I invented"
Lumen looked surprised.
"You make ice cream?" she asked.
Scrooge smiled.
"That I do" he said.
He pulled out an ice cream bar and handed it to her.
"Here, why don't you try one out?"
Lumen carefully took the ice cream from him and examined it. It was such a pretty shade of blue that it reminded her of the sky.
Taking a bite, she was met with a mixture of flavors. First she tasted saltiness and then tasted sweet.
"It's so salty, but sweet at the same time" she smiled.
Scrooge laughed as Lumen took another bite and made a face due to the salty flavor.
"It's called sea salt ice cream" he said.
Lumen smiled a little as she ate her frozen treat.
"It's wonderful" she said.
"I wish we had these at my home"
Scrooge wore a knowing smile on his face.
"Ah, so you're not from this world, are ye?"
Lumen choked on her ice cream when she realized that she gave herself away. This duck found out she wasn't from this world. She was in big trouble now.
"Uh…well…um, you see…the thing is…"
Scrooge busted out laughing.
"Oh, don't get your feathers ruffled" he said.
"The same goes for me. I'm not from this world either"
Lumen felt relieved. So she wasn't in trouble. But she had to be more careful from now on. She couldn't afford to let others know there were other worlds out there.
"You're not a local either?" she asked.
Scrooge shook his head.
"Heavens no" he said.
"I traveled to this world hoping that I'd be able to sell my ice cream. It's good for business. Plus you're outfit is a dead giveaway that you're not from around here"
Lumen blushed as she looked at her outfit.
"O-oh" she said.
"But don't worry about it" Scrooge said.
"People are always traveling to come to Radiant Garden. And I don't blame them"
"Radiant Garden" Lumen repeated.
"Is that what this world is called?"
Scrooge nodded.
"Aye, lassie" he said.
"And it's fitting since this world is so beautiful"
Lumen mulled this over as she slowly ate her ice cream. It was so good that she had a feeling that she would get more later on.
"So Miss. Lumen, what really brings you here to Radiant Garden?" Scrooge asked.
Lumen bit her lip in thought. Now that this duck knew that she was from another world, maybe he would be able to help her. After all, she really didn't know a lot about this world, other than that it was beautiful. She needed to find the Unversed quick before they ruined it.
"I'm….looking for something" she said.
She wouldn't tell him about the Unversed, fearing that it would frighten him.
"And I need to find it really fast. If I don't, then bad things will happen"
Scrooge rubbed his chin in thought.
"Why not try the castle?" he suggested.
He pointed towards the large castle that stood in the center of the town.
"I'm sure you'll find answers there" he said.
"That place is always filled with knowledge"
Lumen looked at the castle for a moment. She sensed very strong magic coming from it. If there was magic, then there were sure to be Unversed. Now she knew where to start.
"I'll try there then" she said.
She smiled at the duck.
"Thank you so much"
Scrooge nodded.
"Anytime, lassie"
Lumen laughed a little and pulled out some munny. She handed it to Scrooge.
"Thanks for the ice cream" she said.
"It was a real treat. I'm sure you'll have a lot of business"
Scrooge smiled warmly.
"Why, thank you, lassie" he said.
"Since you're my first customer, you can get your ice cream for free"
Lumen smiled brightly at that. She would be able to get more of that tasty ice cream without paying.
"Thank you so much!" she said.
"Well, I best be off. Thank you for everything!"
She quickly ran off and headed for the castle. Now that she found a place to start, it was time to take action. She had a world to save and standing around eating ice cream wasn't going to fix that.
Although, the ice cream was pretty good and she felt like she would be eating it again.
In some way or another.
/
A/N: And there you have it. I thought it would be interesting to have Lumen talking to Scrooge. Plus, we got to see how Lumen would later on pass on her love of ice cream to Ankoku in a way.
Now that she knows where to look for the Unversed, what will she do when she finds them? What will she do when she runs into other familiar faces?
Who will she run into next?
You'll find out next time! But in the meantime, please review and tell me what you think.
And please let me know if you'll be in the contest so I can write you down.
Ja ne!
