The Age of Fairy Tales:

The Pure Heart

The Heart is said to be the vert feelings of our souls.

In many fairy tales, it is said that Heart is the greatest weapon one can wield against the forces of darkness and evil. Well, in one fairy tale that is literally true.

The tale of the Pure Heart.

(A black screen is shown just before a single glowing heart appears, lighting up the darkness)

In ancient times, there have been claims of a great glowing heart appearing in times when darkness was at its peak. This heart could bestow upon those who find great power. Of course, that all depends on who is the one to find it.

(The glowing heart than becomes black, emitting a dark impure light)

In the hands of those who find it, the Pure Hearts can become either a force of great good or a tool of destruction.

(Armies are seen, gathering around the Dark Heart before they were suddenly attacked by Creatures of Grimm)

Kingdoms would seek out these Pure Hearts whenever they would appear, but it appears these objects would also attract the Creatures of Grimm.

Perhaps as a source of great light, the Grimm would seek to snuff it out.

Or as a source of overwhelming darkness, the Grimm sought to take the power for themselves.

(A great light is shown, and the Dark Heart vanishes)

Fortunately, there are those who possess the power to seal or destroy these Pure Hearts before they fall into the wrong hands.

No one knows where these Pure Hearts come from or why they appear.

It is said that when they do, it is a great warning.

A warning of troubled times ahead that will to either a period of peace and harmony for the people of Remnant…

Or a time of chaos and strife.

On the island of Spira, Yevon was standing before something amazing, floating at the top of his temple.

It was large and shaped like a glowing heart.

"What is this supposed to be?" Yevon held up the Staff of Creation and watched as Ambrosius appeared out of a blue mist.

"Hello-Oh, it's you." Ambrosius greeted happily but quickly changed his tune when he saw it was Yevon who summoned him. "What is it this time?"

"What is that?" Yevon pointed at the top of the temple he had built to continue his work.

Ambrosius turned around and looked up, eyes widening when he saw the large glowing heart. "Well…I didn't see this one coming."

He floated up to the heart and inspected it closely, hearing whispers coming from it. "So spell also did this…"

"Do you know what it is?" Yevon questioned.

Ambrosius frowned as he floated back in front of the robed man. "I am a spirit of creation, not knowledge. Unless you have something for me to make, I'd rather return to my staff."

"The spell you helped me create is what created that." Yevon retorted. "I want to know what it is before I proceed any further."

"Oh…fine." Ambrosius sighed and leaned forward. "…It's a heart."

Yevon narrowed his eyes. "I know it is!"

"Really? You do?" Ambrosius leaned back with a look of mock shock on his face. "Then why summon me if you already know?"

"You know what I mean!" Yevon barked. "Why does it look like a heart and why is it up there? Since this was made through your help, you should know what it is!"

Ambrosius rolled his eyes. 'Definitely not as likeable as the old man or the key lady. At least they are respectful.'

"So tell me what it is now!"

Ambrosius sighed. "Fine, I'll see how much I can channel my inner spirit of knowledge."

Yevon was scowling as Ambrosius crossed his legs and floated to the ground. "Greetings, o great Yevon. I am Ambrosius, Spirit of Creation acting as a Spirit of Knowledge. You will be granted three questions. Use them wisely."

"What is the nature of that object up there?" Yevon pointed at the glowing heart above his temple.

Ambrosius looked back up at the heart. "…It is the combined essence of everyone you used to cast your spell."

"What?"

"It is the combined essence of everyone you used to cast your spell. That counts as your second question." Ambrosius pointed at the man with a smile.

"How can it be the combined essence of the fayth?" Yevon questioned, ignoring Ambrosius' teasing him over the second question. "Their souls were used to power my spell."

"Their souls, yes. The soul is the life and mind all bodies need while the heart is the essence of one's inner being, the core of one's emotions and that which holds memories." Ambrosius corrected. "When sacrificed those people by turning them into fayth, the hearts were removed and for some reason have gathered here of all places."

"Why?" Yevon asked.

"Sorry, that was your third question. All out." Ambrosius shrugged.

"Why?!" Yevon asked again, banging the Staff on the ground.

Ambrosius frowned. "Temper, temper, Yevon. I may be bound to serve whoever holds my staff but I can serve in any manner I see fit."

The truth is Ambrosius didn't want to tell Yevon any more as it would likely lead to disaster. He recognized this heart being a combination of hearts from the fayth that Yevon had used as a source of power for his mass illusionary spell.

An unintended side effect that no one, not even Ambrosius had foreseen.

These hearts had been brought together by a source of power and it was likely the very power that Yevon had been using.

Himself.

Or the energy of this temple had culled these hearts together when they were unable to pass on. All it would take was a massive amount of energy or perhaps some kind of divine power.

He remembered the words of the cloaked stranger:

"When a person dies, the body decomposes, the soul fades and the heart goes on into the next world. However if the union of mind, body and heart is damage, it's unlike that the person in question would truly pass on. Not until they are made whole again. A heart that is unable to move on will be left to linger in the corporeal world forever.

However there is a chance that a heart can be pulled somewhere if there is a great source of power. Hearts are the pure emotional instinct of a person and thus they can be brought together by a strong enough power and will. These hearts will take several forms, some appearing as whips of light or even fireflies while others take the forms of simple hearts. It really all depends.

The real big thing to remember is that when hearts gather in one place it can usually lead to trouble."

That man had explained this to Ambrosius and the other spirits before he had disappeared from their realm.

'The Relics, our physical connections to this world can already attract Grimm because of our connections to the Gods of Light and Darkness. And yet, with this spell, the hearts of the fayth created by this idiot of a mortal has created something new. No summoning spell has ever yielded results like this before.'

Ambrosius may not be a spirit of knowledge like Jinn, but he knew about every form of creation, by man or god in existence and thus he instantly knew what was happening based ironically on what he and the other spirits had learned about the other worlds.

When someone's heart has moved on, the body disappears in a flash of light.

Only this did not happen to the people Yevon had sacrificed.

'The hearts of the people have gathered here because the fayth are trapped.' Ambrosius thought to himself. 'This heart is amalgamation of those lost hearts.'

Ambrosius was not one for feeling about what he creates because after all, that was he was created to do by the God of Light.

He was the Spirit of Creation.

He created whatever he was asked to creator, no matter how destructive it might be.

However, in this brief moment he felt…distasteful at what Yevon had used his power to create.

An illusionary world based on the dreams and fantasies of people who were now trapped in stone, lingering between life and death.

And now this amalgamation of hearts.

'I wonder if that woman has appeared here yet.' Ambrosius thought, recalling Aqua. 'This might be a job for her.'

"Fine. I will figure it out myself."

Ambrosius shook his head and watched as Yevon summoned a glyph underneath him that lifted him up into the air. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Yevon ignored him as his magic lifted him above the temple, allowing him to float before the giant heart.

He held out one hand and there was a flash of light…

And then he was gone.

Ambrosius watched as his staff fell back to the ground, forcing him to return into it. "Maybe it won't be so bad after all."

Then the heart turned black.

'Or it might.'

Darkness surrounded the heart now before there was a massive explosion that engulfed the former kingdom of Spira.

Something monstrous had been born.

The darkness took the form of a massive creature unlike any Grimm that had ever existed before and after the time of the Gods.

Anyone that was nearby watched as a giant creature emerged onto the land. It had a whale-like body that moved with a pair of clawed arms, as well as hind legs resembling pectoral fins. It has a long tail, and its body is encased in scales. It carries part of a city presumed to be the former kingdom of Spira on its body close to the back of the head.

It let out a massive roar that shook the entire land.

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Everyone watched as it writhed in the air before falling back down to Remnant, becoming impaled on a nearby mountain that collapsed under its weight. The body began to dissolve, flooding the valley below with a black deluge and a poisonous fog.

And from it came a single glowing figure that leapt up into the air and landed back on the beach.

"Aqua!" Ambroise called out, having fallen to his knees while leaning against his scepter.

Aqua looked to see where her old friend was and was about to move towards him when she paused, her body becoming transparent. 'Oh no…'

She fell to the ground; her strength being sapped away from her as she felt herself becoming less solid.

As this happened, no one noticed a pink glowing heart rising from the remains of the monster and floating up into the sky.

"Amazing."

Aqua had been enjoying every moment of Poppy touring her all around the monastery, becoming a new kingdom.

Many of the skilled warriors and fighters that Aqua and Poppy had trained together had also went outside of the domain they had trained at to save villages and survivors from the Grim. They had brought back survivors, telling them the stories about a temple that can take in those are worthy to have a new life to become like warriors and much more within the sanctuary.

It appears they had branched out, building into and around the mountain the monastery rested on.

Aqua could barely believe she was seeing all the people rejoicing in having their new lives here and noticed a lot of crafting materials. More than enough that the blacksmiths from their forges can create more than just weapons but could also create other materials and many other things. There were even artists of many different types of culture styles for entertainment surprisingly a theaters and many more even creating motion pictures. Recently the people here are prospering even also being more inventive without the Grimm lurking around the shadows waiting for the right moment to strike but they are aware they could not let themselves become too lax. They still have skilled warriors that are scouting outside the sanctuary to help more people along their journeys and back.

Back at her original home with her family and friends they rarely ever had visitors come to the Land of Departure as it was a world only Keyblade Wielders could enter but these are regular people that are trustworthy enough to enter their lands and be prosperous. Aqua noticed the agriculture of the lands was thriving and growing, even finding out some of the people managed to create certain gears of mechanics and technology existence within this time. Electrical, plumbing, mechanical lifts other than up and down reaching from one place to another across the mountain areas, and many more.

During her previous…lifetime here, Aqua did let some of the people into the library that Amarilla had brought to the temple that were not much as fighters but researchers and developers. She never thought the people would finally begin revolutionizing to close to a modern society of better living.

"It is, isn't it?" Poppy spoke next to her as the two stopped on a bridge, staring down at the calm stream below. "We kept on building after you were gone, trying to honor your memory and the ideals you taught us."

Aqua turned to Poppy. "How long was I gone?

"Three years." Poppy answered.

Three years?

It was only three years?

As far as Aqua knew, the history of Remnant stretching back to the Age of Fairy Tales was almost ten thousand years. Give or take the centuries between the end of the era of magic and the first time Ozma reincarnated, she wondered if she would be able to handle traveling through Remnant's history for several more thousand years, especially if the periods between Ozma's reincarnations only last up to or less than three years.

"Just three years?" Aqua asked and Poppy nodded. "I had thought I would be gone longer than that."

"It was a relief to see you had returned so soon." Poppy replied, placing a hand on Aqua's shoulder. "When Salem's empire fell apart, a lot of people were left confused and angry and the Grimm came out, drawn in by their emotions. We spent a good while trying to rein in the chaos that was left in the wake of revealing the truth about Salem."

"Salem…" Aqua sighed. "There's been no word on her since then?"

"Not since the day you sealed her away. No one even wants to look in the direction where her castle was. They avoid going there like a plague." Poppy answered with a frown. "Not I could blame them."

"And the children?"

Poppy suddenly smiled. "That does remind me. Come on, you got to see this."

Poppy took Aqua by the hand and began leading her back up to the monastery, leading them to an area where they would train. It resembled the same training ground where Aqua would spend her days in the Land of Departure, spending time with Terra and Ven. There, she was greeted with the pleasant sight of Ozma and his four daughters joyfully playing in the same place where her friends last night would watch the distant stars at night. The elder man sitting on a marble bench listening to two of his little girls telling how they were living here and how they were really enjoying it.

Aqua could see Ambrose smiling, knowing how he was glad to see his little girls enjoying themselves in their new lives here. "You kept them safe here all this time."

"I may hate their mother for the rest of my life but I'm not hateful enough to take it out on her daughters. They are innocent of her schemes." Poppy replied. "Luckily, we came upon you in time or you might have disappeared again."

"Speaking of, how did you save me from disappearing? You must have saved Oz from dying." Aqua remarked.

"I used the Horn of Passage that had been left behind when you disappeared to get to you in time after you defeated that big monster. I noticed that you were about to fade out and then I noticed the elder man from afar. It wasn't hard to piece together he was the new Ozma and I knew in order the save you I had to prevent Ozma host from dying. I had a certain method to save the old man, so he won't be dying of a stroke anytime soon." Poppy answered, glancing away for a second.

Aqua was wondering what kind of method Poppy was talking about?

Was it some kind of healing herb?

She knows that it wasn't CPR.

Ambrose was way too frail for that type of treatment.

"What method was that?" She finally asked

Poppy smiled and held out her hand and in a flash of dark light she summoned the answer to her mentor's question.

Aqua's eyes went wide, having not expected this at all.

Her former apprentice has a Keyblade.

Now, Aqua had thought about making Poppy a Keyblade Wielder from time to time, but could never bring herself to commit to the idea, mostly because of her lingering guilt for what happened with Terra and Ven. She had been promoted to rank of Keyblade Master over Terra and that was the first step that caused the rift between her and her friends to form. Since then, she hadn't been sure if she would ever have a student to pass the Keyblade on to, since she was now stuck travelling the history of this world until reaching the 'present'. She didn't want knowledge of the Keyblade spreading across Remnant, not when there was a likely chance that Salem could learn about its existence.

However, it seemed that fate had other plans in mind.

Aqua's mind raced, wondering if there was ever time when Poppy could have grasped the handle of her Keyblade, unintentionally preforming a Bequeathing.

The truth is, Aqua and Poppy had over a decade of working together with Aqua becoming Poppy's guardian and mentor when her village was wiped out by the Chill Grimm. In any of those times, Aqua could have relaxed her guard enough that Poppy, either intentionally or not could have touched her Keyblade's handle.

The fact she had one meant she was worthy so it wasn't as much an issue as Aqua was afraid it could have been.

But this Keyblade that Poppy now had was an exact duplicate to the one that Neo has with her, that she gave to her in the Realm of Darkness. She recognized the details to it top to bottom. This was The Way to the Dawn now in Poppy's hands.

How was the Keyblade she gave to Neo now in Poppy's hands?

She never told Poppy about Neo or the Ever After where she likely still was.

Was it a coincidence or was there some sort of reason?

Both Neo and Poppy were different from each other, along with the fact that they were born centuries apart from each other. Poppy blamed herself for the death of her family and village and admittedly she knew Neo wouldn't admit it, but she felt guilty for the loss of her only friend, following him through a literal hell without second thought and caused much grief trying to avenge his death.

The question was that was this same Keyblade she would eventually give Neo in the future or was the Way to the Dawn tied in some way to those seeking atonement and redemption?

In addition to the new possibilities Aqua also realized that her former apprentice was making history as she was the first person from Remnant to wield a Keyblade.

"I saw you use your healing spell enough times to use it. Curaga." She spoke and a green light associated with healing magic surrounded her.

"You used a healing spell to save Ambrose." Aqua stated.

"And you after your reckless stunt with that monster." Poppy frowned. "Just like when you jumped into the monster's mouth."

"Huh?"

"You heard me." Poppy pointed at Aqua's chest. "With all the times you acted so recklessly it's a wonder you lasted as long as you did."

"Huh?"

The elder man noticed his friend Aqua and her apprentice's conversation and it seems from his perspective the red hair girl was scolding his old friend from the stunt she pulled. Although, she does have a good point and if he was in Poppy's position, he probably would say the same. Both souls saw Aqua's apprentice cared a great deal about what happens to her, and it was amusing to them right now to see Aqua squirming from her apprentice. He remembered his own mentor always scolding him and his fellow apprentices for their misbehavior and actions, but now the roles have been reversed seeing the as apprentice was lecturing her mentor.

Even his girls looked over where their father is looking at seeing Poppy their guardian and motherly figure lecturing the blue hair woman that was her mentor. Ambrose cannot but help but laugh at the scene even the girls can help but follow. Poppy stops her lecture toward her mentor, the two noticing laughter was coming from the four girls and the elder man. The two women set aside their differences for now and came over to them.

"Hello there, I'm Aqua." The blue-haired Master knelt down in front of the girls.

"I'm Sarah." The eldest, dressed in blue introduced herself.

"I am Joan." The second youngest wearing a yellow dress was next.

"I'm Gaia." The third, wearing green spoke up.

"And I'm Hilda."

After the introductions were finished, the girls showed their magic to Aqua who was impressed. Poppy had mentioned she had tried training them how to use their magic as best as they could. Eventually they noticed it was getting late so they headed back to the temple to rest and who else was waiting up top of the doorway of the steps.

"Amarilla?" Aqua's eyes went wide, recognizing the person waiting for them.

"Hello, Aqua." The silver-eyed woman greeted with a smile, having been eager to see Aqua again.

"Come again?" Aqua sputtered, taking a sip of water.

Soon enough, they were all having dinner and helping catch Aqua on everything she had missed since she had disappeared.

The none was more surprising when Poppy introduced the young man named Maxwell to Aqua.

"He's my fiancé." Poppy repeated with a smile as she leaned against Maxwell's shoulder.

Aqua was surprised…

And happy that her former apprentice had found someone.

The four girls also told her that both Reginald and Poppy had been wonderful parent figures to them since coming here.

Everyone was enjoying the moment of peace and harmony with nothing to worry about. When the time came to closing hours, everyone went to their respected rooms with the agreement to speak further in the morning. Aqua had just returned to hers when something caught her attention.

'What is this?' She was sensing something strong approaching these lands.

It seemed familiar, something she felt long ago after defeating the dark demon king.

So, she decided to investigate this immediately.

She came outside and looked up, seeing something above the temple.

It was a glowing Heart, around the same size as a watermelon but Aqua could sense the power from it.

A power she had not sensed that day in the Keyblade Graveyard when she and her friends had confronted Master Xehanort and Vanitas.

The day when Xehanort had summoned Kingdom Hearts.

When night had fallen over the temple an unknown figure had appeared in the land, wearing a unicorn mask. The union leader foreteller Ira had appeared in Remnant, by using the spell of the Book of Prophecies to seek out Aqua for her final test.

The test to prove if she was worthy of having her own copy of the Book of Prophecies.