A/N: Another chapter! Here we go! For clarification, KHUx is the ONLY Kingdom Hearts game that Mary didn't play.
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Chapter Two: The Keyblade
Light shone through the darkness, nearly blinding me. I closed my eyes for a moment, before blinking them open.
I had just been in the car… right? So how was I new standing on a staircase, in the middle of an unknown town? There were bluish stone buildings around me, each with purple roofs. In front of me, a few steps above me, was a plaza with a fountain in the middle.
That's when I noticed a weight in my right hand. Looking down, I spotted… a Keyblade!? It was different from any I had ever seen before. The hand guard was made out of a gray and white computer Keyboard, cured into a C around the hilt. Hanging from the bottom was a silver braided rope, with a small silver dream catcher with blue feathers hanging off. The blade started almost in the form of a yellow pencil, starting from the hilt, but near the middle, it morphed into a silver curved blade. Acting as the Key's teeth was a blue book, with a dream catcher on the cover.
Writer's Dream.
The words floated into my mind as I studied the blade. "That must be the name…" I whispered to myself.
I then looked at myself. I was still wearing what I had been in the car – a blue sports top with two inch sleeves over a white cami, black jean shorts, and my curly, auburn hair was still pulled back into a high ponytail. I also had on a pair of black and blue sneakers, a silver bangle that had three small dream catcher charms hanging off on my right hand, a pair of silver dangly earrings that were also dream catchers, and a matching necklace. It was a set my mom had bought me for my last birthday.
Just then the shadows at the top of the steps…. moved. My head snapped up, and I spotted a… Shadow Heartless?
I glanced back at the Keyblade in my hand, then back to the Heartless. I only recognized them due to playing the Kingdom Hearts series before.
But… those had just been video games, right? I had just been in the car, driving home from Virginia… then—
The Heartless lunged at me. I dove to the side, slamming into the railing next to me. The Heartless landed on the step where I had been, and lunged once more. I brought my Keyblade up, blocking the monster. It's claws crashed against the blade. I swung the Keyblade the instant its claws connected, parrying the attack, and sending it stumbling. I stepped forward and swung the Keyblade once more, knocking the Heartless back. Two more hits, before it could recover, and the creature exploded into black dust.
Two more Shadows attacked, and it was all I could do to fend them off. One managed to catch my right arm with its claws. I cried out and spun on my heel, slamming Writer's Dream into it, causing the Heartless to explode. I then turned to the last one and swung my blade, slashing it a few times until it exploded.
I dropped to my knees, panting. I had never fought before. Maybe a few karate classes, but never a life and death situation. And I definitely never had any type of training before. That had all been instinct and mimicking Sora from the first Kingdom Hearts game…
While I tried to catch my breath, I tried to think back on what happened before I arrived here. Me and my parents were in the car. We were talking. I began to play Kingdom Hearts Unchained X, then…
My head snapped up. "Mom! Dad!" I gasped, remembering the accident, with the car flipping and everything. And… I… I grasped at my chest, my breath hitching in my throat. But the shirt was intact, and there was no pain. Whatever had impaled me…
"What happened? Are Mom and Dad… did they make it? Did I make it?" I muttered, tears welling in my eyes.
"Are you okay?" I looked up to see a gray… tabby cat? Wearing a white cape and a pink bag around its neck standing in front of me. It almost looked like a stuffed animal... I stared at him in silence, not knowing what to say.
"Pretty scary stuff, huh? But you get an A for effort," it said comfortingly, patting my arm.
I-it talks!?
"You looks a little confused," he laughed. "Here's what's going on. Your pursuit of light made you the perfect candidate for a Keyblade wielder."
"A Keyblade wielder?" I muttered, wiping my eyes on the back of my hand and looking down at the Keyblade where it laid on the ground in front of me.
"Yes! Darkness is spreading and it's up to you to use the weapon to get rid of it, collect light, and in turn save the world," it continued.
I-is this what Unchained X is…? Or the afterlife?
"The monsters that were just defeated belong to the darkness and are called a Heartless. These Heartless scour the world searching for hearts, spreading darkness as they go."
"And the Keyblade is the way to defeat them," I muttered, lifting Writer's Dream to study it. The cat seemed to think that was a question.
"Yep! I'm glad this seems to be sinking in! Anyway, I was assigned by a certain someone to watch over a new Keyblade wielder—you! I'm Chirithy," he said, introducing himself.
"Er, I'm Mary," I said, shaking Chirithy's paw. He even felt like a soft stuffed animal. I almost just wanted to pick him up and snuggle him…
"Nice to meet you! I'll be supporting you the whole way, teaching you everything you need to know and more," Chirithy said. I couldn't help but smile.
"Great. I think I'll need it," I said softly. He laughed.
"Well, it's a lot to take in. So why don't you use the Heartless here for some practice? It looks like you could use some training when it comes to fighting…"
"Hey!" I snapped, before chuckling weakly. "You're right." I pushed myself up and took a deep breath, both mentally and physically preparing myself to battle more. If I'm going to be here… I better learn about this world. Besides, I don't know how to get back home. If… I even can. Mom, Dad… please be okay…
After a bit of practice, I was able to defeat the Shadows, and even some Soldiers, much easier. I made my way around the town, defeating the Heartless, until I made my way back to the plaza where the fountain was.
As I went to take a seat on the fountain, a bright light lit up the plaza. From it stepped a boy, probably around my age, but it was hard to tell because of the mask.
He was wearing a yellow and black, floor length robe with an elbow length cape over top of it, along with a hood. He wore a snow tiger mask over the top half of his face, with the ears sticking out of the top of the hood.
"You've managed to tap into the power of the Keyblade," he said, motioning to my blade. "Lesser Heartless won't stand a chance, but in order to defeat stronger foes…" A chill went down my spine as the plaza darkened. A gasped escaped the boy's lips as he lifted his head to look at something tall behind me. I spun around to see a Darkside step out of a large dark portal. I took a step back, fear swirling in my stomach. I gripped my Keyblade in front of me desperately. "You must combine your strength with those who share your purpose and aspirations," the boy said, his voice steady, despite the creature in front of us. I heard footsteps and glanced back to see six other Keyblade wielders had joined us. The closest one, a blond with spiky hair and blue eyes, grinned at me. Wait! That's not… but he wasn't in this game! Was he? He then focused on the giant Heartless again.
"Your friends will become your power," the man in yellow and black said. The other Keyblade wielders launched themselves at the Darkside. Some, like the blond, managed to jump high enough to attack it's face, while others swung at its hands. I took a deep breath and began to move forward to attack as well. The Darkside swung its fist at me, forcing me to jump to the side. I then swung a few times at its hand.
Finally, thanks to the other Keyblade wielders, we managed to bring the Darkside down. I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good job!" the blond said with a grin. I smiled back.
"Thanks," I said, trying to figure out if that was actually the person I thought it was. He was… definitely a few years younger than I remember him being… The boy in the yellow and black robe stepped forward, grabbing all of our attention.
"There are others who collect the light, but not all of them share the same goal of bringing peace of the world," he said. I tipped my head to the side slightly, confused by that.
They collect light… for another reason? I wondered.
"You must discover who amongst us walks the path of darkness," he finished.
"Alright," I said. He smiled slightly, and a light appeared behind him, morphing into a portal, which he walked through. Once the portal vanished, the other Keyblade wielders left. The blond grinned at me with a wave.
"See ya around!" he called.
"Yeah…" I said, waving back. Just then, Chirithy appeared next to me.
"I know this is overwhelming, but darkness waits for no one!" he said. I chuckled at that.
"Right…"
The creature smiled sympathetically at me.
"Darkness has found its way to a bunch of other worlds, all of which need your help. I know a way to these places. Are you ready?" he asked. I took a deep breath and smiled.
"Yeah," I said. He moved closer and told me exactly what to do. I nodded and pointed my Keyblade at the air, summoning a portal just like the boy in the yellow and black had done.
"Oh, by the way, that was the Foreteller for the Leopardos Union," Chirithy said as he bounced alongside me. "He's Master Gula!"
"Master Gula, huh?" I asked, stepping through the portal with my guide. "Seems… young to be a Master," I muttered.
…
A/N: Another chapter done!