Hello friends, welcome!
I'm Theia and it's awesome to see you here. :)
Strap in and strap on, as we dive headfirst into the most recent mess our Sora & co. have gotten themselves into. We'll visit different lands, meet different peoples and cultures, learn about the origin of the universe, fight epic battles, collect fantastic artifacts… and we'll also go to school and do homework, eat pizza and watch TV, do the dishes and read comic books.
The main ship is Riku/Sora, but the way is long and the boys will meet several new and unique buddies. Some will pique their interest in more ways than one, some will get on their nerves badly, some will outright stab them on the back, all will have an important role to play.
Please keep in mind that, although the initial chapters are quite PG-friendly, this is a fic with dark and mature themes. I will always do my best to tag the sensitive content and I'll point out the sections of each chapter where it takes place, in case someone feels more comfortable with skipping those parts altogether.
Last but not least, have fun and enjoy! ^-^
SETTING: Disney Castle, audience chamber; 9:32 am
"So you're telling me–"
Riku paused mid-sentence, needing a moment to breathe in. His heart hammered in his chest so frantically it was more like it was trying to bruise his ribs from the inside out; hands curled into tight fists and knuckles gone white within the black gloves. Oh, if only that was a dream… a sadistic bad dream, a nightmare from which he could eventually wake and laugh it off the morning after. Every single morning of the past year, he'd waken up praying to all the gods he didn't believe in for it to have been a nightmare; the sight of Sora fading like dust in the wind, like words being erased to leave the page blank as though nothing had ever been written there. A blank page, that's all his dearly beloved seemed to have become.
It wasn't a nightmare…
It was merciless, inexorable reality.
"You can't just expect me to give up," Riku carried on, needing to say something; anything. Otherwise, the unseen hand wrapped around his throat might suffocate him for good.
"Riku," Yen Sid's tone was calm but firm. Not malicious, yet unyielding like steel. "Apologies, child, but my decision is final. I cannot justify risking lives in search of someone who may already be–"
"He is NOT dead! Sora's not dead!" The thought alone had Riku on the verge of throwing up. And it shattered the last remnants of his self-restraint; opened the floodgates for that torrent of anguish and despair and fear, so much fear, gods, please, he cannot be dead, to pour out and flood the whole room. "He's waiting somewhere for us to go find him and bring him home, and you're going to just abandon him! Why?! Tell me why, why is he so easy to discard? Because we're at peace and he's not useful anymore? Because he's done fighting everyone else's battles–"
"Riku!"
The elderly wizard's tone cut through him like a blade made of ice, and Riku fell back to senses. By much and far, it wasn't like him at all to lose his composure in such an extreme manner. Let alone in the presence of Yen Sid, whom he knew to be a benevolent and just person. His accusations of Yen Sid not caring for Sora were terribly unfair and Riku knew it– and yet… How was he supposed to stay tender when all he could taste was ash and blood? His heartbeat refused to slow down and there was a ringing in his ears, the room going out of focus as he hung his head and stared at the bright tiles of the floor.
"Aqua stayed in the Realm of Darkness for much longer," Riku heard someone murmur in a tortured tone, and needed a moment further to realize it had been himself, "And you still refused to stop looking for her." Yen Sid answered something back, but the words sounded to the silver-haired teen like they were coming from behind a screen of murky water. One year… what was one year, in the grand scheme of things? How could it be that Sora was so easy to give up on…? How could it be that he was already proclaimed lost or worse? Riku couldn't understand it, he refused to. He'd faster rip his chest open, shove a hand inside and pull out his beating heart, before accepting that Sora was lost to him forever.
Suddenly, he couldn't breathe. The room was asphyxiating him, the walls were closing in and were going to crush him; he hated these pristine white walls, hated the whole cheerful Disney Castle, hated Yen Sid's intransigence and everyone who abided by him and everyone who went about their business like nothing was amiss. What right did the world have to continue existing, when Sora was gone? Realizing he might end up committing a big mistake if he lingered for much longer, Riku excused himself with some more vague words and exited the audience chamber.
Life in the castle, indeed, continued on. The animated brooms waddled here and there and everywhere. Casual chatter and happy laughter could be heard. Meals were being cooked in the kitchens, clothes were being washed in the laundry rooms, books were being read in the library. Everyone was certain of their purpose; they moved forward. Only Riku was frozen in time; stuck in a moment from which he could not, would not move on. Breathing because it was necessary, feeling in the absence of heart. Surrounded but lonely. Nothing left but a memory. Quiet steps brought him along the corridor, past one of the side gates, back out to the courtyard where the warm breeze and the bright, cloudless sky welcomed him.
And Riku laughed. Laughed bitterly; sourly.
What use did he have for bright days, having lost his sunlight?
SETTING: Ashella, Riley's house; 5:17 pm
In the beginning, there was the great Nothing.
Only the absolute void that cradled all of existence in its endless bosom. Then, one day, Light was born and with it Darkness, for one cannot be without the other. The void was undone and existence was freed to expand and fill every crevice of every world that there ever was and ever would be. Light and Darkness spread and each claimed their fair share. Yet the demon born from the dust of dying stars was displeased. The creature, which once had been the Mother of All Nothingness, longed for the return of that state of absolute balance, absolute stasis, for only one such as She, She and no other, could exist in the void. From world to world She journeyed, all consuming and all devouring, and only the noble sacrifice of three paladins succeeded in plunging the Mother in deep slumber. Slumber She still does, awaiting the turn of a distant millennium when the seal is prophesized to be broken. With endless might She shall return, to all devour and all consume once more. May the Innocent One hear our prayers and take mercy on our souls, for only the Sword of Genesis can pierce the heart of the Malignant Mother.
O, Gentle Errant!
You, Who Wanders The Void Between Zero And Infinity!
You, Who Flies On The Wings Of The Phoenix And Rides The Winds Of Creation!
May you hear us when the time comes!
"Soooo? Isn't this the coolest thing that you guys ever heard?"
Felix's voice was a stark contrast to what it'd been ten seconds before, as he read that piece of text off a slightly crumpled page in an even more crumpled book. From exaggeratedly pompous and gravelly, it was back to the teen's usual friendly tone. Everything about him was friendly and welcoming, truth be told. Felix was a bit on the short side, something he did not mind at all, and his facial features and body figure were plump and harmonious. His eyes were big and vivacious, painted in a warm tone of chocolate brown that blended quite well with the mop of thick, shaggy, bright ginger hair that he never bothered to style. Freckles smeared a bit all over his face and a lip ring by the right corner of his mouth completed the boy's appearance. And he might not sound it, but he was actually a genius! Felix loved learning about new things, especially if they were related to myth and legend, and one could usually find him with his perky nose deep into the pages of one book or the other. In fact, it was in an old book that he'd found the text he'd just shared with his group of best friends.
"Nope. Just a big pile of boring rubbish."
"WHAT? How dare you, you heathen!"
Looking as though his heart had just been stabbed with a sharp lance, Felix glared in Riley's direction. A snicker of amusement shook the rest of the group, well accustomed to the friendly bickering and mutual teasing. Felix and Riley were kind of polar opposites, physically and mentally and emotionally. Riley was the tallest of the five friends, with a slender but muscular complexion. Where Felix was bright and amiable, Riley was taciturn and quiet; the kind to keep others at arm's length and to never trust easily. He could be blunt to a fault and generally preferred to do his own thing; the loss of his parents when he was still quite young having made him independent and self-reliant. The faint scar he had on his left cheek was forever a reminder of that terrible car crash that he and his older brother had survived by miracle only. Riley's hair fell to his shoulders in layers, in a tone of black so pure that it glistened under the sunlight. His eyes were a sort of golden brown and never revealed anything that Riley did not wish to publicly show. He could be quite the intimidating presence, as it was, but those who cared to look under his stoic surface would eventually find an honest and most loyal friend.
"Rubbish," Riley repeated with the hint of a smirk, to Felix's outrage.
The butting of heads between these two was nothing new; despite being good friends, they were just too dissimilar to get along without hitches. If anybody asked Riley, Felix was far too loud and needed to calm down with all his nerd stuff; if anybody asked Felix, Riley needed to urgently remove the stick he had up his butt and just enjoy life. The rest of the group didn't worry too much about the little provocation going on, therefore; par for the course. Still, a gentle voice was heard next, along with an even gentler laugh.
"Come on, Riley… you can call anything to this, but not boring!"
Sweet Halley, ever the conciliator. Ever making sure that everyone was doing okay, that no one was left behind; often, at the expense of her own sake. Halley was a bit like a frail-looking flower with deep, strong roots. She was slim and pale, would frequently get sick or be afflicted by headaches or coughing fits or random bouts of fever. It never stopped her from accompanying her best friends in their adventures but, more often than not, her fragile health forced her to act as back-up. Not that she minded too much to be on the sideline, because Halley was also quite shy and definitely struggled to be assertive. To her, it was far more gratifying to watch her friends succeeded than to be on the spotlight herself.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Unsurprisingly, not even Riley had the spunk to talk back to Halley for too long. Dainty the girl might be, but she possessed a manner of undefeatable power born from her kindness. On the contrary, if there was anything Riley was good at it was at kicking the ass of whoever tried to take advantage of his friend for her tender personality.
"It is weird, though. You sure you didn't make this up, Felix?"
It was Regina's turn to be shot with a glare by the redhead. Regina was Halley's twin sister, older than Halley by only half an hour. The two of them were perfectly identical: fair skin, light blonde hair that they wore in a bob cut with the fringe falling on their forehead, eyes in an uncommon shade of brown that was almost red and long, curly lashes. They always dressed the same and loved to make it impossible for people to tell them apart. If they had the same face, however, their personalities were even more divergent than Riley and Felix. Regina was outspoken, bossy, confident to the point where she sometimes became arrogant. She was the kind of person who always got her way, no matter what it took. And she and Halley were always together and got along great, but a blind man could see the power imbalance between those twins.
"You know what, you're all a bunch of uncultured bums! Dunno why I waste my time on you people!" Felix was joking, of course, but his pouty face with arms crossed over the chest was quite convincing. "Last time I share neat stuff with ya!"
The group laughed in unison at that display, and Gloria reached lazily from her spot half-sunken in the armchair to poke at Felix with a foot. "Stop being a baby and go on! I wanna know what that is about!"
Gloria was Riley's neighbor and childhood friend. She had dark olive skin and a mane of long, straight hair that was like a cascade of light brown reaching to the middle of her back. Her eyes weren't as large as Felix's but were just as bright, in a tone of deep emerald. Due to mild myopia, she alternated between wearing contacts and a pair of rectangle-shaped glasses in tones of black and with pastel blue details. Gloria also loved sports and physical activity in general, and it well showed in her toned figure. In fact, that was how she and Riley had become friends, all the way back in elementary school, when they started playing in the same basketball team after classes. With a witty sense of humor and a strong sense of justice, Gloria probably held the record for collecting the most admirers in their school, but she honestly didn't care much for it. If one day she found the right person for her, she was sure it would happen naturally and not because of some lame pick-up lines thrown her way.
Felix, meanwhile, kept the farce up for a moment longer but quickly caved. He'd waited eagerly the whole day for classes to end, so that he could share with the group what he'd found! A book from the library just like any other, which he started reading in bed, and that, at first, wasn't anything out of the ordinary. It sure was interesting, talking of ancient civilizations and cultures that existed in Myr before modern mankind came to be, but nothing beyond many other similar volumes he'd already read. Felix was a sucker for the history of the planet, few things entertained him more than learning about his ancestors, about fascinating tales of the peoples who'd lived many, many years prior. At some point, though, as he was already nodding off and about to fall asleep and simply skimming absently over the pages, he found that text. The same lines he'd just read out loud to his friends.
"Okay, look… Doesn't it sound familiar?"
Regina wrinkled her nose in her usual, very characteristic manner. Riley had once commented he wasn't sure if she did it to show she was above the rest of them peasants or if she was trying to impersonate a rabbit instead. And, of course, she had elbowed him on the ribs for it. "What, some mother-of-evil or whatever? Yeah, sounds just like any other series in Myrflix if you ask me."
"No, Gina, c'mon!" Felix pointed to a very specific line of the text. "The void was undone and existence was freed to expand. Y' guys know what it sounds like to me? It sounds like the freaking Big Bang! There was nothing and suddenly, BAM," he opened his arms wide for extra dramatic effect, "There was a huge explosion and our universe was created and started expanding!"
The other four friends exchanged a look, not sure of what to say. Halley looked clearly impressed and possibly even like she agreed, but she never liked being the first to talk so she remained silent. Riley, on the other hand, couldn't care less about science classes. Sure, he knew what the Big Bang theory was about, but that was it. He had far more interesting things to do than to fry his brain cells over where the universe came from. Regina was firm on her opinion that the text was just some random thing that some random person wrote out of boredom, and it was Gloria who asked the question that had to be asked.
"Well, okay. But why does it matter, anyway?"
Rather than being dissuaded by the apparent lack of interest, that question had Felix beaming. "That's exactly it! Imagine if this really is a sort of ancient theory about the origin of the universe? Then it's proof that people way back when had a similar understanding to what we have nowadays with all our technology! They might have been a race even more advanced than us!"
"Great, so now it's aliens. Can't wait for them to invade us." Riley's tone was sardonic, having flopped further back on the couch with his hands rested at the back of his head, but the smirk was of genuine amusement. Alien invasions were at least more interesting!
Again, Felix was unfazed. "Why not! Do you realize how big the universe is? It's ginormous and it's full of other worlds! Who's to say a lot of them aren't inhabited by intelligent life like our Myr?"
"I would hardly call some of us intelligent," Regina said, as her sister giggled.
Felix rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless. "Fine. You want more proof that something's up with this? Then consider the fact: a text like this, just waiting around in some book. Isn't it suspicious?"
Gloria frowned, glad that the topic was finally advancing but not following. "What's so exciting about a text in a book? Where else did you expect to find stuff written?"
"It's not that, dummy! You don't get it!" Felix was usually an eloquent person despite his young age, able to express his thoughts and ideas with clear words. Whenever he got excited, however, it wasn't unusual for him to want to say everything at the same time, ending up in a tangle that only made sense in his head. Like right there and then. Realizing he was confusing his friends, he tried again. "See how it looks? This text is the only thing that exists on this one page. There's nothing written on the back, either."
A sense of shared curiosity suddenly had the group huddling closer together, five heads peering at the book rested on the coffee table and staring intently at what Felix was indicating. Indeed, now that they were paying attention, it did look odd. The font and the size of the letters were consistent with the rest of the book, but that page seemed cut off somehow. Just abruptly inserted there with no rhyme or reason. Riley started reading out loud from the previous page and continued to the next one, but none of those regular paragraphs made any reference to the kind-of ominous one set apart from all the rest. They didn't even speak of the same topic!
"What did I say, huh?" Felix resumed, glad that he was finally getting his point across and more than satisfied that he once again was bringing up intriguing stuff for the group to investigate. "It's a mystery!"
"Is it, now?" Riley felt the need to immediately argue back, if nothing else out of habit and for the sake of winding up his friend.
It was Regina, however, who seemed about ready to close the case. Landing back on her heels, she shook her slender shoulders in uninterest. "To me, it's quite obvious what happened." And then she smiled proudly, as she always would whenever all attentions were on her. "It's just a printing mistake. This page should have been somewhere else in the book but they slapped it here on accident. Not the first time it happens."
Halley smiled and nodded quietly, agreeing with her twin like usual, and Gloria commented that it made sense. And it was a logical explanation, but Felix wasn't about ready to just let it go like that. Maybe because the content of that text, by itself, was enticing enough to warrant more research. Maybe because a simple printing error was a boring excuse and he much rather would prefer that there was something special, perhaps even supernatural and/or extramyrrestrial, about that book. Either way, gut feeling was telling him to insist and insist he would have, if not for the racket suddenly filling the living room of the small house where Riley and his brother, Jake, lived.
A loud crashing noise came from the back yard, like a tree had just fallen over or something and destroyed whatever was on its way. The five friends promptly forgot about book mysteries for the time being and hurried outside. The yard itself wasn't too spacious, just like the rest of the house. There was a miniature barbeque area, a picnic table, and that was it. Neither Riley nor Jake were too fond of plants in general, so the only signs of greenery were the sunflowers planted by Gloria's mom peeking over the neighboring wooden fence. Other than that, there was the shed that served for the two siblings to pile up stuff like their old toys, decorations for the holidays, used magazines and newspapers waiting to be taken to the recycle bin, and clothes that'd become too small for them and would be donated at some point. At first sight, nothing seemed wrong… but it was Halley who noticed it, raising her usually quiet voice to catch the others' attention.
"Look… the roof!"
All heads turned at the same time, following the direction Halley was pointing a finger at. Indeed, there was a big hole in the shed's roof… something had crashed onto it, hard enough to pass through and fall inside!
"Shit…" Felix wasn't one for cussing, but the current state of affairs begged for an exception. "Do you think it was a meteor…?" Or maybe an alien spaceship? Was the book magical after all, had it just summoned some sort of cosmic catastrophe?
Halley frowned and absently sought shelter behind Riley's taller frame. Meteors, shooting stars… they were nice up in the night sky for people to look at, not to come crashing down on houses and heads! Irritated by his friends' apprehension, and as a way to conceal his own, Riley shook free from the younger twin and promptly started over toward the shed's door.
"Don't be dumb! This was just some jerk outside that tossed a stone or something!"
No one bothered to comment that, to create such a wide hole in the roof, it must have been a whole boulder that was tossed instead. Curiosity was stronger than fear, anyway, and all of them followed after Riley. The light in the shed didn't work properly and always needed a few seconds before turning on; that time, it felt to the five friends more like a small eternity. Once they were able to see, they gasped in shock. The interior was a mess even bigger than the busted roof. Meteor or rock or whatever it was, it'd landed right on the wooden shelves on the back wall and broke them pretty much one by one. The floor was now a mess of scattered action figurines, superhero comics, pieces of those same shelves, cans of peas and beans, rolls of toilet paper, and much more.
"Fucking great… I'm gonna be cleaning up for days."
At Riley's frustration, Gloria shook her head with a sigh and patted her friend's shoulder sympathetically. Who could have done such a thing, and why? Was it really just a prank in very poor taste? She was about to suggest they hurried outside the house, to see if they could try and find sight of any potential culprits, when something very… peculiar robbed her attention. Was that a… a foot? A whole human leg, buried under the mess of objects and clothing and cracked shelves?
"…Guys! Over here!"
Wasting no time, she began removing everything that was in the way. The others didn't immediately understand but they helped anyway and soon, much to everyone's absolute astonishment, they pulled out what seemed to be an unconscious boy. Probably of an age with them or close enough to make no matter. Brown spiky hair and dressed in long shorts and t-shirt and hooded jacket in a mix of mostly red and black hues, chunky fingerless gloves and even chunkier sneakers, wearing a necklace from which dangled a pendant shaped like a crown.
"Is… is he dead…?"
"It's a shame if he is, he's kinda really cute."
Not the first time and not the last that the twins had opposite reactions to the same situation but, at the moment, no one could afford to pay attention to Halley's panicky whine nor to Regina's ill-timed gossip. Riley pushed away the nearby stack of cardboard boxes, freeing more room as he carefully rolled the boy from his side to his back, and Gloria followed in tandem – kneeling beside him to press an ear to the stranger's chest, to try and find a heartbeat. Green eyes widening, she glanced back at her friends.
"He's alive!"
SETTING: Disney Castle, courtyard; 1:01 am
The full moon above, bathing the pointed rooftops of Disney Castle's towers in serene light, was the only witness; only the moon watched as a figure with hair as silver as the moon itself surreptitiously exited through the smallest of the side doors. Not a sound could be heard in the courtyard, save for Riku's hushed footsteps and the soft jingling of the keychain attached to the zipper of his backpack; one of Sora's old ones. For good luck. For courage. For a reminder of Riku's purpose, if ever any force in any world could hope to make him forget.
There would be no idle waiting anymore, no more hoping that some gracious soul would take pity on him and finally decide to act and help. No, Riku would do this on his own. He wasn't sure where to start, but he would start somewhere and, from there, he would sift through every single and each world if need be, climb every tree and turn over every rock and visit every house, till finding Sora. He would find Sora, that wasn't even up for debate; it was just a matter of when.
The first step then would be to sneak inside the Gummi ship unnoticed and straight up steal the thing for his personal use; very unbecoming of an officially anointed Keyblade Master, but heck if he cared. As he ventured inside the Gummi hangar as inconspicuously as humanly possible, however, the sight he found waiting there startled him for a moment. A shadow… someone else was in there. Soon, the teen sighed in relief when noticing that this shadow sported an unmistakable pair of big, round ears.
"…Mickey. What are you doing here?"
The king turned with the usual warm smile, from the control panel he'd been fiddling with. "Gee, Riku. If ya really gotta ask at this point, then I haven't been a very good friend lately."
More than a friend, much more; Riku's mentor and role model and own personal savior, more often than not. Before Riku could respond, though, two other very characteristic shadows joined them. Donald waddled out from behind a pile of gears and machinery and Goofy had just entered the hangar as well, carrying an armful of food cans and packs. Royal magician and royal knight approached each other and exchanged a look, and then turned to Riku with a mirrored wistful expression.
"Gawrsh, Riku… we miss him a lot too, ya know?"
"We're worried and we wanna help ya find him."
If Mickey could be called sort-of Riku's older brother, then Donald and Goofy were, without a doubt, sort-of Sora's adoptive parents. Probably the ones who missed the boy the most, along with Riku himself. To the point where the silver-haired teen presently felt a bit silly for not having thought of asking for their help. No way they would have turned him down, unlike Yen Sid. Speaking of which…
"Are you guys sure? Won't you get in trouble for coming with me?"
Especially Mickey; kingly duties and responsibilities and protocol and all that. True, he'd once left the castle with only a vague letter behind to tell the tale, back when the whole fantastic adventure started – but that had been for the sake of saving the world(s). Objectively, it couldn't compare to sneaking away to go look for one single person, even if that person, to Riku, subjectively was worth more than all those worlds put together. Moreso, when said sneaking away clashed directly with Yen Sid's decision.
Understanding what Riku's concern was about, Mickey frowned but the smile did not falter. "Master Yen Sid… I'm sure he has his motives. We just don't know what those motives are. We should trust him."
Goofy and Donald nodded in agreement at those words – and so did Riku, if a bit begrudgingly. The bitter aftertaste following his last conversation with the wizard still hadn't subsided but, unlike the previous morning, Riku currently could think calmly and rationally. Throwing a tantrum wouldn't help, especially because the king wasn't done making his point.
"And, as my mentor, he taught me that we should never abandon a friend in need. How could he be mad at me, then? I'm going out to help a friend in need!"
Hearing those last words, Riku found himself surprised that he still knew how to smile; a genuine smile, from the heart, full of gratitude and hope. "Thanks, Mickey. Owe ya one."
"Now!" Already done with diversions, the king turned to the two members of his court, who promptly assumed a formal stance and saluted. "You two, finish gathering our provisions. I'm going to bring out our ship."
Riku tilted his head in puzzlement, as duck and dog scurried away to fulfil their duties. The Gummi ship was in the same spot as always, parked a few meters away but right in front of them and in plain sight. "What do you mean? We just have to open the gates and go."
It wasn't often that Mickey would wear a mischievous expression, yet the current moment begged to differ. Glancing back at the control panel, from which now a screen had popped out that showed Chip and Dale busy with some sort of mechanism, he motioned with a hand for Riku to move closer.
"We won't be taking the Gummi ship, this time."
"We won't?"
"You see, Riku… if Sora was in any of the worlds we know, our friends there would have called us already, right?" The teen nodded, and Mickey continued. "Which means, he must be somewhere far away and beyond our reach by common means. In a different universe, possibly."
"A different… universe?" Riku scratched the side of his head, not sure if he understood. "Um… What's the difference between being in another world and being in another universe?"
"It's not very easy to explain." Mickey folded his arms and closed his eyes for a moment, looking for a good example to present. Finding it, he smiled at Riku again. "Remember the Timeless River? We refer to it as a world but, in reality, it's a different universe. It exists in a different plane of reality, where time and other things don't work the same as they do here or in Agrabah or in the Olympus Coliseum."
"Ohhh…" Riku's turquoise eyes widened slightly, as insight hit him. "So you think Sora's in a place like that, a separate universe? And that's why we haven't been able to find any clues leading to him so far?"
"Yes, that's my theory! He must be somewhere where our forms of communication cannot reach – neither can he reach back to us. Like there's a wall between the two universes. So, if we wanna look for him, we must first find a way to cross that wall."
Riku had to resist the rising urge to smother the mouse right there and then, hug him so tight and throw him up in the air and twirl him around and pepper his face full of kisses. Finally! Finally, someone telling him what he wanted to hear, what he needed to hear! Finally, a light at the end of that impossibly dark tunnel… Now only one question was left unanswered.
"How can we do that, then? Is that why we need a ship different than the Gummi?"
"Your Majesty!" Chip's voice coming through the hangar's intercom system claimed all attentions. "We're ready to launch, sir!"
"Thanks pals! Go right ahead. Riku, you better hold onto something."
Barely a chance for it, as the very ground beneath their feet was already shaking like a dragon stirring after a long nap. Gasping, Riku was still in time to cling to the nearest gear and avoid flopping back on his butt in a rather undignified manner – and watched in sheer awe as the grids of the floor indeed separated and opened up, revealing a large hole through which a platform was rising. Atop it rested the most magnificent airship model he'd seen; only a bit larger than the regular Gummi, but far more intricate. It was painted in a shade of pearl white, with the castle's royal insignia shimmering on one of the sides in bright gold. The overall shape was rectangular but the Gummi blocks at the back were disposed in a circle, kind of making the powerful engines look like a peacock's tail. The wings to the sides, however, didn't look as wings as much as they looked like tree branches reaching to infinity. Two very respectable laser canons, planted by each side of the crystal-clear cockpit, completed the ship's figure.
"Wow…" Riku found himself unable to say anything else, at the moment.
"This is the Yggdrasil, our new ship! It hasn't been needed in a long time, so I'm sure no one will mind if we borrow it for a while."
The teen remained baffled, mouth even slightly agape. There was his friend, suggesting they not only disobey Yen Sid but actually also steal some sort of ancient secret vessel to go with it! Riku's mind was bubbling with interrogations, wanting to know more about the ship and what purpose had led to building it and why was it now shut off literally under the ground, but one question took precedence before all others. "Can we find Sora with this?"
"The navigation system is different, it doesn't use regular Gummi blocks." Mickey then poked at a couple switches and the screen display changed along, to reveal the intricacies of the machinery nested within the ship's belly. "See? These are called the Source blocks, they're named like this because every other kind of block is based on these ones."
Riku thoughtfully rubbed at his chin as he followed the explanation and watched. Frankly, he couldn't really tell the difference… Maybe the Source blocks were different in function, rather than form. Or maybe he ought to have paid more attention to Cid, whenever the pilot would start on his passionate ramblings about airships and what made them tick. Technicalities aside, Mickey carried on.
"Gummi blocks allow ships to travel the paths between worlds, but they're limited to that. You can think of it as a tram that can go anywhere its rails take it, but can never leave the rails to go anywhere else."
"And the Source blocks…?"
Mickey smiled at that impatience. "The Source blocks do that, as well… but they can also travel along the more ancient paths that no one uses anymore. They can travel along the paths of Anima Mundi." Before Riku had the chance to ask, he continued. "Anima Mundi is what we call to the soul of all worlds. It's the path that connects all living beings, no matter how far apart they are. The paths of Anima Mundi connect everything and everyone that exists, soooo…" Making a brief pause for dramatic effect, the king then turned to face Riku with a fond expression. "If we follow the paths, I'm pretty sure we'll find Sora eventually!"
This time, Mickey did not escape the squishing hug. Heaving a laugh of utmost relief, like at last his lungs could again breathe pure air and not a poisonous miasma, Riku wrapped his arms around Mickey and brought him closer for some very much needed and very well deserved snuggles. As if on cue, finished with the preparations, Donald and Goofy came to join them and pounced into the group hug with such glee that they almost made Riku topple over.
"We can do this," Riku said, among the happy laughter and doing his best to keep all three friends in his arms for a moment longer, "I know we can! Together, we can find Sora!"
The three of them promptly nodded their agreement and Donald pulled back, so that he could put out a hand. "One for all and all for one!"
One for all and all for one!, the cheer echoed loud and strong as all hands came together to seal their promise and shared fate, already seeping inside the Yggdrasil to fill it with hope and optimism.
Final note of clarification:
Myr is the world/planet where Sora is currently at and where the five friends are from. Ashella is the city where they live and it's pretty much like our modern world big cities. Throughout the chapter, I added some puns and plays on names to emphasize this sense of stuff there not being too different than it is for us. I'll always try my best to describe and explain everything that is pertinent to the plot, but with such extensive world building it's only natural if sometimes some details are less clear. In that case, please always feel free to poke me about it and ask and discuss. :3
Also! Yen Sid does have a motive to behave the way he is. You guys wait and see.
Thank you so much for reading!
Theia