A discussion about Avalon’s fine mom. Oh how Jaakuna wept that such a hot piece of ass didn’t like the company of a man. No, according to Avalon, she preferred warm, apple pie to the taste of a hot link sandwich. Quickly shaking off his disappointment, the blonde looked towards the others as the remnants of the discussion about Avalon’s mom soon faded and the topic was shifted to what was the primary focus: the journey to the Old, Abandoned Mansion.

Avalon tossed Hayner the Offensive Struggle Bat. He noted that the dirty blonde teen was the best with it out of the group. “As if there was any doubt.” Hayner boasted about his skills. He swung his bat to show.

Jaakuna just looked at Hayner with annoyance. He still couldn’t get over the fact that it was that guy who was between him and the prize of one hundred munny in the last Struggle Tournament and Jaakuna lost cause he underestimated his friend. “Don’t get cocky now. One misstep, and you’re done.” Jaakuna said smiling evilly.

“Aw, what’s wrong, Jaaky?”

Jaakuna stopped, thus prompting the rest of the group to stop as well. “What did I tell you!? Never call me that!” Jaakuna angrily yelled.

Olette and Pence all stopped as a fight was about to break out between Hayner and Jaakuna, though the former one was just playing. However, Jaakuna always has been unstable, so perhaps him flipping out like he just did was a downside to that.

“Now, now, calm down Jaakuna. We’re all friends here.” Pence tried to become the peacekeeper.

Jaakuna huffed and took the Defensive Struggle Bat that Avalon held him before he lost his cool and led the group. He obviously hated it when people called him Jaaky, especially those that he secretly holds deep resentment for despite putting on a front of friendliness. Jaakuna was so angry that left everyone behind in a fit of anger. He didn't even bother to wait for Avalon, his best friend, to catch up to him. By the time anyone had time to respond to what just happened, Jaakuna was already through the cracked wall, and was heading through the woods.

“Yo, Avalon, what’s his deal?” Hayner asked, “Is he really still bummed about me beating him in the last Struggle Match? I swear, I didn’t know it meant that much to him.”

Avalon remained silent as Jaakuna stormed off from the rest of the group after Hayner's innocent little jab. He didn't even flinch when his best buddy snatched the weapon from his hands. Ollette watched hesitantly as Pence tried to calm him down afraid that Jaakuna would swing at their friend. Though as soon as he was a good distance away the group started to follow after him.

"Don't worry Hayner its not something he has against you directly... its more the fact you proved yourself a challenge that he feels he must eventually over come. With that just be a little more careful man you know how his boiling point goes," Avalon spoke as he patted Hayner on the back. As the group headed for the crack unbeknownst to them all the figure Avalon, and Jaakuna had seen not to long ago was standing ontop the tree's watching below as Jaakuna passed the cracks in the wall. Slowly she started to unsheathe her crimson colored blade slowly arching in her body like a fox preparing to attack its prey. Yet before the figure could strike she shifted her head back towards the crack in the wall as Avalon started to pass through it.

"Hmph... not in front of him," a feminine voice softly spoke as the figure disappeared before any of them could realize she was there.

"Yo Jaakuna wait up man," Avalon yelled as he started to run after Jaakuna. Finally catching up with him Avalon patted him on the back with a soft smile as if to remind him they were their for fun, to hang out with their friends. "Don't leave us behind man. You don't want to lead ahead if it causes you to be alone do you," Avalon asked, but immediately let go as their other friends caught up.

"Oh man that's a creepy mansion," Pence spoke up as Avalon as well looked toward the now ominous looming mansion not much further from them all.

"Heh having second thoughts big guy," Avalon chuckled as he looked back at his friend causing him to mumble a few words under his breath. Once Pence shook his head "no" Avalon gave him a thumbs up as he started to head for the front entrance.

"So how are we getting in," Ollette chirped in with a curious look amongst the group.

"So Jaakuna shall we do the honors," Avalon suggest as he prepped himself to do the only thing that immediately came to mind.

What was it about being told that he wasn’t the best at Struggling that got under Jaakuna’s skin? He knew that Hayner meant nothing about that little jab, but it still bothered Jaakuna right down to his core, like Hayner was insulting Jaak’s very pride. Maybe he should apologize to Hayner? Or maybe he should just try to learn to control his anger.

As Jaakuna was about to head back, knowing now that he was probably wrong in shouting and losing it with his friend, he got a feeling. Something made him look up and then to the side. He looked in all directions, hoping to see exactly what gave him this feeling, but all he saw were trees, grass, and Vivi. Yes, that little guy dressed like a mage always liked being around hanging around this area. No one knew why, but they didn’t bother him, either.

Shaking off that feeling, Jaakuna felt a tap on his back. He turned around suddenly, and saw that it was his friend Avalon. He told Jaakuna that he shouldn’t go on ahead by himself. Jaakuna shrugged and huffed, “Hayner shouldn’t push my buttons, then.” Jaakuna responded bitterly. Avalon mentioned that if he kept on acting the way he did, he would be alone and that he wouldn’t want that. “You don’t know what I --” Before he could finish, the rest of the gang caught up with Avalon and Jaakuna. He put on a fake smile so it wasn’t going to put off the gang, at least for now.

When everyone proceeded straight ahead towards the mansion, they stopped at the gate. Pence made a mention of the size and the atmosphere of the Abandoned Mansion. Jaakuna looked up, and a smile came across his face. He didn’t know why he was smiling, but something about the mansion gave him a certain comfort.

Olette spoke out about how they were going to get in, and Avalon simply turned to Jaakuna. “Just sit back and watch, amateurs.” JAakuna said, ignoring Avalon almost on purpose. He stepped through the group, shoving Hayner to the side.

Jaakuna looked at the wall that each side of it met with the gate. Jaakuna inhaled deeply, and exhaled. He repeated and when he exhaled for the second time, he took off in a fast and quick dash. Three feet from the wall, Jaakuna propelled himself by leaping off his right leg and his left one landing about halfway of the length of the wall. Jaakuna quickly jumped up more and his arms were at the top of the wall. He used his upper-body strength to pull himself up, and he used the momentum to jump over the wall and land on the ground on the other side of the wall.

Jaakuna quickly appeared before everyone on the other side of the gate. Hayner grinned, “You always were monkey of our group,” Hayner said, “now open the gate, would ya’?” Hayner asked.

He opened the gate, allowing his friends to walk on through and into the courtyard of the Abandoned Mansion.

"Heh, show off," Avalon hesitantly chuckled not a hundred percent sure how he felt about Jaakuna's current attitude. Usually Jaakuna was pretty relaxed, and well emotioned, but ever since they had started this little expedition no ever since Jaakuna had mentioned the girl with the mask the whole day seemed to have created a strange aura around his buddy... almost like Jaakuna was starting to let loose in a very dangerous way. Just like Jaakuna had though he forced a smile at Hayner's little jab so he wouldn't offset the group.

"Alright so now what are we just going to waltz right in," Olette asked sarcastically before she noticed a strange silence before lowering her eyebrows in a unamused manner. "We are seriously going to walk right in aren't we," she spoke after remember which group of friends she was currently hanging out with... honestly she betted Fuu didn't have to deal with anything like this. She then began to make sure her polearm was ready for anything ready to beat her up.

"Well its a empty mansion, and no ones lived in it for years. Besides not even the adults will go near it or tear it down. The mystery states that a girl lives on the upper floor so lets see if we can find her," Pence smiled as he started to get pumped up for the idea of solving a few year old mystery.

"Well then it sounds like the front entrance is the way to go then," Avalon chimed in as he started to head for that exact spot with a mumbling Olette, and excited Pence right behind him. As the group reached the front entrance Avalon lightly pushed the doors open causing a flurry of dust to go past the group as a strong breeze of wind exited out of the building. Coughing a little bit Avalon immediately was introduced to quite the amazing sight of the inside interior... and the lack of decay it should have showed. "Pence exactly how long has this place been "abandoned"?" The whole inside in no way matched the deterioration of the outside. Everything was in pristine condition from the floor, to the pieces or art, all the way up from the stairways almost as if someone had been caring to the inside of the house for quite a long time.

"About 45 years...," Pence was barely able to speak as the shock of it all almost caused him to freeze still yet soon it turned into a grin as Pence got even more excited. Olette on the other hand was now completely worried.

"I think we shouldn't be here guys clearly someone is still living in this house," she whispered knowing full well that wasn't about to happen with this addition of mystery.

"What do you think Jaakuna, Hayner," Avalon asked has he turned to his fellow adventurers.

The group was in the courtyard, only for a moment. Olette, sarcastically mostly, said that they shouldn't go in. Or rather, she asked if they were just going to go in without knocking or making some kind of notice that they were there. That's when Pence said that it had been abandoned for almost half of a century. Though, he made a slight mention of the rumor that every teenager and kid in Twilight Town know and that was about how there was said to be a girl living in the mansion on the second level.

Jaakuna remembered hearing that one and it was often associated with the girl having hair as white as snow and her dress blue as the ocean waters. There were also retellings of the rumor with her having black hair and being a prostitute. Obviously the truth is always going to be stretched. One can't hope for a straightforward story when it comes to rumors. Still, the fact remains: every telling of that legend was that there was a girl living in the Abandoned Mansion on the second level. That, at least, was worth looking into.

When the group entered the mansion, the difference between the courtyard and the inside of the mansion was a drastic change. From the worn down and rather unpleasant look that the courtyard had to the more up-to-date look that the inside of the hallways of the mansion had, Jaakuna definitely took notice to this. He noticed that the floors were freshly cleaned. There wasn't a spot of dirt that he could see. The pictures framed up on the white walls displayed an exquisite taste of art.

When the group made their way into the main room -- the first from the entrance of the place -- Jaakuna instantly took notice to the stairs. They were carved from a premium marble. The shine of the stairs gleamed from the multiple light sources that eliminated the darkness. There was the natural light from the sun that beamed through the windows, but that only made up half of the lighting in the room. There was also a series of chandeliers hanging high above the room, with lights so bright that you would think that they were in a tanning bed. However, the lights did not clash with the natural light from the sun. No, it was like they were being dimmed on purpose.

JAakuna and Hayner looked in awe and surprise. They had never seen anything so beautiful. More to the point, they were more surprised than anything else. They couldn't believe that the mansion looked like this given that it was supposed to be haunted and abandoned.

"Pence must have been right, then," Hayner said, neck arched back, body spinning slowly. He was just looking at how everything looked in comparison to the outside.

"If he is, then that makes me want to meet her even more," Jaakuna said, with a smile on his face. He was filling up with excitement and anticipation.

Though he was smiling wholeheartedly, there was still a feeling of...unsureness inside of Jaakuna's mind and gut. Ever since he got that omnious and confusing feeling back in the forest, Jaakuna couldn't shake it off that perhaps Olette might have been right. Perhaps they shouldn't be in the mansion. Even though it was only a minimal doubt creeping into his mind, JAakuna somehow knew that something was going happen. He couldn't explain it, he couldn't prove it, but he knew that something was going to go wrong. I hope that I'm wrong.

"Well let's be careful what we wish for," Avalon chimed in before suddenly coming to a full on halt at the sound of a large poofing motion as if something had appeared in the room. Pence, and Olette completely froze in place in terror of being under attack. Yet after a few seconds of nothing happening Avalon slowly started to view the whole room around him looking for any signs of a hostile presence. When none revealed itself Hayner could be heard releasing a large breath of air as Avalon's shoulders finally moved signaling he didn't see anything. "Well then that was startling," Avalon mumbled wearily still feeling that eerie sense that the sound was still a ominous signal to be feared. Looking towards the stairs the red headed teen was expecting to see one of the doors open wide with the owner running out to see who was trespassing. Yet no one ever came meaning that they still hadn't been discovered, or that no one was here at the moment.

"It was probably just the wind," Olette chuckled nervously while Pence nodded in hopeful agreement. At first a feeling of security slowly enveloped the group as the tide of fear washed away. Avalon continued forward towards the back garden doors as Hayner wiped his forehead. Pence went over to the strange set of stairs climbing up to see if he could find anything of value to study while Olette walked over to one of the suits of armor in curiosity. Hayner chuckled about to say something of the smart alike nature as he looked up to the ceiling with his eyes suddenly dilating wide before yelling.

"JAAKUNA MOVE," without any other warning Hayner unexpectedly tackled Jaakuna to the ground as a sword came crashing down into the ground impaling the very spot where Jaakuna use to be standing. Avalon turned around in shock at the blade as a purple flame started to appear around the blade like a aura slowly levitating out of the ground until it stopped with the tip of the blade standing two inches away from the ground. The red head stood there speechless at the key shaped blade(CLICK IT) levitating in the middle of all of them. The surprises didn't stop there however, as the flames slowly started to climb upward concentrating upon the handle of the blade before slowly a slender hand started to appear on the blade. The flames continued to flow upwards forming a whole body as it took the legitimate form of a girl wearing a eye patch on her right eye.

"Oye you trespassing assholes get out of our lab," the girl suddenly yelled pointing the purple pulsing heart keyblade at Jaakuna, and Hayner. "What you got earwax blocking your sense of hearing get out," she yelled again getting ready to attack before she was distracted by the main door being sliced in half falling to even more pieces as a red bladed katana continued to slice through the door before falling completely to the ground revealing the Kitsunes masked girl both Avalon, and Jaakuna had been seeing all over town.

"YOU." Both Avalon, and the hostile eye patched girl yelled in synch as the kitsune girl pointed her sword at the keyblade wielder. Avalon stood in shock at the sight of the kitsune masked girl both in disbelief, and wonder. Both him, and Jaakuna weren't going insane she was real VERY REAL as she started to walk into the room keeping the blade pointed at the keyblade wielder. The tension in the air was rising faster, and faster as the silence became to much to handle as the Kitsune girl launched herself with black wing slashing forward with ever intent to slash her new target in half. Sparks flew as keyblade met katana. As the eye patched girl was pushed back forcing herself to take the blunt of the attack without breaking the guard the keyblader finally forced her attack back before dodge rolling past another slash as she ran for the stairs with the Kitsune girl flying... literally flying right after her. Pence jumped out of the way as the two woman ran threw one of the upper doors followed by the sound of attacks flying all about.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT," was all Olette was able to say with her voice as high as nails on a chalkboard.

"I don't know, but we need to get out of here," was Pence's response as he headed down stairs at full speed. Yet Avalon stood still... that Kitsune girl she was real... he... he couldn't let it go. For the first time in his life Avalon let emotion overtake logic as he suddenly went into a full on sprint up the stairs as Olette yelled after him. Running past the already opened door upstairs Avalon entered into a room completely different from the rest of the building it was completely white with a strange feeling of... well battle. The two woman had completely disappeared, however, the room was completely full of battle scar's caused by their passing. Their was also a unnatural stair case heading downwards to a probably suppose to be hidden door.

As if the atmosphere within the mansion wasn’t bad enough, Jaakuna got a chilling feeling from someone, or…something. He noticed that Avalon felt it too. When the latter voiced their concerns about it, Olette chimed in and stated that it must have been the wind. Jaakuna hoped that she was right and Avalon did as well, but Jaakuna knew that she wasn’t. He has had a bad feeling ever since the forest. Hell, he has had an off feeling since he and Avalon got off school for the summer break. There was something or someone following them and Jaakuna never felt right since then.

The group began to inspect different areas of the mansion. Jaakuna was about to do the same until Hayner yelled towards him and tackled him to the ground. Jaakuna was about to react angrily, but that’s when he saw what Hayner saved him from: key-shaped sword with purple flames surrounding it. Jaakuna raised an eyebrow at it when his initial anger mixed with surprise faded.

“What in the holy hell!?” Jaakuna didn’t even know what to say. That was the first thing that came out, “A-a-a freaking KEYSWORD!” Jaakuna really didn’t know how to comprehend what he saw. Even worse, it had some kind of purple aura surrounding it.

Just getting enough time to gather himself and get up, with Hayner’s help of course, Jaakuna looked at the person holding the Keysword. This girl definitely wasn’t much older than the group was, perhaps a little younger. But she definitely was around their age range.

Trespassing? Jaakuna didn’t know what this girl was on about, “Um, what, I don’t know who you are, but what do you mean trespassing? And lab?” Jaakuna truly didn’t know what she was on about. The eye-patch girl would then insult Jaakuna and that’s when the blonde had enough, “Listen here, Patchy--”

Before he could finish his sentence, Jaakuna heard slices at the main door. A few of them completely ripped the door into pieces and in came someone that Jaakuna didn’t think he would be able to see again -- the kitsune chick.

“YOU!” Jaakuna’s said, his voice aligned with Patchy and Avalon’s.

The Fox Lady didn’t even hear Avalon and Jaakuna. Her attention was solely fixated on Patchy. It was like anger or some emotion took over as the Fox Lady took off as she would go to attack Patchy. The Keysword and Katana clashed with each other, sparks of the metal-on-metal action flying everywhere. The force that went into Fox Lady’s attack pushed Patchy back. A brief moment of freedom allowed her to dodge-roll away and she took to the stairs. Fox Lady flew right after her.

Everyone was as shocked and surprised as the tone that Olette’s voice took. It was one thing for someone to fly, but the fact that someone had some weird key-like weapon that had purple fire around it was enough to make even the loudest person in a group to go silent.

“Yeah, I’m with you Pence. Let’s get out of here.” Hayner and Olette said at the same time.

Avalon and Jaakuna were frozen still. It was fear or anything. Jaakuna knew that it was curiosity. The Fox Lady was real. The one that they both thought wasn’t actually was. Jaakuna would see Avalon take off into the same direction that Fox Lady and Patchy went. Olette screamed Avalon’s name, but he didn’t listen. All he did was run into the room that the two took off to.

“You three go get help. Tell someone what happened here. I’ll make sure Avalon is safe.” Jaakuna said as he took off.
“But..” Pence said as he saw Jaakuna was gone before any of his words would reach the blonde.
“Let’s go guys. I’m sure the two of them will be alright.” Olette said as the three of them -- Pence, Hayner, and Olette -- all left the Mansion and went to get help.

Jaakuna soon found himself next to Avalon, staring at a staircase going down. He noticed the tears into the walls, obviously showing the struggle that Patchy and the Fox Lady had. Each scar told a moment in the battle. Some of them said that Fox Lady was on the defensive, then patchy, then Fox Lady again. Jaakuna could tell that a real battle took place and not some Struggle shit that the kids of Twilight Town do.

“You have to be curious, Avalon, “ Jaakuna said looking to his best friend, “We finally find the Fox Lady and now this Patchy chick. And really, what the hell was up with that Keysword of hers?” Jaakuna really was just airing his questions out there, “we owe it to ourselves to go find out.”

"...," Avalon remained completely silent as Jaakuna made his case on why they had to go after them especially the Fox girl, and truth be told Avalon agreed yet for some reason the words he wanted to say wouldn't come out... for some strange reason he felt like the moment they went down that staircase to the hidden door... they might not come back out. It was as if his very soul was trying to tell him to not take that step, and yet when he almost considered turning back his body moved forward as if controlled by a foreign entity... no his curiosity had won out.

He was pretty sure Jaakuna was right behind him as he walked down the hidden stairs each step feeling like a boulder of regret collecting on his shoulders, and as soon as it seemed to become unbearable the teen found himself right in front of the door. His body started to shake as his hand reached out for the handle, and with a tiny flick of the wrist the door opened wide revealing a torn apart hallway where the fight had continued on. Their was multiple doors on each side, but not one was opened apparently during the fight. Avalon starting to move forward again still completely silent not even sure at this point if Jaakuna was still with him... what was this massive build up of regret?

The walk down the long corridor was filled with ominous nature almost like there were eyes everywhere watching them, reading their every move, waiting for them to let their guard down so that they could swallow them whole. Avalon pace, however remained the same, and about five minutes into walking he could start to make out a voice.

"I apologize Master Monte I had no choice she came out of nowhere I think he was among them, but I didn't get a good look... man was she pissed. Heh can't blame her after what you did though boss," Avalon immediately recognized the voice of that eye patched girl. Without checking if Jaakuna was still with him he ran until a blinding light led out of the corridor. Avalon covered his eye's temporarily as he readjusted to the long light source right before being grabbed by a massive hand.... attached to a gigantic dark yellow armored gorilla with two massive electrode spikes protruding out of its back. Panic immediately set in as he tried to get out of the creatures grip while its disturbing yellow eyes set upon him.

"Marzinite set him down," the Gorilla Heartless completely held still for a brief moment before following the command of a new voice. Letting go Avalon dropped to the ground gasping for air before standing up watching as the Gorilla leaped a disturbing large amount of distance over to its "Master". The room they were in now was almost as wide as the first floor of the mansion meaning someone had built a underground level long ago probably before even the mansion itself was made. It was laced in white giving the feeling of a scientific setting as strange blue pipes moving around green liquid snaked all about the room. "I apologize for that Marzinite thought you were... someone else," the voice caught Avalon attention back into reality as his eyes settled on a man in a white lab coat smoking from a old fashioned pipe. He had to at least be in forties with brown hair well groomed on all sides yet for someone reason he didn't emit a well respected scientist like aura like one would expect from his appearance alone... for some reason being in the man's presence alone emitted a strange sense of fear, and respect. That was when Avalon finally noticed the eye patched girl not to far from the right of the man.

"What the hell was that thing," was the first words to finally escape the red heads mouth.

"He's a heartless dumbass I am sure you two have seen at least a few lately," the rather rude patched eye girl spoke up before Avalon shook his head causing her one eyebrow to raise in confusion.

"No what was it that you were fighting who was that," Avalon spoke up clarifying what he was asking about though clearly what should have been setting in was how insane that apparent heartless thing was. Yet at the moment his mind was more obsessed with the fox girl rather then the strange monster thing. The older man raised a smile at Avalon as if something about his question was funny yet after a moment of thought the man lightly coughed into his hand, and started to walk toward the two teenaged boys.

"So you have no idea who she is? Interesting seeing how she has been following you to almost obsessively for a whole month," the man spoke up causing Avalon to become even more confused then he thought possible... that girl had been watching them? Why were they just now noticing her today... what the hell was this place... who the hell were these people, and why... did they know that. Almost as if reading Avalon's expression the man seemed fit to answer the question. "We have been following her for quite some time after a little experiment of mine backfired well lets just say we created her about a month ago," he answered throwing more fuel to the fire that was wrapping around Avalon's mind. "Its quite a pleasure to meet you two though. I have been watching you as well you both are so full of potential," the man cryptically continued as he started to take a puff from his pipe as the eye patched girl rolled her one eye yet said nothing.

"Stay on topic," Avalon demanded causing the man to raise a eye to him then to lightly laugh it off like Avalon was some pup demanding meat from a wolf. Yet Avalon held his ground while his brain tried to process all this confusing info... nothing added up at all, and it seemed the more the man talked the more confusing everything got.

"That crazy chick I fought is apart of you fire rod," the eyed patch girl spoke up in annoyance earning Avalon's undivided attention. Once she realized she was in the lime light she continued. "We are not from this world in fact your world is a small little speck of dust in a grander star system of worlds... however since the law of the Keyblade Academy doesn't reach this far it makes this world a ripe full place to do... darker kinds of experimentation on potential keyblade wielders," she then once again summoned her sword in a flurry of purple flames. "Before you ask this is a keyblade I am a keyblader... that old guy right their is my mentor a keyblade master... any other dumbass questions coming to mind?"

"Hmph as my student so boldly puts it that's the case in a nutshell since your world is not accustomed to magic it was pretty easy to experiment on you through stop magic... though I wont tell you what we did," the older man apparently dubbed Master Monte teased causing Avalon to suddenly fall on his knee's due to the stress of info barraging in his head. The man chuckled at the sight before turning to Jaakuna. "You on the other hand I have left alone... yet you are so full of potential that it would almost be a crime not to mold it," he said stepping closer to Jaakuna. "I know that look in your eye's you wish for bigger better things. This world your apart of... is just to small am I right," the man asked Jaakuna before leaning forward to whisper in his ear. "Darkness runs in your blood just as strong as in mine, and my apprentice. I could teach you how to wield it... to form... to do things you only ever imagined in your wildest dreams," right then the mans hand was encompassed in black flames before he flung his hand to the right ejecting a massive dark firaja that tore apart the right wall causing immense damage to the structure to the point the whole building could be felt shaking both above, and below. "For the longest time you have been on the bottom forced to live how society demands you to. I am offering you... nay both of you a chance to escape the shackles of reality, and live life the way you envision you deserve," the man spoke raising his hands up in dramatic fashion before calmly lowering them back down.

"When you said she was apart of me... what was removed from me," Avalon finally spoke yet not towards the scientist... but to the eye patched girl.

"Hmph big boss said not to say, but lets just say what we took you were never using to begin with... so nothing lost really," she shrugged her shoulders. Avalon turned to Jaakuna unsure how to go about all of this crushing info.

Even while standing next to him, asking him questions about the next course of action, Jaakuna heard no words come from Avalon's mouth. It was as if there was something inside him that banned his voice to speak. Jaakuna wasn't sure to make of it, but his friend went down the stairs. Jaakuna had no choice to follow. He had to make sure Avalon was at least in his right mind. And, let's be honest, Jaakuna was curious as all hell himself. He wanted to find out the truth.

The walk down the stairs built layers upon layers of nervousness inside Jaakuna's gut. He felt the tension build so much that he felt himself getting sick. He forced it back inside him, but the feeling just got worse. Every step added to it and even when they were off the stairs and started walking down a hallway. They both came to a door. Avalon led the two of them, so he reached out for the door first. His wrist turned slightly and the knob made a creaking sound. The door itself opened and the two boys walked through it.

They entered the corridor and instantly, they were rushed with a very ominous feeling. Avalon probably didn't recognize it, but Jaakuna did. He knew exactly what this feeling was. It's the feeling he felt ever since the forest. He's been feeling it all day long. Jaakuna knew that whatever answers he needed was at the end of the corridor. As the end came to their view, the duo heard someone speak. Jaakuna instantly knew that voice. It was Patchy and she was talking to someone. Avalon knew it too and he ran forth without even thinking. Jaakuna silently cursed to himself and ran too, a blinding light stopping him in his tracks and he covered his eyes with his arms as he didn't want to get blinded in either eye.

When Jaakuna finally opened his eyes after they had a chance to adjust to the brightness, he saw something quite unbelievable. Even after seeing someone fly and having a Keysword, this beast was something else. Before anything could be said or done, the gorilla beast had Avalon in his grasp. JAakuna didn't think and was about to attack the beast until a command by the older man in the room came and the Gorilla monster set Avalon down. The man called him Marzinite.

That's quite the name. Jaakuna wasn't really sure what to think now, but when the conversation between AValon, Patchy, and the one who was identified as Monte began, Jaakuna just stood there silent and took it all in. They began to talk about what Marzinite was, Patchy began by saying it was a heartless. Something then clicked in Jaakuna's mind. He saw the eye color of Marzinite. They were golden circles just like that shadow creature he saw earlier in the day. So, they're called Heartless? Jaakuna now knew who they were, but he still didn't have all of the facts, so he had to listen more.

The topic changed to the Fox Lady and who she was. Monte noted that he was surprised that Avalon didn't know who she was considering that she was following Avalon and Jaakuna obsessively for a month. He would then mention some kind of experiment that had backfired and then went a little off-topic and said that Avalon and Jaakuna both have so much potential. Potential? What does he mean? Jaakuna wasn't sure.

Patchy rudely said that Fox Lady was apart of Avalon -- or was she referring to Jaakuna? -- The blonde didn't know, but he listened intently to her as she would reveal that her and Monte were not from Twilight Town and that the world is one of many. She would then say something about the Keyblade Academy and how about its laws. Keyblade Academy? The fuck!? Jaakuna truly was clueless now. Patchy then continued and said that she is a Keyblader and that Monte was a Keyblade Master. That didn't help Jaakuna much. It was half of what Patchy said and half of how she said it. She could learn to be a bit more polite to the clueless ones.

Monte would speak even more about how they experimented on Avalon. Then, his gaze came to Jaakuna, who at this point was still taking in all of the info given. It was a lot. He gave Jaakuna a look that drew the blonde to Monte's words. He spoke about how he could see that Jaakuna wanted more from life, how he wanted to get off of Twilight Town and explore the horizons. He spoke about Jaakuna's potential. He then leaned into Jaakuna's ear, whispering how darkness ran through his veins as much as it does his. Jaakuna's eyes widened with extreme interest. What he was saying and even more so the display of a black-like fire made Jaakuna's jaw drop. Even more so, Monte seemed to present both of them with an opportunity of some kind, but could it really be true? Jaakuna wasn't sure.

When Avalon asked about what was taken from him, Patchy said very little. All she revealed was that Avalon wasn't using it and that's when Jaakuna's friend looked towards him, as if wanting to know what the blonde thought about all of this. Jaakuna really wasn't sure what he thought about it all. These two present them with a notion of a universe out there and some academy for Keybladers. That was enough, but then Monte had to put the idea in Jaakuna's mind about some darkness inside him that he never knew he had to begin with. He truly didn't know what to think.

"I'm not stupid enough to deny that there are other things out there. After seeing Patchy here fight the Fox Lady, everything I thought was impossible is in fact the very possible." Jaakuna was right there. The fact that things such as Heartless -- he still wasn't sure on that -- exist, and people can fly and produce key-shaped swords out of thin air, he was open to believe anything. There was one thing still lingering on his mind, "Let's say for argument's sake that I have this supposed darkness inside me. How come I never felt it? You said that it's inside me and its as strong as yours is, Monte, so how come I can't conjure up fireballs at will. You said we have potential. Hell, we saw Avalon's potential, right? That Fox Lady, she came from him right?" JAakuna said, "So how come this 'so-called' darkness inside hasn't come out yet?" Jaakuna was smiling the entire time he spoke, as if he was mocking the very things that Monte said.

Jaakuna's rather arrogant and cocky attitude continued as he began to casually stroll through the room, his fingers tracing along the walls. He whistled nonchalantly as he began to touch the tubes on the back center of the room. Jaakuna felt a surge of...something inside him when he touched the tubes. "You know, I've been getting these vibes all day long. Really, it began since the Forest. I couldn't place it, but touching these tubes give me a super dose of those same vibes." Jaakuna smirked, "I wonder what will happen if I break them, hmmm?" Jaakuna looked towards Monte and Patchy, "I wonder if something bad will happen."

The girl dubbed Patchy watched with a unamused look as Jaakuna somewhat threatened them with the energy tubes. Though she knew what would happen if he did indeed break them she didn't seem as threatened by it as one would expect when threatening another's life. In fact it seemed to have the exact opposite effect as she slowly started to take a fighting stance with her keyblade possibly ready to attack him before anything could become of the slowly growing tension in the room. Yet right before she seemed ready to pounce Dr. Monte as it seemed was his appropriate title held his hand towards her in signal to lower her weapon. A command that she begrudgingly followed as she lowered her sword.

"Having potential, and being able to use it are to different things. Just cause you have a power doesn't mean you can use it right off the bat. No a power like yours needs to be furnished... forced out as it were. This world is to peaceful thus why your darkness hasn't manifested itself physically... yet," he said with a slight grin on his facial expression as he took a step forward before oddly stopping, and adding. "I see no reason for you to make empty threat. I haven't threatened you at all. Though while you may be interested in what would happen if those tubes were to be broken since your friend is here I doubt "she" will let you," Monte motioned to Jaakuna's right causing even Avalon to turn to see what he was talking about. It wouldn't take more then a second for the tension in the room to spike to a whole knew level. A red bladed katana was pointed at Jaakuna's throat... the kitsuned masked girl who had been originally nowhere to anyones knowledge was not smack dab up close, and personal to Jaakuna clearly ready to kill him if he did what he had suggested.

"I really hate that instant appearance ability of hers," "Patchy" growled in annoyance as she retook her combative stance waiting for the right moment to rush the kitsune girl. Monte chuckled lightly as his apparent "creation" finally brought itself into the mix of the intriguing drama unfolding. "Boss," the eye patched girl called out awaiting instructions on how to go forward with the current events playing out. Monte seemed to keep his eye's locked on Jaakuna with that small grin still clearly on his face. The kitsune girl's face though hidden by the mask kept a glare filled presence directly locked on Jaakuna. At the moment it was hard to say what was worse... the kitsune girls blade at Jaakuna's throat, or Monte's proposal. All Avalon knew at the moment was his friend was in immense danger of pissing off the kitsune girl. With a forced mind set yet still quite disturbed mind he forced himself to collect his thoughts for the moment for the task at hand.

"Hey... no reason to be so hostile... no one's gonna hurt you," Avalon cursed himself knowing how stupid that probably sounded aloud as he directed his words at the kitsune girl who at the time finally seemed to break her concentration on Jaakuna to partly turn her head towards Avalon as she spoke. Though of course her sword still rested a inch or two away from Jaakuna's throat. She gave no response, but it was clear he had a piece of her attention. He slowly raised his hands peacefully chuckling nervously as he took a step towards her... from what Monte said it wasn't hard to figure out she wasn't going to hurt him... Jaakuna on the other hand it was clear she had no problem with that. "Jaakuna wouldn't do anything stupid that could harm himself so please put..."

"Yes he would," the kitsune girl finally spoke cutting off Avalon to probably everyone's surprise... in fact Avalon was pretty sure she couldn't speak, but clearly he was wrong as well as dumbfounded as she continue in a quiet wispy voice. "He would do anything to be on top of a situation... that's his nature.. you know that, and their for so do I," she hissed more so at Jaakuna as she redirected her full attention on him. Avalon was certain what would happen if those tubes were broken if it was a huge risk it would have probably caused Dr. Monte to try, and calm Jaakuna, but he did no such thing in fact it was almost like he was egging Jaakuna on to do it strangely enough. The kitsune girls appearance had simply halted it towards a different direction. Though that eye patched girl did seem a little on edge when Jaakuna had initial threatened them, but even then she seemed to be in no rush to gain distance. What exactly would happen if something happened to those pipes?

"That doesn't give you the right to threaten him besides who really knows what would happen if those tubes were bro..."

"It would summon a unimaginable amount of heartless to this world," the Kitsune girl responded this time not turning back, but now keeping her full gave on Jaakuna. "I will not let you be put in such a dangerous situation," she oddly told Avalon... clearly their was a bit more to what was going on with her thought process with Avalon... was it was self preservation that wanted her to protect him? At this moment it was hard to formulate a thought to that question. However, a new question presented itself.

"...Can't you control the heartless," Avalon directed toward Monte.

"Hmph one can definitely slave a few with power, but to control a army that instantly appears on one planet in a rampage would be highly difficult even for a Darkness Keyblade Master like myself, and it would be nearly impossible for even the Keyblade Academy to respond to save that planet. Most likely result would be this world extinction. Those tubes are pumping around dark shard energy hence why they would be a catalyst to summon so many," Monte strangely willingly explained in detail. Why had they set it up like that was a mystery, but to Avalon it almost sounded like... it was exactly why it had been set up like that...

"Its not just us you were experimenting on its our world," Avalon spoke aloud in utter panic realizing why he had egged Jaakuna on. Those two "keybladers" were already planning to break those pipes... they were going to set a army of these heartless creatures on their world... but why, and for what purpose... if it would probably just kill them all in a locus like storm why do it? "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE," Avalon yelled in shock causing the eye patched girl to give a cruel.

"Heh don't be so dramatic these sort of sacrifices are required a lesser evil to stave off a bigger one if you will. We got our own wars going on that are on a much different level then your world. Besides we weren't going to do it, but at the moment who knows lets leave it up to your friend I guess. Technically we gain materials, and research data either way," she said darkly clearly not at all caring about what happened to the people on this world as if they were just test subjects in a tightly sealed jar hidden away from any sense of humanity.

"Tell me child haven't you ever wondered what its like to play god. Think of your decision like this... what is more appealing to your future a chance to be all you can and desire, or to forever be sealed within a jar considered as someone else's tool to use. What future do you truly have here? Why settle for the bottom when your blood boils for the top. Why accept this worlds peaceful slumber when your body wants to awaken, and rise to the stars. Why settle for some kid holding a bat in a struggle match when you could wield a tool of destruction on a real battlefield. Why settle for a child in the slums when you could be a god on the throne," with a fast flick of his hand Monte summoned one massive dark firaga which immediately broke up into twelve pieces all of which blasted the area around the kitsune girl forcing her to block, and be flung away from Jaakuna. Avalon watched with mixed emotions as Monte's words played in his head... they were all directed at Jaakuna, and for once in his whole life being friends with him Avalon could feel in his gut... their was a side in him that was about to make a huge mistake.

"JAAKUNA DON"T LISTEN TO HIM."

Even while Monte was talking, every word felt just like white noise to him. The only thing he could really focus on was the feeling he got from the tubes. It was that same ominous feeling he had been feeling within side himself for a better part of the day. It was like it was calling to him. Jaakuna could feel it. Whispers of his name entered his mind. It was like a temptation that the blonde teen soon felt himself not being able to resist. He heard it call his name repeatedly and it begged him to release whatever was inside of it.

Just as Jaakuna’s hand went up, he felt a sharp sensation against his neck. His eyes looked down and he saw a blood-colored katana just mere inches away from his throat. He recognized that sword before. He saw it once before at Sunset Station, but only for a moment. He saw it a second time when it clashed with Patchy’s Keyblade. It belonged to the Fox Lady and she had Jaakuna within her grasp. One sudden move and Jaakuna was done for.

When Fox Lady spoke about Jaakuna always wanting to be on top of a situation, he laughed -- he felt pain cause of the sword against his throat, but he laughed. “She’s right you know? That does sound a lot like me.” Jaakuna really wasn’t helping his case, now was he?

When Avalon tried to calm Fox Lady down by implying nothing bad would happen if Jaakuna had given into his desires, the blonde knew he was wrong. Jaakuna felt the temptations, the feelings of darkness emanate from the tubes and call upon Jaakuna to break them. He knew that if no one had stopped him that, as Fox Lady said, something rather unpleasant would happen.

Jaakuna had, yet again, blacked out for a moment, so he didn’t hear what Avalon and Fox Lady were talking about, but he was able to hear exactly what Monte said about it being possible to stop a few heartless, but not a whole army. He would state that he was a Dark Keyblade Master. After all the information given to him earlier, Jaakuna still wasn’t sure what that meant. However, he would soon reveal that the tubes contain Dark Shard Energy. It made sense now. That’s why they called to Jaakuna and that’s why he felt the temptation for them to be broken from him and only him. Jaakuna stayed silent for the most part. He tried to get away from Fox Lady only to fail in his attempt. The sword was snug pretty tightly against his throat.

Jaakuna wanted to try again, but Monte would begin to speak directly to Jaakuna. He would present the notion of playing God to Jaakuna. He would present a series of choices of being the one who makes the decision and the one who follows the one who makes the decision. He would present Jaakuna with the notion of being the puppeteer and not the lifeless puppet that does whatever said puppeteer makes them do. He would present Jaakuna with a notion of being a god who can mold any world he damn-well pleases and not be some kid waiting for the next struggle tournament.

Jaakuna stood there silently, not even feeling the sword anymore. It’s not that it wasn’t still firmly pressed against his skin along his throat -- cause it was -- but Jaakuna’s mind was racing so fast and his heart beating even faster, Jaakuna didn’t even feel it. All he felt was the prospect of what if? -- what if Jaakuna listened to Monte and didn’t do the same to Avalon. He wondered that what consequence would happen if he broke those tubes and laid darkness upon his homeworld? He wondered what would really happen? Would it really be plunged into darkness like Fox Lady said? Or is she really the one trying to plunge the world into darkness and Monte and Patchy are really the good ones? Jaakuna didn’t know.

Until he did.

“It’s alright, Avalon.” Jaakuna simply said, “I know what must be done.”

Just as Jaakuna spoke, he saw those same fireballs spread apart and surround only Fox Lady and separated her from Jaakuna. A surprised but thankful look came across his face. Jaakuna looked to the tubes once more, feeling them, hearing the voices that spoke to him before, but they were loud and clear in his head.

“Free us, Jaakuna..”
“Set us free, Jaakuna..”
The voices were child-like. They had a comforting sound to them. Jaakuna wanted to hear more, so he pressed his entire body against one of the tubes, feeling the cool warmth that it gave him. The voices got progressively louder, each word added a layer of the temptation from before. His cheek rubbed against the glass, letting the voices sink even further into his mind. It was like Jaakuna was locked inside a trance.

He was getting to the point where he was about to give into the temptation, but Jaakuna saw something this time. He didn’t hear something -- he saw something. He saw a view of a wasteland full of Keyblades. They all were of differing sizes and lengths and designs. In the middle of them all he saw two people. They were male and much older. They had to be within their late-20s. One was wearing a lightly-colored armor while the other was wearing a black and red armor with chains. One had red hair and the other had blonde. Jaakuna knew who he saw.

“NO!” Jaakuna snapped out of it and quickly removed his body from the tube. He angrily turned to Monte and Patchy, “I will NOT do this. I won’t be manipulated by scum like you two.” Jaakuna said, denouncing what Monte and Patchy had said. He wouldn’t do it. He wouldn’t release darkness upon the world, he wouldn’t’ be used by anybody.

"Heh still showing love for your home world? Whatever like I said either way works for us," the eye patched girl responded with a shrug of her shoulders as she turned around mumbling about how predictably that had been before suddenly she was enveloped in a dark sphere before completely disappearing... gone like she had never been there to begin with. At first Avalon had been shocked by that little trick before he shook his head, and ran over to the knocked over kitsune girl helping her back up as she awkwardly accepted it not willing to look Avalon directly in the face as he helped her up.

"As my assistant Erise has so "politely" revealed either action is in our favor," Master Monte chuckled as Jaakuna displayed his unwillingness to change to their ways... though at the same Jaakuna's pause had certainly not gone unnoticed. No in fact Monte knew exactly what the boy had experienced. The darkness within the heartless had called out to him... nay his own darkness had called him... and it clearly wanted out. Watching the kitsune girl glare at him in injured reprieve he chuckled. "Keep her if you wish... she is yours to begin with," Monte motioned to Avalon as he to started to walk away.

"And where are you going," Avalon surprisingly called out causing Monte to surprisingly as well halt in his tracks. With a light motion of his neck he watched the two teen with a amused look.

"Isn't it obvious? I am closing shop as it were my experimentation is done. I proved what I set out to do. Your living proof of that," Monte grinned darkly at Avalon causing a gut wrenching feeling to take over as he was still disturbed by the fact that something had apparently been removed from him. "Though if either of you change your mind in the future of lets say a day we will still be here with open arms. Marzinite lets go," the Keyblade Master called out as the gorilla heartless followed in suit.

"Jaakuna you alright man," Avalon spoke up turning to his friend wanting to get out of this strange place as quick as possible as the strange girl clung to him for support.

As the Gorilla Heartless left with Monte and Patchy, Avalon turned his full attention to Jaakuna, making sure his friend was alright. For a moment, the blonde didn’t say anything. Jaakuna was still reeling from what had just happened. Sure, he didn’t give into what Monte wanted him to do and what the Heartless wanted him to do, but Jaakuna was able to admit it to himself that he wanted to. The temptation to free the darkness was strong and it almost got to him. It was that vision of two older men facing each other and he knew that it was him and Avalon facing off. He would do anything he could to not make that a reality.

A few moments passed, but Jaakuna said nothing. His attention was fixated at the Fox Lady. He was still angry about how she almost killed him. If it wasn’t for Monte, she would have finished the job. Jaakuna , without any sort of warning, went for the Fox Lady, grabbing her torso attire and lifting her up off her feet, and pinning her against a nearby wall.

“I should kill you for what you did.” Jaakuna said, full of anger towards Fox Lady. “I really should. You almost killed me. “

---

“I see, so it has begun, huh?” Said a deep, confident voice within Radiant Garden’s castle‘s main Council Room.

This figure was hooded, so no clear facial appearance could be seen. This figure was within a room that had a balcony, to which the figure would step out on and this person looked on at the city that now was within The Order’s control. Several weeks it took for them to finally claim Radiant Garden. Several back-and-forth battles from the intial resistance to the fights that came after they got the world. A total amount of seven dozen of The Order’s ground soldiers were killed.

When the figure took in a deep breath, a turn of his body would allow it to move back into the room that he was just in. Four other hooded figures were waiting for him. “Tell me, any news of Monte and Erise?”

“Aside from how they almost plunged Twilight Town into darkness, none.” Said another voice, this one being of the female variety.

“I see.” The first figure said, “And the two boys? What about them?”

“The one called Avalon seemed to have some experiments done on him, but that’s to be expected given Monte’s…methods.” The female said .

“That is true. He’s always been a bit more controversial than the rest of the Keyblade Masters.” The male hooded figure said as he thought on something.

“I’d like to propose something,” One of the other figures said, this one being male, but it had a more youth-sounding voice.

“Hmm?” Said the leader of the figures.

“I’d like to watch the two boys from a closer standpoint.” The young male requested.

“Drake, you do know what you’re asking of me, do you not?”

“Of course I do. I know that we do not do these kinds of missions, but I don’t think we’ll get any hard intel if we just sit back and wait for it to come to us. Besides, I think I can speed things along a bit.” Drake made his point known.

The leader made noises, indicating that he was considering Drake’s request. It was definitely a dangerous one. The slightest slip-up and Drake could be found out. Still, there was the fact that if they didn’t take this opportunity, Monte could persuade either Jaakuna or Avalon to go with him. So, that complicated things for The Order.

“Fine, you may go on this infiltration mission.”
“Thank you, Atlas! I won’t let you down!”

Atlas, under his hood, smirked as he saw Drake disappear into a portal of red and black fire.

“Atlas, I can’t believe that you allowed him to do that.” Said the female from before.

“Leni, you’ll soon find that Atlas knows what he’s doing. Besides, I predict that there will come a time where Drake’s relationship with Avalon and Jaakuna will prove to be vital to our cause.” Atlas said as he took a seat at his desk, “Now then, shall we proceed with Phase Two?”
"Yes sir.."