It had only been a few minutes of flight and Sora, Aqua, and Mickey were on approach to a large swirling blue disk of energy.
"That must be it. The pathway to the Forgotten Worlds." Sora said as Aqua nodded.
"Hang tight boys, we're going in." Aqua said, earning nods from Sora and Mickey.
"We're right behind you." Mickey said as they flew towards the pathway entrance.
"Namine, we're coming for you." Sora said as they flew into the pathway and suddenly felt a powerful rush of energy that kept pushing them faster and faster through the swirling vortex.
"Hang on guys! This is going to be rough!" Aqua shouted as they continued flying straight through. They continued flying, the colors of the pathway's walls changing colors the further they flew. They then noticed a streak of light come up from behind them and blur past them, disappearing into the blackness ahead of them.
"What was that?!" Mickey asked.
"Your guess is as good as ours!" Sora replied. Then Aqua spotted something…
"Hey! I think I see a light! Yes! I'm sure of it!" Aqua exclaimed as they saw the light dead ahead of them, growing brighter and brighter.
"You think it's the exit?" Sora asked.
"Only one way to find out!" Mickey replied as he zipped on ahead of them but they weren't far behind.
"Hold on tight guys! Here it comes!" Aqua shouted as the light suddenly enveloped them. Each of them clinched their eyes shut as the light overwhelmed them. When Sora finally opened his eyes, he found himself in the strangest of place. He looked around and found himself in the middle of an urban city with an old gothic motif in the middle of the night. It reminded him of the city in the World that Never Was but this city had lights in some of the windows like in Traverse Town. He was standing in the middle of an empty and deserted intersection with cobblestone streets. He turned and saw a sign that read "First District" with an arrow pointing him down a nice clean street. He looked up and saw that it was nighttime but not a star could be seen due to the thick black clouds that hung overhead. He turned around and saw a sign that read "Seventh District" but with a crude handmade sign dangling from it that read "Danger!"
"Heh-heh, I guess I shouldn't go that way." Sora said nervously as he turned and started walking towards the First District like the sign said. He started looking around but found no sign of Aqua or Mickey, as if they had disappeared into thin air. He continued walking until he came to an open area between a row of buildings with a fountain in the center. Sora approached the fountain and looked at it curiously.
"Where am I?" Sora asked himself finally. He then saw something out of the corner of his eye. He turned and saw a small black object scurrying across the ground. He watched it carefully as it turned towards him and then sprouted from the ground. It was a Shadow Heartless. Sora leapt back in surprise and summoned his Keyblade.
"Here too?!" Sora exclaimed as he suddenly realized he was surrounded by heartless, and not just the Shadows but Neoshadows as well. He dropped into his battle stance and shunted as much power as he could into his Keyblade until finally, in a single burst of energy, he fired off his "Trinity Drive" shoot lock, creating a glowing symbol on the ground (A/N: The Trinity Limit slight from Chain of Memories) before summoning a massive pillar of light from within the symbol. The light immediately vaporized the heartless within the symbol and severely weakened the ones who weren't.
"How do you like that?!" Sora asked as he leapt at a surviving Neoshadow and slew it with one swing, as the others shrank back into the ground and scurried away.
"Yeah you better-…-run?" Sora said as he saw what the Heartless were running to. It was a Behemoth type Heartless, slowly walking towards him from the district he had just come from.
"Oh great." Sora said as he dropped back into his fighting stance, determined to hold his ground as the Behemoth continued its approach. Before either could do anything however a massive sphere of glowing blue flames, almost three times as large as Sora, blew past him and impacted against the Behemoth, causing it to roar in pain and release a blinding flash of blue light. When the light faded, Sora looked and saw a glowing pink heart floating up from the dissolving Heartless.
"Huh?" he asked confused. Just then a hooded figure landed on the ground where the Behemoth was standing, looking around for something. The figure was clad in a blue hooded robe with gold lining.
"Um, excuse me." Sora said as he approached the figure, dismissing his Keyblade.
"Go home, kid. It's too dangerous out here." The figure said with a woman's voice and not even turning towards him.
"Um, you don't understand. I'm not-." Sora said as the woman spun around towards him, her face hidden by her hood.
"What are you doing out here? This is the Fifth District! You should know the Heartless get more and more aggressive the closer you get to the Seventh District!" the woman said.
"I didn't know that. Why are the Heartless so bad here?" Sora asked. The woman sighed in frustration.
"Look, get to the First District or whichever district you're from, because this isn't the place for a-…" the woman said before she paused and spun in the direction of the First District as if she sensed something.
"Something wrong?" Sora asked.
"Go home and stay there till you hear the bells! You understand me?" the woman asked as Sora shook his head.
"You're not very bright are you?" the woman asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I just got here and I got separated from my friends. We came here looking for someone." Sora explained.
"Oh so you're from another world, is that it?" the woman asked as Sora nodded.
"Ah, that explains a lot. Look, I can't stay and talk. Just keep heading this direction and you'll be fine. I've got to make sure the Heartless don't get into the Third District, so if you will excuse me." The woman said before she then launched herself down the street, running towards the First District.
"Hey! Wait!" Sora shouted as he turned and gave chase after her.
Elsewhere…
"Where am I?" Aqua asked as she looked around at her surroundings. She was in an area of the same city but it was obviously a market square as a number of closed storefronts and street side stalls would attest to. She then looked up and saw a banner that read "Fourth District: Market."
"Fourth District? Fourth District of what?" Aqua asked herself curiously.
"The Fourth District of Sublime City, where else?" a young girl's voice answered. Aqua spun around looking for the source of the voice. Then she found it. Standing, with her hands on her hips, atop a nearby stall was a young girl about Sora's age. She had spiky brown hair kept in a long wolf's tail wrapped tightly in white strips on the back of her head and blue eyes. Her outfit was a messy mixture of pink and purple clothing. She wore a pink t-shirt under an open purple short sleeved hoodie jacket and a pair of crisscrossing pink straps over her chest. Around her waist were a series of pink-purple fabrics and the right leg of her dark purple shorts were longer than the left. The right leg had a black and white checker pattern around the cuff of it. Her left arm had only a black armband on her arm with a symbol that Aqua couldn't quite make out due to the distance. On her hands were a pair of dark purple fingerless gloves, but on her left shoulder was a metal shoulder guard similar to the one worn by Ven only severely lacking in jagged edges and colored dark purple, pink, and black. She also wore a pair of brown hiking boots with white socks on her feet.
"Sublime City?" Aqua asked curiously as the girl nodded.
"Yep." She replied with a cheerful smile.
"Um, I think I'm lost. You haven't seen a boy with spiky hair run past lately have you? Or a little guy that looks kinda like a mouse?" Aqua asked as the girl hopped off the top of the stall and thought for a moment.
"Hmm…nope, can't say that I have." The girl replied as she approached Aqua.
"I see. I guess I better start looking for him then." Aqua said as she turned and started walking away.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" the girl asked worriedly.
"To find my friend. He might be lost. I know I am." Aqua replied as the girl ran around and blocked her path.
"What, are you nuts? That's the way to the Seventh District! There's a bunch of monsters out there!" the girl said as Aqua gave her a curious look.
"Monsters?" Aqua asked as the girl nodded.
"Yeah, they only come out at night here. The sun scares them off I think but they still come out in the Sixth and Seventh Districts anyway, no matter what time it is." The girl replied.
"Then, where is the safest place?" Aqua asked as the girl smiled up at her.
"Well that's easy. The First District is the safest in town. Come on, I'll take you there." The girl said as she and Aqua started walking towards the First District.
"By the way, the name's Nixe." The girl said. (A/N: Pronounced Nix-e…kinda like Wall-e. I'm a moron and can't figure out how to use the accent marks)
"Nice to meet you, Nixe. I'm Aqua." Aqua said as they continued walking. Soon they reached an intersection where two women stood on either side of the road. The woman on the right was about in her early twenties and had fairly bronze skin, wavy dark brown hair, piercing green eyes with a beauty mark underneath the right one, pierced ears adorned with purple claw-shaped earrings, scars on her right arm and shoulder, and she wore blue clothing that closely resembled the Indian Sari, but adorned with tribal accessories. She also wore a short black top underneath, black sleeves over her forearm, tan leather open-toed boots, and two fur pelts hanging from a cord beneath a belt. She held a red spear in her hand as well.
The other woman was leaning against a wall on the left. She wore a faded blue jumpsuit covered with black stains and scorch marks with a brown leather tool belt around her waist with two large pouches near the pockets. She wore heeled boots and black work gloves. Her face was partially obscured due to a faded blue baseball cap with the number twelve on it. The woman in blue smirked when she spotted Nixe and Aqua approaching.
"Oi, wake up. Nixe's back." The woman said with a thick Australian accent.
"I'm awake, Fang, I never sleep on the job." The other woman snapped as she stood up and shoved her hands in the front two pouches.
"Oi! Nixe! You're back early. Who's your friend?" the woman said as Nixe grinned and shrugged.
"This is Aqua. I found her just wandering around in the Fourth District." Nixe said as the woman looked her over.
"Hmm, you seem pretty tough. You say your name is Aqua?" the woman asked as Aqua nodded.
"Yes ma'am." Aqua said, causing the woman to frown. Nixe and the other woman however could be heard snickering at the comment.
"Don't use the M word to me. I'm not that old. The name's Oerba Yun Fang, most folks call me Fang. You can too for that matter." The woman said as Aqua nodded.
"A pleasure to meet you, Fang." Aqua said before turning to the other woman who removed her baseball cap and ran a hand through her hair before looking at Aqua with a pair of distinct green eyes. On her blond haired head was a pair of antenna like bangs that popped up when she removed the cap.
"Haven't we met before?" Aqua asked curiously as she saw the woman.
"Can't say that we have. I'm Arlene. Are you enjoying your stay here in the city?" the woman asked as she clipped her hat to her belt.
"I'm actually looking for someone. A boy with spiky hair and a little guy. Both of them have key shaped swords." Aqua said as the three women looked at each other.
"Key shaped swords? You mean Keyblades?" Fang (Final Fantasy XIII) asked, earning a shocked look from Aqua.
"You know about the Keyblades?" Aqua asked surprised. Fang and Arlene both looked at Nixe with a smile.
"Show her, Nixe." Arlene said as Nixe shrugged. She stretched out her hand and in a flash of light, a Keyblade appeared. It was similar to the Keyblade, Star Seeker. The blade was curved like Star Seeker's but colored blue with streaks of yellow running across it. The blade seemed to spiral around a single yellow star to form the tooth. The blade and tooth gave the impression that it was a shooting star. The guard was similar in shape to the guard on Kairi's Keyblade, Destiny's Embrace, but had a single yellow star at the spot where the two sides of the guard and the base of the blade met like a linchpin. The guard was colored in a faded blue and the keychain was a yellow shooting star with blue trail.
"You have a Keyblade?" Aqua asked in shock as Nixe nodded.
"Yep. I'm a Keyblade Apprentice. My Keyblade's called Wandering Star. My Master's out dealing with the Heartless in town at the moment and I usually come along to help. It's part of my training." Nixe said. Aqua looked at Nixe's armband and finally was able to make out the symbol. It was the Mark of Mastery like she, Ven, and Terra each wore.
"I should have known by that symbol…but wait, Heartless? Here!?" Aqua asked surprised.
"Yeah, that's what we all defend the town from on a nightly basis. There's more of us, all skilled and capable fighters. It's our duty to keep the Heartless out of the First, second, and third districts. The fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh districts are slowly being overrun." Nixe explained.
"The seventh is off limits since it's completely overrun already." Arlene added as Aqua pondered for a moment.
"I think I should probably speak to your Master then. I should let him know that they're not the only Keyblade Master here anymore." Aqua said. Fang, Arlene, and Nixe each arched curious eyebrows at Aqua's statement.
"Oh, and how would you know that?" Fang asked as Aqua summoned her Keyblade.
"I am Master Aqua. Formerly the apprentice of Master Eraqus. I came here with a friend of mine, the boy I mentioned, and a mutual friend of ours. We're on a mission to rescue a close friend of his." Aqua explained. The three women before her were impressed.
"Wow! I've never met another Keyblade Master before!" Nixe said in awe.
"Well then what are we waiting for? Let's get you to the First District immediately." Fang said as they turned towards the First District.
Meanwhile…
Sora was still chasing the hooded woman through the streets. He had passed into an area marked as the "Fourth District: Commons" and just as he was about halfway through the street, a number of Shadow Heartless sprung from the ground in front of him.
"Augh! Not now!" Sora groaned as he dropped back into his battle stance. He looked over the Heartless and saw that the woman had vanished, causing him to groan in frustration.
"Oh come on!" he groaned again as he started cutting down Heartless. He had just cut down the last one when a swarm of Neoshadows appeared to replace them.
"Get lost!" Sora growled at them but before he could attack, he heard a gunshot ring out and a Neoshadow in front of him vanished as if defeated. He then heard several more gunshots and the other Heartless immediately vanished as well. He looked around curiously before he saw a long red cape fly down from overhead before spinning around over the ground and then coiling up and transforming into the figure of a man in his twenties. He had crimson eyes and long black hair that streamed about wildly. He wore a red band over his head with a fringe of hair emerging over it. His most distinctive feature was his tattered red cape, held in place over his shoulders and lower face by several buckles. Underneath his cape, his attire was black with several straps and buckles. He wore a holster for a gun against his right leg, and pointed metallic boots. He also wore a golden gauntlet on his left arm. In his right hand was a smoking tri-barreled pistol with a design reminiscent to the dog Cerberus. The man glared down at Sora with a stoic gaze. To Sora he looked oddly familiar, as if he'd seen him before in a dream.
"A Keyblade. Who are you?" the man asked.
"Uh-I'm Sora. Master of the Keyblade." Sora replied with his usual grin.
"Mmm. Another Master of the Keyblade. It's about time another one arrived." The man said as he turned and started walking away.
"Hey! Wait! What do you mean by another one?" Sora called. The man paused and turned towards him curiously.
"You are not the first Keyblade Master to arrive." The man said.
"I'm not?" Sora asked as the man shook his head.
"No."
"So…who are you?" Sora asked. The man was about to reply when…
"His name's Vincent Valentine." A thick Australian woman's voice answered. They both turned to see a young woman approaching. She was in her late teens with bright red hair and green eyes. She wore her hair tied back in curled pigtails. Her ears were pierced, adorned with small silver hoop earrings. She wore a light pink halter top, a short orange and yellow skirt, along with yellow boots. She also wore a fur pelt around her waist. She came to a stop near the two with a smile on her face.
"I'm Oerba Dia Vanille, but most folk call me Vanille. A pleasure to meet you, Sora." The woman introduced herself.
"How did you know my name?" Sora asked. Vanille (Final Fantasy XIII) blushed and giggled slightly.
"I overheard you mentioning it to Vincent. Don't worry, despite his grim appearance, he's actually quite kind." Vanille said as Vincent (Final Fantasy VII) nodded silently.
"It's good to meet you too. I wonder if you could help me out. I'm trying to find someone. A girl with blue hair and a little guy, both of them have Keyblades. Have you seen either of them?" Sora asked but the two shook their heads.
"Sorry. We haven't seen anyone but you pass through here." Vanille replied.
"Oh, well thanks anyway. I better keep searching then. See you later." Sora said as he walked past them.
"Wait, you said you're a Master of the Keyblade. You should probably meet with the Master here in town before you go anywhere." Vanille said as Sora paused and turned back towards them.
"There's another Keyblade Master here? Then that means you must have already met Aqua. Which way did she go?" Sora asked.
"I don't know about an Aqua. But we will take you to the Master. If your friends are here, then chances are you will all wind up in the same place. Come with us." Vincent said as he and Vanille started leading him towards the First District together, unaware that they were being watched by a pair of glowing yellow-green eyes from the shadows.
End Chapter 4.
I own Nixe but not Fang, Vanille, or Vincent. Arlene I technically don't own either in case you haven't figured out why already. I also invented Nixe's Keyblade, Wandering Star.
Also, I'd like to start something new. I've gotten some compliments regarding the inclusion of fight music recommendations for the fights that take place in the story so I'm expanding on this and beginning to add BGM for the various worlds. Sublime City's theme is "Traverse in Trance" from Dream Drop Distance. The BGM will be from either Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy games but largely KH so if you're as big of a fan of movie/television/video game soundtracks as I am and collect soundtracks, then you're covered.
Also, something that bears explanation. One of the reviewers asked if the Forgotten Worlds and the Dream Worlds (from Dreams of Destiny) are the same or different from each other. They're different. The Dream Worlds don't exist like the main worlds and Forgotten Worlds do. The Dream Worlds exist only in the hearts and dreams of other people (so technically there's a dream world for every single person alive). The main worlds and Forgotten Worlds exist in the same universe only the Forgotten worlds are separate from the main worlds because of the distance between them.