The Age of Fairy Tales:

The Fairy King VII

'Fire, Water, Wind, Earth. The peace of prosperity of our world is thanks to our ability to use magic and command these elements. However, even for us that power has its limits. There may come a day when the wind slows…the water stills…and the earthquakes…and yet, everyone remains blissfully unaware…and we still have no true understanding of this magical power that the Gods have gifted us.' His…no, Ozma's mother said with a thoughtful smile.

This time he conjured two swords made of ice, shaped perfectly. He dispelled them and tried again, conjuring a mace from the earth.

A green glowing lance that caused wind to blow from it.

Emmanuel pointed to a stack of hay and fiery orange light fired from his hand and struck the pile, setting in on fire. He then held up a single finger and there was a cold gust followed by what looked like snow and ice that extinguished the flames.

'He's conjuring basic elemental spells.' Aqua thought to herself as she simply watched.

A shield of fire surrounded Emmanuel and was dispelled a second later.

Then something new and unexpected happened.

Emmanuel held out his hand and a red glyph appeared in the palm of his hand before it landed on the ground and began to grow. The glyph was shaped like fire and a pillar of flames burst upwards. Aqua stepped back, watching as the flames took the form of a giant serpent with a draconic face.

"A Fire Familiar." Emmanuel whispered with wide eyes.

The Serpent looked down at him, kneeling down to look him in the eyes. "Amzo? Uoy taht sI?"

That language…

He knew it.

"Ma I kinht uoy nam eht ton ma I." Emmanuel began, speaking in the same language.

"You are sure of this?"

"There can be no doubt."

"So, after all these years…They are both finally back. This is the best news that I've heard in a long time."

"So, what do we do? Do we make ourselves known?"

"No. I will go myself."

"What?!"

"You heard me. This is too important to endanger the rest of the village."

"But what if you're caught?"

"I won't be."

"That fool." The Shadow Queen muttered to herself, retreating into her dark pocket dimension. "He underestimates Aqua and Ozma at the same time."

But she knew better.

Aqua was the one who defeated her real master: Surtr, formerly known as Sidorak.

She might not have been alone, but she still defeated him all the same and in her eyes Oberon stood no chance, no matter what power he wielded.

She knew that once Aqua was on the move, she would come and confront Oberon and stop him.

The question was…

'Which side do I take?' The Shadow Queen wondered to herself.

For two weeks, Emmanuel and Aqua trained diligently to prepare themselves for the inevitable confrontation with Oberon. When the first night of fall began, they decided they were ready and prepared for what was likely a long journey. Emmanuel was born in the continent that would one day be called Sanus which would one day host the kingdoms of Vacuo and Vale while Oberon's castle was all the way in what would become Anima that would be home to the kingdom of Mistral.

But that was still far off in the future.

For now, this was the time before the Four Kingdoms with the people of Remnant scattered across smaller civilizations, villages, towns and smaller kingdoms that were all defended or hidden from the ever-searching eyes of the Grimm.

And the ever-expanding empire of the Fairy King.

Emmanuel trained day and night to master the magical powers that he now had while Aqua refined her magic and sword skills. The source of Oberon's power was Kingdom Hearts, whether it was the real one or a cheap forgery it still granted him powers even greater than anything the magic of Remnant had seen before and Aqua did not intend to underestimate him. When they were finally ready, they set off to find the Fairy King's domain.

"We'll have to find a way to cross the sea between continents to reach the place where I think Oberon is." Aqua stated once they were on the road. "I know of a few towns and villages that would have a boat for us to use."

"We can just use our magic to cross the sea." Emmanuel argued.

"No, that's a bad idea." Aqua shook her head. "If someone sees us using magic, it might reach Oberon's ears before we do, and he'll be prepared for us. He might even have an army waiting for us."

"An army of simple men wielding swords and axes?" Emmanuel raised an eyebrow.

"Numbers can count in the right time and place. We don't even know what Oberon has for any army, but we know he has other magic users with him." Aqua pointed out. "We can't just rush in and believe we can take him and whoever is working for him on. That's a sure way to get ourselves killed."

Emmanuel stared at Aqua as she turned around, saying nothing as he followed after her.

"Emmanuel and the woman known as the Silver Knight lived off the few coins they had while living off the land."

Emmnauel's magic formed into a single bolt of light that shot forward and instantly killed a rabbit that he spotted. He remained stoic while Aqua looked sad. Later, Emmanuel used fire magic to cook the rabbit's remains into a meal for them to have.

"As they made their way east to reach the eastern continent, they continued to train themselves, preparing for when the time came."

"You believe they will make their way here?"

Oberon was staring out the window, seeing his grand kingdom as he answered his aide. "Yes. Aqua knows this land because she has been here for a long time. It will take time since she will want to remain hidden as long as possible, keeping her existence and powers a secret."

"But is there even a point to that? You know her secrets." The aide pointed out.

"I know her secrets and the secrets of the order she is part of, but I cannot wield that same power." Oberon corrected. "When she arrives and she is subdued, I will put her to work in my service."

"In your service? For what reason, Your Majesty?"

"The Keyblade is a source of power that reaches not just one world but all of them. She is not just a threat but the key to expanding my empire across countless worlds and to find the true source of power. The very power that I now wield and what has been given to my Divine Generals." Oberon turned to face his aide. "The power…of Kingdom Hearts."

"Four years went by as Emmanuel and the Silver Knight continued their journey, never resting and always on the move, pushing themselves to the limit."

Emmanuel fired three bolts of green light, killing Boarbatusk instantly.

"Honing their skills, becoming the strongest they could possibly be."

Aqua in the meantime, continued practicing her combat skills with her Keyblade, remaining out of sight for the most part but Emmanuel would watch from time to time.

"Emmnauel's drive pushed him to master the strange powers he now had while the Silver Knight oddly focused only on physical combat."

Aqua continued to practice katas early in the morning, even when winter came, and snow fell on their campsites.

"Emmanuel wasn't sure about trusting the Silver Knight at the beginning but seeing her drive to continue honing her skills convinced him she was a worthwhile ally. Meanwhile, the Fairy King would demonstrate a new power of his own."

"You are the oldest warrior of the western lands." Oberon watched as his guards presented him an old man wearing ancient Celtic armor, carrying a pitchfork as a cane with black fur around his neck and wore a black cape.

The man knelt down before Oberon. "Crom is, Your Majesty."

"Crom?" Oberon raised an eyebrow. "That is an interesting name."

"Crom Cruach was named because of Crom's ferocity in battle against the Grimm. It means 'Crouching Darkness'." The man named Crom explained.

"A fine name then." Oberon stood up from his throne and approached the elderly man. "What if I could promise you the power to continue fighting and much more?"

"What would Crom need do in return?" Crom asked.

"Just swear fealty to me and destroy my enemies." Oberon answered.

Crom grinned. "That, Crom can do."

"Good." Oberon reached out and placed a hand on Crom's head. "Then feel this power…the power of the Heart…the Heart of all that lives!"

Crom gasped he was transformed into a man within his early thirties.

He stood around five feet tall, now topless with red Celtic tribal markings appearing all over his body. He wore black pants and foot-ware with his toes poking out, a red marking running down from the bottom of his mouth, red markings around the face and forehead, and he has pointed ears. His hair was red, black, braided, and pushed back. He had long black nails, and he had orange eyes with black slits running down them.

And finally, he had the small white lantern hanging around his neck.

"The Fairy King would give out his power, sharing it with those he deemed worthy to continue destroying the Grimm while subjugating the surrounding lands, forcing any kingdoms or villages to become part of the Fairy King's domain. Among them was an old, broken warrior who had spent a lifetime carving a path of blood from Grimm he had slain in the name of his people whom he did not care for in the slightest. All that mattered to him was that he would continue fighting."

"You are said to be responsible for kidnappings and robberies from all over the lands." Oberon stated, staring down at a middle-sized lean man who was bound in chains. "Did you really think you could steal in my lands and not be captured?"

The man simply grinned. "…It's my nature. I could not help myself."

Oberson narrowed his eyes…and grinned. "You are either very brave or stupid to presume you could try anything and not be caught. Nevertheless, I have a feeling that your skills have potential."

The man watched as Oberon held out his hand.

"Agree to serve me here and now and you'll be granted a new life and power. Refuse and you die right here." Oberon walked up to the man and placed his hand on the man's head. "What is your decision? And what is your name?"

"…You can call me…Masque."

"Another join was a thief who chose to live while forfeiting his own personal freedom, being made to serve the Fairy King."

Next was another old looking man with spiky white hair, a long beard and shining yellow eyes. He wore dark blue samurai armor with a long white cape.

"Raiden, the Blade of the Eastern Lands…or what you have begun to call Anima." Oberon stated. "You surprise me by offering your services."

"I offer my services only if you agree to spare my village and people." The man named Raiden replied. "We are a small clan with few warriors. We will defend ourselves, but your Empire is vast and has conquered almost all the other territories."

"You would presume I would accept your services and not ask your clan to swear fealty to me?" Oberon asked, leaning forward. "And what if I refuse?"

Raiden narrowed his eyes. "Do not mistake our wish to avoid conflict for weakness. If we must, we will fight to the end, no matter what powers you claim to wield."

Oberon narrowed his eyes…and then grinned. "That look in your eyes…I like it. They are the eyes of a man not afraid to stain his blade with blood and I am sure plenty of blood will soon be spilt for one reason or another."

Raiden said nothing.

"Very well. Agree to become my General and your clan will be considered part of my empire. You'll retain your rights to self-govern, so as long as you and your clan agree to work for me unconditionally." Oberon replied.

"…Very well." Raiden replied before bowing.

"And as a reward, I will grant you power beyond anything you've ever imagined."

"A swordsman from Anima who sought only to protect his small kingdom made a deal to become one of the Fairy King's top warriors in exchange for his land and people being spared."

"You are a unique case." Oberon spoke, finding his latest visitor to be…rather pathetic.

A thin, pale skinned woman knelt before him, dressed only in rags with her hair falling over her face. She was shivering and coughing, seemingly sick rather than cold.

"You were found stealing from my gardens, collecting herbs to make yourself a potion to heal yourself from the disease ravaging your body. A plague is upon you." Oberon stated.

"Please…please…" The woman rasped, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Please? You would ask mercy from me when I am perfectly justified in ordering my guards to execute you here and now." Oberon mused.

The woman looked up with a scared face.

"If I spare you, what would you offer me in return?"

"I…I…"

"Pathetic. You can barely speak, and I can literally smell how close to death you are. I'd say you're already a corpse that has the audacity to still breathe in my presence." Oberon remarked, eyes narrowed in disgust. "Though…you show a remarkable resilience in trying to fight this disease. Fighting off starvation and the plague. For that, I believe you might have a place by my side. You knowledge in herbs will be useful."

He reached and placed a hand on the dying woman's head.

"Now feel this power…the power of the Heart…the Heart of all that lives!" Oberon declared.

The woman cried out as a great green light surrounded, her causing her skin to turn pale green, her ragged clothes to become large leaves that covered her modesty. Her dark, thin hair became forest green and now resembled literal vines. Wooden antlers sprouted from her head as she stood up, gasping as she felt new life surging through her.

"The life you knew before is gone. The name you used before is gone. From this point forward, your life, name and purpose are mine to decide." Oberon withdrew his hand. "From this point forward you are to be named…Flora."

The dryad girl, now named Flora bowed her head. "Thank you…Your Majesty."

"For his final divine general, a girl who skin and hair matched of the forests she grew for the Fairy King. She could make plants grow at a faster rate or cause them to shrivel and die. She was also capable of transforming and becoming a great planet or even a tree herself. With his four Divine Generals ready, the Fairy King would prepare to conquer the far corners of the world that would one day be known as Remnant and beyond.

However, in his zeal to achieve godhood, the Fairy King unknowingly angered the Brother Gods who had created Remnant in the beginning. In the wake of the Fairy King's hubris, the Brother Gods set about to create new beings and creatures to teach the Fairy King humility."

Two streaks of light traveled through space, approaching Remnant.

One was smaller and faster, glowing a bright golden and radiant light.

The other was larger and slower, a dark and hollow light seemingly blacker than the infinite voice of space surrounding it…

The smaller one shot straight at Remnant.

The other would come close but would pass the planet just enough that a shard would break off and fall into the vast oceans of Remnant.

"Thus, leading to other stories being formed in the wake of this new age."

"The Age of Fairy Tales."

The dark shard of the Grimm comet impacted the ocean while the light comet impacted the land nearby.

World of Remnant:

Isle of Grimm

(The screen starts out pitch black)

The tale of the Two Brothers… It's a rather old tale, to be sure, and a pretty vague one at that.

(Then the Brother Gods appear, the God of Light shining in the dark while the dark purple form of the God of Darkness allowed him to be visisble)

The God of Light created all good things, like nature, while the God of Darkness created all bad things, like Grimm.

(The God of Light is shown creating plants, trees and rivers before the God of Darkness appears, burning nature away with fire, drought and summons the Creatures of Grimm)

Every day, more and more good things are created by humans… medicine, scientific advancements, and the like. But have you ever thought of how far the God of Darkness went in creating the Grimm?

(The God of Darkness spreads his hands and even larger, more terrifying Grimm appear)

Perhaps some early cultures have gotten close to seeing the true extent of his darkness.

(A woman is then shown, kneeling before the God of Darkness)

North of the border between Vacuo and Vale, there is a sea cornered above and below by continents.

(The screen then changes to show a vast ocean with large black 'island' moving through it.)

Many of the ancient people surrounding this sea have legends that tell of something called the 'Isle of Grimm'. Some say it is an island full of Grimm never before seen in the rest of Remnant, crawling with insects, reptiles, and beasts of every kind.

(Multiple red eyes are shown on the 'island' staring right at the camera)

When lost sailors happen upon it and manage to escape, they can never seem to find it again… if they do make it out alive.

(A single ship is shown with its sails propelled by the wind, crashing right into the 'island' and the crews falls into the sea, never to be seen again)

Its bordering reefs are said to be infested with aquatic Grimm: giant crabs, cephalopods, carnivorous fishes and serpents, and the like.

(The screen then shifts underwater, showing the surviving crew by all manners of sea based Grimm.)

It's said that any man that sets foot on the black sand of this island is consumed by darkness and becomes a humanoid Grimm, loses their memory, and attacks other humans.

(A single man miraculously manages to make into the 'island' only to be swallowed up by darkness and then emerges as a black humanoid with glowing red eyes)

Of course, you have to be lost to find a place that can't be found by conventional means, but others offer a more interesting hypothesis in their tales and folklore. They say that the entire island itself is a Grimm, a titanic sea turtle, drifting slowly across the sea.

(The camera zooms back, showing the entire 'island' as glowing red eyes blink underneath the water and large fins could be seen)

They claim that this turtle, which they have aptly named in their language what translates to 'Lord of Tides', is under the command of a General of the Grimm, something they call the Master of Chaos, the 'MoonCrawler'.

(A strange, multi legged creature with tentacles on its back and one long one sprouting from its appeared on top of the Grimm Turtle)

This supposed shape-shifting descendant of the God of Darkness makes the Lord of Tides submerge and surface as it pleases, creating the tides and waves. From the turtle's shell the MoonCrawler grows and harvests strange black vegetation from which seeps a black blood; the life fluid from where all Grimm are born.

(The MoonCrawler gestures and the Grimm Turtle follows its commands while black blood seeps into the ocean, creating more Grimm.)

As the black blood seeps into the ocean currents, it spreads across the world, infesting lands far beyond the reach of the Lord of Tides or the MoonCrawler. Thus we have yet another origin legend for the Creatures of Grimm.

(The God of Darkness is shown again, staring down at the MoonCrawler and the Grimm Turtle with what could only be described as pride.)

That is how it is said the God of Darkness chose to create Grimm; by slowly poisoning his brother's world.

(The oceans of Remnant are then shown as black blood spreads across the sea)

It's been centuries since anyone has claimed to have seen the Isle of Grimm with their own eyes. That, in itself, is a fallacy if you take their accounts for fact, because some reports say that even looking at the MoonCrawler drives a person to the brink of insanity.

(Men are shown screaming at the sight of the MoonCrawler)

However, another myth has brought it back to light. A relatively recent myth from Vale suggests that the island is more than just a seed of all the Grimm in the world, but the 'Casket of Creation'; the resting place of one of the Gods' gifts to humanity, the Relic of Creation.

(A bright light appears on the Grimm Turtle's shell, showing the Staff of Creation)

Is the Relic hidden in the belly of the beast, buried deep beneath the travelling insurmountable fortress of Grimm? Maybe not. I, for one, know that this 'myth' is an absolute lie, created by the founder of the Huntsmen Academies to throw anyone after the Relic off their track.

(Beacon Academy is shown next with a green humanoid representing Professor Ozpin standing in his office which was in Beacon's tallest tower)

Smart man, that Ozpin.

(The screen then shifts to Atlas, the Staff of Creation showed to be residing underneath Atlas Academy.)

The real Relic of Creation is hidden in Atlas… but the myth of the Isle of Grimm remains. And the fact that the Relic of Creation exists makes me wonder if the Master of Chaos truly does exist… and what form it takes now.

(The screen returns to Pitch Black)

Gods, Relics, the Master of Chaos… Anything is possible in the world of Remnant.

"They have arrived."

"Your Warrior and my newest offspring."

"Why did you only allow a shard to spawn on the Remnant?"

"I was tempted but it would be far easier to repopulate my Grimm children since that arrogant Fairy is trying to destroy them all."

"You are focused more on the Grimm when Oberon is the threat."

"Oberon has more than one enemy."

"We agreed that we would not rely solely on Aqua to combat Oberon."

"And yet you only send one warrior, not your newest creature of pure light that lacks any darkness. This so-called Soulless. I never thought one of your creations would have such a title, Brother."

"As Aqua explained, a Heartless is created when one's Heart fully gives in to darkness. A Heartless fights only on instinct much like your Grimm children, Brother. Therefore, my creature of light as you say cannot be called a Heartless, especially if it retains its sense of reason and intelligence. If a Heartless is a heart fully immersed in darkness then a heart fully immersed in light can only retain its soul, hence why it is called a Soulless."

"What an interesting way of thinking, Brother. Clearly, Aqua has influenced you more than I would have thought."

"Is that not why we continue to watch? Because we are both interested in her actions, skills and beliefs?"

"Perhaps but there is still the matter that she represented an unchallenged force on the Remnant. You chose Ozma to redeem mankind but how can he accomplish this task if he is accepting help from the Keyblade Master?"

"Ozma has been given the tools to carry out his task as well as stopping Oberon. Aqua knows she cannot actively interfere and she is not going that."

"Who?"

"She is advising and guiding Ozma's new host while preparing him to face Oberon. She would not perform the same extreme actions that Oberon or Salem have committed. All that is left now, is to see how she will deal with Oberon."

"And how she will react to our gifts."