Disclaimer: I do not own any of this and any of this belongs to the original creators.
WORLD OF HEARTS
LINKED AS ONE
Act 1
Chapter 3
Law of the Jungle
Kizuna couldn't help but scream as he was tossed in the air along with everyone else. They were falling toward the ground, leaving them little time to come up with a way to land.
'Come on Kizuna... think. Think! What would any keyblader do in this situation?' Kizuna thought. 'I... I don't know if I can slow down, but maybe... just maybe... if I can somehow—'
Suddenly, he felt something slam right into his face, covering his sight in pitch black.
"I CAN'T SEE!" He said with genuine terror in his voice.
The pitch black was gone and he saw a branch in front of him.
He immediately grabbed the branch and swung on it before letting go. He landed on another branch with his feet and jumped to another branch. He continued to jump off the branches as if his life depended on it. He couldn't stop jumping. His body was full of adrenaline. Even if he could stop, his legs wouldn't allow him to stop. He took another jump, only for a branch to smack him in the face.
He fell on his back and felt his consciousness fading.
Everything went dark.
-1-
Kizuna woke up, but this time, he saw Sora standing over him. Kizuna sat up and looked at him.
"That had to hurt, didn't it?" Sora asked.
"Sora?" Kizuna asked. "If you're here... does this mean that..."
"Yup, you're back in the Station," Sora said. "Oh yeah, that reminds me of something. Remember that other person you spoke of when we first met?"
"Yeah?" Kizuna asked.
"She wanted to talk to you," Sora said.
He pointed to a hooded figure wearing robes.
"She's right over there," Sora said.
Kizuna walked over to the figure.
"Um... hello?" Kizuna asked.
The hooded person took off their hood to reveal a girl with pink hair and a single golden right eye. Her left eye was shut closed. The pupil of her eye was a dim coloration.
"I've been waiting for you," the girl said. "You can call me Mia."
"Mia..." Kizuna said. "That's your name?"
"Yes..." Mia said. "I've been waiting for you from the moment I finally woke up."
"What is it that you want from me?" Kizuna asked.
"Hm... you seek to not waste time... very well then," Mia said. "I wish to make an accord with you. A deal, if you mind."
"What kind of deal?" Kizuna asked, looking at her with suspicion.
"A deal you will find most fortuitous," Mia said. "Hold my hand,"
She holds her hand for him. Kizuna was weirded out by this, but he reluctantly took her hand. Upon doing so, he felt strength suddenly surging within him.
"W-Whoa..." Kizuna said. "What did you do?"
She lets go of his hand.
"The heart is responsible for the composure of one's memories, will, ambition, goals, and emotions," Mia said. "I can convert these things into strength, something you will need on your journey. The process won't affect you negatively in any way."
"Wow..." Kizuna said.
"And don't forget that I'm here to help too," Sora said. "I'll be supporting you from the sidelines. Of course, I'll even train with you here if you want to get stronger."
"Sora..." Kizuna said.
"However," Mia spoke. "You must do something for me."
Kizuna wondered what exactly she wanted him to do. He tilted his head to the side. "And that is what exactly?"
She had one hand on her temple.
"I am searching for my purpose," Mia said.
"Your purpose?" Kizuna asked.
"Yes... all I remember was that my name was Mia and that I can convert memories and such into power," Mia said. "I don't know why I had this power or even when, where, and how I gained this power."
"So you have amnesia..." Kizuna said. "Hmm... I'll help you out then."
"Thank you..." Mia said.
Kizuna was about to say something, but then he remembered the exams. He had to wake up now. He turned and saw the door. He immediately ran for it.
"I'll be back!" Kizuna said before running through the door.
"Huh... better go get the popcorn and the sofa," Sora said before walking off. "And I probably should check the fridge, just in case..."
-2-
Kizuna felt a terrible headache as he opened his eyes. His vision was hazy. He groaned in discomfort as his vision begins to adjust. He saw Madoka's face.
"Guys! He's waking up!" Madoka said.
Kizuna sat up, clenching his head.
'Damn... my head hurts...' Kizuna thought.
He saw Izuku and Yoh come over to him.
"Kizuna, you're alright!" Izuku said, relieved to see him awake.
"I knew you'd wake up," Yoh said. "We were worried you'd never get back up."
"Thanks, guys... ow..."
"Easy there, Kiz," Yoh said. "I got something that will perk you right up."
"Huh? You do?" Izuku asked.
Yoh pulled a green bean out of his pocket. Everyone looked at the bean in confusion.
"Yoh... I don't think a bean is going to—"
"Watch and learn," Yoh said as he flicked the bean into Kizuna's mouth.
The bean hits the back of Kizuna's mouth and he swallowed in response. The bean traveled down his throat and entered his stomach. The bean began to dissolve in the stomach acid and then...
"!" Kizuna felt a sudden burst of energy in his body. There was so much energy that he quickly stood up and looked like he had just eaten the most delicious thing he ever had. "I... I feel alive! What was that?"
Everyone looked at Yoh in confusion, surprise, and a bit of curiosity.
"It's called a Senzu Bean," Yoh said. "Simply put, one bean is enough to heal all your injuries and give you one hell of an energy boost."
"A-All of them?!" Kizuna asked, feeling excited, and smiling.
"Yes, but just long as you're still in one piece," Yoh said.
"Where did you get one of those?" Kizuna asked.
Amidamaru appeared.
"One of the other applicants gave Master Yoh one of them," Amidamaru said. "He looked like a martial artist. He even felt like one."
"Huh?" Kizuna asked. "A martial artist?"
"He was wearing a purple gi," Izuku said before sighing. "I wasn't paying attention much since I was... mumbling to myself for too long..."
"A whole lot?" Madoka asked.
Izuku blushed before looking away from Madoka. He looked back at her and scratched his head.
"Yeah... a lot," Izuku said.
"Wait... aren't we forgetting something?" Madoka asked.
"The exam!" Kizuna exclaimed.
"Oh don't worry about it. Weiss and Todoroki are already on it," Yoh said. "According to those two, the nearest rendezvous point is just over by the mountain over there."
He pointed to a mountain that was close. It was a big mountain.
"So that's where we need to go..." Kizuna said. "And we have only 12 hours left."
"We should be able to make it," Yoh said. "But there will be monsters here, so we ought to keep an eye out."
"When do we move?" Kizuna asked.
Yoh shrugged. "Right about now."
-3-
Yujo was walking along with Yuji, Nobara, and Megumi. Yuji was being his usual self. Megumi had a serious look on his face. Nobara had a small hammer in one hand with some iron nails in another hand.
Yujo had a keyblade in his hand. The blade had two bat wings, one wing comprising most of the blade with a smaller wing overlapping it to make up the teeth of the blade. It had a single blue eye on the guard, which had two bat wings surrounding the handle with a keychain that was in the shape of a bat. It was called Symphony of the Night.
For Yujo, it was an honor and a gift given to him by someone he would see as a father. Someone that he would look up to. A person that saw greatness in him. That person being his master, Riku.
Symphony of the Night was given to him when he first met Riku. Yujo was a punk back then. He often got into fights by himself. He was far more reckless back then. Yujo had a dark power that he used to make himself even stronger. Though he didn't understand it well at the time, he learned to harness it. Soon, he believed himself to be invincible.
Riku and a strong sorcerer proved him wrong. One was a keyblade master and the other was a jujutsu sorcerer with overwhelming power. He tried to fight them both head-on, only to taste defeat for the first time after a string of victories he had over many opponents.
Thinking back on it now, Yujo didn't get the chance to thank either of those men for opening his eyes that day. He trained under his master and went to Jujutsu Tech for even more training. His fighting abilities grew over time.
And now he was here at Daybreak, the final destination on his road to power. The only obstacle left in his path was the entrance exams.
Yujo had already gotten the coordinates for the rendezvous points on his scroll and he knew which direction to go in order to reach the one closest to his group.
The group continued to walk before Yujo suddenly stopped.
"There are some people just ahead of us," Yujo said.
"You mean there are applicants near our position?" Megumi asked.
"Yes..." Yujo said, before glancing at a bush. "... and we're not alone here."
Just as he said that, he saw a shadowy figure rise up. It had glowing orange-red eyes with white bones sticking out of the body.
They saw a creature that looked somewhat like a bear. A white bone mask covered its face as bony spikes could be seen along the arms and the back and bony plates on the elbows and shins. It was an Ursa, a grizzly bear-shaped Grimm. Coming out from the trees were creatures that resembled werewolves with white bone masks. A pack of Beowolves.
"Grimm, huh?" Nobara asked. "So that's what they look like."
She had iron nails sticking out through the gaps between her fingers.
"They're said to be vicious, but they've never fought a jujutsu sorcerer before," Megumi said.
He puts his hands together and makes a wide stance. He positions his fingers so that it forms a shadow puppet in the shape of a dog's head. A black and white dog as big as a Beowolf appears out of his own shadow. Yuji cracks his knuckles and took up a combat stance. Yujo took up a combat stance similar to Chinese kung-fu as though he were holding a Chinese dao sword. He had his left hand out as his right hand gripped the sword. He shifted his focus to the Ursa. The bear bellowed and charged, causing the Beowolves to charge in as well.
The Ursa raised its big arm for a downward slash attack. He holds the sword horizontally and tilted the blade towards its back. The claws meet the back of the blade. He pushed the blade towards the claws and pushes his legs forward. He got his left hand on the arm. He kicked one leg up, making him backflip, kicking the Ursa's chin. He parried the attack before swiftly delivering a quick slash attack. The slash attack cuts the Ursa's chest and midsection. The beast staggered before Yujo.
Yujo curls the fingers on his left hand as a blue-black energy field appears on his hand, looking similar to that of a flame. He took one deep breath. Time seemed to slow down around.
'Remember your training...' Yujo thought to himself. 'Concentrate...'
He rushed at the Ursa.
'Focus your energy onto a single point at the very last second... and then...'
B
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C
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He threw his hand out, going for a palm strike. The space between his palm and the Ursa's fur began to distort itself. Seconds before making contact, the energy around his fist sparked and turned black.
F
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'... and strike... LIKE LIGHTNING!' Yujo thought. "BLACK FLASH!"
The attack lands and a black-red shockwave burst forth from his hand. The blow sent the Ursa rolling on its back before hitting a tree.
BLACK FLASH
Yujo watched as the Grimm fell down and began to dissolve. Grimm dissolve upon death, leaving no remains to be gathered. That strike killed the Ursa instantly. The energy went straight into its body as the force crushed some of its vital organs with the energy ravaging the body on the inside. He quickly turned around to see the giant werewolf thrust its arm into a Beowolf's chest and burst out of the Grimm's back.
It was Megumi Fushiguro's Demon Dog: Totality, a powerful shikigami. Shikigami are cursed spirits that have been tamed by humans. Cursed spirits are spiritual beings that manifest from cursed energy, a type of energy that comes from the negative emotions of humans. These spirits curse humans. Sometimes, these curses could eventually kill humans. Those who use cursed energy in the form of cursed techniques to combat these cursed spirits are known as jujutsu sorcerers.
Yujo, Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara are all jujutsu sorcerers since they have gone to Jujutsu Tech, a secret school founded to train new sorcerers in using their powers to fight against cursed spirits.
Nobara opens her hand, her cursed energy coating the nails. The nails began to levitate in midair. She swings her hammer at the nails. The hammer hits the nails, sending them flying toward the Beowolf's head. The nails pierced through the creature's bone mask. The Beowolf staggered for a moment before falling on its back. It's body began to dissolve.
Yuji punches a Beowolf in the face with cursed energy around his fist. The strike knocked the Beowolf back. Yuji turned to see another Beowolf coming at him. Yuji jumps as the Beowolf comes in for a claw swipe. Yuji gave it an axe kick to the head, imbuing his attack with cursed energy before landing the blow. The Beowolf was kicked into the ground. Yuji landed on his feet and turned around. The two Beowolves were getting back up. As they got up, they turned towards Yuji. They rush towards him, ready to sink their fangs into Yuji. One of them pounces at Yuji, prompting him to crouch before standing up with an uppercut waiting for the beast.
He hits the Beowolf in the abdomen, only his cursed energy turned black-red as a spark came off. The Beowolf gets tossed into the air. He sees the second one coming at him with a swing of its arm. Yujo appeared in front of Yuji and swung the keyblade up. The beast's arm becomes severed, finding itself flying in the air. The Beowolf collapsed on its side, whimpering. The beast attempted to flee, but the demon dog stomped on its head and crushed it.
"That's all of them," Yujo said. "We should probably get moving now. More will come shortly."
They all nodded. The demon dog fades into shadow. They continued on their way. Yujo had a cold, expressionless face.
'Kizuna Daichi...' Yujo thought.
Yujo had his thoughts focused on Kizuna. When he first met Kizuna, he didn't see Sora's Reincarnation. All he saw was some random novice holding a keyblade. Yujo wasn't even impressed when he saw him again moments before the exam started.
'There's no way that mere amateur is who my master referred to as Sora's Reincarnation. I refuse to accept that fact until he can prove me wrong,' He thought. 'If he fails to pass these exams, then it will come to show that my master was wrong in believing that someone like him could ever be Sora's Reincarnation. And that keyblade... reborn Kingdom Key... I shall claim it as my own!'
-4-
Ai, Akko, Diana, Sucy, and Lotte were walking through the forest together. The four witches had their wands at the ready while Ai was holding onto a keyblade in her hands. The keyblade's blade resembles several wings overlapping each other and vines wrapping around the wings. The edge resembles a single wing stretching out. The blade was thin and the guard was comprised of angel wings. The keyblade was named Angel's Blossom, taking inspiration from the flowers and white feathered wings seen on the blade. The keyblade was given to her by her master, Kairi.
Ai remembered the day she met her master.
It was before she had gone to Luna Nova and met Sucy, Lotte, and Diana. She and Akko were going to the country side to visit her grandma in a village. But then, a group of Heartless appeared and descended onto the village. All seemed hopeless at they were indiscriminate in their rampage within the village. But then Kairi came and saved the village, driving them back.
It was at that moment that Ai felt somewhat of a connection between her and Kairi. The minute they locked eyes, Ai saw a light within Kairi's own eyes that she never seen before. It was at that moment that Kairi saw potential in her. She gave her the Angel's Blossom and made the girl her apprentice.
Ever since that day, Kairi had been training Ai into becoming a keyblade wielder. But Ai was a bit of a lazy klutz. Having to balance her training and her school life was a pain. She sometimes even skipped some of her lessons with Kairi just to hang out with Akko, especially after going to Luna Nova with Akko to learn more about magic.
She was still a teenage girl, through and through.
The girls heard a scream coming from up ahead. Akko panicked and almost dropped her wand by accident. Ai nearly jumped out of her skin. Lotte had wide eyes that were flitting. Sucy was showing morbid curiosity. Diana steeled herself.
"God, this already feels like a horror movie!" Akko said.
"Well, this is getting interesting," Sucy said. "That sounded like a blood-curdling scream."
She smiled wickedly, making Ai and Akko look at her in nervousness.
"We mustn't be afraid," Diana said. "We have to concentrate on the task at hand."
"B-But what if someone is in trouble? Are we just going to leave them there?" Lotte asked.
"We don't know for sure what is going on over there and—"
Ai's legs suddenly moved on their own, much to the surprise of the girls.
"A-Ai! Where are you going?! We have to stay together!" Diana exclaimed.
"Hey! Wait up!" Akko said as she ran after her.
"Akko!"
"I'm coming too!" Lotte said, giving chase.
Sucy followed suit soon after, leaving Diana aghast. She sighed in frustration and gave chase. The girls kept running until they came upon a clearing.
There, in front of them, was a girl in a sailor uniform running away from a giant Ursa. Ai and her friends looked shocked as they saw the Grimm running toward them. The
"Grimm!" Lotte screamed.
"Why is she running this way?" Sucy asked.
"Akko! Diana!" Ai said as she brandished her keyblade.
Akko pulled out a shiny wand with seven green jewels from her back. The jewels began to glow. Diana brandishes her own wand.
"Noctu Orfei Aude Fraetor!" Akko said.
The wand began to reshape itself into a bow and arrow. Akko pulled the arrow on the string. A ball of magic energy appeared on Diana's wand. Ai rushed forward, making for a lunging move.
"Shiny Arc!"
"Murowa!"
"Take this!"
Ai thrusts her keyblade rapidly, striking the Ursa multiple times. Diana waves her wand at the Ursa, unleashing a ball of energy at the Ursa. The ball hits and it creates an explosive blast that knocks it back. Akko lets the arrow fly. The arrow strikes the Ursa and causes it to explode with green energy that made a smile before fading out. The girls breathed a sigh of relief and turned around. They spotted the girl in the sailor uniform hiding behind Lotte.
She had long, blonde hair styled in pigtails, blue eyes, and was wearing what looked like a white chest armored leotard with a blue sailor collar; two white gloves with three red arm fittings that reach below her elbows; a pair of pink knee high boots; a golden tiara; white shoulder pads, and a broach on the chest bow.
"Say um... who are you?" Ai asked.
"Huh?" The girl asked before stepping away from Lotte and catching her breath at last. "You mean me?"
"Who else would we be talking to?" Sucy points out.
"Oh! Well... uh... ahem!" The girl cleared her throat.
She then immediately struck a pose.
"I am the Pretty Sailor Guardian of love and justice!" The girl said with brimming courage. "Sai—"
"Sailor Moon!" A cacophony of voices rang.
The blonde stumbled and tripped over. Ai turned around to see four other girls clad in sailor uniforms, each with a unique color aside from the white leotard. Blue, red, green, and yellow, in that specific order.
"Sailor Moon?" Akko asked.
"Everyone!" The girl, who was supposedly named Sailor Moon, jumped up with tears in her eyes. "Where were you?! I was so scared when I found out I was alone and I got lost and I thought I was gonna die alone!"
"Ugh... you crybaby..." the girl with the red skirt said. "We were looking all over for you!"
"You had us all worried when heard you scream," The girl in the green skirt said. "Ami—Sailor Mercury—shook like a leaf and Mina—Sailor Venus almost fainted."
"Thankfully, we found you unharmed," The girl in the blue skirt said.
"I guess we owe you our thanks for helping her," The girl in the yellow skirt said.
Ai scratched the back of her head, looking bashful.
"It was nothing me and my friends couldn't handle..." Ai said.
"Still, if we hadn't heard that scream, she'd be dead by now," Sucy said, much to Sailor Moon's discomfort.
"Sucy! We talked about being sensitive about people's feelings!" Ai chastised Sucy.
Sucy pouted and looked away.
"Now now girls, let's not fight or anything..." Lotte said, diffusing the situation.
"Still, I'm sorry for the trouble she caused," The girl in the red skirt said. "Sailor Moon can be a bit of a crybaby and a klutz sometimes."
Ai looked at the pouting Sailor Moon. She could spot tears in the girl's eyes.
'Well, she has some interesting friends alright,' Ai thought.
"Rei—I mean—Sailor Mars! That's not a nice thing to say in front of other people!" Sailor Moon said.
"Girls!" Diana spoke out loud. "There are Grimm here! Do you want them to come right on top of us?!"
The girls were silenced in shock and awe. It is common knowledge throughout the world that the Grimm are drawn toward negative emotions. Such feelings like hatred and fear cause the Grimm to congregate around the source of those emotions, forming hordes. If any Grimm were near their vicinity, it would be bad if they caught wind of the girls just from a heated argument.
Diana finally took a breath and looked as calm and reserved as usual.
"I believe we have yet to introduce ourselves," Diana spoke up. "I am Diana Cavendish and these are classmates, Akko, Sucy, Lotte, and Ai."
"Oh yeah! That's right! We never introduced ourselves!" Ai said. "See, we're students from Luna Nova Academy. Diana, Sucy, and Lotte here come from England."
"England? You mean in the UK?" Sailor Mercury asked. "And Luna Nova Academy?"
"It's a school for witches like us to practice magic," Diana said.
"And where Shiny Chariot started her journey in getting people to believe in their magic while bringing smiles into the hearts of children!" Akko said.
"Shiny Chariot?" Sailor Mars asked.
"Wait... you don't mean THAT Shiny Chariot, right?!" Sailor Jupiter asked.
"The traveling magician who puts on those famous performances?" Sailor Venus asked.
"And once brought aid to the world after helping to put an end to the Chaos Era?" Sailor Mercury asked.
"Eh?" Sailor Moon looked confused. "Who are we talking about?"
"Shiny Chariot," Sailor Mercury said. "You know, the magician who brought smiles to children after the Chaos Era was over."
"I... never heard of her," Sailor Moon said.
"H-HUH?!" Akko and Ai exclaimed, looking flabbergasted towards Sailor Moon's remark.
"Of course, you wouldn't..." Diana said, as though she was expecting that response. "You probably weren't at one of her shows."
"Well... I had to attend school, even though I show up... later than I should." Sailor Moon said.
'I know what you mean...' Ai thought. 'I barely make it to class or Kairi's lessons on time...'
"My name is Atsuko Kagari, but you can just call me Akko," Akko introduced herself.
"Sucy Manbavaran," Sucy said. "I come from somewhere in Southeast Asia as far as I remember. I'm more interested in making potions, especially poisonous ones made from mushrooms."
She had a creepy smile to go along with the statement.
"She may seem creepy and a bit of an eccentric, but trust me when I say she's a good person!" Akko said. "Just be careful when she decides to run an experiment..."
"I am Lotte Jansson," Lotte introduced herself. "I'm from Finland and... erm... um... I just came here because I have to look out for my friends here..."
"Anyways," Diana spoke up. "I suppose it is your turn to introduce yourselves, right?"
"Huh? Ah-hah!" Sailor Moon looked surprised. She took a deep breath and looked calm. "Well, I am—"
"She's Usagi Tsukino," Sailor Mars said.
"R-Rei!" Sailor Moon exclaimed. "We can't go and tell people are secret identities!"
"Says the girl who transformed right in front of his boyfriend," Rei said.
"And we have plenty of kouhais who already know our names," Sailor Mercury said.
"Oh..." Usagi said.
"I am Rei Hino. I live in a shrine as a shrine maiden with my grandpa." Rei said.
"A shrine maiden..." Ai said. "That's so cool..."
"Ami Mizuno," Sailor Mercury said. "The girls and I are all classmates together for a few years in middle school."
"Well, I'll be..." Lotte said. "You all must be friends with each other for quite a long time."
"You could say that," Sailor Jupiter said. "The name's Makoto Kino. I got transferred to Usagi's school because I got into a fight at school."
"A delinquent..." Akko said. "But you sound like a really nice and gentle person."
Makoto smiled. "Well, you never judge a book by its cover."
"I am Minako Aino and it's a pleasure to meet all of you," Sailor Venus said.
"It's a pleasure for me to meet you girls too," Ai said.
Ami looked at Ai's keyblade with curiosity.
"So you're a keyblade wielder as well," Ami said.
"Huh? O-Oh yeah! I forgot to mention that!" Ai said. 'The thought slipped my mind when we were introducing ourselves...'
"I received this keyblade from my master and went to Luna Nova to learn more about magic," Ai said. "Oh yeah, that reminds me. Have any of you seen a keyblade wielder with green eyes and black hair?"
Usagi looked confused for a moment before she looked at Ai.
"You mean Kizuna?" Usagi asked.
Ai looked shocked. She tried to look calm, but her shocked expression and her darting eyes weren't helping her there.
"Y-You know him?" Ai asked.
Akko looked at Ai.
"Wait, why are you bringing up the guy you just met outside the gate when we walked in for our entrance exams?" Akko asked.
"I think I know, but I don't want to say it unless I'm absolutely certain of it," Lotte said.
"Well... uh... actually, it has to do with what my master said before we left," Ai said.
"Ms. Kairi?" Diana asked. "What did she say that piqued your interest in him?"
Ai closed her eyes and thought back to that time before she left. It was at night and she couldn't sleep that night for some reason. She heard a pair of voices coming from the door outside her lodgings with her roommates.
"Sora's Vessel?"
The first voice she heard that night was of Ursula Callistis, one of the teachers at Luna Nova Academy. She didn't know why she was there at the time, but later on, she would find out why.
"Yes, that boy is Sora's Vessel. I'm sure of it. There can be no doubt about it. He will be going to Daybreak Academy."
The second voice was Kairi's. That was the first time she heard about Sora's Vessel. She felt compelled to find out who or what this Sora's Vessel is.
"So that's what got your interest in him," Diana said. "You think he's Sora's Vessel."
"And to think we just met him right there, outside the school..." Akko said.
"But now that brings up a good question," Lotte said. "What exactly do you intend to do if it turns out that your hunch is correct?"
Ai looked down for a moment and took a deep breath before turning to Lotte.
"Honestly, I don't know," Ai said. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."
-5-
Balan was watching from on top of the cliff. There were no drones watching over him, he was sure of it. He pulled out a pocket watch, opens it, and looked at it as it continued to tick. He looked out to the testing grounds with a smile on his face.
"The game is afoot, young man," Balan said. "Now let's see if your training has amounted to anything, shall we?"
"You hold too much faith in that boy, Balan," A sinister voice said to him from behind, followed by the ominous sound of breathing.
Balan closes the watch and tucks it away. He turns around to see a man in dark-colored armor with a helmet that made him look like the devil himself.
"Garland, I presume?" Balan asked.
"So you do know of me," Garland responded. "Do you know why I am here?"
"It's about the boy, isn't it?" Balan asked. "In case you haven't noticed, he's in the safest place he could possibly be. Even if you manage to find your way in here, I could easily remove you from here myself. Speaking of which..."
His keyblade materialized in his hand. He pointed it at Garland.
"I think now would be a good time to go back and leave. You already had your chance, only for your hitman to bungle it all up," Balan said.
"I had no intention of staying here anyways," Garland said. "I just want you to know something."
"That is?"
"One day, that boy will join his father soon," Garland said.
"You're judging the young man too early," Balan said. "He has more potential than you realize. The same could be said of those who will soon take up the mantle as the world's protectors."
Garland 'smiled,' his eyes turning into narrow horizontal slits as he chuckled.
"Interesting... I hope you're right," Garland said. "It would be a terrible shame if I killed them too quickly, especially that boy that you seem to care about."
A dark mist surrounded him.
And then he was gone.
Balan turned around and pulled out the pocket watch.
"I guess we better not disappoint them, Sora."
Balan began to hear panting and looked around, only to find Raven clutching her stomach as she fell onto her side just a few meters away from him. He walked over to her and bent down.
"Are you-?"
"Shut up... and get me one of those senzu beans... before I take that hat of yours... and shove it... right... up... your... your..." Raven coughed. "I blame Qrow for this..."