Sorry for the long delay, I worked 12 straight days and had little to no time to do any writing. Fortunately, that should never happen again, so I'll be back on my weekly, or bi-weekly, updates.

Re: Inverted Sky - Kingdom Hearts I

Chapter 5: New Roads Traversed

It was a calm night in Traverse Town. The street vendors were packing up, and everyone was heading home. All the while, the wizard Merlin walked slowly toward his own abode, a paper bag filled with groceries in one hand. His pointy blue hat bounced slightly with each step, making the owl perched atop of it sway in response.

"I told you it would take a while if you waited this long to go shopping." the brown-feathered avian spoke in a huffed tone.

Merlin merely sighed and rolled his eyes, a sense of repetition coming to mind from how often this conversation happened. "And I told you Archimedes...the gentleman who sells the tea leaves we like gets his next day stock around this time. So, unless you want to get in line early in the morning with a high chance of it still being sold out when we get there...'this' is our best option." he claimed while looking up, as if toward the owl currently out of his periphery.

Archimedes himself crossed his feathered arms and looked to the side with a glower. But as he readied a counter, something caught his eye in an alleyway further down the street. Upon which, he spread his wings and fluttered in this direction. Though Merlin watched him go for a moment, he gradually followed after his old friend. "What did you see?" he questioned curiously as he walked.

"Not sure." Archimedes answered, moving into the alley proper.

Once he had, he halted in his flight and settled in a hover as he stared. "Oh dear..." he added in a whisper.

"Hmm? What is it?" Merlin asked as he came up behind the owl, yet paused at the opening of the backstreet.

Laying on the brick path was an unconscious Sora, curled up slightly as if hugging herself for warmth. "Oh dear..." the wizard echoed out, agreeing to his friend's assessment.

"This is the seventh one in just the last few days." Archimedes claimed, his tone serious and urging.

"I know, but there is only so much we can do. There aren't enough of us." Merlin uttered helplessly.

The pair slowly approached the girl, to which the brown bird fluttered down near of her head. His large eyes scanned her carefully for any possible ailments or wounds. While he saw none, there was something within her grasp that he immediately took notice of. His gaze widened as it swiftly shifted toward his wizard friend in a near panic; "Merlin...come here." he whispered, a deadly serious tone emanating from his small frame.

Concern instantly appeared on the elder man's face as he drew closer, his own eyes surveying carefully to see what had spooked Archimedes so much. All the potential fears that came to his mind however, were unfortunately small in comparison to the reality. His eyes fixated heavily on the golden Keyblade Sora hugged tightly in her arms. It wasn't just any Keyblade either; "The Kingdom Key to the Realm of Darkness." the man spoke, a mixture of suspicion and worry flooding his voice.

"What do we do?" the owl asked almost instantly after hearing this title.

Merlin was silent for a few seconds, both digesting what he was seeing, as well as focusing his thoughts on a solution. With a deep exhalation, the wizard nodded and turned to Archimedes. "Inform Leon and the others. The Heartless will likely be coming to this world now that she's here, so they need to be prepared." he said in an order-like manner, earning a quick nod in response.

Just as the owl took flight once more, he paused at eye-level with Merlin and quirked his head to the side. "What are you planning to do with her?" he asked cautiously.

"I'm going to train her." Merlin started, a sad look in his eyes while turning back toward Sora again.

"There is a lot she's about to get involved with...and she needs to be able to defend herself."

With this, Archimedes flew off on his way and Merlin carried the unconscious Sora to his lodge in the Third District. It was a bit of a strain for the elder man, but he managed to keep himself from accidentally dropping the teen as he walked. "She'll probably be hungry." he commented to himself, a thoughtful expression forming on his features.

It was several hours before the brown-haired girl's eyes cracked open ever so slightly. She felt tired, sore, but still warm somehow as she lay in a soft bed. Her initial reaction was to drift back to sleep, yet her mind swiftly raced with the events that just happened prior. Upon which, Sora sat up immediately, nearly knocking the patch-work blanket off of herself. She then swiftly looked around in a slight panic at the stone interior of this home, none of which seemed familiar at all.

The bed was on the other side of the only visible opening, while piles of books lined the rounded walls. A fireplace on the right broke up these stacks, while a raised area in the middle held a tea table and a single high-back chair. It was clear to the girl that she must be inside someone's home, and they likely lived alone. Said occupant suddenly became visible in a puff of sparkling smoke however, causing the girl to gasp and nearly jumped out of the bed from fright.

"Ah, you're awake." Merlin hummed out softly, carrying a bag in one hand as he moved toward the fireplace.

"I hope you don't mind chamomile tea, it was the only kind they had without caffeine." he continued in a sheepish tone while adding a few leaves into a pot placed over the fire.

"I normally like Earl Grey, so I had to quickly get something else." Merlin added in a chuckle, turning toward the girl once more with a gentle smile.

Sora herself looked from him, to the single room home once more. There was no light coming through the windows, making her think that she must have slept the entire day. But more important than that, she had dozens of questions right now, starting with...

"Where am I?"

Merlin nodded slowly to this, knowing it was the simplest, yet most complicated inquiry he would have to answer. Placing his wooden cane in front of him and leaning against it, the wizard took in and let out a slow breath. "You are in a place known as Traverse Town." he stated, though his tone was left open to indicated there was more.

"It is a different world from the one you're used to." Merlin spoke on, appearing to be testing Sora's own possible knowledge of other worlds.

Something of which the teen caught on to, as she got the feeling this man likely came across a many people from different worlds. Knowing this actually helped to calm the teen, however briefly. Realizing that she was now in another world and that everything she experienced genuinely happened, what did it mean for her now?

"Yeah..." she uttered out silently and sadly, her lack of understanding beginning to weigh heavily.

Merlin could see this in the girl's features, though it was even more evident in her slumped demeanor. "I am very sorry for your loss, but there is still a chance for your world to be saved." he stated, starting off apologetically before transitioning to a determined tone at the end.

Hearing these words, Sora lifted her drifting gaze to the elder man, both eyes blinking in surprise. "Really? How?"

"It's a little complicated...and hasn't actually been used in a number of years. But there is a means of bringing a world back from the Realm of Darkness." Merlin declared with an infectious enthusiasm as the girl became noticeably invested in his claims.

After a few moments of contemplation, Sora briefly clenched her hands into fists in a show of resolve. "Is there any way for me to do it?"

"As a matter of fact..." Merlin began as a smile curled his old features, to which he then twirled his left wrist in the air.

Upon doing so, a puff of smoke emitted from the air as the familiar gold and silver Keyblade appeared in his hand. "...you can use this." he continued with his smile growing wider.

Sora blinked a few times to seeing this weapon, still vaguely surprised that it was actually real. At the same time, Merlin approached and brought it over to the girl with a short explanation. "These are ancient blades that people have used for as long as people can remember. They carry all manner of special powers, one of which is to bring a world back from the darkness. Though, like I said...it is a little more complex than that."

He then offered the weapon to Sora, to which the teen took it carefully, as if expecting it to be heavier than it really was. "They have gone by many chosen names by many more wielders, but they are all referred to as a-"

"Keyblade." Sora spoke in unison with Merlin, causing the man to blink in surprise.

"You know of them then?" he questioned while tilting his head slightly.

Shaking her head, the brown-haired girl looked down toward the key-shaped blade in her hands. Her expression showing that she was even more astounded than the man for knowing this name. "No. It just sort of came to me." she whispered, almost sounding absent minded as she did.

Though Merlin held a thoughtful gaze, his expression swiftly turned to that of another smile. "In that case, would you like to learn how to wield its power?"

Sora's eyes shifted to the elder man for a few seconds before they returned to staring at the Keyblade. She was already feeling overwhelmed by everything, but there was no turning back...even if she wanted to. Weighed her options, the brown-haired teen gradually nodded in response while meeting Merlin's gaze.

"If there is a chance I can bring my world back, then of course I'll take it." she claimed in a determined tone.

The wizard's smile widened as he moved to the side and toward one of the piles of books. "Excellent. I'll be sure to train you to be the best Keyblade wielder possible." he declared, beginning to gather several books into a stack.

This particular declaration made Sora arch a brow in question, to which she shifted herself to sit on the edge of the bed. She expected that he had trained other Keyblade wielders, but it sounded like he was referring to them in a past tense. "So...are there more out there? Keyblade wielders, I mean." she asked with a vaguely suspicious voice.

Merlin briefly paused in his motions, but quickly continued on as his expression sagged slightly. "There were once many...now, there are only four. Or at least...we hope there are still four." he answered sadly, his throat clenching as he spoke.

"But with you..." he started up swiftly, now talking in an upbeat manner.

"...it'll make five."

Despite seeing and hearing the strain in the old man's answer, Sora didn't speak on it. Her desire for an explanation wasn't strong enough to force someone to relive a painful memory. Perhaps she would ask at another time. "I see, so where does my study begin?" she inquired while leaning forward, resting either hand on her knees.

The old wizard turned to her with a smile, appreciating her empathy as he placed the gathered books onto the bed next to her. "The basics of course." he declared wisely.

Said 'basics' however, seemed to contain ten different books, all with over three hundred pages front to back. "R-Right..." Sora uttered out, suddenly regretting her decision ever so slightly.

"Come now Merlin..." a matronly voice spoke up suddenly from no visible source.

A quick second following the end of these words, a puff of magical smoke apparated nearby. Though it was only visible for a moment, an elder woman was left in its place. She wore blue robes of a lighter shade to Merlin, but she also had a purple bow tied around her collar.

"...not all of those are necessary." she continued with a smile, almost giggling as she did.

"Maybe not Verna-" Merlin began, but quickly cut himself off and cleared his throat.

"I mean...Fairy Godmother. But it is important for her to be as prepared as possible." he finished with a wise, but also a warning tone.

It was then, that Sora realized there was more to being a Keyblade wielder than she originally thought. Not only was there much to learn, but there also seemed to be an innate danger as well. Was it because of this that she had been attacked by that creature? It was hard to say. But no matter what lay ahead, she would have to push forward. Not just for her world, but also for her friends.

Wait...her friends...where were Kairi and Riku?

And there we have it, Sora's journey officially begins. The next chapter or two will be from other character's perspectives to flesh out the story a bit more. I'm trying to treat the narrative more as an actual book, rather than a video game. Cause certain things, as I've learned, don't translate well between the two. Anyway, until the next one.