Hello everyone, and welcome to chapter 8 of Before KH: Shadows!

Creativity: And how is everyone doing this fine Sunday?

Author: Doing well, we hope! I know we're enjoying a lovely four-day weekend!

Now, as there are currently no reviews for chapter 7 (will be updated when they arrive), we might as well skip to the announcement: So, we're looking for a second beta reader! We're looking through the list now, but that's a time-consuming process, especially since we unfortunately have real-world responsibilities that leave us worn out, and we also want to spend our spare time doing things like writing this story! So, while we are looking through our list, we'd also like to put a notification out for anyone interested in acting as a beta-reader for this story to contact us via PM so we can discuss this!

Creativity: Speaking of, a big thanks to CeleneTheAngel for her editting and consultation, and our humble apologies to her for losing her work and not noticing until zero hour... We cannot suffer enough...

Author: Yeah... I'm so glad we still have this one at least.

Well, this is getting to serious and sad! It's time for the chapter proper! But first, here's the link to our Discord server: 5RRcGwh

And now, without further ado, allow us to proudly present chapter 8 of Before Kingdom Hearts: Shadows!

"So, we're both magicians…"

"Yes, I think that was established a while ago."

Ryo had to hold back a remark towards the group's blonde guest, knowing that she was a better person for Veris to discuss magic with than him. He'd have preferred this conversation take place on the road where there was far less chance of someone eavesdropping, but that wasn't his call to make.

As soon as they'd been able to, the group had retreated to their room at the inn, Leiptr the mage in tow, and it was a good thing they did as the inn was soon crowded with families whose homes had been destroyed by the invading monsters. Efforts to clear away debris and treat the wounded were well underway before they'd reached the inn, something that Garren and Barkos had initially been adamant about assisting with. However, the looks they were getting from the townsfolk quickly dissuaded them from that, instead retreating back to their room at the inn.

From there, they'd sat in silence until Veris finally started speaking to Leiptr. Well, everyone was seated except Ryo. He was leaning against the wall by the door, keeping an ear out for anyone who might be eavesdropping or otherwise might wish to do ill towards them.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I think we need to come up with a plan for departure." Ryo suddenly declared as he leaned off the wall and joined the others.

"I don't think we should leave when the town's still in shambles. We ought to at least contribute something to the reconstruction effort." Barkos argued, gaining a sympathetic nod from Veris and Garren. Ryo frowned.

"I share the sentiment. Unfortunately, I don't see the townsfolk tolerating us much longer. Even if they didn't see Veris's magic at the end of that fight, they definitely saw the lightning bolts. I wouldn't be surprised if a decently large group of locals blamed us for the attack in the first place." Ryo reminded Barkos and the others, who quickly shared Ryo's frown.

"So, what should we do then?" Garren posed as he leaned forward in his chair. Barkos stroked his chin as he considered the question before he opened his bag and began routing through it.

"Let me grab a map. We can locate the next settlement on the road and hopefully it'll be more welcoming." He replied as he managed to fish the map from his pack and began examining it.

"We should leave tomorrow, the earlier the better. Lingering is only going to draw more ire." Ryo suggested, much to the dismay and protest of his friends, though he did get a look from Leiptr that suggested agreement. She'd probably been in this situation before.

"Take it from a well-traveled magician, you don't want to hang around long enough for the people to start getting dangerous ideas." The magician corroborated, earning her a share of complaining glances, but no vocal protests. Barkos went back to examining the map for another town they could travel to so they wouldn't be wandering aimlessly. Meanwhile, Ryo went back to the door to keep an eye out while Garren decided to follow the swordsman's example and took a seat by the window and cast a wary eye out to the streets below. It wasn't perfect privacy, but it did provide Leiptr and Veris an opportunity to talk magic while everyone else was busy.

"Sorry I keep coming back to the we're both magicians thing. It's just a lot to take in." Veris apologized to her fellow mage, who gave her a look of sympathy.

"Yeah, I know it can be a lot, especially when you discover it in a moment of crisis." Leiptr replied. "Do you know if you're a new spark?"

"New spark?" Veris asked in confusion.

"Spark refers to how many mages are in the family." Leiptr clarified. "A new spark means that you don't have any known direct relationships to a magician. It's pretty common for children to inherit magic from their parents, though it isn't a guarantee."

"Ah… Yeah I think…" Veris started to say, only to pause. "No… papa knew about the people who attacked our village and he implied that whoever they are, they were responsible for my mother's death…" Veris realized. Leiptr winced in sympathy.

"Sorry I brought it up. I should have known better…" the thunder mage apologized as she lowered her eyes to the wooden floor.

"You couldn't have known…" Veris murmured. Leiptr let out a short, bitter scoff as she looked up at the ceiling.

"Unfortunately, I could have. It's all too common these days." Leiptr muttered as her fingers curled into fists. "Those creatures that attacked us hunger for magic and can sniff it out like bloodhounds. And if they don't find you, then the Dread King's forces will." She added, growling out the King's name, as if the words offended her very being. Ryo's fingers gripped his sleeves tightly as he heard the name, recalling his flight from one such attack. He'd been lucky that day, that others were there to draw the attention of his soldier's blades.

"What is he? What are they?" Ryo suddenly asked as he turned his gaze over to the two magicians. Leiptr's eyes darkened. Ryo could have sworn he saw crackling storm clouds behind them.

"All anyone knows is that they appeared shortly after the Winged Ones vanished. The current theory is that they're a direct result of the atrocities committed during the war between them and humanity. As for the Dread King, no one can really say. He appeared about a century and a half ago, along with his fortress in the Deadlands. He sends his armies out to collect magic by any means necessary, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Some kingdoms closer to him have struck deals, turning over all magical materials and creatures to him in exchange for being left alone." Leiptr explained, getting a strangled gasp from Veris and few choice curses from Ryo under his breath, a reaction shared by Garren and Barkos.

"They sell out their own people?!" Garren exclaimed, before getting a harsh reminder to keep his voice down from Barkos. Leiptr nodded, lips pursed.

"It's nasty stuff. Some kingdoms are trying to fight back, but the Dread King's army doesn't grow tired, and he's got more than just soldiers. They don't show up often, but he has war beasts, the likes of which only live in nightmares. Unnatural creatures…" She spat out. Ryo and the others glanced between each other, none of them liking what they were hearing.

"How does the Dread King find magic? Does his army have this same sense for it that those monsters from earlier have?" Ryo inquired. Leiptr shrugged, letting out a frustrated huff of air through her nose.

"No one knows how they do it. The working theory right now is that some of them can sense magic, either via an instrument of some kind or some sixth sense, but either way, it varies based on the strength of the magic in question, so the more powerful you are, the more likely you are to be caught." She explained before she turned to Veris.

"Given that was your first spell ever, it goes without saying you have no idea what you're doing. You need to learn you to use magic quickly, otherwise the next encounter you have with those things out there will likely end much worse." Leiptr stated grimly, getting a scared look from Veris in response. "I can try teaching you some basics before we part ways, but that won't be enough."

"Well, what should I do then? It's not like there's a whole lot of magicians floating around out there that can teach me!" Veris yelped in desperation, clearly overwhelmed by everything that had laid before her.

"Are there any towns or cities that we could reliably find a competent magician?" Ryo suggested, only to get a shrug from Leiptr.

"I wouldn't know. I avoid putting a toe inside a town's borders if I can help it, and I try to avoid meeting up with other magicians if I can, since too much magic concentrated in one place is a quick way to draw those monsters in." The blonde mage explained, shooting Ryo a pointed look at the end, though no one seemed to notice. Ryo scowled a bit but kept his silence.

"What cities do you know of that aren't throwing their magicians to the wolves? We could at least start there." Barkos proposed, looking up from the map. Leiptr shook her head.

"Second verse, same as the first. Sorry." She replied before she paused. "That having been said, you could try checking at a port town, down at the docks. You'd be surprised by what you can hear from sailors fresh off the deck." She suggested after some thought, something Barkos was quick to take note of as he began checking for the nearest port towns while Leiptr turned her attention back to Veris.

"In the meantime, all I can say is be careful. Keep your magic under control and as undetectable as possible. You're honestly not too bad right now, but as you get more powerful, you'll need to suppress it more until you need it." She impressed upon Veris, who looked even more downcast.

There was less chatter between them all as the sun dipped lower and lower into the sky. Stomachs rumbled among the group, but no one dared go downstairs, lest they risk the townsfolk's ire. Thus, they all went to bed on empty stomachs that night. Well, most of them slept. Neither Leiptr or Ryo slept that night. One of them was watching the door, while the other had a wary eye cast out the window. Not a word was spoken between them as they watched and waited for trouble.

However, no trouble came and the next day, everyone was awoken before the sun had even crept over the horizon. The group quickly and quietly departed the inn, leaving behind more than the required payment of munny as whatever meager compensation they could offer to the town for the disaster that had befallen it.

The party of five quickly made their way West, per Barkos' directions on the path he'd decided on the previous day, with said path taking them down a narrow road between a mountain range and a forest. Ryo was on edge throughout the whole journey so far, constantly scanning the trees for any sign of an ambush. However, the problems they did end up facing were almost disappointingly mundane.

"I told you we should have waited another day!"

"Well, good for you! Hindsight is twenty twenty!"

Ryo wished they'd listened to Veris' intuition when they'd left the town earlier that morning. It had been clear when they started, but that was seven hours ago, and the group was currently fighting their way through a raging thunderstorm that had seemingly snuck up on them. To make matters worse, the mountain range meant that they were risking getting caught in an avalanche.

"If we don't find shelter soon, we're going to be in real trouble!" Veris shouted over the din of the storm. As they pushed through, Barkos began shouting something. They couldn't quite make out what he was saying, but they could follow his gestures and saw that he'd noticed a cave they could take shelter in. They immediately hurried over to it and took refuge inside.

"Alright, first things first, we need to get a fire going. Also, check the supplies. If our spare clothes got wet in that deluge, then we want them drying yesterday." Barkos instructed them. He was the most well-learned in survival, even if most of it hadn't been put to practice until recently. As Garren frustratedly tried to get a fire going using the small amount of tinder they'd brought with in a sealed water-proof tube, Veris had an idea.

"Maybe I could use my magic to start it." Veris wondered aloud, though Ryo was quick to shoot that idea down.

"Until you learn more about how to control magic, I'd rather you not try to create a fire in an enclosed space. If you accidentally put too much into it, you could cause an explosion that could either kill us outright or collapse the cave on top of us." Ryo warned. Veris cringed a little at the thought.

"Yeah, maybe I shouldn't do that…" She stuttered, all the more wary of her new abilities. Ryo immediately wished he hadn't been so blunt about the dangers of uncontrolled magic for a number of reasons, namely that it would probably be a lot harder for her to learn how to use magic the more nervous she was around it. Ryo noticed Barkos' eyes flick to him in an odd way before they turned back to the pile of unlit kindling that Garren was still angrily trying to turn into a fire. He cursed a few times as he struck the flint and Firestarter together for the umpteenth time, trying to start the fire, but was still having no success. Finally, he threw his hands up in frustration and was about to toss the tools away, only for Veris to grab them from him.

"We'll still need those." She reprimanded before trying a few times herself, cursing when the damn thing continued to fail. Finally, with a frustrated growl, she struck them together again, though there was something different this time. The sparks suddenly turned into a small puff of flame that had their fire going!

"Woah!" Garren exclaimed, scooting back in surprise. Ryo turned to see what happened and was shocked to see the fire crackling away, looking as though it had started several minutes ago.

"How did that happen?" He asked. Veris was grinning ear to ear.

"I think I used magic again! I was using the flint and firestarter, then suddenly the sparks turned into proper fire and then we have this!" She explained ecstatically. That was a bit of a surprise for Ryo, though the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.

"That's not a bad way to start." Leiptr noted, scooting a little closer to the fire to warm up. "Fire's a pretty common element to start with and sparking it with a mundane catalyst is a good way to get used to controlling it. Not something that's useful in combat, since a flint and firestarter takes up two hands and doesn't always spark, but it's definitely a good starting point." Leiptr complimented, getting a beaming smile from Veris. Ryo took a seat next to the blaze and set his sodden cloak near it to dry, casting his gaze towards the mouth of the cave as Garren started working on a traveler's stew. He doubted those monsters would brave the storm to come looking for them in here, but he didn't want to be caught off-guard; not when there was only one way in or out of this hole.

"Doesn't sound like that storm will clear up soon. We'll probably have to spend the night in here." Leiptr observed as she looked out the cave as lightning flashed. Ryo could tell she was longing to step out into the storm, but she wouldn't dare in present company.

"So, where are you planning to go when we separate?" he asked the thunder mage, who shrugged.

"I was heading west before, so I'll probably keep going that way. I don't really have a destination in mind, but I'm hoping to meet up with a friend or two along the way. They tend to travel these parts around this time of year, so if I keep my eyes open, I might run into them." Leiptr replied, looking equal parts hopeful and nervous. Ryo could hazard a guess as to why, but he kept quiet as he turned his gaze to Veris, who was picking through the contents of her pack to make sure they weren't wet. She was paying special attention to the books her mother had left for her. Given her reaction, they'd made it through the storm without so much as a drip on them.

"Have you been able to read anything from those since…" Ryo started to ask before drifting off. The wounds of Woodfell's destruction were too fresh for him and the others. Even just getting close, he could feel the mood within their shelter change to a far more somber one.

"No, I haven't had the chance. We spent that first night outdoors, the second day we were too exhausted, and then yesterday…" Veris replied before she stopped. No one really wanted to talk about yesterday either. Ryo held back a grimace at the thought and turned his attention back to the books.

"I'm wondering if your mother might have hidden some magic knowledge in those books, assuming she was a magician." He explained, which immediately had Veris very interested, and Leiptr stroking her chin in thought.

"That's certainly an idea. I've heard that most mages write down everything they can pertaining to their practices so that it can be passed down to a potential apprentice, in the event of a premature death. It's not even that risky, since the Dread King is only after magical power, not knowledge. There are reports of him collecting books, but from the sounds of things it's mostly just for the sake of filling a library, or just have them. Either way, it isn't a priority." She added before she was distracted by a particularly loud crash of thunder. Ryo twitched a bit while everyone else jumped. It felt as if the very air was shaking.

"I hope this storm doesn't bring an avalanche down on top of this cave." Barkos muttered as he checked the status of his drying cloak, only to be met with disappointment yet again. Ryo frowned as he thought more about Barkos' words. That certainly was a risk, now that he thought about it. That having been said, the odds of an avalanche coming down specifically on top of the cave they were in seemed incredibly unlikely, even less so if Leiptr was what he suspected she was.

"Stew's ready!" Garrow suddenly announced, snapping Ryo out of his musings as his mind now focused on the hot food being ladled out into bowls. Leiptr and Veris both eagerly took their bowls and began tucking in. There wasn't any chatter as the bowls were systematically emptied before they were refilled once more.

Once all the food was gone, the group started trying to settle in for sleep. Veris had started asking Leiptr about magic again as they both laid out their bedrolls. Despite only knowing thunder magic, Leiptr was able to keep up with most of Veris's questions, though some of them were probably stretched. After all, Fire magic and Thunder magic were very different schools of mysticism.

Garren and Barkos were both quiet as they settled in for the night, though they looked relaxed enough, and for good reason. Veris had volunteered to take first watch, while Leiptr volunteered to take second. Ryo put his name up for third, so it looked like the only ones who would be getting full night's shuteye would be Garren and Barkos.

As the fire dimmed and Ryo crawled under the bedroll, his eyelids grew incredibly heavy and soon he'd drifted off to sleep.

A figure wrapped in a black cloak slowly crept through the unlit stone hallways of a large sanctum. It was approaching midnight. The figure peered around a corner, seeing two figures dressed in different colored robes walk slowly up to a wall and press on a brick. The wall slid away, revealing a narrow passageway. The two figures swiftly make their way into the passageway, followed immediately by the one in the black cloak. The figure carefully maneuvered their way through the narrow corridor before stealing into a side-passage and sneaking their way up a flight of stairs and into a strange, domed overhang within a massive chamber. The chamber already had a large number of occupants, all dressed in robes that were one of six colors combinations; Red and gold, blue and silver, green and grey, yellow and grey, white and gold, black and purple.

They all organized by color scheme, with specific patterns being further to the front. The figure waited at the edge of the overhang before six individuals emerged, one for each color scheme and all dressed much more opulently than the others. They all wore masks designed like serene faces, all using the color scheme they wore.

"Gathered friends, we come together this night in great celebration! For we are one step closer to reclamation!" The one dressed in white and gold exclaimed, their voice distorted unnaturally by the mask. There were cheers from the gathered crowd.

"Too long have we remained here, in a prison we fashioned for ourselves, believing ourselves the better for leaving the world in the stewardship of those who would tear it asunder in their ignorance! We were led to believe that by creating our own home, we would prove ourselves above such petty conflict, but we know better! The world cannot be left to those who would stomp out any perceived threat to their illegitimate throne! And now, we possess one more piece to reclaiming our rightful place! Brother Shadow, reveal to us the Dark Shard!"

The one dressed in black and purple parted their robes and revealed what looked like a black and purple crystal, about the length of a common dagger. The crowd made murmuring noises of excitement as the crystal was presented to them. The figure stiffened.

"With this, we need only the light shard and we may begin the reclamation of the world!" The one dressed in red and gold shouted.

As the strange meeting continued, the figure slowly crept out on the dome until they reached as close to the center as they could. Sweat beaded their forehead as dark energy began to collect around their right hand. The entire world seemed to freeze for several critical seconds before the figure dropped, slamming their hand into the ground and creating an explosion of dark energy! There was chaos and screaming before the figure leapt from the cloud below, the crystal clenched tightly in their hands.

"CATCH THEM!" Multiple voices screeched from the room, but the figure dared not look back. They ran for their life as the collective surged into the passageways to hunt the thief down.

Ryo's eyes snapped open and darted about before he recognized his surroundings. He slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes before realizing how much sweat had gathered on his brow. Looking outside, he saw that the rain had stopped, and it seemed that the other storm hallmarks were gone too. Stepping outside, the lingering smell of rain filled his nostrils as he walked a short distance away from the cave. He wasn't worried about getting lost. He never had any trouble seeing in the dark. He looked up at the night sky and took a deep breath, though the release felt shaky. He looked down at his right hand and saw it shaking a bit. He clenched it into a fist and took another deep breath before he opened it again and started concentrating. Small purple sparks began to dance across his palm.

"Come on… Come on!" He ground out as he pushed harder and harder. The sparks grew more intense, but the effort was too much, and he collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. He could feel his stomach churning, but he managed to not vomit as he gulped down some air and leaned against a tree for a few moments while his strength returned.

"Springs… Now I get what you meant when you couldn't use magic."

Ryo's gaze shot to the side as he saw Leiptr nearby, looking equal parts concerned and revolted. She was probably at the tail-end of her watch. Ryo weakly slamming his fist back on the tree trunk before he stood up on his own two feet.

"I've been like this ever since I arrived here. After that stupid crystal tore me away from home and dumped me in the mud." Ryo replied bitterly, using the same old tongue as Leiptr. He wasn't surprised that she spoke the language, though he thought he'd never hear it again from anyone's mouth but his own.

"Wait, arrived here… Are you saying that you came from…?" She started to ask before Ryo exasperatedly waved the question aside.

"Of course, I'm from Celesc. Where else would I be from?" Ryo asked rhetorically, only to get a confused and concerned stare from Leiptr.

"I thought you were one of the few that wound up stuck here after the Gateway was closed. You're saying that there's a way through?" Leiptr pressed, only for Ryo to shake his head.

"No, there isn't a way through, at least from this side. There was going to be a way through from the other side, but I stopped that and paid the price for it." Ryo replied, looking at his hand with renewed bitterness before he realized something that Leiptr had said. "Wait, you said there were stragglers?"

"Yes, some thousand and change. Either they didn't want to leave all of us to the mercy of those things, or they weren't able to make it in time for the portal to close. It doesn't matter now, anyway. Optimistically the bloodlines remaining have dwindled down to the dozens, thanks to the Dread King." Leiptr replied grimly. Ryo felt light-headed.

"I… we… They always said that everyone had made it… That we left to stop the fighting." Ryo muttered numbly. Leiptr let out a humourless laugh.

"As if! They were happy to stick around while those monsters were making life difficult for humanity, but as soon as they turned against your people, they ran off to their own world and took the Springs with them! Ever since then, magic's been on the decline. It's been slow, but noticeable. The Fae retreated into their groves and us Spirits have been chasing sources of power ever since, just to make sure we can live, let alone defend ourselves when that leach and his hordes come hunting." She bit out, some of her anger directed at Ryo, though not all of it. Ryo was shocked and horrified by all this. He wasn't sure he believed some, or even most of it. At least, he really didn't want to. Leiptr's hard glare softened as she watched Ryo's reaction.

"You really had no idea, did you…" she murmured, getting a head shake from Ryo, who couldn't meet her gaze. Still, that left an unanswered question. "How did you get here?"

Ryo looked haggard simply recalling the events, but he did his best to gather himself and explain.

"I discovered a plot to open a path back to here, allegedly with the goal of "taking the world back." I knew this was a bad idea, so I planned to report the conspiracy to the Council before I realized that I didn't know how far up this conspiracy went, or how they were planning to open the path in the first place. I kept spying on the conspirators until I discovered that they were secretly creating a Light Shard and a Dark Shard. They'd only completed the Dark Shard and when the leaders of the conspiracy went to show off the shard to their subordinates, I stole it and made a run for it." Ryo explained. Leiptr snorted.

"Pretty poorly thought-out plan, you had there." She noted dryly, much to Ryo's annoyance.

"I didn't have a lot of time to figure it out. Anyway, I ended up being cornered and when I prepared myself for a fight, the Dark Shard suddenly lit up like a star and the next thing I knew, I was face-down in the mud, the Dark Shard gone, and my powers… well, you already saw." Ryo finished. Leiptr eyed him strangely.

"So… you stopped them from coming back and starting the war all over again…" She summarized, only to get a grunt of denial from Ryo.

"I've delayed them at best. It may well take them years or even decades, but they'll make another Dark Shard. If all their pontificating before they showed off the Shard was to be believed, it took them centuries to rediscover how to make the shards, then decades to prepare the rituals needed to actually make it. Maybe they'll have gotten faster, maybe not. Bottom line is that they're still coming, and the world isn't in any shape to stop them." He muttered.

"Definitely not with His Majesty on the loose…" Leiptr noted before her gaze fixed on the moon. "There isn't a way to win this, is there."

"Not now at least, based on what you told me. The best we can do for now is gather what strength we can and hope that we stumble on a solution sooner rather than later." Ryo opined sadly before he got up and started heading back to the cave.

"You can go to sleep if you want. It's about time for my watch." Ryo informed Leiptr as he took a seat at the mouth of the cave. Leiptr decided to take him up on that offer as she ducked back into the cave and rejoined the others, though something told Ryo that she wasn't going to sleep. Based on the previous night, Spirits didn't need sleep.

Still, Ryo was left alone as the moon drifted through the sky. Alone with his own thoughts, which swirled and tripped over themselves as he mulled over what Leiptr had told him; of the many truths he'd believed his whole life, which were in the process of crashing down around him. It had started before he arrived at Woodfell, but now it was seemingly happening all at once.

And Ryo didn't know what to do with it.

Ah, and that's the end of chapter 8... I love the number 8; probably has to do with my career.

Creativity: Yeah, probably... Though, you've liked it well before then too.

Author: That's true... Huh. Why do I like the number 8 so much?

Creativity: Probably one of those mysteries we'll never get an answer to.

Author: Probably. Anyway, chapter discussion! So, those who read the original run will probably have noticed changes with Leiptr's character, or at least her interactions with Ryo. No spoilers, but I did more or less have the part of the twist that people haven't seen coming a mile away in mind, but I hadn't really thought given much thought to the wider magical world that's be hiding in the margins, and what their thoughts on the state of things would be. That was way up high on my list of things to correct when I started this rewrite.

Creativity: Could probably do with more expansions to that side of the world.

Author: We'll see. In the meantime, I think that's all I have to say for now.

Thank you for reading, please review, hope to see you on Discord and we'll see you next week!