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Chapter 2: Welcome to Oblivion
"You can close your eyes to reality but not to memories"
– Stanislaw Jerzy Lec
The grassy fields we'd been trekking through had long since faded away. The longer the four of us traveled down this seemingly never-ending dirt path, the more twisted and dark the backdrop became. It was enough to make me question whether we were making any progress away from the Realm of Darkness. But with a quick scan of the horizon, I couldn't spot any beady yellow eyes— no signs of Heartless, meaning we were still in the In Between.
All that I could spot was the strange silhouette of a building in the distance, drawing closer every minute. That was something that increased our otherwise leisurely pace. Out of everything we'd seen so far in the In Between, we hadn't yet spotted any man-made structures.
However, once we drew close enough to view it in full, I wasn't entirely sure it was man-made.
Standing before us was a cryptic castle, like something straight out of a horror novel. Spires rose from the ground like gnarled horns, and parts of the tower were disjointed from the rest— jutting outwards at a horizontal angle, veering of diagonally, disobeying gravity. The longer I stared at it, the harder my heart began to beat. I wasn't sure if it was from excitement or dread. Something about this castle felt….familiar. As if it were drawing the bittersweet feeling of nostalgia forth forcefully.
"What a huge castle!" Donald interrupted the silence with an awed quack. And he wasn't wrong, this thing even rivaled Hollow Bastion.
"So, this is where that big ol' road was leadin' us?" Goofy chimed in, a finger placed on his chin.
Collectively, we all skirted around the embankment we were on, noting the fact that this was indeed the end of the road. There was simply no more ground to walk on going forward.
"Then that must mean...the way to the Realm of Light must be through here, right?" I asked, scanning the expressions of Donald and Goofy before settling on the unusually quiet Sora. His eyes were glued to the castle, darting about as if searching for something in particular among the monstrous architecture. I could feel anxiety radiating from him, but also something else. A flare of nostalgia burned fiercely; the same as I had felt.
"Do you guys...feel weird? Looking at this place?" Sora eventually tore his gaze from the castle to scrutinize our reactions to his question.
"Weird, how?" Donald quacked, looking curious.
"Weird like…" Sora gestured vaguely, attempting to capture the emotion, "Like you know something really important is inside that castle."
"Gawrsh!" Goofy gasped, clasping over his mouth, "I sure did! Somethin' is just tellin' me that King Mickey is here!"
"Wak!" Donald turned to his companion, eyes wide. "I felt that too!"
"Looking at it makes me feel like...like I lost something, but I know that I'll find it inside there," I lent my agreement, my tone becoming laced with suspicion. How did all of us get this exact same feeling looking upon a castle we'd never seen before?
"That's exactly it," Sora breathed out, a smile finding its way onto his face. "One look and I knew, Riku and Mickey, they're in here!"
"I guess great minds really do think alike," Goofy said with a chuckle.
"Think again!" A small voice chimed from inside of Sora's hood. Jiminy Cricket leapt from it, several journals clasped tightly to his chest. "This isn't just mere coincidence fellas!"
"You too, Jiminy?" I asked incredulously.
"Yep!" He nodded his head fiercely, sending his top hat sliding over his eyes, "The very same feelings! Like something important is inside, and I need to go get it pronto!"
"Gawrsh, maybe it's contagious," Goofy said, taking a few steps away from our huddled group.
"No, that's not it," Donald sighed, pulling Goofy back in, "But something weird is going on…"
"We should look around some more," I said, my eyes once again taking to scanning the horizon. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end, as if I were being watched.
"Right," Sora nodded in agreement, before making a beeline towards the set of double doors.
"Sora!" I cried, almost clasping my head in my hands before I thought better of it. I bit my lip and forced my hand deeper into its pocket, "What are you doing?"
Sora stopped mere feet from the entrance of the castle, tossing a grin over his shoulder, "Looking around." He then placed both hands against the door and pushed. The door whined and grated loudly against the floor— if we had wanted to sneak inside, the element of surprise was now gone.
"Shouldn't we have knocked first?" Goofy gulped, but joined in as we took our cautious first looks inside.
My worries were stolen alongside my breath as I peered over Sora's shoulder. The inside was in such stark contrast to the bleak architecture of the outside, it was almost like we'd opened the doorway to another place entirely. Everything was white and pristine, blindingly so, like it had never been lived in. Marbled columns held the ceiling up, which was decorated with ornate and detailed floral carvings. There was absolutely nothing along the long stretch of hallway but set of double doors set into the back wall.
"Hello…?" Sora yelled into the hall. It echoed ominously, but there was no reply. We all exchanged looks, debating internally over whether to continue. But eventually we all reached the same conclusion; there was no way we were leaving this castle unchecked, not after admitting our mutual feelings of knowing something important lay within.
Sora pushed the door the rest of the way open, letting us walk past and into the entryway. There were no torches or lights in any sense of the word, but it was like the very walls were emanating a blinding radiance, negating the need for a light source. As Sora raced to catch up with us, he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, looking back with a murmur of confusion.
"Sora? What's wrong?" Donald asked.
"Nothing's wrong," Sora answered slowly, his brows furrowed in confusion, "I just felt like I dropped something..."
"Didja drop some munny?" Goofy asked, plodding over to help look for the object.
"No, I didn't have anything on me…"
I turned my gaze towards the double doors once more, only to receive such a start I physically flinched. A man was now standing in the middle of the hall, between us and our destination. He was dressed entirely in black, down to the leather boots and gloves he adorned. The hood on his cloak was pulled up, overshadowing his features in a fuzzy veil of gloom.
My hand twitched, almost reflexively calling the Heartblade to it. But I forcefully pushed that instinct back— I wasn't about to reveal its broken status. Instead I thumbed the ring Merlin gave us, deciding to rely on magic if it got to blows. "Guys! Heads up!"
They all turned and jumped to arms the same as me at the sight of this stranger. Donald and Goofy looked cautiously defensive, but Sora's eyes widened recognition.
"You!" He cried, rushing to my side and summoning the Keyblade. "What do you want?"
"I'm simply extending a greeting towards our esteemed guests," a lilting voice replied. He then started a slow march towards us.
Donald took this as an act of outward aggression. "Not one step closer! Unless you want a taste of my magic!"
The man simply let out a small laugh and continued onward.
"All right, you asked for it," Donald growled before raising his staff to the sky. "Thunder!"
Sora, Goofy, and I reflexively leaned back, preparing for the scorching thunder to singe this man to bits. But nothing happened.
Donald looked towards his wand, shaking it a bit as if that was the problem, "Come on...thunder!" Once again, no magic was summoned forth, and Donald was beginning to sweat. "BLIZZARD!...Fire…?"
"Is your wand broken?" Goofy whispered behind his shield.
"I would think that it is obvious." The man in the cloak had stopped in his stride to watch this catastrophe take place. "Your things aren't broken. The moment you set foot in this castle, you began to forget."
"To forget?" Sora repeated.
"What does that even mean?" I cried.
The man sighed and shook his head. "Imbeciles. It means exactly what it sounds like. You've just forgotten every spell and ability you've ever learned."
We all blanched at this statement. I snapped my fingers, attempting to conjure forth a ball of Light, but nothing came of it. Sora twirled the Keyblade, looking as if he too were attempting to summon something forth, but failed.
"How...how is that possible?!" I murmured, looking towards the man with a newfound sense of horror. Everything we learned over these last few months, all those exhausting hours training; it was all gone within the span of a few seconds?
"It is the nature of Castle Oblivion," the man said with a small shrug. "In this place, memories get a bit...disorganized. To find is to lose, and to lose is to find; we found this is an apt way of summarizing the rules here."
"We?" Donald repeated warily.
"You'll find that people you know are within these walls. People you miss." The man said, ignoring Donald's remark.
My brows furrowed at this implication. How did this stranger know we were missing friends? But then again...if he was right, that meant—
"Riku's here?!" Sora shouted, lowering the Keyblade as he took a step forward.
"The King too!" Goofy cried happily, "It's gotta be! Cos we sure are missin' him!"
"If what you truly desire is to find them…" The man extended a hand, splaying his fingers wide. We tensed in preparation for an attack, but that didn't come. Instead, in the blink of an eye, the man was now standing right before my eyes.
I automatically brought up the fist I normally clenched the Heartblade in to block, but nothing was there to prevent him from rushing forward. Narrowed blue eyes, the wafted scent of roses; that was all I could glean from his proximity to me before he glided straight through me.
The invasive feeling of being rummaged through filled my head. Memories of my entire life flashed before my eyes; my thoughts were not my own as they were forced to the forefront. And then, just as quickly as it had started, the torrent was over, leaving nothing behind but a fierce headache.
"Agh— Akira, you okay?" Sora called out, his hand clasped to his head. So, he'd done the same to Sora?
"Peachy," I growled out, gripping my hand to my chest. There was no doubt that man had seen the encroaching disappearance that had taken it when I flinched. My gaze snapped to the stranger, but all his thoughts were hidden in the shadow of that black cloak.
"What did you do to us?!" Donald shrieked.
"I took it upon myself to see what it was you desired most. Memories don't lie, after all. It was rather...illuminating." He then held up his gloved hand, revealing two strangely shaped cards between his fingers.
With a flick of his wrist, the cards cut through the air. I caught the one sent towards me with a small yelp. An image of a quaint town overshadowed by an enormous cathedral was imprinted onto it. I narrowed my eyes and looked closer, causing a chill to run down my spine. A pendulum was draped between the cathedral's towers, revealing its identity to me. Imagery of the tortures Ansem had put me through flashed through my head, making my stomach clench painfully. This place...was it created from my memories?
"You can't progress further in Castle Oblivion by just opening doors. You need to present something in turn for it to take." The figure nodded to the wooden door at the end of the hall. "Simply hold them in front of you. The Castle will show you the way forward."
With that being said, the figure seemed to be swallowed whole by tendrils of shadow that leapt from the ground at the snap of his fingers.
Silence reigned in the empty hall as we all tried to process what just happened.
"Well...should we see where this thing goes?" Sora asked, holding up his card. I could see the familiar iconography of Traverse Town on his, deepening my frown. If these places were sampled from our memories, why was this cathedral a reappearing image for me? It wasn't in any of the worlds we'd been to.
"Now, wait just a minute!" Jiminy appeared once more, attempting unsuccessfully to slap the card from Sora's hands. "I don't trust that guy one bit! He said we've been losing our memories from the moment we set foot in this Castle! And you're just gonna keep going?!"
"He said Riku and the King were here," Sora responded, picking Jiminy by the scruff of his suit and plopping him back into his hood, "I'm willing to try if it means we find them."
"Sora's right!" Donald declared, stowing his wand. "Magic or no magic, we gotta find the King!"
Sora turned towards me at this, his eyes finally falling upon the card clutched in my hand. "Can I see?" I handed it over without complaint, watching his eyes flick over the imagery with a frown. "This isn't Traverse Town..."
"I know," I said hesitantly, taking it back from his outstretched hand.
"You don't think that card is gonna separate us, do ya?" Goofy asked, his expression concerned.
My heart gave a painful thump at that thought. Two separate images seemed to imply two different pathways forward.
"Maybe its just a choice," Sora offered hurriedly, trying to smother my concern. "If we just hold up one, we'll all go to the same place. Right?"
Donald and Goofy both gave a meek shrug.
Sora and I met eyes. I could feel him cross the bridge between our hearts, as if searching for an answer within. As soon as he did, he winced, surely meeting the flashes of the torture I couldn't keep from my mind. It raced beyond my control, desperate to avoid this cathedral for as long as possible. Repeated apologies tumbled forth, and he grasped for my hand in a comforting embrace.
"Okay," he said aloud, withdrawing with a shudder, "We'll hold up mine."
Sora stepped up to the door, raising his arm above his head to present the card. Immediately it flashed white and the door responded in turn, light pouring from behind its seams before it swung open on its own accord. We couldn't distinguish anything about its destination; only a foggy white light poured from within.
And just as this processed, I realized something. I looked to my hand clasped by Sora. The cathedral card was gone.
Looking at Sora's lowering hand, I could see it too was devoid of the card. There wasn't even any indication they had been used up. One second they were there, the next they were gone. It was enough to make that pit in my stomach sink ever lower, thrashing in rebellion.
"I've got a bad feeling about this." The words slipped from my mouth before I could help it. Sora had nothing to say in response to this, but he squeezed my hand in a show of reassurance. Even I knew there was nothing else to do. We couldn't leave. Not if Riku and the King were here.
There was no place to go but forward.
And so we stepped forth, becoming immediately devoured by the white light.
KH
As soon as I stepped from the door frame, I had to immediately shield my eyes from the streams of silver light piercing through the clouds. A full moon hung low in the sky, cascading its light over the village. The buildings were all of similar make: wooden frames exposed with plaster filling the empty spaces. The cobblestone road extended into the stone foundation of the buildings, and they all seemed to have the same styled purple roof tiles. This…was not Traverse Town. Was I just sent to the town on my card anyways?
My eyes now adjusted to the sudden change in scenery, I lowered my arm. And just now became aware of the fact I'd raised my right hand. The hand that had been disappearing at a rapid rate, but now was fully reformed. My other hand darted to it, immediately grasping it to see if this was just a mere illusion. But the warm sensation of skin awaited my touch. This seemed real.
"Whoa, guys! Look—" I froze. The place my friends were just occupying was now empty. There was nobody on this vacant cobblestone road but me.
"Sora?" I called out hesitantly, "Donald? Goofy?"
No response. I closed my eyes, tuning out the sounds of the town in the distance to focus deep within myself. In a sensation I was still getting used to, I felt for Sora's presence. There, underlying my own heartbeat, there was a faint beating of another. Okay, that was somewhat reassuring. He was there just...somewhere else.
My eyes hesitantly opened, still meeting the unfamiliar surroundings of this village. How far away did that Castle send me?
As I moved about, attempting to get a hold of the situation I was thrown into, I noticed the scenery wasn't the only thing that had changed. My clothes were entirely different, as if they had morphed to fit in with this new world.
A white robe hung loosely from my frame, tied at the middle with a light-blue sash. An equally stark-white hooded cape was placed on top of this, decorated with golden trim and crystalline tassels. The sight of the garments sparked a resemblance in my head— Patientia wore a very similar outfit.
I was so absorbed with my inner monologue of questioning, I didn't notice a figure approaching me until she was mere feet away, looking frazzled as she skidded to a halt and panted heavily. Her pink hair faded into a golden yellow at the edges, and her eyes were an equally pretty shade of pink.
"Charity…!" She gasped, straightening before placing the back of her hand against her sweating brow. "Where...Where is your head? You're gonna be late for your own Ceremony!"
"Charity?" I repeated, my brow quirking, "I think you've got me mistaken for someone else—" This girl was hearing none of it. She grasped me by my hand and began pulling me along at a brisk pace, cutting across the road and into the alleyways between town homes. I was forced to jog to keep up or be dragged along the ground.
"I'm actually kinda glad I had to come get you," she said without turning her head from her determined march forward, "I had to stop by to get my Ceremony stuff! Completely forgot it at home." She then began to pull cloth from a bag hanging from her waist with her free hand, haphazardly tossing it about her figure. I picked out a similar hooded cape emerging from the pile, dyed pink.
"Whoa— Hang on! What Ceremony? I don't even know where I am, I just got here!"
"Oh Hearts," the girl looked back at me pityingly. "And I thought I was a nervous wreck for mine. At least I didn't go crazy from lack of sleep!" Mercifully she stopped, allowing me a moment of respite as she tied an off-pink robe about herself.
I took the moment of rest to take in my surroundings. We seemed to be in the midst of the village, and it was bustling with activity despite it being the middle of the night. Everywhere I looked, people were walking about with… I couldn't stop the strangled noise of surprise that emerged from my throat. Almost everyone grasped a Keyblade in hand. A few caught my incredulous stares and waved, mouthing 'good luck' as they did so.
What the—
"Hey, how do I look?"
I turned back towards the girl, receiving another violent start that made me dizzy. She was now donning a silver mask with a metallic blue trim. A narrowed snout and triangle ears jutting through her hood identified it as a fox. Unblinking golden eyes stared straight through me, making my stomach jump and twist into anxious knots.
"You look like you've seen a ghost…" The girl stepped forward and placed a hand against my forehead. "Please don't tell me you're gonna pass out, Patientia will totally kill me."
"Patientia?" I perked up at the name, grasping onto the familiarity to keep me grounded. "She's here?"
"Of course! She's gonna wanna see her own apprentice's Mastering Ceremony, don'cha think?" She only took a moment more to situate the finishing touches before continuing onward, grasping my hand once more in a guiding grip.
My head was completely swimming, overwhelmed with the amount of information being dumped on me. Okay, think Akira. I used a card supposedly created from my own memories. This town seems to be a hub for Keyblade activity. Patientia was here, alive. There couldn't be much doubt about it. I was somehow in the past, before the Keyblade War occurred.
Was it because of Patientia's own heart within the Kingdom Key? Maybe some weird Heart Tie thing happened to make me visit this place… Maybe it was like how Sora saw images of Kairi's past at Hollow Bastion?
"Yeesh. You really are a goner, aren't you?"
The voice jolted me out of my jumbling train of thought. Snapping back to reality, I could see the destination she was leading me towards. The towering cathedral was becoming more defined by the second. And a crowd was now beginning to form, following behind our hurried pace like a false shadow.
"I wonder if you'll be paired sooner than me," The girl sighed, looking back at me with the mask's unblinking golden eyes. "I still haven't found the right one for my Heart Tie yet. Did you know Temperance knew Gula since she was a kid? So hers was such an easy pick…"
The names she casually mentioned held no familiarity to me, but even still… As she listed them, images rose in my head. A soft-spoken girl with orange hair and brown eyes, always beside of a cool-headed brunet boy with light-green eyes. How did I know that…?
"Wait, stop, please—" I planted my feet in the ground. My vision was beginning to swim, I couldn't take much more of this over stimulation. The girl finally paused, her hand dropping from mine.
"Charity, what's wrong?"
"Just...explain things to me. Where are we going? What's the ceremony? Pretend like I've never heard any of this stuff before."
"What are you talking about? We really don't have time for you to be playing around like this, the moon's almost at its peak—"
"I'll make it up to you. Just humor me, please."
Her hand pulled her mask up, revealing her scrutinizing gaze. I could see her brows furrowed, but she relented with a small sigh. "You're so weird. But alright…You've been completing several years of training to become a Heartblade Master. Patientia decided you got what it takes, so we're going to the Sanctum of the Heart," she pointed to the cathedral looming overhead, "for you to be formally accepted by the Foretellers."
The Foretellers. Patientia had mentioned them before. She said it was them that started the Keyblade War.
"Right, okay," I said, my mind still running a million miles an hour, "and my name is...Charity?"
"Alright, now I know you're messing with me." She took my hand before I could ask anything further, pulling me along with a yelp.
By the time we entered the Sanctum, a huge crowd had already filled its pews to the brim. Everyone turned to stare as we entered, causing both of us to skid to a halt and flush under the stares.
The girl guiding me let out a nervous laugh, as well as a whispered curse.
"Ooh, Ava and Charity are late," a whispered heckle rose from the crowd, causing the girl's gaze to snap towards them. Although her mask covered her face, I could practically see the fox's golden eyes narrowing in a glare.
We trekked through the now silent hall as my eyes roamed around, attempting to absorb the beautiful architecture as best I could. Towering marbled pillars supported a ceiling that seemed miles away, and every inch of the walls were carved with heart iconography and fleurs-de-lis. At the very end of this seemingly never ending hall was an altar purposefully positioned under an enormous stained glass window. The moonlight streamed through and alighted perfectly on it, making it glow with an other worldly light.
But my moment of incredulous wonder was brought to an untimely end when I saw who was waiting for us. A woman stood before the altar, a silver ram mask donned. She was looking straight at me with unblinking golden eyes. Her. She was the one attacking me in my visions at Hollow Bastion. My free hand twitched, itching to summon the Heartblade for its comforting weight.
"Go on," Ava nudged me from behind with murmured encouragement, "Castitas is waiting. We'll be right behind you!" I looked to where she was quickly walking to and saw a line of silvered masked people all watching me intently. A snake, a leopard, a bear, and...a unicorn.
"Patientia…" I whispered, making a move to go to her side.
However, she quickly shook her head in disapproval, gesturing to the woman behind the altar with a crane of her neck. My voice was stuck in my throat. I could feel the burning gaze of everyone falling upon me, forcing my hand. I could talk to her after this Ceremony. Maybe she would know what was happening to me…
I redirected my pace towards the altar, stopping just before it. My heart was racing and my head felt light. I was going to pass out for sure. The woman reached out, placing a hand upon my shoulder. I flinched, but the touch was soft as it instructed me to kneel. "Just like we practiced," the voice under the mask spoke gently, taking me by surprise, "Ready?"
Still completely unsure of what was happening, my head nodded of its own accord.
"Friends, family, I want to thank you for coming to this Mastering Ceremony of our very own, Charity," the woman's voice rose to project throughout the hall, and it rang pleasantly in the empty space between the Sanctum's walls. "Apprenticed to the Foreteller Patientia, she has proven time and time again, she is worthy of receiving the title of Heartblade Master. But, we are first and foremost a community, one devoted to the protection of our beloved World. So, if anyone has an objection to this status being placed upon her head, let them speak now."
Pure silence reigned, causing a smile to curl on the woman's lips.
"Very well. Then, let us begin. Charity, you may summon."
I inhaled sharply at this, feeling the sweat beginning to gather under my brow. I hadn't summoned since the incident at the Door to Darkness. But...here my hand seemed to be whole. So maybe...my heart was too? I held my trembling hand outwards, stilling it with a slow exhale. I then called the Heartblade forth.
Light gathered in my palm, solidifying into the relieving sight of a completely whole Heartblade. No cracks or blemishes marred its surface as it gleamed in the moonlight.
"The Heartblade is an extension of the Light within our hearts. A boon gifted by Kingdom Hearts to their beloved creations." Her arms extended wide as her voice spoke with reverence, her gaze drifting from the crowd to settle on me. "Let us see what your heart reveals about you, shall we?"
She then gestured to a hunk of silvered metal on the altar. I blinked at its texture, reminiscent of the masks I'd seen the previous masters wearing.
"Place your blade on its surface," her whispered instruction pulled me from my contemplation.
I flushed at the realization they were all waiting for me to continue the Ceremony. I did as she said, placing the Heartblade flush against the surface of the metal. It instantly flashed white and with a loud crack that echoed through the vast halls, it split completely in two.
A silvered mask fell from the metal and onto the altar with a ting! I gazed upon it with wide eyes. Was this...mine? Golden trim laced through the silvered metal, highlighting the large ears of a rabbit. A blue crescent marked the center of its forehead, reminiscent of the moon prominent in the sky, and a similar metallic-blue outlined its large, golden eyes.
Castitas picked it up with both hands, displaying it to the crowd who ooh-ed and aah-ed. Then she lowered it onto my head, fastening it into place as she spoke, "Charity, your mask is of the rabbit. She brings with her new beginnings, which is surely a sign of great things to come. She is small, yes, but she should not be underestimated. She has the wit to out think her opponents, and the agility to run circles around them. She may have fear in her heart, but without fear there cannot be courage."
As soon as it was fastened into place, the weight melded instantly to my body as if it had been there my whole life. I touched its smooth surface with a breathless wonder, feeling every divot and lace of the metal. It hummed with an indescribable energy— although that could have just been my fraying nerves.
"Brothers and sisters, raise your voices, let us welcome our newest Master with open arms, Charity!"
I stood slowly, the world becoming blurred as the crowd repeated the name with joyous shouts and whoops of exhilaration. All the noise joined together, fading into a high pitched whine that left my skull rattling. And underneath all this chaos, something even more conflicting rose from the shadows of my heart.
An unsettling sense of déjà vu.
KH
Dark thorns and tendrils rose from the ground, solidifying into a figure equally as overshadowed. The man in the black cloak turned to his companion, a woman with bright blonde hair, two pieces that never seemed to stay put jutting from her head like antennae. Her cyan eyes continued to scan her book, not bothering to look up as she greeted him.
"Heya, Marluxia. How'd it go?"
Marluxia pulled down his hood, freeing his mane of rose-pink hair with a shake of his head. A few flower petals shook free with the motion. "Change of plans."
Now this she reacted to. "Change of plans?!" she cried, jolting from the couch and sending electricity sparking outwards, "What do you mean change of plans?"
"Akira is dying," he stated simply. "I sent her to the depths of Oblivion to let her fade quietly with her illusions."
"Dying?" The woman simply blinked before settling back onto the couch with a huff. "Geez, of course she is. Never send a Dusk to do important recon. Coulda used that info sooner."
"And Sora?"
The two paused in their small spat to face the other person in the room. Lowering his hood to let his red hair flow free, he focused his sharp green eyes on them and repeated his question. "What about Sora?"
"Fine. Still on course." Marluxia replied calmly.
"Oh...wait…" The woman perked up, her finger shooting into the air, "I just got an idea." The two men in the room waited with barely perceived annoyance as she continued to cackle in sardonic glee.
Eventually the red-haired man sighed and interrupted her thoughts, "Larxene. Spit it out."
Larxene pursed her lips, stepping closer to jam a finger into his chest. "You ruined the reveal, Axel."
"Larxene." Marluxia simply gestured for her to continue. Her eyes narrowed at the sharp command, but she continued nonetheless.
"We don't need Akira for the end goal. All we need is for Sora to think we have her. And he'll do whatever we want to get his darling dearest back!" The sonorous emphasis placed on the pet name was quickly followed by a sign of disgust.
"And what comes after?" Axel asked, his arms crossed. "Doesn't the big boss need her for Kingdom Hearts?"
"We'll figure that part out later," she scoffed, waving her hand dismissively. "All we need to do is a lil' memory swap. Shouldn't be too hard for the witch to do that, right, Marluxia?"
Marluxia hummed in response, clearly deep in thought. With a snap, a Corridor of Darkness was summoned, and he stepped into it with a smirk. "I'll go deliver the good news. It will be getting its first love."
And so the gimmick is revealed! This story will alternate POVs per chapter. Sora's up next, and eventually Riku will join the circulation too. And like I said before, we're aiming for smaller chapters, like 3,000-8,000 words, cos that's the typical length of a chapter in a book so it'll be a little easier to consume (and easier for me to write)!
Akira's chapters will be setting in stone my divergence from the canon story line, so you'll have to tell me your thoughts on it! I'm always nervous to reveal a big change from the original stuff.
Akira's, or should I say Charity's, rabbit mask is on the cover of this fanfic. It's also posted on my DeviantArt kingdomkat-draws if you want a closer look!