I was asked to bring this back here, since I moved it to a different place, but meh, it's back. Here you go:
Forsaken Twilight: Revised Edition
Prologue:
More than a decade after the Sora closed the door and peace has spread. A new world has also appeared, a world that protects the door. This is the City of Light. With the Heartless gone, thanks to Sora, the Heartless have become nothing more than a story to to children to keep them in line, like the Boogeyman. But now a new danger lurks on the horizon. Twilight hour has struck and who will be there to stop the Darkness, once the door has been opened.
Chapter 1: Running Blind
It was the dead of night and a storm was brewing on the horizon. The City of Light was in the midst of sleep, in the throws of midnight. The storm grew dangerously closer. On the outskirts of town, a lightning bolt struck outside a dark window. With a sharp cry, Tai bolt upright in bed. "What... Lightning?" This was something unheard of, a storm in the City of Light, it never stormed here.
Quickly, Tai got up and threw on some clothes from the biohazard he called a room. He threw on baggy black jeans, as he searched for a shirt. Another bolt of lightning lit up the room. Tai was your average 18 year old boy. He was tall, 6'2", with messy purple hair. His red eyes had always made people uneasy. Quickly, Tai found a black jacket/shirt and threw it on.
Tai bolted out of the house and looked inward, towards the city. Nothing... So, the storm wasn't there... Then where was it... With a start, Tai spun around as another bolt struck. There it was... An eerie storm was working it's way towards the city, filled with lightning bolts, but no rain. That's interesting, he thought to himself.
Suddenly, Tai heard movement behind him. He quickly spun around and looked into the shadows. They were moving... "W-who's there?" Suddenly, yellow, glowing eyes began to form in the shadows as the storm moved closer. Were these Heartless? But they were only stories... "Y-You're not real! J-just s-stories!!!" Suddenly a Shadow heartless leaped at him. Tai quickly put ups his hands, sheilding his eyes as a lightning bolt struck the Heartless.
Run...
"huh?"
RUN...
Suddenly another lightning bolt struck a second Heartless. Tai decided to take the voice's advice and ran. He ran deep into the City as the shadows moved around him while lightning struck, the storm coming closer. This wasn't good, and he was in trouble. Tai made it to the clock tower and ran to the top, beside the clock face on the outside. He ran to the edge and quickly stopped.
"Crap!"
Tai quickly turned around, just in time to see more Heartless form. he took a step back as the Heartless leaped at him.
Look out...
Suddenly a lightning bolt struck between Tai and the Heartless, the shockwave knocking Tai off the tower and into the air. Tai watched as the clock face moved more distant, as the world faded around him...
Chapter 2: Boulevard of Broken Dreams
The world was complete darkness to him. Nothing... Complete and utter nothing... Tai was lost to darkness. He closed his eyes, hoping it was just a dream. While floating in the darkness, he wondered what was going on. As he opened his eyes, he wanted nothing more than to see the ceiling of his room. But when his eyes opened, he was still in darkness.
Your world...
Tai bolted, flipping around in the air.
"Who's there?"
Your world... Is in Darkness...
Tai frantically looked around.
"I don't know about you, but disembodied voices is where I draw the line!"
Don't be afraid...
"Easy for you to say..."
With a scoff, Tai crossed his arms and closed his eyes. Suddenly, gravity came back into existance and he started falling again.
"Why me!?"
He cried out as he continued to fall. Suddenly, he slowed and rotated in the air, landing softly on an invisible floor. "Wha?" Tai quickly looked around, starting to get seriously freaked out.
It is time... Wake up... Seize your destiny...
"What are you talking about? Who are you?"
Suddenly, the invisible floor he was standing on shattered and he fell again. He let out a cry as he fell faster and faster, the world fading back into existance. Only this time, he was only a couple feet from the ground. He landed hard, coughing up some blood. He wiped his mouth and sat up.
"Thanks, whoever you are..."
He coughed and stood up. He looked around. He was completely surounded, and completely alone.
Darkness... You are not alone... In the Darkness...
He suddenly felt a warmth in his hand. He looked down at his hand and it was glowing.
Seize your destiny... Keyblade...
"Keyblade?"
Tai looked down at his hand again.
"...Kingdom Key..."
Suddenly, Kingdom Key formed from the glow. Completely shocked, Tai stared at it for a moment, then stood straight, holding it at his side.
You are not alone in the Darkness... Find your light...
Chapter 3: Out of Control
With a rush of air and light, the storm came crashing down all around him. The series of lightning bolts shocked Tai back to reality. He was surrounded... Darkness... There was no escape, and there was no help.
You are not alone...
Tai thought about that... Not alone... Maybe being alone was what he wanted all along... No more restrictions... But then again, he didn't want this either. A series of lightning bolts struck the Heartless in front of him. This wasn't looking good.
Use the lightning...
Use the lightning? How the hell do you use lightning? Tai was getting more confused with each passing second. Suddenly, without warning, a Shadow Heartless leaped forward, attacking. Tai managed to dodge the attack, closer to tripping then dodging, and falls to the ground as a lightning bolt strikes next to him. He groans as he opens his eyes to see a series of Shadows falling through the air towards him. "Ah... crap..."
With that, Tai rolled to the side, avoiding the attack, then managed to stand as another bolt struck. "Oh yeah... The lightning..." Tai looked down at his Keyblade, after staring at it he figured out what he must do. "A lightning rod..."
Tai quickly raised the keyblade into the air, allowing a bolt of lightning to strike the blade. He lowered the Kingdom Key an looked at it. The power of the lightning coursed through the blade, sparking into the air. Suddenly, the Heartless swarmed around him on all sides, even through the air. "CRAP!" Was all Tai managed to say as he raised the Kingdom Key above his head defensively. The resulting blast was a mix of lightning and a shockwave, destroying the Heartless and knocking Tai onto the ground.
That's it, keep going...
With the voice's words still in his head, Tai stood and allowed the lightning to re-charge the blade. He lunged into a series of Heartless, sending bolts of lightning out like a gun. Unfortunately, Tai was struck from behind, knocking him to the ground. The Heartless began to swarm him once again, now that he was defenseless. It's all over, he thought.
You are not alone in the Darkness...
Suddenly, the sound of a weapon and destroyed Heartless came, seemingly from all directions. Tai heard a voice call out Thunder, followed by a series of lightning bolts. Without warning, the Heartless in Tai's field of vision burst apart, leaving the image of someone in an Unknown cloak, with their back to Tai.
Don't worry... You are safe...
Tai reached out towards the person, just as the world faded and he lost consciousness...
Chapter 4: I Never Told You What I Do For A Living
With a start, Tai sat upright and opened his eyes.
"Ugh... My head..."
He reached up and scratched the back of his head.
"What happened?"
With great effort, Tai managed to look around at his surroundings. He was in the middle of town square, in front of the Clock Tower. Suddenly, an image from the night before flashed into his mind.
"That was just a dream... Wasn't it?"
Then an image of the cloaked figure came into his head.
"Wooh!? Where!?"
Tai jumped to his feet, searching his surroundings. Where did that man go, who was he, and why wasn't I dead? These were the questions racing through his mind. He looked down at his hand, in his grip he found the Kingdom Key.
"You've gotta be kidding me..."
Suddenly, a loud cry came from behind him. It was more of a happy cry then a sad one.
"TAI!!!!!!!!"
A female voice called out from behind him, strangely familiar. Then it hit him...
"Oh god no!!"
The sound of two running footsteps could be heard before Tai was tackled to the ground by his childhood friend, Julia. Tai groand out, "Why me!?", as he got back to his feet, followed by Julia.
"And your so happy because...?"
Julia smiled and showed off her new outfit that she was wearing.
"What do you think, Tai? My dad just bought it for me! He's given me a huge allowance, in fact, I didn't know we had this much!"
Julia shined like a gem, happy in her bliss. Tai was the observent sort, and he had seen Julia's father when he thought no one was looking. He was in bad shape and getting worse. This must be his last gifts to julia, Tai thought, his farewell present. Tai just smiled at Julia.
"Sometimes ignorance actually is bliss..."
Then he spoke louder, so Julia could hear him.
"It looks great Julia, I'm happy for you."
He smiled, forgetting all about the night before.
"I know, isn't it just great! Hey... Tai... What's that weird thing..."
Of course, Julia was pointing to the Kingdom Key.
"Oh this... It's nothing... Don't worry about it..."
He opened his hand, letting the keyblade fall. As it fell, it became a glow and dissappeared. Julia stared at where the glow had been.
"I know what that is! That's a keyblade, like from the stories! Where'd you get it Tai!"
Tai smiled, shaking his head.
"Don't ask, Julia, it's too long of a story. I should get going, see you around..."
"Yeah, see you later Tai!"
With that, Julia ran off, probably heading back home. The smile faded from Tai's face as he turned and began his walk home. What was going on? Who was it that saved him? Was it over? He doubted that it was over. With a groan, Tai arrived home to see that his parents weren't home. Knowing them, they had probably run off to the police to file a missing person's report.
"Just my luck..."
Tai opened his front door and kicked off his shoes as he closed the door. Rubbing his neck as he walked into the living room, Tai thought over what had happened during the night. He was about to sit down when an unfamiliar voice came from behind him.
"Hello again, Keyblade Master."
At the sound of the voice, Tai spun around...
Chapter 5 - Nothing to Lose
Before Tai stood a man wearing the cloak of an Unknown. The man's face was hidden in the shadow cast by the hood, but the voice sounded reassuring.
"Who are you?" Tai asked, as a glow formed in his hand, ready to summon Kingdom Key.
"I saved your life... remember?" As the man spoke, he circled the room with his arms crossed.
"You what?" Tai thought back, remembering the night before. "Your... Your that guy!?"
"Yeah... I'm the guy..." The man responded, not really looking at Tai. With a sigh, Tai spun around and let himself fall down onto the couch.
"Why'd you save me?" He asked, wanting more to see the man's face then the answer.
"Because... You weild that keyblade... Besides, I would have done it anyways." The response from the man shocked Tai. Even in the City of Light such kindness was rare.
"Tell me who you are!" Tai demanded, returning to his feet and coming eye to eye with the man.
"Do you really want to know who I am?" The man responded, with an almost amused tone of voice.
"Yes!"
"All right... But on one condition."
"Depends.... What is it?"
"If you see who I am, you must come with me and fight by my side..."
"As what!? Your servant!?" Tai was becoming frustrated, he hated being controlled, and this guy was pushing his buttons.
"No..." The man spoke in a softer tone was he walked towards Tai, putting his hand on Tai's shoulder. "As my friend." With that, the man took a step back and removed his hood. Tai couldn't believe his eyes, this must be a dream. That's right, it's all a dream, I'm still asleep in my bed! With that thought, Tai did two things at once. He pinched himself, and slapped himself across the face.
"Sh*t! That hurt!" Tai stopped and looked around, then back at the the man who couldn't be who he looked like. "I guess this isn't a dream... then that means you're... You're..." Tai couldn't finish the sentence, he was too shocked.
"That's right... I'm-"
Chapter 6 - Come Again
Tai had never been so shocked in his life. "That can't be true, your just a fairy tale... Like the hear-"
"Heartless, right? Do you really think they are a fairy tale now?" The man who was standing before Tai, who was in utter disbelief, was Sora, a legend.
"Well... All right, you win! But why me?" Tai had so many questions, and most of them probably couldn't be answered.
"Because... The keyblade chose you, now you have to take responsibility, 'cause it's yours now." Sora was grinning away, like he almost always did. He hadn't changed much in the 10 years, Sora just looked older, taller, and more built. He was after all, ten years older.
"But I've never used a keyblade before in my life, what am I supposed to do!?"
"Don't worry, Tai, I'll help you... Besides, your not the only one with a keyblade..." Sora put out his hand, a familiar glow burst forth from Sora's hand and then condensed into Oathkeeper. "See?"
"All right, you've made your point..." Tai sighed and lazily fell back onto the couch. "But what am I going to tell everyone... my parents... my friends...?"
"That's up to you, but you'll have to leave this place sooner rather than later."
"But what about Julia? She's already seen the keyblade... and her dad..." Tai trailed off, not wanting to talk about it. "It's hard... Isn't it... Being a keyblade master..."
"It's a hard life to live... just like everything else that's worthwhile." Sora turned towards the window, dismissing Oathkeeper and crossing his arms. "We can't live the simple life, because then nothing will be worthwhile, life would have no meaning. That's why we have to walk the hard road, because we know that at the end of the road, it will all be worth it because we worked so hard to attain it..."
"What about you... Are you still walking the hard road?" Tai was suddenly interested in what the living legend had to say. Sora laughed slightly, a sad tone coming to his voice.
"I'm still trying to keep a promise to an old friend... And to find another..."
"Don't worry about it Sora, you'll find them... You always do..."
"I hope so, Tai... I really do..." It had suddenly become very quiet in the room, and it was one of those uncomfortable silences that was filled with sadness. Those kinds of silences always agitated Tai. It started slowly, he began to figet and move around. Then he started to make grunts and other small noises. Then he snapped. "That's it! No more bad thoughts!"
Sora was slightly taken aback by this, a somewhat shocked look on his face. "What?"
"I hate uncomfortable silences!"
Sora laughed and walked over to Tai. "So then... Let's go find this Julia and get out of here, eh?"
Tai looked up at Sora, thinking about it for all of one second. "Let's go!" He hopped to his feet and made his way to the door.
"Oh, Tai, take this." Sora tossed an unknown cloak to Tai. "Put it on."
Tai thought about it for a moment, then threw it on. "Like that?"
"Yeah, let's go." With that, the two keyblade masters left the house and into the city. Though, they were unaware that a darkness was growing just beyond their vision, and it was slowly engulfing the City of Light.
Chapter 7: Brave Heart
As they walked, Tai fumbled with the hood and sleeves of the Unknown cloak. "Will this thing ever fit?" Sora laughed and kept walking.
"It will fit with time, Tai."
"So... uh... do you know where we're going?"
"Of course."
"Right... Of course... How do you know this?"
"Because it's the only place under quarantine."
Tai stopped dead. What? Oh yeah... Her dad... He must have...
"You coming, Tai?"
"Oh, sorry."
With that, Tai ran to catch up, coming into stride with Sora, who had already put up his hood. "You might want to put your hood up, too."
"Oh..."
Tai threw up the hood. To any onlookers, it looked like twins, only difference was height... Sora was taller... Tai had noticed this, his arms effectively crossed and pouting. He wasn't a short guy, he just didn't like being shorter than other people, made him feel like a lesser being.
Eventually, they arrived at Julia's house, which was under quarantine just as Sora said. Julia's father had died over the night, an illness that has been in the family for generations... They don't normally live long. It made Tai sad to think about the fate that awaited Julia. "C'mon, we gotta get inside." Tai nodded his agreement and they entered the house, only to be met by a group of officers in the main entrance.
"Sorry for the inconvenience, but you cannot come in."
"We're going in..." Tai just answered with no emotion, just a dead calm that made the officers take a small step back. One of the officers reached for their weapon as they repeated their obviously practiced line. Tai, having had enough, began to summon his keyblade, Kingdom Key, only this time, he didn't get quite what he expected.
Everything became dark, there was nothing around. "Not again..." There was nothing, but then there was a faint light, and a smell like a jungle. Then came the sounds of the jungle and the eerie voice from before, which he now knew belonged to Sora.
Your Heart is becoming stronger... It's evolving...
"What? What do you mean evolving, what's going on?"
Don't fight it... Embrace it...
"No way!? What is 'it'? Tell me?"
He didn't have time to get an answer. The light grew to a blinding brilliance, shooting forward and engulfing the darkness, and Tai with it.
Suddenly he was back in reality, his arm was raised holding a keyblade to an officer's throat, only the keyblade wasn't what he was expecting. Instead of Kingdom Key, he was holding Jungle Key. "Let us through..." Tai said with the same calm voice. Sora just smiled when the officers suddenly grabbed their weapons. Sora summoned Oathkeeper nad turned.
In the next room, Julia kneeled next to her father's death bed, with her head in her hands, crying. Outside voices could be heard, with weapon shards and cries of pain. She looked up as everything went quiet. What was going on? She thought to herself. Then she heard something... Movement... The door started to open slowly... She leaped to her feet, slamming a chair into the person standing at the entrance.
"Ah-"
The voice was cut off as the chair slammed into the body.
"-... crap..."
All Tai knew was that his head hurt... A lot... Sora was standing over him, trying his best not to burst out laughing.
"What... the hell... was that?"
Sora then laughed and spoke between laughs.
"What's between 10 and 20, female, and carries a large chair?"
Sora continued to laugh as Tai groaned, ready to kill the so-called 'legend'.
Forsaken Twilight: Revised Edition
Prologue:
More than a decade after the Sora closed the door and peace has spread. A new world has also appeared, a world that protects the door. This is the City of Light. With the Heartless gone, thanks to Sora, the Heartless have become nothing more than a story to to children to keep them in line, like the Boogeyman. But now a new danger lurks on the horizon. Twilight hour has struck and who will be there to stop the Darkness, once the door has been opened.
Chapter 1: Running Blind
It was the dead of night and a storm was brewing on the horizon. The City of Light was in the midst of sleep, in the throws of midnight. The storm grew dangerously closer. On the outskirts of town, a lightning bolt struck outside a dark window. With a sharp cry, Tai bolt upright in bed. "What... Lightning?" This was something unheard of, a storm in the City of Light, it never stormed here.
Quickly, Tai got up and threw on some clothes from the biohazard he called a room. He threw on baggy black jeans, as he searched for a shirt. Another bolt of lightning lit up the room. Tai was your average 18 year old boy. He was tall, 6'2", with messy purple hair. His red eyes had always made people uneasy. Quickly, Tai found a black jacket/shirt and threw it on.
Tai bolted out of the house and looked inward, towards the city. Nothing... So, the storm wasn't there... Then where was it... With a start, Tai spun around as another bolt struck. There it was... An eerie storm was working it's way towards the city, filled with lightning bolts, but no rain. That's interesting, he thought to himself.
Suddenly, Tai heard movement behind him. He quickly spun around and looked into the shadows. They were moving... "W-who's there?" Suddenly, yellow, glowing eyes began to form in the shadows as the storm moved closer. Were these Heartless? But they were only stories... "Y-You're not real! J-just s-stories!!!" Suddenly a Shadow heartless leaped at him. Tai quickly put ups his hands, sheilding his eyes as a lightning bolt struck the Heartless.
Run...
"huh?"
RUN...
Suddenly another lightning bolt struck a second Heartless. Tai decided to take the voice's advice and ran. He ran deep into the City as the shadows moved around him while lightning struck, the storm coming closer. This wasn't good, and he was in trouble. Tai made it to the clock tower and ran to the top, beside the clock face on the outside. He ran to the edge and quickly stopped.
"Crap!"
Tai quickly turned around, just in time to see more Heartless form. he took a step back as the Heartless leaped at him.
Look out...
Suddenly a lightning bolt struck between Tai and the Heartless, the shockwave knocking Tai off the tower and into the air. Tai watched as the clock face moved more distant, as the world faded around him...
Chapter 2: Boulevard of Broken Dreams
The world was complete darkness to him. Nothing... Complete and utter nothing... Tai was lost to darkness. He closed his eyes, hoping it was just a dream. While floating in the darkness, he wondered what was going on. As he opened his eyes, he wanted nothing more than to see the ceiling of his room. But when his eyes opened, he was still in darkness.
Your world...
Tai bolted, flipping around in the air.
"Who's there?"
Your world... Is in Darkness...
Tai frantically looked around.
"I don't know about you, but disembodied voices is where I draw the line!"
Don't be afraid...
"Easy for you to say..."
With a scoff, Tai crossed his arms and closed his eyes. Suddenly, gravity came back into existance and he started falling again.
"Why me!?"
He cried out as he continued to fall. Suddenly, he slowed and rotated in the air, landing softly on an invisible floor. "Wha?" Tai quickly looked around, starting to get seriously freaked out.
It is time... Wake up... Seize your destiny...
"What are you talking about? Who are you?"
Suddenly, the invisible floor he was standing on shattered and he fell again. He let out a cry as he fell faster and faster, the world fading back into existance. Only this time, he was only a couple feet from the ground. He landed hard, coughing up some blood. He wiped his mouth and sat up.
"Thanks, whoever you are..."
He coughed and stood up. He looked around. He was completely surounded, and completely alone.
Darkness... You are not alone... In the Darkness...
He suddenly felt a warmth in his hand. He looked down at his hand and it was glowing.
Seize your destiny... Keyblade...
"Keyblade?"
Tai looked down at his hand again.
"...Kingdom Key..."
Suddenly, Kingdom Key formed from the glow. Completely shocked, Tai stared at it for a moment, then stood straight, holding it at his side.
You are not alone in the Darkness... Find your light...
Chapter 3: Out of Control
With a rush of air and light, the storm came crashing down all around him. The series of lightning bolts shocked Tai back to reality. He was surrounded... Darkness... There was no escape, and there was no help.
You are not alone...
Tai thought about that... Not alone... Maybe being alone was what he wanted all along... No more restrictions... But then again, he didn't want this either. A series of lightning bolts struck the Heartless in front of him. This wasn't looking good.
Use the lightning...
Use the lightning? How the hell do you use lightning? Tai was getting more confused with each passing second. Suddenly, without warning, a Shadow Heartless leaped forward, attacking. Tai managed to dodge the attack, closer to tripping then dodging, and falls to the ground as a lightning bolt strikes next to him. He groans as he opens his eyes to see a series of Shadows falling through the air towards him. "Ah... crap..."
With that, Tai rolled to the side, avoiding the attack, then managed to stand as another bolt struck. "Oh yeah... The lightning..." Tai looked down at his Keyblade, after staring at it he figured out what he must do. "A lightning rod..."
Tai quickly raised the keyblade into the air, allowing a bolt of lightning to strike the blade. He lowered the Kingdom Key an looked at it. The power of the lightning coursed through the blade, sparking into the air. Suddenly, the Heartless swarmed around him on all sides, even through the air. "CRAP!" Was all Tai managed to say as he raised the Kingdom Key above his head defensively. The resulting blast was a mix of lightning and a shockwave, destroying the Heartless and knocking Tai onto the ground.
That's it, keep going...
With the voice's words still in his head, Tai stood and allowed the lightning to re-charge the blade. He lunged into a series of Heartless, sending bolts of lightning out like a gun. Unfortunately, Tai was struck from behind, knocking him to the ground. The Heartless began to swarm him once again, now that he was defenseless. It's all over, he thought.
You are not alone in the Darkness...
Suddenly, the sound of a weapon and destroyed Heartless came, seemingly from all directions. Tai heard a voice call out Thunder, followed by a series of lightning bolts. Without warning, the Heartless in Tai's field of vision burst apart, leaving the image of someone in an Unknown cloak, with their back to Tai.
Don't worry... You are safe...
Tai reached out towards the person, just as the world faded and he lost consciousness...
Chapter 4: I Never Told You What I Do For A Living
With a start, Tai sat upright and opened his eyes.
"Ugh... My head..."
He reached up and scratched the back of his head.
"What happened?"
With great effort, Tai managed to look around at his surroundings. He was in the middle of town square, in front of the Clock Tower. Suddenly, an image from the night before flashed into his mind.
"That was just a dream... Wasn't it?"
Then an image of the cloaked figure came into his head.
"Wooh!? Where!?"
Tai jumped to his feet, searching his surroundings. Where did that man go, who was he, and why wasn't I dead? These were the questions racing through his mind. He looked down at his hand, in his grip he found the Kingdom Key.
"You've gotta be kidding me..."
Suddenly, a loud cry came from behind him. It was more of a happy cry then a sad one.
"TAI!!!!!!!!"
A female voice called out from behind him, strangely familiar. Then it hit him...
"Oh god no!!"
The sound of two running footsteps could be heard before Tai was tackled to the ground by his childhood friend, Julia. Tai groand out, "Why me!?", as he got back to his feet, followed by Julia.
"And your so happy because...?"
Julia smiled and showed off her new outfit that she was wearing.
"What do you think, Tai? My dad just bought it for me! He's given me a huge allowance, in fact, I didn't know we had this much!"
Julia shined like a gem, happy in her bliss. Tai was the observent sort, and he had seen Julia's father when he thought no one was looking. He was in bad shape and getting worse. This must be his last gifts to julia, Tai thought, his farewell present. Tai just smiled at Julia.
"Sometimes ignorance actually is bliss..."
Then he spoke louder, so Julia could hear him.
"It looks great Julia, I'm happy for you."
He smiled, forgetting all about the night before.
"I know, isn't it just great! Hey... Tai... What's that weird thing..."
Of course, Julia was pointing to the Kingdom Key.
"Oh this... It's nothing... Don't worry about it..."
He opened his hand, letting the keyblade fall. As it fell, it became a glow and dissappeared. Julia stared at where the glow had been.
"I know what that is! That's a keyblade, like from the stories! Where'd you get it Tai!"
Tai smiled, shaking his head.
"Don't ask, Julia, it's too long of a story. I should get going, see you around..."
"Yeah, see you later Tai!"
With that, Julia ran off, probably heading back home. The smile faded from Tai's face as he turned and began his walk home. What was going on? Who was it that saved him? Was it over? He doubted that it was over. With a groan, Tai arrived home to see that his parents weren't home. Knowing them, they had probably run off to the police to file a missing person's report.
"Just my luck..."
Tai opened his front door and kicked off his shoes as he closed the door. Rubbing his neck as he walked into the living room, Tai thought over what had happened during the night. He was about to sit down when an unfamiliar voice came from behind him.
"Hello again, Keyblade Master."
At the sound of the voice, Tai spun around...
Chapter 5 - Nothing to Lose
Before Tai stood a man wearing the cloak of an Unknown. The man's face was hidden in the shadow cast by the hood, but the voice sounded reassuring.
"Who are you?" Tai asked, as a glow formed in his hand, ready to summon Kingdom Key.
"I saved your life... remember?" As the man spoke, he circled the room with his arms crossed.
"You what?" Tai thought back, remembering the night before. "Your... Your that guy!?"
"Yeah... I'm the guy..." The man responded, not really looking at Tai. With a sigh, Tai spun around and let himself fall down onto the couch.
"Why'd you save me?" He asked, wanting more to see the man's face then the answer.
"Because... You weild that keyblade... Besides, I would have done it anyways." The response from the man shocked Tai. Even in the City of Light such kindness was rare.
"Tell me who you are!" Tai demanded, returning to his feet and coming eye to eye with the man.
"Do you really want to know who I am?" The man responded, with an almost amused tone of voice.
"Yes!"
"All right... But on one condition."
"Depends.... What is it?"
"If you see who I am, you must come with me and fight by my side..."
"As what!? Your servant!?" Tai was becoming frustrated, he hated being controlled, and this guy was pushing his buttons.
"No..." The man spoke in a softer tone was he walked towards Tai, putting his hand on Tai's shoulder. "As my friend." With that, the man took a step back and removed his hood. Tai couldn't believe his eyes, this must be a dream. That's right, it's all a dream, I'm still asleep in my bed! With that thought, Tai did two things at once. He pinched himself, and slapped himself across the face.
"Sh*t! That hurt!" Tai stopped and looked around, then back at the the man who couldn't be who he looked like. "I guess this isn't a dream... then that means you're... You're..." Tai couldn't finish the sentence, he was too shocked.
"That's right... I'm-"
Chapter 6 - Come Again
Tai had never been so shocked in his life. "That can't be true, your just a fairy tale... Like the hear-"
"Heartless, right? Do you really think they are a fairy tale now?" The man who was standing before Tai, who was in utter disbelief, was Sora, a legend.
"Well... All right, you win! But why me?" Tai had so many questions, and most of them probably couldn't be answered.
"Because... The keyblade chose you, now you have to take responsibility, 'cause it's yours now." Sora was grinning away, like he almost always did. He hadn't changed much in the 10 years, Sora just looked older, taller, and more built. He was after all, ten years older.
"But I've never used a keyblade before in my life, what am I supposed to do!?"
"Don't worry, Tai, I'll help you... Besides, your not the only one with a keyblade..." Sora put out his hand, a familiar glow burst forth from Sora's hand and then condensed into Oathkeeper. "See?"
"All right, you've made your point..." Tai sighed and lazily fell back onto the couch. "But what am I going to tell everyone... my parents... my friends...?"
"That's up to you, but you'll have to leave this place sooner rather than later."
"But what about Julia? She's already seen the keyblade... and her dad..." Tai trailed off, not wanting to talk about it. "It's hard... Isn't it... Being a keyblade master..."
"It's a hard life to live... just like everything else that's worthwhile." Sora turned towards the window, dismissing Oathkeeper and crossing his arms. "We can't live the simple life, because then nothing will be worthwhile, life would have no meaning. That's why we have to walk the hard road, because we know that at the end of the road, it will all be worth it because we worked so hard to attain it..."
"What about you... Are you still walking the hard road?" Tai was suddenly interested in what the living legend had to say. Sora laughed slightly, a sad tone coming to his voice.
"I'm still trying to keep a promise to an old friend... And to find another..."
"Don't worry about it Sora, you'll find them... You always do..."
"I hope so, Tai... I really do..." It had suddenly become very quiet in the room, and it was one of those uncomfortable silences that was filled with sadness. Those kinds of silences always agitated Tai. It started slowly, he began to figet and move around. Then he started to make grunts and other small noises. Then he snapped. "That's it! No more bad thoughts!"
Sora was slightly taken aback by this, a somewhat shocked look on his face. "What?"
"I hate uncomfortable silences!"
Sora laughed and walked over to Tai. "So then... Let's go find this Julia and get out of here, eh?"
Tai looked up at Sora, thinking about it for all of one second. "Let's go!" He hopped to his feet and made his way to the door.
"Oh, Tai, take this." Sora tossed an unknown cloak to Tai. "Put it on."
Tai thought about it for a moment, then threw it on. "Like that?"
"Yeah, let's go." With that, the two keyblade masters left the house and into the city. Though, they were unaware that a darkness was growing just beyond their vision, and it was slowly engulfing the City of Light.
Chapter 7: Brave Heart
As they walked, Tai fumbled with the hood and sleeves of the Unknown cloak. "Will this thing ever fit?" Sora laughed and kept walking.
"It will fit with time, Tai."
"So... uh... do you know where we're going?"
"Of course."
"Right... Of course... How do you know this?"
"Because it's the only place under quarantine."
Tai stopped dead. What? Oh yeah... Her dad... He must have...
"You coming, Tai?"
"Oh, sorry."
With that, Tai ran to catch up, coming into stride with Sora, who had already put up his hood. "You might want to put your hood up, too."
"Oh..."
Tai threw up the hood. To any onlookers, it looked like twins, only difference was height... Sora was taller... Tai had noticed this, his arms effectively crossed and pouting. He wasn't a short guy, he just didn't like being shorter than other people, made him feel like a lesser being.
Eventually, they arrived at Julia's house, which was under quarantine just as Sora said. Julia's father had died over the night, an illness that has been in the family for generations... They don't normally live long. It made Tai sad to think about the fate that awaited Julia. "C'mon, we gotta get inside." Tai nodded his agreement and they entered the house, only to be met by a group of officers in the main entrance.
"Sorry for the inconvenience, but you cannot come in."
"We're going in..." Tai just answered with no emotion, just a dead calm that made the officers take a small step back. One of the officers reached for their weapon as they repeated their obviously practiced line. Tai, having had enough, began to summon his keyblade, Kingdom Key, only this time, he didn't get quite what he expected.
Everything became dark, there was nothing around. "Not again..." There was nothing, but then there was a faint light, and a smell like a jungle. Then came the sounds of the jungle and the eerie voice from before, which he now knew belonged to Sora.
Your Heart is becoming stronger... It's evolving...
"What? What do you mean evolving, what's going on?"
Don't fight it... Embrace it...
"No way!? What is 'it'? Tell me?"
He didn't have time to get an answer. The light grew to a blinding brilliance, shooting forward and engulfing the darkness, and Tai with it.
Suddenly he was back in reality, his arm was raised holding a keyblade to an officer's throat, only the keyblade wasn't what he was expecting. Instead of Kingdom Key, he was holding Jungle Key. "Let us through..." Tai said with the same calm voice. Sora just smiled when the officers suddenly grabbed their weapons. Sora summoned Oathkeeper nad turned.
In the next room, Julia kneeled next to her father's death bed, with her head in her hands, crying. Outside voices could be heard, with weapon shards and cries of pain. She looked up as everything went quiet. What was going on? She thought to herself. Then she heard something... Movement... The door started to open slowly... She leaped to her feet, slamming a chair into the person standing at the entrance.
"Ah-"
The voice was cut off as the chair slammed into the body.
"-... crap..."
All Tai knew was that his head hurt... A lot... Sora was standing over him, trying his best not to burst out laughing.
"What... the hell... was that?"
Sora then laughed and spoke between laughs.
"What's between 10 and 20, female, and carries a large chair?"
Sora continued to laugh as Tai groaned, ready to kill the so-called 'legend'.