Daybreak Town
Ozma was taken away by the castle's healers and taken to the healing room with Aqua and Salem following closely behind. Ozma was placed on a bed as a woman in white robes approached and ran a glowing hand over chest, frowning when she stopped at the chest and sighed.
"I was afraid of this." She closed her eyes, focusing on the chest area. "There is an illness within him that is striking at his ability to breath."
Salem gasped, covering her mouth while Aqua just stared silently.
The woman looked at Aqua. "Your healing spell temporarily cured his ailment but it's only a temporary solution."
Aqua sighed but nodded in agreement. The Cure spell could heal broken bones, burn marks, low stamina and various injuries but it was also only a quick fix for Keyblade Wielders, allowing them to continue fighting in battles against dangerous opponents but it was a quick fix.
Sicknesses were a lot different.
For starters, Cura could heal but if it was an illness it wouldn't be of much help since to cure a disease one would have to kill it.
"There must be a cure." Salem said desperately.
"There is no known sure. We have tried every known elixir but nothing we have has ever worked." The healer sighed. "At best I can only give him about three days before the disease finishes its work."
Salem's eyes widened and her breath was still while Aqua only stared in saddened silence, looking at Ozma was he rested on the bed.
How sad.
She wished she could do something but she had done all she could. Despite her skills in magic, she didn't have any skills as a healer or a doctor and thus she could save Ozma.
"There has to be a way!" Salem begged the healer who shook her head.
"I'm afraid I've done all I can. I will arrange for Sir Ozma to be taken back to his home. He can be allowed to have his final rest there." The healer turned away, moving to check on another patient.
Salem fell to her knees at Ozma's bed. "No, it can't end like this. Why? I love him. Why would the Gods allow this to happen?"
Aqua remained silent, unable to offer words of comfort to Salem.
"Lord Khan!"
A man panted as he ran the grand throne room that was Spartan in appearance, the throne being a chair with pointed ends on the side. On the throne sat a muscular man, who wore no top but armor covered his left shoulder with a spiked strap holding a tattered robe to his back while he wore red pants with a black belt that had a golden skull and brown combat boots. His head was shaved and he had a long beard that was braided and he wore spiked gauntlets over his arms with bandages wrapped around the upper arms.
"What is it?" He asked as the messenger stopped and panted, his voice deep and menacing.
"A strange weapon has appeared in the ground outside your kingdom. It caused cracks to appear for miles." The messenger said, hastily bowing.
The man named Kahn stood up from his throne, brandishing a large Zweihander. "Is that so?"
He strolled out of his castle with no fear and had no escorts.
Why would he need escorts?
He was Kahn the Conqueror.
He had risen up, defeating many foes and claiming the western lands as his kingdom.
He traveled outside his kingdom and stopped when he saw the so-called weapon, surrounded by several his soldiers.
A golden scythe with ornamental decorations was embedded in the ground, emitting a powerful aura that felt divine.
Perhaps a blessing from the Gods.
Kahn stepped forward and grasped the golden scythe, gasping as he felt the power wash over him and with it came a voice.
'You have been chosen because you are worthy to be blessed with this power. The power over earth.' The God of Darkness whispered. 'Take this power and use it as you see fit but in exchange you must track down and defeat one person.'
In Kahn's mind, the image of a beautiful woman with blue hair and eyes appeared.
'Defeat her and you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.'
Kahn held up the scythe and let out a loud roar. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Empress!"
A servant rushed in but knelt and bowed to his ruler who sat on her throne made out pillows and was guarded by soldiers on each side. The Empress wore a purple dress with golden sequins sewn into the hemmings. Her black hair was in a bun and she wore light make up on her face. Around her neck were two pearl necklaces, golden earrings to match the golden crown on her head.
"Something strange has happened."
The woman stood up slowly, walking forward with calm but calculated resolve. "What has happened?"
"A golden fan has appeared outside and it's-" The servant started but was cut off as said golden fan flew into the throne room.
The Empress raised her hand, conjuring a barrier to protect herself but the fan stopped right in front of her. The guards slowly approached the fan, waiting to see if it would do something but the fan just hovered there.
One reached out to grab it and was blasted away by a gust of wind that sent him crashing into the wall. "AAH!"
The Empress stared at the fan, not keeping her eyes off it for fear something would happen if she lowered her guard.
"Empress, should we-"
"No." The Empress held up her hand, cutting her guard off. "There is something about this fan…"
It was golden with azure colored ornamental drawings on it and an aura surrounded it that felt…divine.
She reached out and touched the fan, gasping as she felt the power.
'Empress Shen. You have been chosen because you are worthy to be blessed with this power. The power over wind.' The God of Darkness whispered. 'Take this power and use it as you see fit but in exchange you must track down and defeat one person.'
In Empress Shen's mind, the image of a beautiful woman with blue hair and eyes appeared.
'Defeat her and you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.'
Empress Shen opened her eyes, holding up the fan as she opened it and made a whipping motion with it.
A gust of wind blasted out, knocking down all of the guards in the room.
"Send the word out. I want to know where I may find a woman with blue hair and eyes who wields a key shaped weapon." She ordered her subjects as they hastily stood up. "Do not stand there! GO!"
Her servants rushed to carry out their Empress' orders.
"Your Highness! Your Highness!"
In a throne room with royal purple curtains with golden intricate symbols sewn into then, man looked up from his dinner, looking a little annoyed at his feast being interrupted. The man wore royal attire which included a purple robe with white fur on the edges and a crown. His hair and beard were grey and he was rather fat looking which stood even more due to being surrounded by food and drinks.
"What is it?" He asked, taking a bite of chicken.
The messenger hastily bowed. "A strange magical spear has landed outside the castle. It's freezing the ground and creating snow."
The Fat King looked up from his meal at that. "What?"
"It is true, my king. In fact the staff emits a powerful aura…It feels like it was made by the Gods." The messenger elaborated.
"Have it brought to me." The Fat King ordered.
"We tried, sire. But the spear froze anyone who tried to touch it." The messenger said a cold gust flew into the room. "AH!"
The King stood up as snow and ice crept slowly into his throne room and through the gust, came the spear that the messenger spoke of. The King watched as the spear floated towards him, emitting a powerful aura that was captivating as it stopped right in front of him. He stared for a second before he slowly reached out and touched it…
He let out a gasp as he felt the power of the spear wash over him.
"King Charlemagne. You have been chosen because you are worthy to be blessed with this power. The power over ice.' The God of Darkness whispered. 'Take this power and use it as you see fit but in exchange you must track down and defeat one person.'
In King Charlemagne's mind, the image of a beautiful woman with blue hair and eyes appeared.
'Defeat her and you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.'
King Charlemagne opened his eyes and banged the spear on the ground, causing ice to slowly form and spread but then it quickly melted, returning his throne room to its previous state.
"Send word out to all my troops. Tell them to look for a woman with blue hair and blue eyes and have her brought to me!" He ordered, the divine aura from the spear now circling him. "I want her found immediately!"
"So there is no cure."
Ozma was sitting up on the bed, breathing better now thanks to Aqua's Cura spell but it was a temporary fix at best.
"I won't rest until one is found." Salem said, sitting next to the bed.
Aqua hung back, preferring to give them their space. Salem was desperate to find a way to keep Ozma alive while Ozma himself seemed resigned. Already gifts from the other knights along with many people Ozma knew and saved were arriving to the castle.
Everything from flowers to special elixirs that they say should help.
"Lady Aqua?"
Aqua turned to the door, seeing a man dressed in armor waiting for her. "Yes?"
"The king would like to meet with you now." The knight said, gesturing for her to follow.
As Aqua approached the door, she paused as she saw Salem walking with her. "Salem?"
"I want to speak with the king about finding a cure." The blond woman answered.
Aqua said nothing, simply allowing Salem to follow her while she followed the armored knight who led them into a grand hall. It was strangely empty aside from a single throne behind a curtain. Steeling herself, Aqua took a deep breath and exhaled before slowly approaching the throne.
"Presenting…" The curtains parted. "King Artura!"
Aqua and Salem just stared at the 'King' who was smiling at them…
"Hello there." Arta greeted, wearing a blue battle dress with silver armor. "Glad to finally and formally meet you, Aqua."
Needless to say both Aqua and Salem were stunned.
Arta, or rather Artura tilted her head. "Something on my face?"
"So you took the title 'king' to hide your identity amongst the kingdoms?" Aqua questioned, slowly trying to piece it all together while sitting before Arta.
"To protect the heir to the throne, the king or queen is assigned two names: one for a boy and the other for a girl. That is to better protect them from potential kidnappers from an enemy kingdom or greedy criminals in general." Arta explained as a tray full of cookies and tea were placed on the table. "I was trained to be a knight to better hide my identity while usually a double would handle any tasks that required me to step outside and be seen by everyone. As a knight I am Arta, the Sapphire Knight of Midgard and as king my male name is Arthur while my true name is Artura."
This took a moment for Aqua and Salem to think over before accepting the explanation. For Salem, she understood that a child of royalty would need protection; having been subject to a more extreme 'method' of protection from her father while Aqua simply understood that it was done to better protect Arta from any potential enemies.
"Now then, I understand Ozma has fallen ill." Artura said with a sympathetic look.
"He has. The healers say there is no cure for what he has." Aqua answered.
"Unfortunately they are right." Artura nodded. "There are some things magic can heal but not everything."
"There has to be a way." Salem spoke up. "Surely a cure must be out there somewhere."
"I understand you wish to save Ozma. He is my most trusted knight but I cannot conjure a miracle cure in such a short amount of time." Artura said sadly.
Aqua took a moment to think. "Maybe we can't…but perhaps we know someone who can."
Both women looked at her and Aqua immediately clarified. "What about seeing the God of Light and asking him for a cure?"
Artura looked like she was considering the idea while Salem was hopeful. "It could work…People have approached him for centuries and he has always answered their prayers."
"So he could cure Ozma?" Salem asked hopefully.
"If I go and ask him." Aqua said, wondering the God of Light had not appeared to give her a way home like he had promised for defeating Surtr.
"Will you make the journey, Aqua?" Artura asked.
Aqua nodded. "I have been to his dwelling before so I know the way."
Salem looked at her with a surprised look but was hopeful she would succeed as Aqua stood up, finishing her tea. "You believe you can save him?"
"I won't know unless I try." Aqua answered honestly.
"…Thank you." Salem said, sounding grateful.
Aqua bowed to the Queen-er, King or whatever she was supposed to be. "I better be on my way if I want to save Ozma."
Artura nodded and smiled. "I wish you luck then, Aqua."
Aqua nodded back and walked out of the room, heading for the gate outside. Once she was outside the main gate of the castle, she summoned her armor and glider and immediately took off into the air. It didn't take long to reach the God of Light's domain as her new glider was as fast as her old one and it was meant to travel between worlds. She landed before the pool and watched as the light deity slowly rose up.
"You have returned." The deity said once he had risen.
"I have. You promised to help me if I defeated Surtr." Aqua said respectfully while dismissing her armor and glider.
"I did." The God of Light said, raising his hands. "And so I shall."
Two objects appeared above his hands, floating in the air before slowly approaching Aqua.
One was a golden musical horn with ornamental decorations from before.
The other was a bottle holding what looked like an elegant wooden sail boat that floated up from the water and into the air. Golden ornamental markings appeared along the hull of the boat and a golden sale appeared in the center.
"The Horn of Passage with the Sail of the Heavens." The God of Light said grandly. "With these, one could travel to all worlds and beyond."
Aqua accepted the God of Light's gifts, unsure at first what to make of them but bowed her head. "Thank you. Can you explain to me how they work?"
"The Horn of Passage can be used to summon a bridge to other worlds. You say all other worlds have their own plains of existence. This horn is meant to be help traverse all realms." The God of Light explained. "The Sail of Heavens, allows for one to safely travel along the bridge to other worlds."
Aqua looked at the two gifts again, wondering if she would need the Sail of Heavens but would not refuse a gift. "Again thank you… And I need your help with someone who is dying."
The God of Light tilted his head.
"Ozma, a friend is dying. Can you cure him of his disease?" Aqua asked.
"I could but I cannot."
"What do you mean?" Aqua questioned, trying not to get emotional.
"When my brother and I created this world we agreed to a certain set of rules. One rule is not to resurrect the dead."
Okay, that one is understandable.
"Another rule was not to interfere in the natural life cycle." The God of Light continued. "If I save Ozma, I would be breaking that rule."
Well, it was worth a shot but Aqua knew Salem would not take it well.
Perhaps if she returned to the Realm of Light she could find help for curing Ozma.
Perhaps from Master Yen Sid.
"All right, thank you all the same." She attached the bottle to her hip and held up the Horn of Passage, taking a deep breath…and blew.
A blue mist emerged from the horn as Aqua blew followed by a pillar of rainbow light, followed by a surprised cry from Aqua as she was lifted up from the ground. As she was lifted up, the boat in the bottle glowed and emerged from the bottle, growing in size as moved under Aqua's feet.
"And where will be going, my lady?"
Aqua looked up and saw a spirit like the ones from before hovering before the boat. The spirit was male like Ambrosius, muscular as well along with a golden cape and chains wrapped around his chest and golden bracers on his wrists and ankles, chains dangling from them like broken shackles. He had a long beard, longer than the male face of Janus and a golden helmet covering his head.
"You are the spirit of the horn?" Aqua asked.
"I am." The spirit nodded. "I am Heimdallr. I am here to open a passage to other worlds."
"You know where my world is?" Aqua questioned.
"Yes. The God of Light granted me the gift of seeing, hearing and even smelling as far as creation. I can look across time and space and thus I see all plains of existence." Heimdallr explained calmly. "I open the path and the boat you are on will take you there."
Aqua looked at the boat she was on and then back at Heimdallr. "Take me to the Realm of Light."
"As you wish." Heimdallr bowed, the rainbow bridge extending out of the blue mist surrounding them and traveling through deep space, resembling that of the Lanes Between.
Out of habit, Aqua summoned her Keyblade armor as she watched the boat she was on sail through the stars. She watched as stars passed her by and simply sat back, wondering what she might find on the other side.
She looked forward and saw a great light at the end of the rainbow stream.
'Terra…Ven…I think I am home.' Aqua thought as she entered the great light.
When Aqua opened her eyes, she found herself…
Not anywhere she recognized.
She was in the Realm of Light.
She could feel it but the place she was in didn't resemble any world she had been to before. It was town that resembled Radiant Garden. At the center of the town lies the Fountain Square, a large plaza and fountain that appears to be a hangout spot for…Keyblade Wielders?!
Aqua's eyes widened when saw people conversing and saw they were holding Keyblades.
What was this place?
She watched as creatures of darkness appeared which the Keyblade Wielders fought and defeated in a matter of seconds. She had never been to a place with so many Keyblade Wielders before. Well, she grew up in the Land of Departure with her friends and master who were all Keyblade Wielders but it was just the four of them.
Why hadn't she heard of this place before?
She held up the Horn of Passage. "Heimdallr."
The blue mist that seemed to be associated with spirits from their realm appeared, followed by Heimdallr. "Yes, my lady?"
"You said you can see every part of creation. Does that mean you know the name of this place?" Aqua asked.
"Of course, my lady. This is Daybreak Town." Heimdallr answered.
"Daybreak Town?" Aqua softly repeated, looking around and seeing the town was so big with a clock tower right in the center. "There are other Keyblade Wielders…I've never seen so many wielders in one place."
"I looked across the plains of existence and I know this place is in the center of your realm of light." Heimdallr stated.
"The center of the Realm of Light." Aqua slowly said, taking a few steps forward. "…I've never heard of this place."
She wasn't sure what to make of all this.
Was she home?
Would she have known about this place one day?
Maybe she could find something here to help her save Ozma.
"Thanks, Heimdallr. I am going to look around for a bit but I might need you again." Aqua said to the spirit who nodded and receded back into the horn.
Aqua then started walking around the town, taking note of everything. The Central Marketplace is located directly to the west from the Fountain Square. Adjacent to this, situated directly behind the fountain, was a place called the Moogle's Shop, which consisted of two main levels and an attic level that can be used to access the Upper Fountain Square.
By continuing west into the Central Market Place, she came across the Central Market Warehouse. From here, a western path led to the northern Bridge to the Outskirts. Following that led to the Boardwalk, allowing access to Waterfront Park. The upper level of Waterfront Park was built around the Lighthouse and overlooked the horizon, while the lower level of Waterfront Park, opens into a larger area at the base of the Lighthouse, allowing entry the Lighthouse in order to descend towards the Docks.
Here, she could see that Keyblade wielders could take a boat from the western shore leading south-east to the Beach. The Beach of this tiny island stretched far to the east, overlooked by a sister Lighthouse to the one found at the Docks, bearing the Lux sigil at its top. From the opposite shore, another bot could be taken, bringing wielders toward a Shipwreck, wherein a large Corridor of Darkness lay in wait. To the south-west of the Fountain Plaza, one can reach the 1st District, and to the north-east, 2nd District - wherein the only known entrance to the Clock Tower can be found, via the Waterway.
There were five corridors of the Waterway which led directly into the base of the Clock Tower. When Aqua reached the base of the Clock Tower a voice called out to stop her.
"You shouldn't be there."
Aqua turned around, watching as a strange creature appeared out of a puff of smoke. It had grey fur, accented by black stripes. It had a large spherical head, with small ears, narrow blue eyes, and a white snout. Its limbs were quite stubby, lacking distinct digits, as are their tails. Finally it was dressed in a gold and blue cape, while also bearing a small pink purse around its neck.
"Only Union leaders are allowed to come near the base of the Clock Tower." The small creature said.
Aqua turned around and approached the small creature. "My name is Aqua. Who are you?"
"I am Chirithy." The creature simply said. "I was created to serve and help Keyblade Wielders."
Aqua stared at the small creature, seeing no darkness in it. There was something about it that made her want to trust it, even though she had never seen it before. Little did she know, she was being watched by someone from atop the Clock Tower.
"Well, this is an unexpected occurrence but an interesting one too." A man in a dark coat said, bringing a gloved hand to his hidden chin. "Looks like we got a visit from the outside world. Something to look into."
