"Where were you?!"
Vanitas grits his teeth at the screech that greets him the second he walks into the training room at the Castle the Never Was. He glares over at the waiting girl, summoning his dark Keyblade as he turns to face her.
"I had a mission in Hollow Bastion, I'm sure Xemnas told you about it," he mutters. "Have you been practicing?"
[Namex] smirks.
"Yeah, Demy's been the perfect toy."
Vanitas scoffs before he leaps towards the newest Nobody. She hasn't even summoned her weapon! Amateur. He suddenly stops short, frozen in place. [Namex] laughs, her hands raised in front of her as she narrows her eyes, focusing on controlling the man in front of her.
"Your guard's down," she notes, stepping towards him. "And..." she frowns suddenly. "Did you see her?!"
Her hands drop to her sides and he stumbles slightly, free from her grasp.
"Who?" he asks gruffly.
"My Somebody!" she cries excitedly.
"... Oh."
"You did! I can always sense when someone's seen her, it's such a weird connection... When can I meet her?!"
"Eventually."
She screams as she's knocked back by his blade, slamming against the wall before she collapses onto the floor in a heap.
"God, you're weak," he laughs before summoning a fireball in his palm.
"Not as weak as I used to be!" she points out as she shakily stands to her feet. "I DID finally just use my power on you!"
He frowns, golden eyes narrowing. Her eagerness and inflated sense of worth was annoyingly familiar. With a growl he sends the fireball careening towards her, laughing as she barely misses the blast.
>> MEANWHILE >>
"Whoo, I forgot how hot this world is!" you exclaim, fanning yourself with your hand as you, Riku, Sora, Noctis, and Genesis make your way throughout Agrabah.
"It's not too bad," Riku counters, though you can see small beads of sweat trailing down his forehead.
"Why are we here, anyway?" Noctis adds, glancing around the market square.
Merchants are bustling around, running up to anyone that walks by and trying to sell them the "newest and greatest!" items. For some reason none of them approach your group, probably because of your outfits and guns poking out of your holsters.
"Just checking in with Aladdin to make sure everything's okay. Jafar's still alive," Genesis reminds everyone.
"Yeah, in a genie bottle! He's not getting out of there anytime soon," Sora points out.
"... Unless someone rubs the bottle," Riku retorts, smirking as Sora shoots him a dirty look.
You laugh quietly as the phone shoved in your back pocket starts to vibrate. Quickly, you take it out and press the 'answer' button.
"Hello?"
"[Name]! The five of you need to get to Twilight Town, to the Tower!" Zack's voice calls out through the phone. He sounds like he's panting and frantic.
"... Twilight Town? The Tower? What are you talking about, Zack?" you ask, narrowing your eyes.
"Just hurry up and tell Gen," he replies before the line goes dead.
You glance at the auburn-haired male, who's already marching back towards the Gummi Ship.
"I heard him. Let's get going," Genesis says as the four of you hurriedly follow.
>> Fast-Forward >>
Twilight Town has been your home for 18 years. You thought you knew everything about the quiet and peaceful town. And yet, here you are, walking around a weird patch of land you've never seen before. Purple skies surround you, suspended in the sky on a floating island. Ahead of you is a tall tower, reaching up into the never-ending sky above.
"What's in there?" you ask, your voice more high-pitched than intended. Why are you so nervous...?
"Yen Sid. Think of him as a... mentor to Keybearers," Noctis replies.
You glance at Sora and Riku, who nod slowly in agreement.
"Something important must be happening for all of us to be called here," Genesis decides as he leads the way up the steps leading to the entrance to the tower.
He holds the door open for you, resting a hand on the small of your back as he leads you inside. The first thing you see is a large, winding staircase.
"Get ready to walk," Riku tells you with a laugh.
>> Fast-Forward >>
"Man, can't they get an elevator or something?" you mutter bitterly as you practically crawl up the last five stairs.
"Oh, stop complaining! It's good exercise," Sora tells you with a grin.
You roll your eyes as Noctis opens the (hopefully) final door. Revealed beyond the door is a study, with bookcases on the left side of the room and a large desk sitting in front of two windows. Bright lights float in the sky just outside of the room, illuminating everyone with green, red, and orange lights as you walk towards a man wearing blue, sitting at the desk.
"Hello," he greets, his voice deep as he studies the five of you. "I hope the journey wasn't too long."
"Nah, it was alright," Sora replies.
"What's going on, Master Yen Sid?" Riku adds.
"Go through this door, and you'll see."
He gestures to your right, and as his hand rises the wooden door opens slowly. Xion, Roxas, Reno, Axel, Leon, Cloud, and Yuffie's solemn faces can be seen, and their heads slowly raise so they're staring over at the five of you. Slowly you start to walk towards them, wondering just what is waiting for you.
"What's going on?" Noctis asks cautiously as the door closes behind you.
"Yen Sid was able to work some magic, and..."
Cloud trails off, glancing towards a mirror on the other side of the room. You walk towards him, stopping in your tracks. It's not a mirror he's watching. Slouched against the wall underneath a large window are three figures, two males and one woman. One of the men has dark brown hair, and though his head is lulling to the side he looks a little like Zack. The other man is blond, with striking resemblance to Roxas. And the girl has blue hair, her mouth slightly open.
"... Are they dead?" you ask in a whisper.
"No. Sleeping," Leon replies.
"You Keybearers need to wake them up," Axel adds, glancing between Roxas, Riku, and Sora.
"How?" Riku asks.
"Your Keyblade will do the work for you," Zack answers.
"But who ARE they?" you ask, utterly confused and wondering why no one else seems freaked out that there's three strangers sitting in front of you.
"Terra, Aqua, and Ven. Our secret weapon," Reno responds with a small smile.
"Wha- as in the three that died trying to defeat Vanitas?!" you exclaim, recognizing their names from the stories you've heard throughout the years.
"They didn't really die. Just kinda... disappeared," Yuffie explains.
"Don't worry, I'm as confused as you are," Xion adds in assurance.
"We'll explain it later, once they're awake. Now c'mon," Cloud nudges the three Keybearers forward.
Riku sighs as he stands before the brunette, studying him with a frown. A nervous expression creeps up on Roxas's face as he stares at the girl before him, and Sora looks like he's seen a ghost as he watches the blond's sleeping figure. Simultaneously the three call their Keyblades, raising them in the air before they point them down at the hearts of the Keybearer before them. Bright light starts to gather at the tip of the blade, and narrow beams of light shoot forward...