1

He'd had a hunch, when they'd come to the floating city of Scala ad Caelum today, where things were going to go. Really, it had been kind of obvious; for the past month, their teacher had shifted into more complex and not immediately useful topics, a far cry from how things used to be. Not that it hadn't been fun, but it was notably different.

Takato had shared his suspicions, and Rika and Henry agreed. Drich was probably waiting until the beginning of the school break in order to start it.

"I believe you are ready."

Hearing the words themselves had been no less exciting. For two years, they'd been building towards this.

Now it came to a head.

The place it was going to be done was the top of the Tower, right in the middle of the resplendent city. They didn't have much reason to come up here, but the sight was always incredible. Gold and white, with spots of red, blue, and green...

The sun was cool, as always. The wind, too, was pleasant.

"So, what's our test?" Rika asked. Her hair, loose, waved gently in the wind. Renamon leaned against the wall behind her, paying what would seem to be little attention. "Magic? Light? Darkness?"

Drich's head shook. "Nothing so simple."

Takato, Rika, and Henry straightened up.

"You've learned most of the skills you'll need, now." Drich said. "Now it is time to receive your tools of trade."

"Tools." Henry answered. Terriermon snoozed, lightly, on top of his head. "So, Keyblades?"

Drich smiled, a light blue line appearing within the darkness of the hooded cloak. After so long, they were all used to it. "Keyblades." Drich agreed. "Truly marvelous things..."

Drich held up a hand, and the simplistic form of the Proof of Courage appeared. It shone brightly in the sun, seeming like polished metal... Though even the briefest of glimpses would dispel the illusion that it was something so meagre. To their eyes, the Proof of Courage was an existence with weight, the Light within it flowing smoothly.

"There are many ways to acquire a Keyblade." Drich continued. "In the ancient past, many Keyblade Orders forged Keyblades enmasse, made for recruits and versatility. The Starlight Keyblade is one of the most common variants of such a mass-produced Keyblade." The Proof of Courage vanished, disintegrating into particles of Light. "Personally, I don't like, and never did like, such an impersonal method. Keyblades are things born from Heart and Will. Mass production of endless copies, to be used so thoughtlessly... It is in poor taste, I feel."

Drich's hands moved to the side. "The second method is inheritance. A true Keyblade Master may pass on the potential to wield a Keyblade to a student, if they so wished. In time, the student will succeed the master completely, and become full fledged Keyblade Masters in their own right." Drich paused, arms dropping. "But such succession is inappropriate, in our cases. None of us will die of something so meagre as age, and half the idea of the ceremony, to pass one's will and strength to the next generation, is therefore pointless."

"So, what's the third?" Rika asked.

Again, Drich smiled. "No mass-produced copies, and no inherited weapons. Simpler paths they may be, the greatest potential can only be realized in one way. From your Hearts and your Wills, we shall forge your Keyblades."

Takato smiled. 'Called it.'

"You will ultimately be better off for it, too." Drich explained. "This is why I had you learn to use the Light and the Darkness within you, for this. To forge a Keyblade in this manner requires nothing less."

"So, basically mass-produced Keyblades for an army, inherited Keyblades for lines of succession, and Keyblades forged of our own Hearts for the greatest personal ability?" Rika summed up.

"Indeed. Keyblades like that... Born from one's own self, they shall bring forth the full expression of your abilities. There is not, and will never be, a more appropriate weapon for you." Drich's fingers snapped, and a Gate swirled into existence right in the middle of the area. "Now, come. Through here."

On the other side of the Gate was a wide space with no apparent walls or ceiling. The floor was a shifting pattern of tessellating shapes, spreading endlessly.

One of the several other dimensions within Scala ad Caelum. Even two years on, they still hadn't seen them all.

"Forging a Keyblade is trickier than one might hope, but easier than one might expect. In your cases, we will be giving a physical form to traits of your own existence. Make no mistake, the 'forging' process is nothing material; we won't be taking materials and then shaping and tempering them. We will take your Hearts and your Will, the Essence of your existence, and then we shall crystallize it into a Keyblade.

"How?" Henry asked.

"That's the hard part. Fortunately for you, that's also the part I'll be taking care of, since it requires the ability to manipulate the Light, the Dark, the Heart, and the Soul on levels that surpass your current skills." Drich shrugged.

"So what do we do?" Rika asked, rolling her shoulders.

"You three will be undergoing a process known as a 'Dive To The Heart'. You will, quite literally, enter the manifestation of your own Heart. From there, you will be providing the guidance, the ideals behind who you are, your Will and your desires. I shall plant the seeds, you must be the ones to water and nurture it." Drich said.

They nodded. "So how do we start?"

"You might want to sit down, first." Drich smiled. "Since it's your first time diving into your Heart, I'm not going to waste time teach you how to do it the slow way. We'll just get it over and done with."

Takato sat down, quickly followed by Rika and Henry.

Drich nodded. "Now, remember. These Keyblades will come from you, and in a very real way, will be a part of you. Follow your Heart, and you'll find the way."

They nodded. Drich held a hand up, and then-

Ba-bum.

Takato was falling.