Falling…
Darkness…
Those were really the only two words to describe what I felt. Though admittedly, they were dulled. I saw nothing but darkness around me, but I could still see my hand in front of my face, and though I was most certainly falling, it wasn't as though I was plummeting downwards under the force of gravity. It was as if something intangible gently lowered me through the air.
I don't know how much time passed, but at some point, a platform was visible that got closer and closer as I fell. It was massive, and round. As I got closer, I saw the platform was akin to a stained glass window, with a very prominent picture. It was me, dressed in strange clothing, leaning against the edge of the 'window' in a manner that suggested I was asleep. In my right hand was a very familiar weapon. Scattered across the remainder of the image were several circles with some familiar faces, some not so familiar. Two young boys and a girl from my favourite video game, and the three teenagers, again two male and one female. The blonde teen was familiar, but the brown haired one, and the blue haired girl were not.
Gently, I landed on the platform, somewhat groggy, but aware. This whole situation was extremely familiar. In every direction I looked, there was just blackness. Then there's this glowing glass platform with faces I've only seen in a video game, and now, right as I try to massage the incoming headache away, a faint glow appears in the palm of my right hand.
Out of nowhere, a Keyblade materialises, and I instinctively grip the handle.
"The fuck?" My jaw dropped in awe as I stared at the weapon.
The handle was black, with a sharp, metallic crimson red guard. There was a yellow ring at the base of the shaft which was as black as the darkness surrounding me, with a metallic sheen to it. The 'teeth' of the key showed an incomplete heart in the negative space. I knew exactly which Keyblade this was.
The Keyblade of Heart, briefly wielded by Riku nearing the end of Kingdom Hearts 1.
Hesitantly, though I would be lying if I said the kid inside of me wasn't absolutely ecstatic, I gave the weapon a few experimental swings. It was balanced perfectly. I allowed myself a wide grin as I looked at the blade. I admit, it felt really good to hold this thing. I fanboying like you wouldn't believe inside. Unfortunately, my excitement was short lived, and gave way to fear and anxiety with what happened next.
From the ground, a number of Shadow Heartless emerged. They were a lot bigger than the games showed, let me tell you. I wasn't exactly short with my 177cm, and these guys were still smaller than I was, their antennae reaching the lower half of my chest. The games showed them to be about knee level with Sora, which was clearly not true, though that may have to do with the animation style and camera angle. A quick headcount showed there were seven of them, possibly even more to come.
With a deep breath, and a small gulp, I readied myself for what was obviously about to happen.
As I suspected, the Heartless attacked. Now, by no means was I master of the sword, or any kind of weapon really, but combine the karate classes I went to as a child, my naturally quick reflexes, and the way this weapon was so perfectly built, I was actually quite a threat to the Shadows. If anything else showed up, I'd be dead for sure, but just these guys? I was able to make relatively quick work of them.
The first one leaped at my head, and I swung the Keyblade like a baseball bat, knocking it over the edge of the platform. Another jumped at me from behind and grabbed onto my neck, but I reached over my head, grabbed it, and threw it to the ground, impaling it with the Keyblade. It exploded into a puff of black smoke, a pink heart escaping from said smoke and disappearing. Two of the remaining Heartless leaped at me grabbed onto my legs, restricting my movement as the other three jumped and swiped at me, one even grabbing onto my arm.
Panic started to settle in, but I didn't let it get the better of me. I kicked one of the Heartless off of my legs and stabbed the other one with my free arm, which was holding the Keyblade. I fell to my knees and brought my elbow into the ground, hard. The Heartless that had been clutching my arm was between the floor and my elbow as I did so, so it took the brunt of the force, which made it let go of me, and I was able to impale it.
Four down, three to go.
I got back up to my feet, facing the three remaining Heartless as I held up the Keybladem ready to attack again. It's apparent that Shadows, or at least these particular ones, are weak enough to go down with one hit, which makes sense. If this is real, that means they don't have HP like in just about any video game ever, and even in the video games, Shadows were usually the weakest enemies.
Moving on…
The three remaining Heartless leaped at me in tandem, I was just barely able to roll out of the way to dodge, though with zero experience fighting, I did hurt my shoulder in the process. Thankfully, Shadows have the brainpower of a robin in the spring, and two of them jumped far enough that they went flying off the edge of the platform. That left just one. My shoulder did hurt, but I was still able to hold the Keyblade up, and when the Shadow dashed towards me, I did the same, and bisected the thing with an upward slash.
I was once again alone on the platform.
You have done well.
A voice suddenly spoke. Well, 'spoke' might have been the wrong word. I didn't hear any voice or words, it was more like I could feel the message in the back of my mind, like someone or something was speaking to me with feelings or instincts, and I could understand them.
The road before you is not an easy one.
OK, this is starting to feel a little too real to be a dream…
The Keyblade of Heart is a dangerous weapon, and it's power is not to be used frivolously.
I looked at the weapon in my hand. I was startled when it disappeared, but I could feel it was still with me.
You must use it wisely.
At that point, three pillars of light appeared before, each containing a different floating item. I remembered this from the games. A sword, a shield, and a staff.
The choice is yours.
I admit, I stood there dumbfounded for a moment. I'm used to just taking things as they come, and that's all I was doing in the beginning, but with each passing second, what could only be a dream starts to feel more and more real. I even pinched myself a couple times. My arm was actually starting to hurt. Shaking my head, I focussed back on the matter at hand. I could wonder about the how and why later.
After some deliberation, I made my choice.
As I did when I played the games, I chose the shield. Extra defensive capabilities is always a good thing. At least, gamewise. In most games, if you can tank multiple hits whilst dealing out decent damage, you're pretty much golden in any fight. I doubt it's the same here, at least on it's own, but choosing to protect myself over flinging fireballs and dishing out damage seems like a smart choice.
You have chosen the power of the Guardian.
The shield in my hands disappears, startling me.
Which power shall you surrender?
This one took a little less time to choose, but it took time nonetheless. Ultimately, I strode over to the staff with the iconic Mickey Mouse head symbol on top and picked it up.
You have surrendered the power of the Mystic.
The staff disappeared as well, though I was less startled by it this time. I think dealing damage to the enemy is more important than flinging fireballs around, though the latter would be bloody awesome.
"OK, what now?" I asked myself under my breath, my dull grey eyes being drawn to another pillar of light. From this one, a large doorway appeared, double doored, and a dark silver in colour.
Step through the door and begin your new life.
I swallowed any hesitation I had, and walked on over to the door. With a deep breath, I gripped the handles and pushed. The door wouldn't budge. I tried again, still no dice.
It's a pull, by the way.
"Oh…" I mumbled, giving a light pull. The door opened a fraction of a centimetre. "Thanks."
Don't mention it.
With that, I opened the door and from the other side, a blinding light shone. Shielding my face, I stepped through.
I don't know what happened afterwards. I just blacked out.
XXX
"St-nts, d-t cr-d -im." A voice, dulled by my being barely conscious, spoke. My eyes could barely open, and I was vaguely aware of the shapes surrounding me.
"He c-ries a k-ade." Another voice, older and more guttural, said.
"Is -e a st-nt?" A younger voice asked.
"I d-t re-mb- se-ng hi- b-f-re." Another voice, also young, but clearly female, spoke.
"H- -s n-t a st-d-t."
"How d-d h- ge- he-e th-n?"
"I d-t -ow, b-t h- n-ds h-lp."
After that, I blacked out again. I was vaguely aware of some movement and sunlight, but other than that, complete unconsciousness.
XXX
I don't know how long I was asleep, but when I woke up, two things immediately came to mind. One, I was extremely hungry. Apparently, I'd been out for quite a while, and my stomach insisted on letting me know. The second thing I noticed was the room I was in. It was unfamiliar, but it looked like a dorm room for college students. The bed I was laying in, a desk to work on, a book shelf, a cupboard for clothing, etc. That sort of thing.
I massaged my temples at the brain-ache I was feeling. The last thing I remembered before the fiasco on the Station of Awakening, if I recall that being the correct term, was the drive home after a long day at work. I had to cover for a coworker who was out with her sister for said sister's birthday, and I took her shift.
"You're awake!" A voice, one I think I might have heard before, gasped as I noticed the door was open. In the doorway was a boy, somewhat younger than me, maybe 14 or 15, looking at me with wide blue eyes. He had short, spiky blonde hair, and wore some strange clothes. He had on a pair of dull grey cargo pants that went just past his knees, some dark grey boots, a button up shirt that was black one side and white on the other, and a strange piece of armour covering his diaphragm. He also had armour on his left shoulder.
I think I know this kid.
"Roxas?" I mumbled sleepily, rubbing my eyes. Yeah, I think that's him. He looks real, not animated on a TV screen, but that's definitely him.
"I'll go tell the Masters!" He said loudly, dashing off, making me blink.
I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do at that time. I didn't think trying to run away would yield any results, so I opted to stay behind and wait for the kid to return with 'the Masters.' I still took a moment to look outside the window though, and my god what a view it was.
I was clearly in some kind of large building, though I couldn't say what kind. Outside, there was a courtyard and gate, and beyond that was a flurry of large, beautifully green hills that stretched as far as the eye could see. The sun was shining brightly in the stark blue sky. It was clear I wasn't on Earth anymore. I mean, it looked like Earth, but the natural beauty of the sun, sky, and grass were just on a whole different level that Earth couldn't produce. It was breathtaking.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" A voice, one ridiculously familiar, asked me from behind. I turned and saw that kid from before had returned, with company. Two people
First, there was a man who stood up straight and confident. He wore a white, red-lined hooded haori, with a navy blue shirt underneath that had a white X across the chest. He also wore a light grey pair of pants that one would see on a samurai, and a piece of armour on his midsection, like the kid, but his a dark green in colour, whereas the kid's was bronze. His hair was black, tied up into a short, high topknot, and he had a moustache and a bit of facial hair under his lower lip. He also had a couple of scars on his face.
The other man was significantly older. Or at least, he looked older. He was a lot more tanned than the other guy too. He was bald, with a small, white goatee, and his ears were pointed. His eyes were a deep, almost luminous yellow. His broad shoulders were hunched over, as if his spine was crooked. His clothing seemed familiar, though I couldn't place it. He wore a black coat, with red lining, and stark white gloves. Underneath, he wore a button up white shirt that extended down to his knees, with the buttons below his waist undone, a pair of black leather pants, and dark boots that went up to his calves.
It was him who spoke.
"It is." I agreed with him, making to getting up. He stopped me by raising his hand.
"There's no need to stand, young one." he told me. "You've been through quite the ordeal. Rest easy." he said. Yep, that's definitely Leonard Neemoy's voice. If he was a character in the games, would Neemoy voice him I wonder?
"Thank you." I said with a respectful nod. "And thank you for helping me. I'm not quite sure how I got here." I told both of the men standing before me.
"It's no trouble, Child." The other spoke. Another familiar voice. "My name is Master Eraqus. This here is Ventus, and Master Xenhanort." He introduced himself, the kid, and the old man respectively. No doubt about it. That's fucking Mark Hamill! "May we know your name?" He asked.
"Oh, yeah, my name is…" I trailed off. "Xehanort?" I spoke without thinking, suddenly realising my blunder.
"Is there something wrong?" 'Xehanort' asked me. I responded with little delay.
"Uh, no, I, uh, I just feel like I've heard that before, sorry." I said quickly, clearing my throat with a fist in front of my mouth. "Anyway, my name is Kole. Kole Romanoff." I said before anyone could ask anymore questions in regards to Xehanort's name. "Thank you again for helping me." I added, hoping that would deflect the conversation elsewhere.
"It's no issue." Eraqus assured me. "Now, I was hoping you'd be willing to answer a few questions?" He asked politely. I nodded in response. "First of all, where did you come from?" He asked.
"London, born and raised." I answered. Eraqus gave a light hum of thought.
"I'm familiar with the city, though I suspect the London I'm thinking of is not the one you are from." he said thoughtfully. "Was there any war in London when you left?" He asked. I shook my head. "Then you're not from the London I'm thinking of." He gave a light frown, his eyes wondering. Is he talking about Peter Pan London? Possible, since you know, Kingdom Hearts. "Moving on, you said you have no idea how you got here?" He asked.
I nodded in the affirmative. "The last thing I remember was heading home after work, then it's all just black." I started. "Then, when I woke up, I was on a glass platform. Everything around me was pitch black, and then I heard a voice speaking to me." I explained. The two Masters shared a look, Xehanort nodding.
"The Awakening." The elderly man stated. "Did you wield a weapon at any point in time? One not of the norm?" He asked.
I nodded again. "A sword that looked like a key. I think the voice called it a Keyblade." I recalled. All things I knew, but I didn't want to open that particular can of worms, so I decided to keep that close to the vest.
"Indeed." Eraqus said, holding his hand up. Out of thin air, a small flash of light, a Keyblade appeared in his hand. It had a black shaft, with the letter 'E' as teeth, and the guard was white and copper, with a rather boxy design. The token at the end of the keychain was a strange symbol; a symbol that was actually on his armour. "This is a Keyblade." He told me. No shit… "These weapons were fashioned in ancient times to combat a growing darkness. They can open almost any lock in existence, and are imbued with magic, and several other abilities." He explained.
"Whoa…" I mumbled under my breath. And hey, that reaction was genuine. With a little luck, they might assume my reaction was in response to his explanation and demonstration, but I was really just going gaga over the Keyblade he summoned.
"A Keyblade can only be wielded by one with a strong heart." Xehanort explained to me. "There was one in your grasp when we found you." He went on. "How did you get a hold of it?" he asked as Eraqus dismissed his Keyblade.
"It just appeared during that 'Awakening' you mentioned." I responded.
"A new Keyblade, perhaps?" Eraqus asked his fellow Master, who narrowed his eyes in thought. "Can you summon it?" He asked me. I made to ask how I would actually do so, but he beat me to it. "The Keyblade responds to will and necessity. It will appear when you will it so, or when it can sense you need it." He explained. I closed my mouth and nodded. Holding out my hand, I closed my eyes and concentrated, picturing the Keyblade as I remembered it in my head.
As I did so, the Keyblade materialised before my hand in a flash of dark purple light.
"That was a lot easier than I thought it would be…" I mumbled under my breath as the weapon gently floated over to my hand, and I grasped the handle. Still perfectly balanced. I expected it to take a bit more concentration to summon, but no. With little more than a thought, the Keyblade appeared before me.
"Fascinating…" Xehanort whispered under his breath..
"Awesome!" Ventus grinned at the sight of the blade. I'd actually forgotten he was there for a moment.
"Ventus, I think it's time you leave Master Xehanort and I with Mr Romanoff here." Eraqus told the young blonde. Ventus made to protest, but a stern look from Eraqus stopped him. He sighed and slumped, obediently walking out of the room. "Now that that's done…" Eraqus muttered as he turned his eyes back to the Keyblade I held. "It's clear this is no normal Keyblade. It isn't of Light or Darkness." He said, pinching his chin in thought.
"The Keyblade of Heart, created by the joining of the purest lights." Xehanort said, a gleam in his eyes that I'm not sure I liked.
"You have no idea how this Keyblade came to be in your possession, much less into existence?" Eraqus asked me, his scrutinising eyes boring a hole right into my soul.
"None whatsoever." I responded firmly. We held our gazes for another moment before he sighed and looked down.
"I'm not certain I like what this could mean." He said quietly. "Who could have created this Keyblade? And how for that matter? Or why?"
Of course, I knew the answers to all of those questions: His namesake is standing in this very room, he fused the hearts of six princesses, and he did it to reveal the Keyhole of Hollow Bastion. Not that I was going to say anything.
"All of these questions can wait for another time." Xehanort spoke up, catching Eraqus' attention. "First and foremost, my proposal?" he asked the younger Master expectantly.
"Ah, yes." Eraqus coughed into his fist.
"Proposal?" I asked hesitantly. I'm not sure I was going to like this.
"The Institution we stand in right now is a training ground for up and coming Keyblade Masters." Xehanort explained to me. "Keyblade Masters take up the duty of keeping the peace across the worlds." He went on.
"And we are prepared to offer you a place here among our apprentices, as Xehanort's pupil." Eraqus told me. I was shocked. I mean, I thought for sure they'd want to keep an eye on me, given that I showed up out of nowhere and have the ability to wield a great weapon, one that is far from the norm even by said weapon's standard. But, offering to actually train me? Let me become one of them? That was more than I expected.
"Why?" I asked them. Probably not the answer they were expecting. Or maybe it was. Who knows? "You don't know me. For all you know, I could be a power-hungry megalomaniac who's just after the power of the Keyblade. You don't know what I might be up to." I reasoned.
"Don't give me that." Eraqus scolded me, almost like a child. "Both of us have been around for a fair amount of time. If you were up to anything, we'd know." he assured me. "There is darkness in all of us. We can't escape it, only overcome it. And the Keyblade only allows itself to be wielded by those with a strong heart. It's clear to me that you would be an exceptional Keyblade Master." he told me. "I would have liked to take you on myself, but I already have three apprentices, whilst Xehanort has none. We both wish to see this power of yours nurtured." He told me sincerely.
"To say nothing about learning what you are capable of with that weapon in your possession." Xehanort told me honestly, eying my Keyblade. I saw a flash of disapproval cross Eraqus' face, but he suppressed it quickly enough.
OK, pros and cons here:
Pro: Learning to use a Keyblade, magic, the whole shebang. Nuff said.
Con: My teacher would be a man who has the same name as the villain from the video games, and he has this sinister look about him that really unnerves me.
Pro: Exploring whole new worlds and meeting characters that basically made up my whole childhood.
Con: I'll likely be putting my life in danger quite often, if not on a daily basis.
Pro: A chance at a new, exciting life; a monumental improvement over the previous one, being work, study, sleep, repeat.
I went through more pros and cons in my head in the span of a few minutes. The Masters saw this and didn't interrupt my thought process. One major point in favor of my decision was that if I chose not to take them up on their offer, I would have nowhere to go, and nobody to help me. I didn't want to be left high and dry, alone in the Kingdom Hearts universe. I'd likely end up living on the streets of Hollow Bastion or WWI London. Not a pleasant prospect.
Ultimately, I didn't have to think about it as much as I thought I would.
"I'll accept your offer." I said with a nod. Both Masters looked satisfied at my words. "What happens now?" I asked. As I finished the question, a hard yawn escaped me, and I quickly covered my mouth with the back of my hand.
"For now, you can get some proper sleep." Master Eraqus told me with an amused smile. "This will be your room for the duration of your training. We'll discuss your next course of action in the morning." With that, he and Master Xehanort turned to leave the room.
"Sleep well, my new Apprentice." Xehanort turned back for a moment, a mysterious glint in his eye that I couldn't quite read before he left, closing the door behind him.
I sat still for a moment, finally having the quiet to process everything that just happened. With a groan, I massaged my temples as I felt the incoming headache, letting my head down to rest on the pillow. Looking out of the window, I saw it was sunset, and I felt another yawn come. Tired as I was, my brain was just too active for me to really fall asleep.
I don't know how long I pondered over everything that happened, could have been hours or just a few minutes, but it was dark when I finally felt sleep overtake me. I went through a thousand different thought processes in that time, wondering if I was crazy or if all this was real, considering this might be my brain making stuff up to occupy my time whilst I was in a coma, or maybe I got stuck in some kind of SAO or Shield Hero situation. I haven't played Kingdom Hearts in years, so I have no idea what to expect.
It also bothers me that my teacher has the same name as the villain from the first game, Xehanort. I don't remember a shit ton of the story, but I do remember Xehanort being an apprentice to Ansem the Wise in Hollow Bastion, back when it was known as Radiant Garden, and performing experiments that Ansem didn't like behind his back. I don't know exactly what happened, but ultimately Xehanort turned into a Heartless, and took the name 'Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness.'
His empty body, became a Nobody, Xemnas, and formed Organization XIII. I remember Sora turning into a Heartless, resulting in the birth of Roxas, who joined the Organization. I remember the Organization rearranging Sora's memories in Castle Oblivion, and Sora sleeping to get them back. And I remember the Organization using the memories they stole to create Xion, a Keyblade wielder completely obedient to them.
There are various other things I remember as well, though many of the finer details escape me. I only played right up to the end of Kingdom Hearts 2. I don't know what happened after Mickey sent Sora that bottled letter, or what prompted it. I don't remember everything Roxas got up to as a member of the Organization. I don't remember everything Riku did before he and Sora reunited properly.
Another can of worms was my Keyblade. How in the hell did I get that thing? If I recall correctly, it was destroyed after Sora used it to extract Kairi's heart from himself, which is when he turned into a Heartless. If I'm in a time after that, how do I have it now? Was there a remnant left behind that grew as time went by? And if I'm in a time before that, that's even more confusing! Short of an R.O.B. finding this funny, I have no explanation. Past or future, the Keyblade that I now own should not exist by any stretch of the word.
As I felt my headache get worse, I just decided to stop thinking about everything and just get some sleep. There's no way I was going to figure it out tonight anyway, so it was best to just rest, especially after a long period of unconsciousness. I had a long day ahead of me, and I didn't want to slack off during.
Answers could wait for another day.