The Age of Fairy Tales:
The Fairy King
Among the many fairy tales that exist across Remnant, none are more famous and mysterious than the fabled story of the Fairy King.
(The screen starts with black before showing a burning village and a young boy in the center of it all)
Said to have been born in an age of magic, mysticism and deities, the Fairy King begins with tragedy of a young boy who had lost his family and village. By what some would consider to be a chance of fate, the boy survived the blazing inferno that had claimed everyone and everything he had ever known. Some say he had been so broken that he projected no negative emotions, making him invisible to the Grimm. Others would say he was saved at the last minute.
(A Grimm, different from the usual ones with blades sticking out of its back, hovered over the boy.)
And those that believe the boy was saved, claimed it was a pair of young Huntresses.
(The Grimm was then suddenly cut in half by a white sword. The boy looked up, staring at a woman in blue and a younger girl with bright red hair)
They were both held in high regard, considered to be warriors of great renown and admired for their beauty. The woman in blue, wearing blue armor with pieces of silver, her hair and eyes the color of the sea and the younger girl with hair the color of fire and eyes the color of a green forest. The boy would be astounded but left numb by the shock of being able to live while his loved ones had passed on. When reality had finally sink in for him, the Huntresses had left on a mission of great importance.
He would try to follow them, gathering the remaining supplies he could find and set off into the world, leaving his burning home behind.
(The boy is shown traveling to many places, stopping at villages for rest before continuing on)
Then one day he would meet her.
(The boy comes into a clearing and stops suddenly. Before him is a Grimm slain by the red haired girl he had seen.)
The Huntress apprentice, now a fully fledged Huntress in her own right stood before him, having saved him from a Grimm attack. The girl didn't recognize him as their previous meeting had been brief but he was drawn to her for the brave and courageous warrior that she had grown into.
(The screen turned back to black)
And perhaps what she might help him become.
"You seem happy."
Poppy glanced over to her fiancé, idly reading a book as she climbed into their bed. "What gave you that idea?"
"The fact you haven't stopped smiling for the entire day." Maxwell said as he put the book down and looked at her with a soft smile. "You really missed her, didn't you?"
Poppy lay her head down on her pillow, looking up at the ceiling. "I did. You know how we first met?"
Maxwell nodded. "She saved your life."
"While I got my brother, my parents and my entire village killed." She muttered but even though there was sadness in her voice she was able to say it more clearly and easily than before. "She was all I had, the one who saved my life, gave me a home, gave me a purpose to latch on to. A noble warrior literally out of a fairy tale saving me and comforting me. "
Poppy could never forget it.
The loss of her family was an old pain and one she had long since managed to come to terms with. Aqua had taken her in, becoming her guide, mentor and in many ways a second mother that Poppy had needed badly in those days. Though Aqua spent a long time convincing her not to blame herself for the actions of the monster that had killed her village, Poppy always held onto the small amount of guilt in her heart.
She who had ignored her parents' warnings and ventured into the dark woods.
She who pushed her brother into those woods and waited an entire day before finally deciding to go in and look for him.
She who brought the dead corpse masquerading as her brother back into their village and let the monster kill everyone while she slept.
She who would have been the final victim if not for Aqua's timely intervention.
The guilt and blame would always be there, no matter how much time had passed or how much Aqua would say her family would blame her and forgive her for all the good deeds she had done.
If only she could so sure…
KNOCK-KNOCK!
"Poppy!"
Both jumped out of the bed, hearing Aqua shouting from outside their room. Poppy covered herself with the sheets and rushed over to the door, greeting her former mentor who had an alarmed look on her face. "Aqua? What is it?"
"Trouble."
Several minutes later, Aqua along with Poppy, Maxwell and Amarilla were outside the temple, staring up at the glowing Heart floating over top of it.
"What is that?" Amarilla asked, unable to even think of what to make of a literal Heart floating at the top of the monastery.
"It's a Heart." Aqua frowned. "A special kind of Heart that Poppy and I have seen before."
Kingdom Hearts.
Though not the real one, it was still a type of Kingdom Hearts that was powerful and extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. The last time one had appeared, it had led to the creation of the monster known as Sin that had disappeared that was later explained to be the work of the Brother Gods. The monster had been an extremely powerful opponent and Aqua had barely survived her fight against it.
Now another Kingdom Hearts has appeared but why?
Where did it come from and why was it appearing here?
And how was she going to explain this?
Could she tell Poppy and the others the truth now?
Especially when Poppy herself now had a Keyblade of her own.
"Aqua?" She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Poppy with a concerned look on her face that slowly became a reassuring smile. "It's okay. I know you've struggled with keeping your secrets when we first met and you've told me so much in the time we were together. I've kept those secrets for your sake because I knew you would be back one day and because they weren't mine to tell. I think you know what this is and you're afraid to tell because it's dangerous but we're ready. Please, let us help you."
Aqua stared back and sighed. "All right. This is perhaps the last secret I've kept from you, Poppy but since you have a Keyblade of your own now, it's pretty much a moot point but this cannot be told to anyone else, not even Ozma and the girls without consulting me first."
Poppy, Maxwell and Amarilla all nodded and gave Aqua a moment to clear her throat before she started.
"What we see before us is something called…Kingdom Hearts."
Poppy liked to think nothing would surprise at this point.
She had been with Aqua for over ten years, ever since she had been saved from the Grimm that had possessed and killed her village.
She had seen giant monsters that make the Grimm look like friendly little animals.
She had seen specters made from people's souls.
She had seen immortals battling for control of the world.
And her mentor had been in the center of it all.
But this one was a twist, even for her.
Kingdom Hearts, a great object of power that Aqua believed to be the Heart of everything.
The Heart of all Worlds.
The Heart of All That Lives.
And it was floating above the very top of their home.
Why?
Why was something like this happening?
In the three years since that night in the castle, aside from Grimm skirmishes the lands had been relatively peaceful.
Was it because of Aqua's return?
She knew things had been relatively peaceful after that night in the castle but that was because Aqua had defeated the Dark Queen. She stopped the Grimm Witch from taking over the world. She defeated the monster Sin and took down those three creatures in the desert. In the entire time Poppy had known her, Aqua had been a warrior standing against the Grimm and other forces of darkness threatening Remnant.
That's what made Poppy so proud to follow in her footsteps, especially when she gained a Keyblade of her own.
A chance to do some real good.
But she was starting to feel this might be a little much, even for her.
"So, this Kingdom Hearts is supposedly the Heart of everything that exists?" Poppy heard Maxwell speaking and shook her head, focusing back on the matter at hand.
"Yes, but I doubt the Heart floating atop the temple is the real Kingdom Hearts. If it was, it would be the size of the moon." Aqua answered, looking up into the sky and seeing the shattered moon. "My best guess it's smaller and inferior copy, created by Hearts that have been released from their bodies. I sense enough of it to know it's not a simple forgery."
"So, what do we do?" Amarilla asked. "Destroy it?"
"No." Aqua shook her head. "I am not even sure if that is possible, but we can't destroy it. We have to find a way to release the Hearts that have somehow been brought together."
"What could even be bringing them together?"
Aqua frowned as she remembered what Penny and Terra had told her.
'A spell cast by someone using the Staff of Creation has led to Kingdom Hearts, or at least a miniature and inferior copy of it to appear in Remnant. Its power was then corrupted by the darkness of one man's heart and now it has taken form of a monster.' Terra quickly explained.
"A monster?" Aqua looked back in the direction she had sensed this new darkness. "Kingdom Hearts appearing here?"
'It was the nature of the man's spell. Aqua, you have to stop this monster fast before it goes on a rampage across Remnant.' Terra instructed. 'It can and will destroy everything in its path.'
"Where is the monster called Sin?" Aqua asked the first question.
A blue mist surrounded the two and suddenly they were now underwater. Poppy gasped, first thinking she was going to down but surprisingly she could still breath and she could still feel the ground underneath her feet enough she could see nothing but water under her.
"The monster known as Sin has taken refuge deep underwater near the dragon shaped continent." Jinn's voice spoke clearly through the water.
Peering down below, both could see the massive form of Sin moving along the ocean floor. Any Grimm nearby actually swim away seemingly in fear of the massive monster.
"It is attracted to places that have a large population but at the moment it is still weak from having just been born. However, as time passes it grows in strength and soon it will be strong enough to attack all highly populated kingdoms."
Aqua scowled at that but remained calm as she asked her next question. "My next question…The people that Yevon and the rest of his cult used to create their summons…How do I free their souls?"
"Destroy the core of Sin." Jinn answered, showing the interior of Sin where Aqua had fought the creature inside.
Poppy gasped at the sight of the strange creature with the eye symbol of the cult of Yevon.
"This is what remains of Yevon, the leader of the cult and the creator of Sin. His mind was destroyed when he merged with the Kingdom Hearts created when the hearts of his victims were torn from their bodies while their souls were used as a power source for his magic." Jinn continued. "Yevon is the one who cast the spell. Destroy him and the curse is broken."
Aqua sighed. "I'm not sure. There was only one time when a Kingdom Hearts was made and that was done through the loss of so many people."
"Those Yevonites." Poppy scowled.
"Yeonites?" Maxwell questioned.
"A cult led by a man named Yevon. I heard of him even back then from our scouts." Amarilla answered. "That man somehow sacrificed his entire village to create a form of magic that could bring forth some kind of summon."
"It was more than that. The summon were the literal manifestations of people's dreams that were sacrificed." Aqua clarified. "Poppy and I exposed the cult's wrongdoings before they could influence the rest of the world into following them and that was the last we had heard of them. However, we do know that their leader, Yevon came upon a Kingdom Hearts was somehow created when he sacrificed those people, and it changed him into a giant monster."
"Sin?" Maxwell's jaw nearly dropped. "You faced the legendary monster Sin?"
"If that is what people are calling it these days then yeah." Aqua shrugged. "Still, we should figure out what do with this one before something happens."
"Any ideas?" Amarilla asked.
Aqua brought a hand to her chin, thinking carefully before coming to a decision. "I'll go up there and see what I can do."
"I'll help." Poppy offered.
"No, Poppy. You should stay down here and keep everyone calm." Aqua shook her head.
Poppy scowled. "I'm not an apprentice anymore, Aqua. I looked after this place the whole time you've been gone, and I have my own Keyblade now."
"Yes, you do but you don't have the training and or experience to use it on something like Kingdom Hearts." Aqua argued. "If something happens to me you have to keep everyone else protected."
"And I say we should be working together on this so nothing happens to you." Poppy retorted. "You just came back, Aqua. I don't want to watch you disappear like that again."
"Perhaps there can be a compromise." Maxwell offered, taking a step back as both women sharply turned to him. "You are both right in your own way. These lands will need a protector in case this Kingdom Hearts appears to be dangerous, and I don't want my beloved to lose her closest friend after you just came back. So…Perhaps I can journey up with you to help if there is trouble while Poppy keeps everyone else calm."
"Max, that's a terrible idea." Poppy replied. "You have Aura and you've trained to be a great warrior, but this is different."
"Perhaps but the people here look to you for protection and guidance, Poppy." Maxwell reached out and cupped his fiancé's cheek in his hand. "At the very least, I can repay you for allowing me the chance to be here by helping your mentor if something happens."
Poppy and Aqua were silent as they mulled over Maxwell's suggestion.
"He makes a point." Amarilla pointed out, making the pair look at her now. "No one should be looking after this thing alone and from what I see, since a Keyblade Wielder created this kingdom it's a Keyblade Wielder that should be protecting it."
Seeing that Amarilla was in agreement with her fiancé Poppy looked back at Aqua. "…Well, what do you think?"
Aqua knew that the appearance of another Kingdom Hearts could lead to trouble if something was not done and quickly.
So rather than refuse cause more arguments, she nodded but threw a stern look at Maxwell who buckled under her gaze. "All right, you can come along. But the moment I suspect there is danger, you leave if I tell you to."
"Of course." Maxwell nodded respectfully.
With everyone now in agreement, they split up to carry out their objectives. Aqua led Maxwell up the stairs that led them to the highest balcony. From there, Aqua would transform her Keyblade into its glider form and float up to where Kingdom Hearts resided.
The experience was breathtaking…to say the least.
The Heart glowed with a divine light that almost blinded the pair as the glider approached.
"Amazing." Maxwell whispered to himself.
Aqua could sense the power emanating from this small version of the real Kingdom Hearts.
It paled in comparison to the real Kingdom Hearts but was still powerful in its own right.
Aqua took a deep breath and looked over her shoulder back to Maxwell. "I'm going to set you down and come back up here."
Maxwell looked ready to protest. "But-"
"I need my Keyblade in its real form to properly seal this thing." Aqua cut him off, already bringing him back down to the balcony. "I agreed to let you come with me, but I never said I would keep you up close with me as I investigated. Watch from here but I believe this will only take a moment."
They landed back on the balcony and Maxwell reluctantly got off the glider. Aqua then summoned a bright star shaped glyph underneath her body which began to glow. Maxwell watched in silent awe as sparkling dust was now emitting from Aqua's body as the glider changed back into its Keyblade form and was even more surprised to see Aqua hovering off the ground before ascending back up to the top of the monastery.
She could also fly?!
Aqua hovered back up to the top of the monastery where Kingdom Hearts still resided and pointed her Keyblade at it. She took a deep breath, gathering her power to seal away…
WHOOSH!
Aqua's eyes widened as something shot up from below and knocked her Keyblade away, sending her spinning through the air. "Wha-?!"
Maxwell?!
He had run up the walls of the temple and struck her when she wasn't looking!
And now he was leaping at Kingdom Hearts!
"Wait, don't-!"
It was too late.
There was a flash of light, and it was over.
Maxwell was gone.
Aqua could only stare in silent horror, wondering what she would say to Poppy.
Why did he do that?
Why did he attack her?
Bump-Bump!
Aqua's eyes shot up, looking straight at Kingdom Hearts.
Bump-Bump!
It was pulsing and beating…
Like a heart.
Bump-Bump!
Bump-Bump!
Bump-Bump!
With each pulse, Kingdom Hearts would beat faster and loud, even causing the monastery to shake.
Bump-Bump!
Bump-Bump!
Bump-Bump!
Bump-Bump!
Bump-Bump!
Kingdom Hearts began glowing even brighter as the pulsing intensified. Down below, Amarilla along with Poppy, Ozma and his daughters had rushed out to see what was happening.
Bump-Bump!
Bump-Bump!
Bump-Bump!
Bump-Bump!
Bump-Bump!
Bump-Bump!
Bump-Bump!
Bump-Bump!
Bump-Bump!
Bump-Bump!
Kingdom Hearts began to change color, the golden light now turning violet before a pillar of power exploded from it and shot up into the sky.
"Ah!" Aqua was knocked back, the temporary flight ability provided by her Semblance having been cancelled by Aqua losing concentration.
The Heart began to shrank down while misty form appeared and began to shape around it. First there was a torso, followed by a head and then arms and legs.
"Yes…" A disembodied voice spoke from the mouth that while still transparent and misty, had just sprung into existence.
Aqua had changed her Keyblade into its glider form and had flown back close enough that she could see the lips curling into a smile. The swirling mist surrounding the violet light in its chest where the Kingdom Hearts had shrunk continued to thicken.
It was becoming more solid…
Denser…
More…Human.
Aqua could see eyes that were azure in color with a darkened irises now staring at her, locks of white hair flowing down the back. Elongated ears poked their tips out from either side of the head as a lean yet muscular form body was now formed.
It was almost watching a Spirit from a divine Relic being born.
The face was elongated with a pointed nose, broad chin and strong cheek bones.
The hair white hair reached down all the way to the lower back.
"My rebirth has come at last." The new…man spoke, showing fangs in his mouth as a golden crown appeared on his head and a long blue robe and a white cloak.
Golden armor surrounded his chest and from his back sprouted fairy like wings.
"I couldn't believe it when I made contact with this so-called Kingdom Hearts but I feel…Amazing." The new being looked down at his new form. "It transformed all my desires from mere fantasy…Into reality. That's what it can do. Break down the barriers between fantasy and reality and grant a person's true desires."
"Maxwell…" Aqua said carefully.
"Maxwell…" The being seemed confused before smiling. "Ah yes, my former name. The name I left behind with my old life when I chose to merge with this great Heart. I no longer answer to that name or face. From now on, you may address me as the new king of this world, a new God: Oberon!"
