It all began with a dark-haired teenager wearing a T-shirt, jogging pants and a jacket wrapped around his waist on a field trip to Disneyland, more specifically to the park's studio section, which interested him far more than Fantasy World, even though he had access to it.
After several minutes' walking, he finally arrived at Star Wars Land. He could see a number of people from his class among all those present, each busy with their own occupations, and some who seemed to be looking for the same thing he was, without being well-informed enough to find it.
He was looking for Savi's Workshop.
Unlike the other attractions, this one was somewhat hidden. This whole section of the park had been designed to give the impression of being taken directly from the Star Wars universe, so a place where people could forge weapons to fight the Galactic Empire wasn't easy to find.
After following some coded signs, he was led into an area where a few other customers were waiting their turn to enter. As they waited in line, they were given menus featuring the many different types of lightsaber that could be built, each with a different set of parts and their own design. There was Elemental Nature: with a more wood-and-bone appearance, Protection and Defense: in gold and silver with mysterious symbols, Power and Control: black and aggressive, reminiscent of the Sith, and Peace and Justice: dating from the modern era and looking more plain.
He consulted the catalog, deciding on the type of saber he wanted before checking out. His eyes lingered on Power and Control, but his choice fell on Protection and Defense.
Having made his choice and paid the rather exorbitant entrance fee, which he could afford with the substantial savings he'd made in anticipation of the trip, he went into the waiting room with the rest of the customers. After a few minutes, the workshop door opened with a thud and a woman dressed as a scrap metal dealer stepped out.
She ushered them through the door, telling them to hurry before they were discovered by Galactic Empire troops. Once through the door, they were ushered into a room filled with pieces of machinery, spaceship parts and scrap metal from all over the universe. There were also a few candles for ambiance.
The customers gathered around four workstations, encircling the chief scrap dealer who stood in the center of the room. From there, the man, who had a British accent, began to talk about the expansion of the Galactic Empire and the need to find new heroes to stop it. He spoke of the current heroes who were bravely fighting against the Empire, but reminded them that this was not the continuation of their story.
Today, new legends would be born and new stories would be told about those in this room today. The Chief Scrapper informed them that they had learned the secrets of making the legendary and elegant weapon known as the lightsaber, a weapon held by the Jedi Knights who once maintained peace and order in the universe.
"Now, I want you to close your eyes, yes, close them. And I want you to imagine the color of your crystal."
While everyone closed their eyes, his assistants went to a corner of the room where they grabbed onto handles on the wall, wriggled around and pulled out canisters loaded with a rainbow of different-colored crystals.
"Now, everyone open their eyes and grab the crystal that speaks to them."
The assistants went around, letting the customers choose the crystal that resonated with them. He was about to take the purple one.
Morally, he was a rather gray person. For him, some people should walk the path of evil, to attack those who walk that path out of selfishness or hatred of others, to help or save those who walk the path of good. Getting his hands dirty to keep the world clean.
For him, this blurred boundary between good and evil in his morality made him a violet crystal. A blend of red and blue, light and dark, Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader.
But in the end, he chose a yellow crystal, those of the Jedi temple guardians and Rey.
He could always buy the yellow and the other crystals he was interested in at the store.
The head metalworker then told them that they now had to assemble their lightsabers. The assistant scrappers began to bring out the trays containing the various key elements for the creation of their personalized saber handles. Once everyone's trays were placed on their workstations, the metalworkers guided them through the process of assembling their lightsabers.
The teenager carefully examined the hilt of his lightsaber, taking care to choose the right parts, those that pleased him both visually and to the touch, while forming a satisfying overall design.
The other customers finished off their lightsabers, and once they had done so, the chief scrapper asked everyone to stand back. When everyone obeyed, the assistant scrappers approached and placed the finished handles in a special slot on the edge of the workstations, screwing them in until they were securely fastened.
"Very good, very good. Now..." Just then, the room darkened and a green glow shone from the ceiling. "What is it?"
"Separated, They were. Reunited, now they are. For a new beginning, it's time..."
"Yes... Master Yoda... Yes, it's time!" Announces the chief scrap dealer with vigor. "Now, everyone, when I say it, I want you to step forward and put your hand on the handles, but don't activate them. For you began together, and you will end together. Are you ready to create the link between you and your swords?" Asks the head scrapper.
"YES!" They all reply.
"Then step forward."
Everyone took a step forward and placed their hands on the hips he had created. He gripped the hilt of his lightsaber firmly.
"Now... activate."
They each flicked the switch on their lightsabers and, immediately, the cylindrical tubes to which they were connected began to glow with the color of the crystals they had chosen. The cylinders opened slowly, revealing a glowing blade that hummed softly. The entire room was filled with the hum, as everyone stared in amazement at their fully forged lightsaber. At the same moment, music began to play in the background.
"Blacksmiths, raise your weapons, for you have created a lightsaber! Like the Jedi and Sith before you! Like them, you can change the galaxy! Remember, all it takes is a spark!"
The teenager couldn't help but smile as he saw his weapon glow with a yellow light. Ever since he'd seen videos of this attraction, he'd dreamed of doing it, and had one of his toy weapons at his disposal. Some might mock him for it, but he didn't care what those snobs bitter about their fortieth divorce thought. No one would rob him of the gaiety of this moment.
Once out of the attraction with the lightsaber in the bag and the blade in a tissue sheath, he continued his tour until he found a stand where he bought a drink. Then, looking for a bench to sit on, he saw something intriguing.
A beautiful teenage girl with blue eyes and platinum-blond hair. Her figure was tall and slender, but she appeared to be of a similar height, if a little taller than him. She was wearing a dress with a long-sleeved vest over a blue-black blouse and bodice, and a pair of light-blue gloves.
He wouldn't have been so intrigued by her, if she didn't seem to be looking all around her, as if she were looking for help and wanted to know where she was, all afraid to approach people. But everyone remained indifferent to her, or didn't notice her. Too busy enjoying their stay in the park, and no one could blame them.
But he decided to be different from the passers-by and went up to this teenager.
"Hi." He said politely to get her attention. "Are you..."
"Don't come any closer!" Said the girl as she took a frightened step backwards, cutting him off.
"All right, all right. I won't come any closer." He said reassuringly. "Is there anything I can do to help? I saw that you seemed to be looking for help."
The teenage girl looked at him before lowering her eyes. She wanted to answer him, but she didn't know if it was a good idea. Then she resigned herself to the fact that he was the only person who seemed to want to help her.
"Where... where are we? What kingdom have I arrived in?" she asked.
How could anyone not know that they were in the middle of one of the most famous studio theme parks in the world? He was surprised enough not to notice that she had mentioned a kingdom.
"Uh... we're in one of the lands of Disneyland theme park." He replied, not quite sure how to approach the situation.
"An amusement park? What's an amusement park? I was in my room, and the next thing I knew, I was here." Explained the teenager.
"Okay... I think this is going to be more complicated than I imagined." Reflected the young boy aloud. He knew he had to do his best not to believe this girl was crazy. She was in enough turmoil that there was no need to overdo it.
Noticing a bench nearby, he suggested that the two of them sit down at a little distance from each other, which she accepted.
They sat down and talked quietly. The girl was becoming more and more at ease with him, which made the conversation more pleasant.
"So... people come here to have fun?" She asked.
"Yeah..." He said before looking at the ground pensively.
It made him feel sorry, this girl had never been and never heard of amusement parks. He wondered how that was even possible.
"Are you all right?" the teenager asked, snapping him out of his daze.
"Oh! Uh, yeah. Sorry, I was thinking. Oh, actually, we haven't met yet. I'm Jayden. Jayden Harper." He replied.
"I'm Elsa. Princess Elsa of Arrendelle." The teenager introduced herself, which momentarily surprised Jayden.
"What? Wait, but why is she presenting herself as a Disney character... is she suffering from some kind of mental illness where she thinks she's her own person? Or is she just fucking with me? If in doubt, I'll play along, so as not to risk making her mentally unstable." He thought before smiling at the teenager. "Well, nice to meet you, Elsa."
They remained silent for a little while, then Jayden stood up and spoke again.
"You want to take a walk in the park, just the two of us. I'll pay for whatever it is." he offered.
"What?! I... no, I don't want to take advantage of your kindness." Elsa said with a little hesitation, as if she wanted to conceal the real reason.
"But no, don't worry. Besides, I've saved enough money for four people to enjoy themselves here. And you don't want to have a bad time in a place like this, do you?" Jayden retorted.
Elsa hesitated a little more despite his argument, but she didn't want to leave him either. He was the only person who'd wanted to help her since she'd arrived in this unknown place. So she sighed, then stood up in turn, accepting his proposal.
They got up from the benches and headed for the store where Jayden wanted to go before their paths crossed. Jayden didn't notice the thin layer of snow that had appeared in front of the benches, where Elsa's feet had been.
Once in the lightsaber crystal section of the store, Jayden picked up the ones he wanted. Then he saw that Elsa was reluctant to buy one too.
"You can have one, you know. Don't forget I'm paying, so knock yourself out." He smiled.
"Really? But there are so many colors... I don't know which one to choose." She says.
She says, "Oh. If you want, I can explain their meaning or the role that the person using that color might have in the story?" He offered, to which Elsa nodded, then pointed to the red side of the crystal section. "The reds correspond to the Sith, or to the user of the dark side in general. They were originally crystals like any others, but were corrupted by their new owner's hatred. This caused them to bleed, giving them this color."
This explanation made Elsa flinch. Then Jayden showed her the blue section with all the other available colors.
"For the rest, except for yellow and white, they don't really have any meaning. They're just crystals used by users of the light side."
"And what are the meanings of yellow and white?" Elsa asked.
"Yellow is the color of the Jedi temple guardians, the faction with the most Light Side users. Their job is to protect their temple and watch over the prisoners." Jayden explained, before picking up the tube containing one of the only white crystals left. "As for the white one, it's a red crystal that a user from the good side managed to purify, freeing it from the hatred infused by the dark side."
This explanation surprised Elsa, who then had to decide which crystal to choose. She hesitated between the red, the blue and the white, and after a few minutes' thought, she settled on the white.
As they headed to the checkout to pay, he teased her about how long it had taken her to make up her mind.
But he wondered why she had hesitated so much between these colors.
They spent a good part of their day together, touring the various areas of the park. Elsa had to admit that, despite her initial reluctance, she liked it. She had the impression, despite not liking to abuse Jayden's kindness, that she was a normal girl. That she didn't have... that.
She smiled and enjoyed herself for real, it did her good.
Then it was time to eat, and they were both sitting at a table, eating a nice meal.
Jayden was eating a Pizza while Elsa was eating macaroni with parmesan and cream sauce.
"So, what do you think?" Jayden asked before taking a bite of his pizza.
"It's really good." Elsa replied as she ate her macaroni.
"No, not that." Jayden laughed after finishing his bite. "The attractions we made. What did you think of them?"
"Oh, that." Blushes Elsa. "It's really great. I haven't had this much fun in a long time. And... it's really nice to finally have a friend after all this time."
"Wait, you didn't have any friends?"
Elsa nodded.
"Yes. Well, almost. There was my sister before, but... we haven't spoken in a long time." She replied, looking down at her dish.
"Wow, she really thinks she's her." Jayden thought before changing the subject.
After lunch, the two friends moved on to the main section: Disneyland Park.
They arrived at Disney Castle, and Elsa admired the sight of the castle, which she had already seen since arriving in this section of the park.
But she thought she saw something on the castle's highest balcony. Unable to distinguish what, she attributed it to birds and resumed her moment of amusement with Jayden.
But this moment of joy was interrupted when they saw passers-by fleeing in the opposite direction to where they were going.
Screams began to be heard. They looked around to see people running pursued by strange ragged monsters.
The duo began to run, trying to escape whatever was happening, while Jayden watched what was happening around them as they fled.
"What's going on?" Elsa asked, as fear began to gnaw at her again after all those moments of relaxation.
"If only I knew." He said, to which Elsa directed her gaze at him, wondering what he meant.
They ran as far as he could until they saw a large group of people blocked by a strange barrier of red energy with a barbed-wire pattern, visible because of the many people coming into contact, which prevented them from going any further.
Screams began to be heard. They looked around to see people fleeing from several monsters.
These monsters wore black jumpsuits with green and purple vines around their left shins. They wore armor consisting of a brown breastplate running down the middle with a bronze tribal motif. Around their necks, they wore spiked collars, and thorny vines stretched from their chests to encircle their shoulders. Their heads resembled brown domes with a single green compound eye on the left and spiny vines sprouting from the eyebrows.
The duo began to run, trying to escape whatever was happening, while Jayden watched what was happening around them as they fled.
They ran as far as they could until they saw a large group of people blocked by a strange white light that prevented them from going any further.
One of the ragged monsters was about to attack Jayden, but Elsa noticed him and pushed him out of the way.
They moved away from the monster and Jayden looked around, only to see one of the monsters walking towards them.
"We're in trouble..." he observed.
"I can see that..." Elsa commented, surprising herself with the audacity of her words.
The monster then tried to attack them. Jayden narrowly dodged it, pushing Elsa in turn so she wouldn't receive the monster's attack.
"Why are you attacking this place? Jayden asked the monster, not really expecting an answer.
But against all odds the monster spoke.
"主人の命令です。" Said the monster in an unknown language.
"What?" Jayden asked, wondering if he'd understood what was being said before taking another blow from the monster to the face causing a little blood to run from his left cheek.
Jayden stood up quickly and held out his hands as he stood in front of Elsa, wanting to focus the monster's attention and prevent her from being hurt in turn.
Elsa, for her part, was torn. She wanted to help him, but seemed afraid of what would allow her to do so.
Jayden remembered something he'd seen years ago, a monster attack in which he was saved by a man in white armor based on the Japanese myth of the nine-tailed fox. And remembering the man's courage at the time, he made up his mind.
"I'll protect people from monsters like you!" He shouted at the monster, shocking Elsa.
"But you can't do anything against that thing! We have to leave!" She said, trying to tug him so they'd flee, but he held firm.
"No! I refuse to let those things shatter the dreams of the children this place represents!" Jayden retorted.
The monster ran at Jayden, preparing to punch him in the face. An imposing bell sounded as a shockwave pushed the monster back before it could strike, sending it hurtling towards its fellows.
"What was that?" Elsa asked, surprised by what had just happened.
Jayden felt something at his waist and looked down to see a black, purple and red belt with a rectangular buckle and a screen on the front.
Vision Driver.
"What's this..." Jayden sighed, surprised by the appearance of the belt.
He then noticed a fingerprint scanner on the top of the belt and tapped it with his right thumb.
Triggering a validation sound followed by a voice.
Glare. Log In.
A melody was heard.
Jayden looked at what he had to do next and saw a vertical slot that appeared to be for a card. He then looked at the sides of the belt and found to his right a case on the right side of the belt in which was a clear plastic key card, the center of which was marked with a yellow eye logo.
He took hold of the key-card and passed it through the slot.
Install.
Five red, black and purple mechanical eyeballs appeared and fired lasers at Jayden's body, materializing his armor before attaching themselves to his chest, shoulders and knees.
Innovation and Control.
Jayden wore a white jumpsuit with four gold abs on his stomach. He wore gold gauntlets and leggings with white trim. The suit had gold highlights and trim. Finally, his white helmet had a large silver visor covering the upper half of his head, with a pair of antennae extending from his forehead, between which was a blue jewel and golden symbols at eye level.
Gazer.
Elsa looked at Jayden, completely shocked by this transformation. Jayden was too, and it showed in his gestures, the way he looked at his hands.
Elsa looked at Jayden, completely shocked by the transformation.
Jayden held the sword to his face.
"Kamen Rider Gazer... Ha!" roared one of the monsters, charging at the now Kamen Rider Gazer.
Gazer blocked the monster's attempted blow with a strength that surprised him. He wasn't as strong as the monster, however, he was sure, given the blows he'd taken earlier.
He exchanged blows with the monster while the other monsters, realizing that one of their own was encountering resistance, rushed to his aid and tried to attack Gazer.
"Watch out!" she shouted, worried for her friend.
But her concern turned to surprise when she saw the spheres on Gazer's knees break loose and fire at the monsters, surprising Gazer.
"I've got drones to defend myself. It's so cool!" He said, smiling beneath his helmet.
The monster he'd been fighting tried to attack him again, but Gazer jumped up and spun to the side, hitting the monster with a kick while dodging the attack. Gazer landed on his knees, the two drones on his shoulders leaving his side. He stood up and the monster did the same.
The monster screamed and charged at Gazer, who did the same.
But the latter slipped, dodging the attack, all the while firing drones at the monster's side. He quickly got to his feet and struck the monster in the back. The monster staggered forward.
All the monsters gathered in one place, finally pressing down on something hooked to the right side of their belt buckles, which appeared to represent some kind of plant.
Jya Jya Jya Strike!
Two vines emerged from the monsters' backs and wrapped around her arm before they struck the target, Gazer.
Elsa's concern grew even greater, ice forming beneath her feet as the monsters struck her friend.
However, the drones on Gazer's knees and torso began to move, joining forces with those still deployed to form an energy barrier that easily withstood the attacks of the monsters, who were wounded by the force of the impact of their attacks on the barrier. As if they were flies swatting at a windshield.
Gazer took the opportunity to see if he could do something similar with his own belt, hoping to unleash a powerful attack.
He took out his Providence Card and slid it along the Vision Reader.
Delete.
The drones then encircled the monsters, creating an electric field around them, which acted as a link, before closing in on them, immobilizing them as they struggled to free themselves.
He wondered what to do, then inside his helmet, his visor showed him what to do next.
So he jumped, reaching an impressive height thanks to the strength boost provided by his suit. Then he came back down, extending his right leg as golden energy built up around his foot. Turning his body, he gave a circular kick at the monsters, causing an explosion and leaving nothing of them.
The energy barrier disappeared, seeming to indicate that the place was safe again. Those on the monster side of the barrier were looking for their families and checking their phones, no doubt to post what they'd filmed on social networks.
Elsa rushed over to Jayden to make sure he was all right, when the latter removed the Wonder Ride Book from his Driver, making his armor disappear along with the belt and sword.
"Is everything all right? That was incredible. How could you do all that?" she asked, questions racing through her head.
"To tell you the truth, I don't know. Apart from a few movements, I acted completely on instinct." Jayden replied, scratching his head with some embarrassment.
"I see..." Said Elsa, a little surprised by Jayden's answer before remembering a detail. "Oh, done, that monster called you Gazer."
"Yeah..." Jayden confirmed, looking at the Vision Driver that was still at his waist. "Maybe that's the name given to those who wear that armor."
"Possibly." Elsa nodded, before blue static electricity crackled over her body.
"What's the matter with you?" Jayden asked.
"I don't know! The same thing happened when I was sent here." Elsa replied in a frightened voice.
Jayden didn't know how to react to this. Elsa was completely panicked, and he had no idea how to help her.
So he decided to take her in his arms and embrace her, ending up glowing with the light of Elsa's touch.
"No! Let go of me, you could be transported too!" Panicked Elsa, frightened at the idea of those she holds when it happens to her being dragged off to a completely unknown place with her.
"So it's all right with me. You were alone and scared when I saw you. So this time, you won't have to go through this alone."
This statement shocked Elsa, he had been so kind to her, she didn't want anything to happen to her because of him.
But she knew she couldn't change his mind, so she simply closed her eyes and took him in her arms as the glow came to encompass them both.
Then when it dissipated, they opened their eyes to see that they were now in a large blue room with furniture that Jayden could only describe as luxurious in a rather old-fashioned style, like those of nobles in fantasy movies and series.
"Where... where are we?" Jayden asked as they broke their embrace.
"This... this is my room..." Elsa replied, surprised to be back home instead of somewhere else.
Then the creak of a door was heard and they turned their gaze to the man who had just entered the room.
In front of them now stood a blond-haired, green-eyed man in his forties with a thin moustache, wearing nineteenth-century royal garb and medals.
"Daddy!" Said Elsa, surprised for more than one reason, especially her father, who noticed the presence of a boy in her room.
A boy who wasn't supposed to be there for more than one reason.
In a panic, Elsa lost control a little and a layer of frost covered the floor of her room.
Jayden, for his part, simply held up his hands for all to see, so that his friend's father wouldn't get any more the wrong idea than he already had.