Palace of the Blachrenae, Renovation

Tocsax dreamt of the fall of the First Organization, of his' and his compatriots' rebellion against their leader, Kixham. Kixham had concealed information from them, turned them into weapons to destroy Worlds even as he stunted the regrowth of their replacement Hearts. Oh, how he had outraged then - Real rage and not an imitation. Tocsax remembered his' drawing a Keyblade at Kixham, screaming that he would avenge the friends he had lost, only for the latter to replace his void sabers with his own Keyblade - One final revelation that had shaken the young man to the core. Then memories of fighting, fleeing and then ending up in the Palace.

He woke up, shrugging off the bedsheets before changing from his pajamas to his shirt, pants, black cloak and footwear. Choosing not to put his hood up, the physically-eighteen Nobody walked towards the chambers used by one Cain, before knocking on the door and saying, "Hello, this is Tocsax, can you let me in?"

Should he be allowed inside, Tocsax walked towards the albino loremaster and said, "Cain, the Emperor is sending the messages to the Keybladers we've found through the Moogle Trade network. But to be honest, after reviewing their dossiers, I don't think we got a good pick if you don't mind me saying. And I don't mean they're poor in raw power - They have plenty of that. I mean potential teamwork."

Another pause as he then said, "Not merely that, but I can feel it - The Cornerstone of Light is failing. Soon, Renovation will be assaulted by the forces of Darkness as embodied by... Him. And although I'm physically and mentally eighteen, I feel like an eight-year-old."

Tocsax tried to suppress a shudder, before continuing, "But enough complaints - I came to you to ask for help." Then a sigh, "Basically, you know what Replicas are, right?"

He drew closer for a whisper, "I need to know the secret of restoring one that has already been destroyed - I want "No, I", back with me, I want him back so very badly..."

The Various Worlds (Except For Capella's Universe)

In most of the various Keyblade Wielders' homeworlds, a Moogle would arrive bearing a letter, asking them to head to the world of Renovation via a Gummi Ship. This letter, automatically translated into the local language by magic, said:

The Heartless Plague has spread to World after World. To find out the reasons for these beasts' rampage, come to where we are; the key to defeating them lies in the wielders of the Keyblade acting in concert. Free Passage via Gummi Ship has been provided; elude whatever enemies are watching you and come to the version of Konstantinopolis/Constantinople that exists in the World of Renovation.

Once at the Palace of the Blachernae, meet with us; meet with the War Council.

Note that in Auxentia's world, the Moogle bringing the girl the letter would be accompanied by a red-haired nineteen-year-old of mixed race - Pict-Arab, it seemed like. This nineteen-year-old was clad in unfamiliar light brown armor the color of the desert dunes and carried a strange sword with lyre-like strings fixed vertically along the blade. Should any monster confront him, whether produced through Abraxas' power or other Dark powers, the redhead would dispatch said beast with a slight swing of his sword. Then he'd smile once he met Auxentia and say in accented Greek, "Greetings, little lady - My name is Shahrukh Mizra the Fifth, and this is Mog the Moogle. We've come to ask for your help."

@Double@Gisk@Shiyonichi@Nerevarine@Gentlemanvaultboy@ShadowVentus

Palace of the Blachrenae, Renovation

In his quarters, the white-haired researcher worked tirelessly. By all accounts, he should have been sleeping. It was certainly late enough, and any sane person definitely would be. But the truth was, Cain didn't sleep, not really. He dozed or napped for thirty or forty minutes at a time on occasion but, otherwise he always seemed to be awake at all hours of the night and day. In the room itself, a half-drunk cup of coffee sat on the edge of a desk, some papers spread out up on it. But more noteworthy was the big tome opened up and sitting a top the papers. In this tome, Cain was writing something. The tome itself wasn't at all like any of his research or files. The contents of it was known only to the man himself, kept secret even from the Emperor. It was personal, according to Cain, so most just assumed it was his memoirs or something.

A knock on the door interrupted the man from his thoughts and he looked up in the door's direction, "It's open." he announced, so that the person could let themselves in without him having to get up. It was Tocsax, looking rather shaken and not at all as he should be. He had reservations about the Keyblade Wielders being summoned. He'd never say it aloud, but Cain did as well. They sounded like decent enough assets, but they could all just as easily become liabilities in their own varying ways. That was something Cain was never comfortable with, insisting on keeping the strategy under control at all times, specifically under his control.

"Mmm..." he murmured, not having looked up from his writing yet. But then Tocsax said something else. The Palace would soon be assaulted, by him no less. Well, Cain certainly wouldn't put it past the man to pull something like that, even if it was so he could gloat about his impending victory. Still, such a prospect in combination with a team that the both of them were unsure about? Certainly not the most optimal scenario. Why did Cain get a sinking feeling that he would have no choice but get directly involved? He didn't exactly care for the prospect, but...

"...you know what Replicas are, right?"

His thoughts interrupted again, but this time by something rather unexpected.

"I need to know the secret of restoring one that has already been destroyed - I want "No, I", back with me, I want him back so very badly..."

Cain's face remained stoic and expressionless. But his eyes looked to Tocsax with an incredible amount of scrutiny, "You... are aware of what it - ugh - he did to you? You'd both be drained, fighting over who gets to be the one that exists. And how exactly would that be of any use to us?" of course, his main concern was the practicality and usefulness of this. He didn't seem to have any concern for the emotional baggage at all. Still, Cain pressed his fingers on the bridge of his nose after pushing up his eyeglasses, "I'm not exactly the person to be asking this. Replicas are not my specialty, you know that." and yet here Tocasx was. He could just as easily have asked Hakim, who would have far more expertise on the subject, unless... "But you asked Hakim already, haven't you? And he declined... is that it?"

It wasn't that Cain was incapable of taking on this project. He had access to all of Hakim's old research notes. It would just be a matter of studying them and Cain could get a grasp on making a functional Replica. It wasn't about whether Cain could do this, though, but rather about whether he would. Cain had advised against the Replica Program from the start, citing that it would be like them deciding to play God and create life. What purpose would resurrecting the program serve now? Not that he had much room to criticize Hakim. When given the option, Cain supported the research of another instead and... that ended just as badly if not worse.

@Letter Bee

Dan looked down at a world teemed with the dark. A simple suburban neighborhood, a street like any other in the united states, except this one played host to a strange parade. Those foreign shadows clanked about as they danced down the street, the little skittery one weaving in and out between them. The Heartless, dancing to the tune of a dark master.

The creature at the head of the procession creaked and groaned as it carried itself across the ground on six pointed metal legs. Its body was concealed under a ragged black cloth that was draped over it and undulated whenever it took a step. The things jaws and nose jutted out from under the cloth, unnaturally elongated and made from what looked like rusty old tin. It was like an old unwanted erector set had assembled itself into a spider, burst through its garbage bag, and developed a taste for human flesh. It wasn't a Heartless, but ever since the heartless had appeared they'd been drawn to these monsters. Every time a monster appeared nowadays the Heartless weren't far behind, assembling like sharks in freshly chummed water.

Dan shook his head. It was bad enough when just the monster showed up. Maybe if they didn't spawn this crowd of followers there would be some noise in this neighborhood besides that things asphalt shattering footfalls.

Well, there was one other noise. A soft whimper drew Dan away from the windows edge. He turned away from the parade and crawled on his belly across the navy blue, toy covered carpet, to the child hidden in the shadow of the dresser. She was barely 7 years old, still clad in pink pajamas and clinging to a stuffed dinosaur like it would vanish if she let go. She looked at him with pleading eyes. He crawled over and scrunched himself up next to her, and she switched her grip from the dino to him.

He'd found her here when he'd come to investigate a monster report, a single scream that drew him to this house and this room. Her name was Sara, her favorite color was red, she wanted to be an astronaut when she grew up, and so far as he could yell she was the only survivor. Normally there would be somebody with him she could be entrusted to while he dealt with the enemy, but thanks to the Heartless Paladins like him were spread a little thin these days.

"It'll be okay." He said, his naturally soft voice being even harder to register while he whispered. he rested a hand on her head as she shook with every footfall the thing made. "We'll be able to leave in a minute. I know some nice police officers that'll get you all set up with a hot cocoa, a warm bed, and this time tomorrow this will all feel like a bad dream." He felt her nod against his arm.

He didn't have the heart to tell her the bad dream would stay with her forever. What was more important was to get her to someplace safe. He couldn't assure her safety if he got into a fight with that many enemies. Better to just wait, seeing as the surrounding neighborhoods had been evacuated as soon as a Heartless warning was announced.

That was the plan, anyway. No plan survives contact with the enemy.

A charming, heavily compressed guitar rift sounded throughout the empty. The girl looked up, recognition mixing with horror on her face. "Daddy's phone."

Dan had noticed a different noise though. He'd noticed that the footsteps had stopped. He sprang to his feet, grabbing the girl up in his arms and sprinting out the door. He felt the whole house shake as something impacted the room just down the hall, letting out a grating metallic scream. Dan turns the corner and jumped down the stairs, taking the entire stairwell at once, landing in the living room just as a pair of the clanking dancing shadows spun their way through the front bay window. They looked surprised to see him, and leaped at him with those blood red nails of theirs.

Dan readjusted his hold on Sara, supporting her with one arm as he threw out his other. The key blade sprang into existence in his had as he felt the light building in his chest. He could feel music, beautiful and serene, building in his chest as a film of light covered him, Sara, and the blade. He lashed out, the spongy blade extending and sweeping the two Heartless into a wall. They shattered into black smoke on impact, but in the time that had taken the small shadows had crawled in and skittered towards him across the carpet. He stepped back as the shadow rose out of the ground to swipe at him, scattering it with the blade even as two more rose up to take its place.

He kept moving backwards, fending off the swipes and stabs of the creatures as he beat a fighting retreat to the kitchen and the door into the back yard. The claws that got through his defence were burned on his aura, flaking away even as they left cuts on his legs, his arms, his cheek, but the back door was in reach now. Throwing the blade into the horde, scattering them like ninepin, he turned and yanked it open.

Sara screamed. Right there in the doorway was that broken, erector set grin. From out of the things cloak extended a long metal arm with fingers like scissors. It pushed into the kitchen as Dan summons his blade back to his hand and brought it up to defend himself. It was the only thing that kept him from getting sliced apart as he was thrown across the room and cracked his back against the counter, catching himself on it with one arm and facing down the creature as it compressed itself in ways it should have been able to and fit an ugly through the door. It began advancing slowly, flanked by the Heartless, but didn't go in for the killing blow. Instead it shook and clattered, enjoying the feeling of having him up against the wall.

It raised up its hand, extending a singly finger. Dan redied to deflect some attack, but instead it just pointed at Sara. It flipped it's hand over, then made a "come here" gesture. Lastly, it bowed its head slightly and swept its hand toward the still open door. Dan got it immediately: give me the girl and you're free to go. It was mocking him, but it also had him dead to rights.

Dan looked downs at Sara, burying her head in his shoulder like a kid hiding under the blankets. He looked at the monster, the assembled yellow eyes and rusty teeth watching him intently, then to the sunlight streaming in through the door. He sighed, and the keyblade in his had vanished.

The creature opened its jaws, leaning forward eagerly.

Then, Dan shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled something out. There was a bright flash of light in the palm of him hand, then Dan dropped what he had in the sink behind him and flipped on the hot water.

---

From up above in the seat of his gum I ship, Mogsanto the moogle scanned the neighborhood for the boy he was supposed to find. He had a very important latter the deliver, and the nice police officers had indicated that the boy had passed through their checkpoint not nearly twenty minutes ago. From what he could see there was no sign of him though. There weren't even any Heartless he could see rhoming the streets.

Then, right near him, a house seemed to explode. It was red at least, and it scattered parts of the home all over the neighborhood, but it soon became clear that the red wasn't fire. It was some kind of creature.

It looks like a tyrannosaurus Rex, but all red. Even the eyes, even the inside of the mouth, were all a bright color. It had something black in its mouth, something that was screaming like a buzzsaw and ripping at its cheeks with its claws. Heartless swarmed up its body, not really trying to tear at it so much as climb up to the head. Right there, at the top of the Rex's skulls, stood a boy with a little kid in one hand and a...Keyblade!

The boy was able to maintain his balance as the Rex shook the black thing in its mouth, batting off any heartless that managed to get up to him for the time being. Mogsanto flew lower, sliding up next to the boy and opening up the cockpit. "Here! Here, Ku-"

He didn't even get to finish before Dan had thrown the kid to him, the moogle making a Squeaky noise as he weight overwhelmed him and he was pushed off his chair. Dan followed, making the leap easily, and pulling her up. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, and the relief on his face was palpable. Then he turned to Mogsanto as he pulled himself off the floor. "My sincerest thanks for the assistance. I don't know if I could had lasted against a tide like that."

Indeed, the enter red body of the Rex had nearly entirely disappeared under a sea a black. It did find the time to give its prey one last chomp before swinging its head violently and throwing the spider creature through the remaining wall of the house. That proved to be the straw that broke the canal back for the poor structure, as the entire thing collapsed in on itself.

Mogsanto pulled himself back up into the pilots chair as Dan knelt beside him. "I don't suppose I could trouble you to drop us at the police station?" He asked.

The moogle shook his head, before producing the letter and handing it to him. Dan regarded it curiously as the moogle turned the gummi ship around and headed back to the police cordon. As they flew off the Rex was rolling on the ground to they and get the Heartless off, but with its master getting farther and farther away it eventually dissolved. The heartless were left confused, sitting in a pile of foam and water.

---

Dan read the letter as the police hurried Sara off to a waiting ambulance. That was one thing he could thank the Heartless for, he guessed. Everyone believed in monsters now. He saw Sara waving at him was she was lead away, and he gave a little wave back. Maybe with someone believing her she could someday come to terms with what had happed.

He looked back down at the letter. Around him moogles and cops were mobilizing, getting ready to go in and use the magic the moogles had taught them to sweep up the remaining heartless now that the nightmare monster leading them had been taken career of.

It wasn't something that was working. No matter how hard they all fought the Heartless always came back. They swarmed out of the shadows, killed people, made them afraid. Stressed. Angry. More monsters were spawned, which drew in more Heartless, which caused more pain, which created more monsters, which drew in more Heartless. It was a spiral that would not end until the last one of them was dead.

'All right. It's a quest, then." Dan said, standing up. "Or maybe even a crusade. I'll have to contact my superiors, make sure my responsibilities are covered while I'm gone." He thought for a moment. 'And I suppose if I'm goimg to be meeting other keyblade wielders..."

Three hours later Dan was being ferried off to Renovation, resolve in his heart, suitcase beside him, and a flat brown box resting on his knees.

Great Forest of Nara, Japan, Luna Dial

A small donation box could be found sitting inconspicuously beneath a single cherry tree. The box was engraved with the image of a cross across the top, inlaid with gold. The sound of twigs snapping and the crunch of dried leaves resonated out as a traveler made his way towards the box. Behind him floated a strange little creature, like a winged bear covered in whitish-pinkish fur. The creature came as a messenger, bearing a letter to be delivered to the one that the people of this village knew as the Saint of the Forest. But, one could not simply approach the forest saint directly, an offering would need to be brought to catch her attention.

"The saint lives by our generosity for her teachings and her protection. She does not cease from her holy work, unless the need to aide a traveller or defend our village comes. As such, we provide her all she needs."

"And you're sure she'll come, kupo?"

The guide nodded, "Once you put something in the box, she doesn't take long."

The Moogle obliged, flying up to the donation box, depositing a single loaf of bread.

"Now, we wait, kupo?"

The two sat upon the stone bench placed by the box, awaiting the arrival of the mysterious saint of the forest.

"What can you tell me about the saint, kupo?"

"Oh, I can't say much. I've never met her personally, I never need to travel through the forest, but I've heard some say that she is a powerful priestess with great magical abilities. She dwells in a wooden temple in the darkest part of the woods where her worship can transpire uninterrupted."

"How long has she been here, kupo?"

"Oh, as long as any of us can remember," the guide said, scratching his head. "Probably been here for as long as Japan has existed, yet she never seems to get any older." He laughed, "She must be from the Kami or something, she can hardly speak Japanese correctly. Where that accent of hers is from, I can't tell."

With that, the familiar sound of rustling leaves could be heard, as the creaking of hinges rang out.

"Who is in need of guidance?", spoke the emergent figure, a woman, looking to be in her early 30s, clothed in loose, long black clothing, and a beige head scarf wrapped around her hair. The woman eyed the two, though, her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of the moogle.

"Are you the one named Junko the Forest Saint, kupo?"

"Sunja"

"Huh?"

"You asked me my name, and I have told you, my name is Sunja." she responded monotonously, "The Japanese read my name in their own language as Junko, but if you ask, I will tell you as I read it in my own."

"Okay, kupo..." The Moogle replied, "I was sent here with a message for you."

An eyebrow perked up, "A message?"

"Directly from the Roman Emperor in Constantinople, kupo!"

As the moogle handed the envelope over to the nun, she stared at it intensely. That name, Rome. The Roman Empire, Daishin. That hermit, the one who made her like this. He said he came from...could it be? Constantinople, that was a new one. Never had she heard that name before, though, the context made it clear what its significance was.

Snapping back from her lapse, she looked at the Moogle. "This is startling news. Please, if you would be so kind, I believe we should continue this discussion in a more discrete location. We can disclose the details at my monastery."

It was not a far trek from the donation site to the monastery, though it was a simple structure, a tiny shack out in the middle of a dark forest, the inside of the shack decorated in bright, golden icons. Sunja prepared a small pot of tea for her and the visitor, as she listened to the little creature explain his mission and the plight of those who sent him.

Taking a sip from her tea, she looked at the creature as she spoke, "While I understand, it would not be so simple for me to just abandon my post here. The people of this village are dependant upon me to protect them not only from the threat of the Heartless but of the Selenites as well. I do not know that I can simply take off to engage in discussions with a war council."

"But think, kupo, the threat that I have described to you is a danger that has the potential to threaten the entire multiverse. And only certain individuals have the capacity to be of aide! Is that alone not worth at least coming with me to speak with the Emperor?"

Sunja closed her eyes and nodded, "Very well, I will meet with him, and discuss the situation."

---

Massalia, Roman Gaul, Luna Dial

The pale-haired girl stood bent over at the waist, head tilted slightly as she looked over the little creature. The poor thing had been unceremoniously knocked unconscious by one of the Selenite bombings, the poor little thing being just out of range to be hit with any deadly shrapnel, but still in range to get a good hit of the shockwave. She removed the conical hat she wore to get a better look, revealing a pair of long, rabbit ears on her head, pale white, brighter than the bluish-gray hair on her head. She reached out to pick up the moogle, taking note of its belongings, a sealed letter of some sort. The girl tucked it away into her clothing, as she retreated back into the hole she had dug, lest more bombings continue with her out of proper protection.

The messenger moogle would finally awaken, not in a devastated countryside, but in a warm, though clearly makeshift burrow. At the other side of the pile of blankets he had been placed into. The burrow was warm, softly lit by a single candle, and a makeshift bed at the side, though difficult to make anything out in detail, but he could clearly make about that the other end of the dwelling was occupied, and there sat a young woman, with her rabbit ears and all, eating and humming a tune as she sharpened the knife in her hand.

Wait, a knife?

The Moogle's heart pounded, and it was only made worse by the sudden turn of the face, as the rabbit-eared girl's gaze crossed his own, and she smiled at him.

"Oh, you've woken up!", she closed her eyes as she spoke, placing the knife down, to the relief of her visitor. "I was getting worried, I found you out in that field after they bombed it. But don't worry, we're safe in my little burrow here."

"Oh, I was just on my way to find someone, kupo. You wouldn't happen to know anyone named Meri, would you?"

"Oh, I do. That's my name!" she replied cheerfully, "You're looking for me?"

The Moogle responded by handing her the letter he was carrying. With Meri retrieving her knife to both open the seal and to cut and stick some pieces of cheese for eating.

"Hmmm, so you need me to come along with you, huh?". Stabbing a piece of cheese to be placed in her mouth, she smiled, "Constantinople...heh, you know, I was supposed to be going there anyway, but...for destroying."

The Moogle tilted his head, giving as close to a concerned look as possible at the strange woman. Catching sight of the look, Meri couldn't help but wave her hands about to dismiss any concerns. "Ah! But don't worry, don't worry! I'm not working with the other Selenites anymore.". Her expression changed as she mused further, "I couldn't bring myself to go along with...all of this." A sorrow crept into her words as she spoke, but was cut short by a quick shake of the head.

"But let's not keep them waiting any longer. Better get back to your ship before the bombs get it."

---

Gabal, Syria, Roman Empire, Tenebrae Invictae

The unfortunate traveler hadn't had much of a chance when he entered into Gabal. Communications were lost in the village some time ago, and the Romans would send a scout out east to figure out the source, never to return. The soldier was just another victim in a long line of unfortuate souls who walked right into a death trap that they never would have been able to prepare for. Abraxas' creatures simply shredded the scout to pieces, leaving a mangled corpse to rot away in the heat of the desert. The sun had vanished, yet it always stayed just as hot. The cries that managed to escape from him were an alert of sorts for the one inhabitant who still called Gabal something of a home. She had learned that when the screaming starts to take cover, and to investigate later.

Enough time had come to pass, and it was fine to go out and see what new treasures were hers. It had become a routine at the first of evey month, to loot the corpse of a fallen soldier and maybe get a treat. She was not disappointed this time. The beasts had been so kind as to leave the soldier's ration pack in place, with a bottle of vinegar and oil, as well as a still mostly intact bread loaf. Sadly, no wine nor honey to speak of. The girl sighed. At least she would have something to soften the old loaf, though no sweetness for breakfast once again.

The girl, Auxentia was her name, at least, the name she remembered best. Searched the body some more. Ah, her lucky day, the creatures had left the cloak of the soldier mostly untouched. The bright red fabric called out to her, and she quickly snatched up the garment, draping it over herself. The cloak was big, too big for her, but she didn't care. It looked nice, in her mind, and that was all that mattered. She picked up the soldier's dagger, clipping it to her own belt, and began marching up and down the street, mimicking the movements of the soldiers as best as she could remember. She wasn't sure why she did it, maybe it made her feel more powerful, more like she could take care of herself better.

But the distant, frightening calls of more Abraxian beasts made her take off back towards her hideout.

But, she was not to make it very far.

Turning into an alleyway, she crossed around the wall, only to be met with a pair of glowing yellow eyes. Auxentia jumped back, tripping over the cloak and tumbling onto the ground. Out from under her, fell her book. That book, no ordinary book, was the closest thing to a proper defense against this kind of beast. While a well-placed knife could take out one of Abraxas' creatures, these things didn't seem to go down so easy. The Gnosticum had a few banishing spells to send them elsewhere, but it was out of reach right now. As the creature approached, Auxentia's eyes darted to the tome as she made a dive for it, hoping to reach the book and twist away from the creature's reach before it could get to her. Hitting the stone of the road, she pulled the Gnosticum close to her as she turned to the side, but only saw the creature continuing to approach as she struggled to get the pages open. Bracing for an attack, she winced...only to feel nothing.

Opening her eyes, the creature was gone, slain, though no body remained. In its place, two new figures. One, a man, of uncertain origins, and a creature, though far from the monstrous entities that wandered about in Gabala, but more inviting, cute, one might say.

"Greetings, little lady - My name is Shahrukh Mizra the Fifth, and this is Mog the Moogle. We've come to ask for your help."

Auxentia did not return the smile, only staring back at the two, a face full of distrust and uncertainty. She looked over at the man's weapon, a blade unlike any other that she had previously spotted. The creature, a Moogle, it was called, named Mog, flew over to deliver the message to Auxentia. Opening the letter, she pondered over it.

Auxentia looked back at the two strangers, still bearing her nonplused expression.

"How did you survive the beasts?", she spoke, her Greek still heavy with the accent of the Gothic language. A barbaric trait, so the Romans had said to her. Though, perhaps it best takes a "barbarian" to survive barbaric conditions."Do you know a way out of here?"

Assured that all would be explained, Auxentia decided to take the leap of faith and follow these strangers. Anything had to be better than remaining here.

The stairs leading up to the front doors of the Heliod Basilica were made of a multitude of colored stones, set into an ancient mosaic. In the long ago past, holy men and local children would comb beaches and riverbeds for rocks that were just the right colors. It was something like a game to the children, as that was the easiest(and kindest) way to get a child to do anything. At the end of a day, as they carried their baskets and buckets back to the hill where the old man was laying the stones, they would compare their favorites from the day’s haul. The darkest blacks and lightest whites were some of the best in this strange, rulelless game, but pinks and reds were even better. The most sought after(and fought over) however, were blue.

The old man, his name sadly lost to history, as many great artisans are, spent the last twenty years of his life working on this project. Over the centuries it has been such a popular feature that many step deliberately on the sides of the steps, so as to not wear away the center of the piece of art each step makes. Some even walk beside the stairs, and many have fallen on the uneven ground trying to save the mosaic. There is one step that nobody sets foot on. The blackest, and the whitest of all the stones that were gathered are here, showing a small scene of white on one side, black on the other, they intermingle in some places and appear to be fighting. In the center, a surprisingly intricate heart is emblazoned in pinks and reds. In the center of the heart is a keyhole. The border is blue, and on eithe side of the step is large key, facing opposite directions. On the top of the image, two keys facing each other, and on the bottom two keys facing away.

On a bright, clear day, in summer on this world, light plays brilliantly on it, shining on and through the translucent stones in the heart. A foot, clad in twisted black metal, comes down on the heart on its way up the hill. The stones making up the keyhole crack. One of them is missing as the foot comes away, perhaps stuck to the sole. Another, and another crash onto this untouched masterpiece with reckless haste, breaking the edges and scattering the stones that come loose from the mortar.

Gangly shadow figures in black iron armor charge up the stairs, chasing after women and children, flanked by the brave men in their lives, who flee up toward Heliod. In their haste and fear, they still manage to smile at the man who makes his way down the hill, walking beside the stairs. Not out of respect for the art, but to keep out of the way. Now was not the time to put purpose and safety below beauty. He wore a suit of white and blue, high tech looking like some kind of space suit, though without a helmet. Over top of this he had a hooded half cape, and wore a sash of blue silk, adorned with bronze medallions.

When the fleeing folk were past, he stepped back onto the stairs, and stood to wait. There was a stone wall to his left, that supported another layer of the staircase, and he spared the briefest glance for the members of the crowd who were directly above him. He called his Keyblade, of silver and(curiously, as it did not originate in this world) the exact same shade of blue that featured heavily in the mosaic beneath his feet. He held his sword level with his cheek, parallel to the ground, his right elbow back and his left hand forward, in an extravagant sword fighting stance.

As the creatures neared, they looked at him with hunger and fear mingled together. The former was stronger, and so they kept going. Suddenly it was as if the sun was directly behind him, a corona blazing behind his head and around his body. The yellow eyes in their dark faces blinked closed mid charge, and those in the front never even saw the slash coming. It was followed by another, and another. Each was accompanied by a step forward, and the stream of Heartless was halted here, and began to pile up. Some fell down the hill, knocking others down with them as they clawed and scrabbled for purchase. The first wave was repelled in minutes, though he could see them regrouping at the bottom of the hill.

As the light that surrounded him faded, he bent down, having reached the step with the heart motif. He put a hand on it, and a bright glow flowed briefly from between his fingers. When he brought his hand away, the stones were whole again, and save for a few stones that had gone missing, the picture was once more visible.

“Pretty fighting, Kupo.”

He looked up at the child’s stuffed bear that spoke to him from the top of the stone wall on his left.

“Thank you,” he replied, “If you’re here to sell wares, you came at a bad time.” He pulled the hood down away from his face politely.

“No wares, Kupo. I’m here for you,” he held out a sealed letter for the Wielder, which was taken and read.

“I don’t know Constantinople.”

“Ah, Kupo, in your region of the multiverse, they call it Istanbul.”

“I see. Why’d they change it?”

“Who can say, Kupo? Will you come?”

The man looked up the hill. There were other capable fighters at the Basilica, and it seemed the last of the citizens were retreated to safety.

“Yes,” he said. “I will be glad of work with a purpose. Lead on, though you have me at a disadvantage here.”

The moogle laughed, “I’m Moglanta, Kupo.”

Palace of the Blachrenae, Renovation

Tocsax said, "More like he put it off 'for later'. And, well, if the research is completed at a late-enough point in time, we could have 'No, I', returned to existence at the same time we've secured the main objectives. If we can make the timing just fine enough, we won't have to worry about the 'weakening effect'." A pause, "Either way, I'd like to apologize to you about coming with such a personal matter. And now..."

A yawn escaped his mouth, not just due to physical exhaustion, but also mental fatigue. He should go to sleep soon. "I think I should take my rest. Night, Cain, I hope that the new Keybladers are up for the task."

And Tocsax went off to his chambers, waving bye to Cain and closing the door on his way out.

Gabala, Syria, Unnamed World

The young man who introduced himself as Shahrukh smiled, nodded, and said, "We do. As for how we survived, well..." He tapped his strange blade, "Let's just say I have the combination of luck and power needed to overcome most adversities."

A smile as he conjured up a piece of warm flatbread and a flask of clean water and handed it to Auxentia and said, "My little lady, it's time to take you away from this forsaken place."

And he and Mog would escort her to the Gummi Ship.

Timeskip to the Next Day

Constantinople, the Queen of Cities, was more beautiful in this modern age than it had been before or since. With a skyline of tall, gleaming skyscrapers in the clear, minimally-unpolluted air, the city was also larger than the old Theodosian Walls allowed, having expanded to both sides of the Bosporus Strait - It and the Golden Horn were still recognizable by those who've seen the other worlds' version of the area.

Then, the various Gummi Ships reached the Old City, the oldest parts of the region. Nearly unchanged from the medieval era, the Old City and the Palace of the Blachrenae were a sight intended to be as beautiful and majestic as possible, and the starships heaed for an airfield that granted their passengers a wide view of the Palace Building itself.



On said airfield, a young man of eighteen years or so with black hair and eyes, dressed in a black hood and cloak, plus a number of guards in strange green-and-brown armor - Armor Dan would recognize as special forces stuff - were standing, waiting. The guards were also led by two other young men, one wearing green and brown custom special forces gear and carrying a round shield as his only weapon, and the other wearing a blue silk robe and carrying a Wizard's staff and wand.

"My name is Giorgios Kyros, Sergeant of the Imperial Guard," said one of the young men - The one with the shield. Further observation revealed that said shield was engraved with a double-headed eagle. "And my friend here is Damianos Sardis; he's a Wizard. We're here to escort you to the Emperor and Empress."

Damianos looked at Sunja and Meri and said, "Follower of Nestorius and Selenian Defector, I welcome you to our fair city, a city that stands in an alternate universe where the Da Qin stand strong, much like your own universe. Please don't let your feud wreck the place."

Yes, he just had to say that. Then, gesturing at Dan and the others, Damianos said, "Dan, Stefan, and Auxentia, I'm glad you three can arrive to our fair city. The Basileus waits for you - That's Emperor in your languages."

@Double@Gisk@Shiyonichi@Nerevarine@Gentlemanvaultboy@ShadowVentus

Dan hopped out of the Gummi ship with a cheerful "alley oop", suitcase in one hand and box balanced neatly on the other one, leaving behind a very weary looking moogle. It should have been impossible for a creature whose eyes were very nearly nonexistent to developed pronounced bags under them, and yet he had somehow managed it. A few of his kind fluttered up to him, actually worried, but all he said was, "He wanted to know about my whole life, Kupo. He doesn't sleep, Kupo. He doesn't sleep," before passing out at the controls. Concerned, the others pried him gently away from the wheel and carried him off to bed.

Dan, for him part, sucked in a big breath of fresh air and sighed contentedly. Whoever their host was had really rolled out the red carpet for them. A large palace, a personal aircraft for each of them, and all these nice men that had come out to make them feel welcome. He listened intently to the Sergeant of the Guard and the Wizard, and his eyes shot wide when they were informed that they were bound to meet an Emperor.

It only made sense when he thought back to the sheer size of this Palace. You didn't put anyone short of a king in something this magnificent. Dan had never met royalty before, and as he looked at the gift in his hand he felt for the first time that it might be woefully inadequate.

Still, maybe the other delegates to this war council had the more pedestrian tastes necessary to appreciate it. Most of them were adults, of course. He was used to that. One of them he could even swear was a fellow Paladin, except no Paladin Dan had ever known wore cool NASA future armor like...Stefan, that's who he must be....did. He was actually most surprised to see someone else his age in the group. The wizard had named this one Auxentia while taking the liberty of introducing the three of them. They hadn't introduced the last two, only that they were embroiled in some kind of conflict, but he could always get their names later. Right now wasn't the time for introductions or the exchange of gifts, you weren't supposed to keep royalty waiting.

He bowed his head to the two of them. "It's my honor to be chosen from among all the warriors of my world." he said.

"All the warriors of all the worlds," Stefan corrected the boy to his side, wondering that he was a warrior at that age. He too gave a bow of his head, mimicking the young man.

"May I ask, as we all come from other cultures and worlds, is there any etiquette we should observe on meeting your emperor? The last thing on my mind is to offend my host."

Song Playing: Struggle Away

“Eep! Someone help, kupo!”
A lone voice pierces through the silent night. A small Moogle, cowering in fear, is ambushed by a small group of five Soldiers, the fiends enclosing around it. As one of the Heartless begins to leap forward and strike, its body dissolves as a flash of light hits it. Sensing a strong source of light behind them, the remaining creatures turn around only to be greeted by a volley of light arrows. These arrows, one for each of the four remaining Heartless, pierce their bodies, the initial impact destroying another three on the spot. The last of these creatures, surprisingly, withstands the blow. Its whole body shakes as if it were throwing a fit in anger. It attempts to lash out at the Moogle, but fails just like its predecessors. A cloaked figure hailing from the same direction the arrows were launched from leaps from a nearby rooftop, performs an aerial spin, cutting down the sole surviving soldier from behind with a dagger. The released hearts decorate the night sky as they rise from their captivity. The Moogle, sensing that the danger has passed, looks up and faces its saving grace.
“Y-You saved me, kupo...thank you so much!” It bows its head in gratitude only to let out a cry of surprise as it’s suddenly scooped up.
“Sorry, little one, but I’m certain there’s plenty more where that came from. We’ll save introductions for once I get you someplace safe. How’s that sound?” As the figure inquires this, a loud howl can be heard, its echo sending chills down the Moogle’s spine.
“Yes please, kupo!” It answers, burying its face into the crook of the man’s arm.
Upon hearing this, the figure utilizes Warp to relocate unto a nearby rooftop. To ensure a smooth getaway from the approaching threat, the figure Hastes himself, practically soaring from rooftop to rooftop.

Now Playing: Exceed Tachi

The individual’s Haste wears off just as he lands in front of a tavern. The sign above their heads states that the name of the establishment is the “Raven’s Nook”. Upon opening the door with his free hand, he clears his throat as if to signal to the Moogle that it’s safe.
“Welcome to my humble abode!” He exclaims, setting the Moogle down on top of a nearby table, closing the door behind him.
The Moogle looks around in awe at how well-furnished this place is. This main hall is lit up by a nearby hearth, the warmth radiating throughout the space. Its warmth puts the Moogle’s nerves at ease.
“Well, well, back from the hunt, I see. What have you brought me this time, my dear?” Another cloaked individual approaches the pair, removing their hood to reveal a woman with jet-black hair and golden amber eyes. The Moogle yelps, and begins shaking in fear.
The woman chuckles, eyeing the Moogle curiously. “Fear not, child. Unlike those creatures out there, I don’t bite without a good reason.”
“U-Um, I-I’m looking for a person named Asher Rain...I have a letter for him…” The Moogle stammers out.
“Oh? Well, it seems Fortuna has smiled upon you after all. I’m simply surprised her agent hasn’t introduced himself yet.”
The man lets out a hearty laugh as he too removes his hood, revealing long locks of red hair, matching red eyes, and a cocky grin.
“I believe I’m the one you’re looking for then.” He remarks.
“Woah! How lucky can a Moogle be, kupo? In that case, here you go!” The Moogle materializes the aforementioned letter and hands it over to Asher. He opens the letter and begins reading. When he’s through, he hands it over to the woman so that she can be filled in.
“What do you think, Mary? Will these streets be alright without me?” He inquires.
She laughs. “It sounds like you’ve made up your mind already. How about you humor me and flip that coin of yours?” She responds.
He grins, pulling out a golden coin. “Alright then. Heads, I go. Tails, you order me to go.” He flips the coin, pressing it flat against the back of his left hand upon catching it with his right. He removes his hand to reveal the wheel of fortune.
“Lady Luck has spoken. This order is active immediately. Let’s shove off, young Moogle!” He exclaims, already fully prepared to head back out.
“Hold on now, hotshot. If you’re traveling abroad, you better take these with you.” She hands Asher a small box. He opens it to find two sets of black earrings, one representing each suit from a deck of cards. “Custom made. They’ll let you keep in contact from any distance. Just touch place a finger on it, and whomever else is wearing one of these can receive or send a message to you.” Mary explains.
Asher equips himself with the Spade Earring, and gives a nod to her explanation. “Thank you, milady. I’ll be sure to return in one piece. Now then, shall we?” The Moogle nods in response, and prepares to act as his guide to the Gummi Ship. However. Right before that can happen, however, the door Asher had entered the tavern into opens once more. Two similarly cloaked figures walk in, the female figure walking in first followed by a hooded male, who closes the door behind him. The male drops his hood to reveal golden amber eyes and white hair, grinning warmly. “Greetings. I’ve come with the charge you have requested to work with young Asher here...go on!” He nudges the girl forward, who seems like she’s currently barely able to function. Seeing this, Jack “gracefully” removes her hood, revealing her identity to Asher.

Now Playing: Epilogue 2
Asher, originally nothing but smiles, has gone very pale, very fast. His expression is one of pure shock, caught completely off guard by who is now standing before him. The girl, sharing the same red hair, looks at him with green eyes slowly brimming with tears.

“You’ve..finally come home, huh?” She hugs him.

“You...you idiot...I never left..” They both simply stand there, taking in the fact that they’re finally united once more. Their shoulders shake, their self-imposed burdens seemingly removed as their tears stream down their faces.

Jack and Mary stand side by side, admiring their respective proteges.

“Ah, how touching. Doesn’t that remind you of us in our youth, Mary?”

“Oh please. I don’t know about you, but I consider myself to be as young as ever.”

“This world has done nothing but bring me tears, kupo…” The siblings look over at the sulking Moogle. They both cracked a laugh at the messenger’s expense, now proceeding to face towards Asher and Morgan.

“Sorry to cut this reunion short, but you two have a job to do now.” Morgan looks over with a quizzical expression at Jack.

“Your brother can fill you in on your way there. Asher, be sure to be a good boy and share your toys with your sister, hm?”

Asher scoffs. “I see that the mockery continues yet. As I say, ‘All for one, and one for all’.”

He digs out the box containing the remaining earrings from his pocket, opens it, and after giving it some thought, pulls out the Diamond-shaped earring and hands it to his sister.

“Hehe, why this one specifically, hm?” She takes it and equips it to her right earlobe.

“Tch...moron. You’re a precious treasure of mine..” He looks away and rubs the back of his head sheepishly.

“Pfft, that’s so corny! Is that what you tell all the ladies?” She nudges him with her elbow.

“Oh, shut up, you! I’ll have your head if you lose it. Got it?”

This attempt at a threat causes Morgan to laugh, causing Asher to become more flustered and upset. “Hey, you! Are we leaving for your ship or what!?”

“The name’s Mogana, kupo! Yes, if you are all set, we can leave right now.”

“Good! You better keep up, Morgan!” Asher begins to head out the door.

“Oh, don’t get ahead of yourself brother! We’ve much to discuss!” Morgan follows suit, Mogana quickly tailing after the two siblings. Soon enough, the duo finally make it to their designated Gummi Ship, and take off for Renovation.



Location: Renovation

Now Playing: Foretellers

The duo finally make their landing on the destination's airfield. The exit the airship, both of them in rather high spirits considering everything that happened leading up to their departure.

"This one time, I was sent to do some undercover work at a local tavern. A whole bar fight broke out! Wanna take a guess as to who came out on top?"

"Pfft, that's nothing, sis. I've had to cross-dress to get close to a target before. Took me roughly a week to get what I needed and get out in one piece...oh gods, there are horrors during that time I wish I could surpress.." Asher shudders at the sudden recall of the event.

"Oh, there, there. At least now you surely have sympathy for what us girls go through at times." Patting him on the back, they press on to join what appears to be the collection of people they'll be working with for the time being. They both silently begin to analyze those that have chosen to speak first, and pay close attention towards their self-dubbed escorts.

"Well? Do you think we could take them?" Morgan whispers

"Maybe the wizard. Don't underestimate that shield user though. I'm positive his weapon of choice is way more powerful than he'd be letting on.." Asher nods towards the grandiose shield in question.

((Collab Post between Double and Letter Bee))

Flashback, The World of Luna Dial

Hakim the Wise had set up a new laboratory in this strange world, a strange world where his Faith and Creed had been suppressed by the arrival of new powers that served the existing establishments. Deep in the mountain of Kilimanjaro, Africa, where the Selenian tide had not yet penetrated, Hakim was doing experiments more ethical than the ones he had done before. Operating Magitech simulations over and over again, he was experimenting with The Light, hoping to find a new source of energy that can allow Replicas to survive without taking strength from their originals...

There was another presence in the laboratory, without any real announcement or warning. One moment Hakim had been alone, and the next, there Cain was. His mastery of the Corridors of Darkness was well known, some might even say it was frightening. Someitmes it was as if Cain could simply just teleport at will. He was silent, but only for a moment. He was here for a purpose and it was best not to drag it out with any uneccesary theatrics.

"Restarting the Replica Program?" Cain asked, getting right to the point, "Tocsax told me. Asked for my help, even. Granted, I may not be able to stay around on a constant basis, but here I am regardless."

Hakim nodded at that and said, "Thank you, Cain. And I'm trying to find a way to remedy the most obvious problem with what Tocsax wants - Right now, I need to find a way to give 'No, I', a truly independent existence and my current hypothesis is that it would need a source of mystic energy to make it true.."

"There are many energies that could qualify as 'mystical', but in my experience that typically means it is something exceedingly rare and dangerous to deal with." he had noticed the studies of the Light by this point, "Huh, interesting. Most people I have ever known are fascinated with the Darkness, despite the Light presumably having just as much to offer." but then Cain had another thought, and decided to voice it.

"Do you suppose we are doing these Replicas any real favors by creating them? Appearances aside, the bodies are still synthetic at the end of the day. You ever wonder if we are dooming them to a life cursed with immortality? Fated to linger on for eternity while watching everyone they know and love die around them...?"

Hakim looked at Cain, saying, "I've considered it, but one should remember that there are already a myriad of ways to extend life in the Multiverse already, thus mitigating that risk. That, and if the Replica chooses it, they can ask for 'aging' to be installed into their new bodies. The keyword being ask, of course - I do not want to decide others' medical decisions for them."

A brief shudder, as if old memories and traumas were reasserting themselves.

"Fair enough." Cain replied, "Ah, but we are not here to have a philosophical discussion, are we?" he added, deciding to bring things back on track to the issue of No. I, "Have you considered Time Magic, perhaps? That particular vein of magical energy is used for the explicit purpose of speeding up or slowing down... or even stopping things altogether."

Hakim nodded. "That would be Emperor Michael's area of expertise - He'd be happy to help, but he's also busy preparing for the inevitable counteroffensive against Leo and his ad-hoc Multiversal Empire." A sigh, "He only has a shadow of the Old Keyblade Order's power, but dreams of rebuilding said order. That might not work out well."

"Luckily for us, I happen to be Renovation's resident loremaster. I could always have a gander at the scrolls and see what I can learn of the subject myself." he gave a small shrug, "But I must admit that would take a bit of time. I would need to undergo the research over time, and hope that I can produce the results we need by the time it becomes necessary for the mission. Ah, but speaking of which, the War Council will be starting soon."

A Corridor of Darkness opened behind Cain and he turned around to face it. This revealed the emblem that marked the back of his long black coat. It was silvery and white, appearing to depict a pair of axe-like weapons forming an X shape, and thus producing the shape of a black heart within the negative space of the emblem, "I should be getting back, I have a bad feeling that the Emperor will need me there soon. I have a request of my own too: Replica bodies, just a few. I wish I could explain what I need them for, but it would take too much time. And... Hakim?" he gave one more glance back at the other man, "I am sorry, for how I treated you when you first started the Program. You may not believe me but, I had a good reason for opposing it before." he did not say anything more or wait for a reply, instead silently vanishing into the Corridor that would take him back to his own quarters on Renovation.

"Salaam, Cain," Hakim spoke as his acquaintance disappeared. "And thank you."

Palace of the Blachrenae, Renovation

Through out the War Council, a seemingly unassuming figure stood in the corner of the room. He wore a black coat, but not one of the hooded variety that Tocsax was known to use. His was merely a black trench coat, the turtle neck of a pale shirt could be seen to give an indication as to what Cain was wearing underneath it. In his hand he held a heavy tome, open to a middle point in its pages and he appeared to be focusing his on it, while only offering the occasional cursory glance at the guests.

Cain wasn't there to participate in the council, per say. There was no information offered during it that he was not already well aware of, or even was the outright source of in the first place. But he was there for a purpose nonetheless. He wanted to see the Keyblade Wielders with his own eyes, and observe their behavior and mannerisms for himself. They were certainly not like the others, that was for sure. But, flaws or not, they would have to do. More than one of them seemed like experienced warriors or mages. As for the others, it wasn't as obvious, so Cain would have to continue his observation before coming to any real conclusions.

Giorgios and Damianos gave them the standard introduction. Sometimes Cain could swear that they rehearsed these things, but that was neither here nor there. Two of the warrior types responded with a polite enough etiquette, suggesting they were not mere brutes or mercenary types. The other two were whispering in a shushed tone. They couldn't possibly have known that Cain would be reading their lips. An... interesting conversation topic, though Cain would wager they couldn't take on either of the escorts in his own opinion. Still, these two were sounding like they were going to be an annoyance if they weren't properly kept in check.

When everyone else had left to follow Giorgios and Damianos, Cain remained behind, at least briefly. In another few moments, he disappeared into a Corridor that would take him to the throne room. Once again, Cain discretely placed himself in a corner. Somewhere he wouldn't be as noticeable as the Emperor, Empress, or Tocsax. He wasn't here to participate, only to observe.

Jack stepped off the Gumiship giving a little thanks to the Moogle who was an on and off partner to their relief efforts. The delivery man put his arm above his head to block out the sun as he looked around his surroundings. “It’s as impressive, as I remember it.” The delivery man muttered, as he looked up at the skyline that towered over him. He had always felt discomfort stepping foot in the Queen of Cities, for someone who’s bed had constantly been the cold hard ground and surrounded by smoke and grime, he felt out of place. Which explained his entire situation out of place. He was a courier from a back water world now going to meet the goddamn King, not the average king of his world who basically amounted to a bandit with a massive ego ruling a glorified scrapyard, but a genuine ruler with a city that didn’t have a random corpse lying around for someone to screw with. “Well, at least Reina gets to see this place.” Jack muttered to himself, his policy was always to find at least one good thing that came from stressful situations.

“How are you holding up Rei?” The courier waited for an answer for his partner and for nothing. “Rei? Hey Reina?” Still nothing. He sighed and turned to his adopted sister. “I see you’re enjoying yourself.” Reina gave him no glance instead looking around with a neutral expression, though Jack knew Reina was a kid in a candy store underneath, after all she had been begging to she another world. “Jack, why do they build such high buildings?” Reina asked her adoptive brother.

Jack thought about it for a moment, he may have been barely literate, but that didn’t mean he was a complete idiot. He could easily give her the logical answer, to save space, but Reina wasn’t looking for the logical answer, she already knew the logical answer. “Because, it’s human nature to want to reach something that’s out of their grasp.” The courier answered her doing his best to mimic a wise village elder. Reina simply nodded and stated. “I see.” Reina tipped toed and reached for the sky. “Reina... What are you doing?” Jack raised an eyebrow at his sibling’s antics. “I’m trying to grasp something that’s out of reach.”

The courier took a moment to try and guess if the android was being serious or if she was being sarcastic, before just smiling softly and joining with the other members of the council, quietly and quickly showing his letter which was held in between his index and middle finger to prove that they weren’t some random rift raft. They may have been in their Sunday best, (Basically their usual, but slightly cleaned up.) but they still didn’t appear anything like guests of the king. Jack put the letter back into his his coat pocket and with Reina let themselves be lead to the palace.

Shimazaki Perfecture, Eastern Lands

The day before had been absurdly peaceful. There were no drunk half-naked men fistfighting in the musky taverns, no violent gamblers in the makeshift casinos, and no angry hagglers in the wet market. There was no one for Elise to smack on the head with her sheathed blade. All of this had put her to sleep rather early. She had, once again, fallen asleep while sitting on a humble canoe, letting it take her god-knows-where. Birds were sitting and chirping on the brim of her hat when, all of a sudden, an angry shout from a silly man with a mustache drove them all away.

"Come on, you weird, uh, thing! We're zoologists, we know where you belong!"

"Behind the bars of a cage? No thanks."

"We'll feed you well and let you enjoy a life of luxury. You'll be the main attraction, after all."

A little moogle was in a big fix. He'd come here to study the world's system of magic. His work wasn't as big as that of his higher-ups at the Blachrenae, but it was important nonetheless. There were certain metals here that, once refined, could harness the magical energy around it. Not only would they serve as a source of renewable energy, but they could also be used to make cheaper Gummi Ships. The moogle had asked his higher-ups to arrange diplomatic meetings with the world, but they were busy arranging for the arrival of a band of new warriors, so he decided to go check it out himself. That turned out to be a very dumb idea

The moogle's world hadn't made contact with this one yet, so he decided to land on an open grassy field. He didn't want to arouse suspicion from its inhabitants, so he didn't land in a city. As he was wandering around, trying to take in his new surroundings, two lanky men with immaculate facial hair had approached him with the intention of putting him in a zoo. Sure, they "needed" a raise, but the moogle had his own things to do.

"I have a ship landed nearby. It's armed with all sorts of lethal weapons, and I won't hesitate on using them on you two."

"If a talking plush toy told me it had an airship, I wouldn't believe it.", said one of the men. He was named Steve, and he was a civilized man who wore a business suit and a holstered handgun. His companion was less civilized, as he wore a tank top and carried a shotgun twice the moogle's height. He was also chubbier.

"The point is, I'm here on official business. Please leave me alone."

Just then, another inhabitant of the world wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a cheap robe walked by.

"Look, Steve, it's an Easterner! Hello, mister Easterner! Is it true that you people cook dogs and eat them?"

"Shut up, Houston!"

"It depends. Ethics vary from place to place, as always. By the way, is that really how you people greet Easterners?"

"Look, Steve, it's an Easterner who looks like a boy but is actually a girl! Are all Eastern women actually like this, or are you just flat?"

"Shut up, Houston. Anyways, I can't have you trying to poach our talking beasts. They're of great importance to us locals." The Easterner's words shocked Steve, who was used to being ignored by Eastern locals. They all knew that people from the Abode loved their guns. "Hey, we aren't poaching. We're just very cautious tourists."

Elise shoved her hat up, revealing a pair of closed eyes. "I'm also a very cautious person, and I know a poacher when I see one." She then curled her lips into a sly smile, which prompted Houston to aim the shotgun at her. In an instant, a loud bang accompanied the flight of a bullet, and in an even quicker instant, the bullet had been sliced into half. Steve drew his handgun and fired shot after shot, but stopped when he found his handgun also cut cleanly into half. Frustrated, Houston threw away his shotgun and charged at Elise, only to get knocked out with a clean hit to the temple.

"Go away. Plane tickets are cheaper at the Yoshirou Prefecture." Steve was going the draw out the other handgun he was hiding in his suit (it always helped him when he was facing wannabe gangsters), but a sudden crack in the ground prompted him to run away for good, with Houston in tow. The crack seemed to open into a void of nothingness, leaking an ominous dark energy that sent shivers through the moogle's (probably nonexistent) spine. After a moment of ominous idleness, the ground began to shake, and an army of hideous little creatures as dark as night itself sprung from the crack.

"Oh no."

Elise drew her blade, and with a single well-placed stroke cut down a number of the creatures. There were more of them, though, and they were unrelenting. She killed one after another, but with every one that died came a dozen more. Eventually, she found herself overwhelmed. The creatures gnawed on her body and all she could see was a black mass that seemed to stretch on forever. She pulled herself together and, with much effort, used the ki around her to pin the monsters into place. She was kneeling, her breathing was heavy, but this was nothing she hadn't dealt with before.

"Open your eyes."

God. She hated this man. She hated his bold composure, smug face, and willingness to do all sorts of terrible things. She hated the way his scarred and chiseled body hung out from his scanty robe. She hated the undying fire in his eyes, as it reminded her that whenever she struggled, he'd always come out of the corner of her mind to taunt and jeer at her.

"Open them. Only then will you become who you truly are. You run away from the truth, only to collide into it like the fool you are."

With that, he grinned. Elise tried to control her temper. She turned away from him, dismissed him as a figment of her imagination, and prepared her blade for her next attack. She told herself to ignore him, to curse him only after she had done what she had to do.

She failed pretty spectacularly.

"I am not going to open my eyes. I am sick and tired of you telling me to do everything you want me to do. I've already shown you your place, and that is thirty feet under the ground. Do not bother me anymore if you don't want me to do that again. Do you understand?"

"If that's what would please you, then do it."

Elise would've swung her sword at the image of her old man if not for the Gummi ship that was right behind her. It hit her hard, sending her flying into a nearby tree, which hit her even harder.

"Sorry, kupo, I couldn't see anything!"

She stood up, and gave the moogle a disdainful thumbs-up. With that, the moogle opened the door to his ship, and with a mighty leap unbefitting someone of her slender frame, Elise jumped into it. Before the door closed, she readied her blade, and after telling the little pilot to bring her higher, made it expand. The katana became at least fifteen times its length, and it glowed with the distinct hue of magical energy. It cleaved into a huge mass of the beasts, turning them into wisp and sending their companions running back into the crack, which promptly closed. The earth stopped shaking, and Elise fell to her knees, letting out a sigh of relief.

The moogle closed the door and began tapping on a panel laden with buttons in a frenzy. "We've got to hurry. That crack must've been caused by excess magic from world-travelling invaders. Given that the excess magic was enough to create a crack that large, the invaders must be very strong. Chances are, they're heading towards Renovation, a hub world connecting the many parts of the Multiverse. I need to warn the emperor immediately."

The ship then zoomed out into the distance. A confused Steve looked on in utter shock.

---

Palace of the Blachrenae, Renovation

"All right, first you appear out of nowhere, then a bunch of dark monster thingies attack me, then you take to some place I've never even heard of. What exactly is going on?"

"That's for later, damn it! Hurry up!"

Elise was carrying the moogle on her hat, which was miraculously unharmed by the entire ordeal. Sometimes she wondered if an old friend of hers somehow lived on in it.

"Wait, wait, stop there! Go left!"

Elise took a hard left, thrusting herself towards what may have been the biggest castle she had ever seen.

"Giorgioooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooos!"

@Letter Bee

Palace of the Blachrenae, Renovation

In response to Dan and Stefan's questions, Damianos said, "For now, normal court etiquette is suspended - Except for the basics - during this time of crisis. And that means that you guys should keep yourself respectful, not break or snatch anything, and don't be too loud when speaking." Then to the recently-arrived Asher and Morgana, he continued, "Glad to see you've come - Good. Now we can finally move forward into the Palace and begin some exposition -"

Then he was cut off by Jack and Reina's arrival - The Courier and his Android girlfriend were good people and Damianos cared about them somewhat - Probably more if they ever spent more time with each other. With a small nod, he said, "Now, if there are no more interruptions, let us go -"

A loud cry of "Giorgioooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooos!" interrupted the talk as Elise came into view, along with her Moogle friend. The elite guardsman looked at the two newcomers as he said, "Ah, extra warriors. That's good, considering the fact that there are Non-Heartless threats that people who don't have a Keyblade will need to deal with." He faced the group, "By the way, 'Heartless' are what we call the black creatures that have been attacking various universes, including yours'. They can be discorporated by mundane weapons, but only a Keyblade - A weapon most of you, but not all, have - can destroy them permanently and prevent them from reforming elsewhere.

"Now, if there are no more interruptions ..."

@Double@Gisk@Shiyonichi@Nerevarine@Gentlemanvaultboy@ShadowVentus

Dan turned up as Stefan impressed upon him the true grandeur of his invitation to this war council. The look that briefly flashed over his face could best be described as "senpai has noticed me," wide eyed and overawed, but he quickly composed himself. "Y-y-yes, of course. My, but I hadn't even considered..."

It was a good thing normal etiquette was being suspended. It seemed as though the only real rule her was to be polite. Dan could handle that. He had extensive practice with being polite, but as the group were about to start moving suddenly someone shouted the name of one of their guides.

Dan turned and looked to see a newcomer rapidly approaching, dressed like Sir Shizuo. A samurai. Dan thought back to his mental map of the world as he new it, and how far Istanbul was from Japan. He presumed that they could have samurai in Constantinople in this world through some strange fluke of history, but considering they had a moogle riding along atop their hat the chances were better that they were from another world like he was. The moogle had been the one that had shouted for the Sargent of the Imperial Guard, and the distress in it's voice was obvious.

The Sargent, though this addition was unexpected from the way he spoke of them, was...unmoved. It wasn't stoicism, at least not in a way Dan had ever seen it. He just kind of brushed them aside in his mind and started talking about the heartless. Like their clear urgency was unimportant.

Dan turned away from the guide and shouted back as the two approved. "What's the matter? Is someone hurt?"

Palace of the Blachrenae, Renovation

To tell one the truth, Giorgios was merely distracted, distracted by the fact that there was still a potential quarrel between the Sunja/Junko and the girl named... Meri(?) and that required most of his attention. This distraction was corrected by Damianos shouting, "Giorgios! I don't think we should worry about those two and the other girl - They seem to have grown quiet!"

And with that, Giorgios blinked, evidently trying to focus, and looked toward Dan, saying, "I apologize. My attention has been divided lately." Turning to the Moogle and her guardian, he asks, "Sorry for that earlier lapse in attention - The dangers to this world and the rest of the Worlds have been heavy on my mind. Do you two need Medical attention?"

A few moments for the two to clarify their situation, and should they need Medical attention after all, Hi-Potions would be handed over to the Moogle and the female warrior guarding him/it.

"Let's move on to the throne room," Damianos would say after that, "The fate of the Multiverse awaits."

-------

The throne room was a truly beautiful chamber, filled with gold and silk tapestries, fine vases and mosaics. Waiting for the party was a young man, about eighteen years of age, in a a black robe. A sense of tremendous magical power radiated from him, a blend of light and dark. Behind him were two people seated on thrones, the first was another eighteen-year old male with white hair and purple eyes, dressed in black-and-white special forces armor which contrasted with his Imperial Diadem, while the second was a young woman of the same age who wore a dress of white and silver mixed with pearls.

"Greetings," the Emperor stood up to speak first, his Imperial Crown glittering in the sunlight. "This is the World of Renovation, and I am the ruler of one of its Kingdoms, Basileus ton Basileon - Emperor of Emperors - Michael XIII Sideros."

His silver hair glinted in the sun as his wife, the Empress, rose up to introduce herself.

"Keybladers, future saviors of the Multiverse, my name is Maria d' Italia, daughter of the King of Italy, which was formed by Naples in this timeline, and this is the War Council, where you will all learn the true history not just of your individual worlds..." A glance at Dan and Stefan, "But of this entire collection of Universes."

Damianos went to stand at Maria's left, then took out his wand, before projecting a holographic projection of multiple spheres, each showing scenes from the group's worlds, as well as universes/timelines that had not yet been explored. He then followed up with more exposition, "Basically, we all live in the Multiverse, a collection of parallel worlds sprang off from the One Earth. There used to be One Earth, One Timeline, One Humanity and One History, but something happened to split it all up. Now, however, someone wants to reshape the Multiverse to his own image, and has unleashed the Heartless on most worlds as part of said plan for reshaping."

"And as the Basilissa said," the Wizard/Scholar continued, "The Keyblade is a special weapon that, as said before, can destroy Heartless permanently instead of temporarily. And it is central for our plans to end the Heartless threat and the threat beyond said threat, the threat of Leo, the Second Mathematician."

@Double@Gisk@Shiyonichi@Nerevarine@Gentlemanvaultboy@ShadowVentus

Dan "ooooed" and "ahhhed" with child-like reverie as he observed the beautiful and meticulous architecture of the castle. A castle. He was in an actually castle. Only the best Paladin's got to go train in the orders real life stone and mortar castle, and that one was old and run down and drafty.

When he got to the emperor he was surprised to see he was so young. He'd expected a beard. Kings and emperors should certainly have beards. What threw him more off was his white hair. Dan reached up and ran a strand of his own through his fingers. Dan's hair had turned white after the attack the had taken the lives of his parents. He wondered if the Emperor had gone through something similar.

As the royalty explained the situation Dan nodded along, eagerly absorbing everything he was told like a sponge. He smiled. "Search out evil wizard, destroy evil wizard, and end the monstrous threat. A simple enough quest, if a dangerous one."

Palace of the Balchranae, Renovation

One Day Earlier
_{Collab with @Letter Bee}

Luminita rose to her feet, stretching to release the tension in her muscles. Sleeping late was not usually a part of her daily routine, but for situations such as these, extra rest was imperative. A meeting would take place today, one of great importance. She would have to get dressed quickly.

At her side, the trusted companion, Mogquis was perched diligently at his post.

"Good morning, Miss Draculea! You are awake quite late today, kupo."

Luminita gave a tired nod to her moogle, before tossing the covers off of her bed, making her way to her dresser, retrieving a uniform, typical of those involved in the Byzantine Special Operations, but with a particular insignia, that of the Order of the Dragon, emblazoned proudly on the sleeves and chest.

"I trust you sent out those invitations as I asked?"

The Moogle looked at the ground in a mixture of confusion and embarrassment

"Hmm?" Luminita pressed her inquiry

"No...kupo. I must have forgotten."

Luminita scowled, "Then I trust you know to get to it right away, we do not have any time to spare!"

With that, Luminita finished, excusing the moogle to tend to his duties. Exiting from her chamber, she was to seek out her fellow leader on this assignment.

Tocsax was weary - Despite his youthful form, he was prematurely aged inside. Clad in his dark robes, he waited to meet Luminita in one of the palace's more covert briefing rooms, a secret chamber hidden beneath one of the ladies' powder rooms. This secret chamber was large enough to fit five people, a desk, a miniature computer, and some documents and a few small pistols - Those ought to be enough. Once Luminita had found her way in, he looked at her and said, "You arrived just in time. I hope that the invitations to the squad that will secure the 'contingency world' have been sent?"

Luminita winced at the question. "Unfortunately, there was a clerical error with my assistant." She sighed as she spoke again, "Mogquis is sending the invitations as we speak, they should be arriving any time now."

Lumnita quickly changed the subject before the other could interject with a quip of his own, "As I'm sure you're aware, we lost contact with our scouts in the target world quite recently, so we suspect that knowledge of the area may have been severely compromised if the Local Warlord proclaiming himself as the Messiah knows to directly target our agents. It looks like things will be more difficult than we previously anticipated."

Tocsax sighs at that, "Are there any hints that Leo had managed to contact this 'local warlord' after all? The main assumption of the mission was that for once, we can get there before he has an inkling of what we're up to. Has that been nullified?"

Luminita nodded, "From what we gather about this character is that he has proclaimed himself to be the Jewish Messiah, by way of an angel proclaiming revelation to him directly. We hypothesize that this "Angel" may have some connection to Leo, and has directed him to begin targeting those they can identify with us. Beyond that, we have no information, not even this so-called messiah's name. We're dangerously in the dark here, and it may be for the benefit of our invitees if we keep them...on a need to know basis, lest they compromise our mission."

Luminita pointed to the Levant, "We'll start out here in Israel, the Axumites don't have a strong presence here, unlike in most of Africa or in Arabia, so we can stay hidden until necessary...but once we have to go into Arabia...the Axumites have much of Arabia under occupation, so the danger is high there..."

"We can probably go east, to Persia, and take a ship from the Sassanid Empire to Mecca, and bypass most of the Axumite occupation." Luminita smiled, "And from there, we get the two prophets away from danger, east to..." moving her finger across the map eastward to Kaifeng in China. "Here. Where the warlords can't reach them, and where they can flourish in the height of civilization."

"Sound plan, no?" she inquired, smiling.

"It is," Tocsax was impressed. "But two things. One, is the Destined Star - Capella Auriga - one of the prospective invitees, and has the Stellar Keychain meant to amplify her powers been sent to her yet? Two... There are ancient notes from the Mysterious Tower of Epibatai that something - Or someone - powerful and connected with the Old Keyblade Order is lying in wait inside the Green Sahara universe. That something might be an asset we'd need to deny to Leo... Or try and get to our side, if possible."

"The Star Child has been sent the keychain with her invitation", Luminita assured Tocsax. "At least she will once Mogquis sends the invitation out."

She pondered on this information, "I will be sure to keep my eyes open. I have done some research on this area. The talk of a lost empire, from a fallen one of the ancient ranks..." Luminita snapped back, "But this is all mythology, no? Even if it's worth looking into, could a human being live that long?" She pondered over it a bit longer, It seemed unlikely, but more bizarre things have come to pass before. "It's only been recently that we could even contact this world, could it not be that whatever this power was, that it has passed, and that is why we can make contact with the Green Sahara?"

Luminita caught sight of a pink flash in the corner of her eye as Mogquis entered into the chamber. "Miss Draculea, Mr. Tocsax, kupo. The invitations have been sent out by way of moogles, they should arrive by tomorrow."

"Wonderful news!" Luminita proclaimed, "Our plan is set into motion. And with that, I should go prepare the accommodations and debriefing for our new arrivals." She turned back to Tocsax, "Do you have any final points to discuss, Tocsax?"

Tocsax had a final thing to say, "Just this. Whatever happens, one of our groups has to succeed in their mission. Otherwise, all will be lost, including our contingencies."

Across the Multiverse
_{@Tenma Tendo@Double}
At Luminita's orders, Mogquis sent off a fleet of moogles on gummi ships to the various lands inhabited by the chosen few who would go on to aid on the journey to secure the Green Sahara against the forces of darkness, each was sent with a simple note, inviting them to the cause.

Come quickly, chosen few, to the Palace of the Balchranae in the world of Renovation, for the thousands of Universes in Existence stand on the edge of a knife. From there, to the world of Green Sahara, and thence forward to the Kingdom of Israel, and in Israel, look for a village called Bethlehem and fly above it as a Star. There, a legion of Heartless seek to slay a child named Yeshua, a child born of a Virgin Birth. Do not let them touch him, or all is lost. After you've saved Bethlehem, go to the western side of a Peninsula called Arabia, and save a city called Mecca from an invading army calling themselves the Kingdom of Axum. Do not let a single Axumite - Or their own legions of Heartless - get within 50 miles of the city. Another birth of immense importance is to occur there.

The Moogle sent to the world of Capella was equipped with a further note.
As proof that we are right, we are sending, with the Moogle, a symbol; a Keychain that empowers the Keyblade, The Moogle bringing the message then brought a triangle of platinum with three symbols at its corners, one a pure golden circle, and the other two finely engraved pictures of Frankinsence and Myrrh. Attach this Keychain onto Halcyon, and attain great power.

Palace of the Balchranae, Renovation

Present Day

"Good morning, Miss Draculea, kupo." Mogquis chimed, "The Invitations have been sent out, the arrivals should be coming soon. We should make our way to the throne room as soon as we can."

Luminita shook her head, "We are on a need to know basis, for the moment. We will have to skip the throne room and explain the mission to our companions on the ride to the Green Sahara." With that, Luminita went off to the airfield to meet with the arrivals, and hurry them onto the Gummi ship for quick transfer over to Green Sahara in one piece.

While Meri and Sunja were in the midsts of their argument, Auxentia took the time to examine her surroundings. The little girl would be quite the humorous sight, being dressed almost like a small ancient Roman soldier, in makeshift armor fashioned from the broken pieces of those dead soldiers she scavenged it from, her tunic, long turned to a sallow color from hiding in the dirt from horrors, but a red cloak covering her body with the oversized helmet on her head. Perhaps she would even be somewhat cute if it wasn't for the ravages of malnutrition leaving her repulsively skinny, and the dirt and grime on her giving not only a greasy look, coupled with her matted, oily hair, but the odor of a child who couldn't remember the last time she had bathed. Anyone around her would be thrilled when the filthly little girl would be taken back to be scrubbed clean and made presentable. Auxentia herself thought about this, there was no way she was in any position to be presented to royalty like this. Still, this was Roman royalty, and she would be damned if she cared to be respectful to the same people who enslaved her and put her in this position. Yet, she wasn't sure if these were even the same Romans, the Palace was, while so familiar, also so different from what she remembered in her brief time in Constantinople. Still, she went along with it, best not to aggravate people who have the means to turn you into cheese with their swords should you offend them.

As the team was herded, Auxentia got a look at another woman, Luminita, making her way to the airfield as they left. She wondered what she was up to before snapping back to reality, lest she get in the way of any of the others. Auxentia wasn't sure what to make of them, the two women in the front seemed rather disinterested in the others, who the girl found difficult to parse. What surprised her the most of all was the appearance of a boy her age. The thought of anyone else as old as her being recruited for such a mission was unfathomable. She gripped onto the book in her hand tightly, pressing it against her chest. She wondered, if that boy also had some special power like what the Gnosticum gave to her.

Meanwhile, Meri was trying her best not to make eye contact with the infuriated nun casting deathly eyes in her direction. She understood the suspicion, but still was bothered by it. The Selenites had done terrible things, that much was true, but Meri had left that all behind, turned against Chang-e's machinations and fought to defend humanity. Still, she understood the hostility, yet it looked like only this Sunja figure was also from her homeworld, as the others didn't seem to look at her with the same hateful gaze. Meri removed her hat, as her long, rabbit-like ears stood up to listen around the palace. Such strange new sounds and sights, humans had advanced quite far by this period, almost like that of what was being done on the Moon. Unlike Sunja, who seemed lost in time shock, Meri was quite aware of what the technology of the Byzantines was, or was able to infer it by what the Selenites had of their own.

Her ears perked up at the request for medical attention, to which Meri shook her head, "I'm in good health, but I think that kid there might need to get looked at." She said, pointing over to Auxentia, who quickly pulled her helmet over her face as eyes turned to her, "Poor thing looks like she hasn't eaten or bathed in months."

Auxentia trembled at the thought of the others judging her. It was true, and she was lucky enough to have been given the food and drink by the man they sent to escort her to the palace, but her stomach did still hurt, and she did have a few injuries that were never properly treated. A moogle quickly dispensed a small drink to the girl, some kind of liquid, instructing her to drink. A quick drink of the potion gave Auxentia an instant rush of energy, unlike anything she had felt before. As the Moogle spirited away the empty glass, the group continued moving along to the Throne room, where all was explained to them.

Parallel worlds, an evil wizard, and a quest to save everything. Auxentia found it all very difficult to digest, but she tried her best. Meanwhile, Meri and Sunja listened intently, with Sunja speaking first, "A simple enough goal, but if I may inquire, Nobelissimos, how shall we go about putting an end to this Leo's plans?"

Palace of the Balchranae, Renovation

Cain said nothing during the briefing. It was all information he was quite aware of, if not the source of said information altogether. No, his attention slowly moved about the room, from one guest to the next. He was observing their behavior, getting a feel for what kind of person they were based on their interactions with the royalty and with each other. So far the pair who appeared to be warriors maintained the most professional aura about them. Mostly. The younger of the two seemed a little more curious and wide eyed but otherwise his manners remained polite throughout. The three girls who all came from Luna Dial, on the other hand... At least two of them seemed to hate each other, and Cain wondered if they wouldn't sooner want to fight each other more than anyone else. The third, the third looked like she was barely strong enough to stand let alone fight. And yet there she stood, in her roman armor that frankly looked far to big to properly fit her.

I wonder if this was wise idea...

Shadows of the Shinobi, Shibuya

"What did I ever do to you, kupo?" asked the moogle to the five individuals that had it surrounded. They weren't any kind of Heartless, rather they were human beings. But they dressed jet black ninja gear and every one of them had a katana in their hands, poised to attack if they were provoked. It was already night time, though one might not know it from the sheer amount of lights in and on all the buildings throughout Shibuya. But this particular encounter was taking place near enough to one of the few shadowy areas that these apparent ninja had decided to ambush the moogle. Perhaps they'd heard some stories about the trading moogles were known for and thought this one possessed valuable goods they take for themselves.

They inched a bit closer, but a spotlight from one of the dark areas shed the group in bright light. They reflexively looked around for whoever was responsible and spotted someone standing directly in front the source of the light, the brightness making it impossible to see their face. One of the ninja threw a kunai at the figure, who expertly sidestepped to dodge the blade that instead hit the spotlight, rendering the area dark again. And then, as if the stranger had moved instantaneously he was suddenly among the group of the five and gave them no time to react before he spun and blew them away with a Aeroga spell. The figure then leaped with expert agility over to the moogle, picking it up and leaping again to a spot away from the attackers. But it seemed the Aeroga had knocked the attackers into various objects hard enough to knock them out, so it seemed the altercation was over.

"Are you hurt?" asked the figure, after he and moogle and come into the light. Now the stranger could be seen. Ryuzaki wasn't even wearing his battle attire, instead dressed in his black high-collar jacket, his face also visible along with his jet black hair.

"Oh! It's you, kupo! I've been looking for you." this surprised Ryuzaki, who knelt down to accept the letter from the moogle and he stood and read in silence, "I'm supposed to take you to your transportation if you accept the invite, kupo!"

"Hmm... 'many universes'? I'm not sure I understand, but it sounds like you really need me for something." he sighed in contemplation. If this thing about other universes was true, then was it his place to meddle in another world's affairs? His mind thought back to Master Mori for a brief moment, the first lesson of ninjutsu Ryuzaki could remember echoed in his memory. Right, of course. If he didn't have the heart to help someone in their plight, even if they were from another world, then how could he possibly call himself a true Shinobi?

"Alright, but do you mind if I get a few things from home before we leave?" he asked the moogle, who nodded. There were a handful of scrolls that Ryuzaki kept in his apartment, they were final Ninjutsu techniques that Master Mori had not yet taught him before he died. Ryuzaki wanted to bring them along, having been wanting to study them and try to master those techniques, but now it seemed he would have to do so on the go.

Palace of the Balchranae, Renovation

Eventually, the ship carrying Ryuzaki made its landing on airfield outside of a beautiful palace. Ryuzaki had never been outside of Japan, so such a different architecture made the place feel especially alien and foreign to him. The ship's hatch opened and Ryuzaki walked out onto the airfield, still wearing the casual attire he had on previously, though he did carry with him a single-strap backpack that he held slung over his shoulder. He could see a woman standing nearby and wondered if she was waiting for him.

"H-hello." he said, his English a tiny bit shaky. Master Mori had also happened to be a fluent speaker of English and taught as much of it to Ryuzaki up until he died. Ryuzaki wasn't sure if his English was as good as his master's, but it would have to do, "My name Kagura Ryuzaki." he said, giving a bow that was typical for Japanese greeting. "Will I be working with you? I'll do my best to get along with everyone." for someone who was supposed to be an expertly trained ninja assassin, Ryuzaki was sounding less like that and more like a student on their first day of class.

An ever present daze fell over the young girl as she flipped tiredly through a book she's read probably thousands of times by now. Well, the same could be said about every other book in this library, but that's beside the point. A free hand went up to play with the blonde and teal strands not covered by the mandatory veil on her head as she let her mind wander to other things.

It's been a few days since Capella caught a glimpse into the future of The Milky Way, and since then she'd been trying to get an appointment with the Big 3 to 'discuss' it, but even with her not too shabby status, it'd probably take weeks before she so much as gets a reply on the matter. But what else could she do? It wasn't like she was some chosen one that would venture out into the unknown world and make a big enough difference to prevent calamity upon her home.

"Uh, excuse me, kupo? But you're Capella of the Sixth Brightest, yes?"

She wasn't expecting to hear a voice come up from right behind her, so like any other normal person, Capella jumped and whipped her head around to see the owner of the voice with wide steel eyes. Due to The Milky Way's defiance and pride, Moogles were still a rare creature to be seen flying around, let alone talking in general. So Capella reacted accordingly, unsure of how to even break out of her stupor. What business did it have with her?

After dumbly nodding, said Moogle handed over a letter to the girl, who took it quickly as curiosity got the better of her.

Come quickly, chosen few, to the Palace of the Balchranae in the world of Renovation, for the thousands of Universes in Existence stand on the edge of a knife. From there, to the world of Green Sahara, and thence forward to the Kingdom of Israel, and in Israel, look for a village called Bethlehem and fly above it as a Star. There, a legion of Heartless seek to slay a child named Yeshua, a child born of a Virgin Birth. Do not let them touch him, or all is lost. After you've saved Bethlehem, go to the western side of a Peninsula called Arabia, and save a city called Mecca from an invading army calling themselves the Kingdom of Axum. Do not let a single Axumite - Or their own legions of Heartless - get within 50 miles of the city. Another birth of immense importance is to occur there.

This...this couldn't be real. It had to be some joke. Who sent this? And why to her of all people? The Big 3 would be a much better fit to handle something like this, not someone like her... Unsure eyes glanced at the Moogle who was waiting patiently for her to finish, holding out a triangular keychain she's never seen before. Arching an eyebrow at the sight, Capella continued reading:

As proof that we are right, we are sending, with the Moogle, a symbol; a Keychain that empowers the Keyblade, The Moogle bringing the message then brought a triangle of platinum with three symbols at its corners, one a pure golden circle, and the other two finely engraved pictures of Frankinsence and Myrrh. Attach this Keychain onto Halcyon, and attain great power.

Halcyon...looks like this was in fact for her. It wouldn't hurt to try and her curiosity was screaming at her to try out the new keychain being handed to her. It could still very well be trap, but it's not like she couldn't be stopped by another Keyblade wielder if that was the case...right? Taking a quick look around, to see if there was anyone nearby, Capella held out a hand, a starry glow enveloping said hand before her Keyblade replaced the glow. Equipping the keychain, the glow returned, but at a much brighter register. She felt hot, almost to the point of it being uncomfortable, steel eyes shifting to gold as light filled and poured out of them. She was so surprised that she ended up stumbling backwards into her chair with a light thud.

It only lasted for a moment, but once everything returned to normal, including Capella's eyes, the star child's attention fell to her Keyblade, or at least what she remembered to be Halcyon.

This letter was telling the truth, she'd even seen a bit of it for herself beforehand, but what would saving one boy do anything in the grand scheme of things? Taking a look at the remaining paragraph on the unsigned letter, Capella furrowed her brows. She...she was just going to be sent on 'errands'? Well...it wasn't like she had anything else better to do anyways. It'll been tough leaving The Milky Way, but if this task fell to her, then she had no choice. Putting away Halcyon, retrieving a few books that she remembers stuck out to her when she read them before, and allowing the Moogle to take her to the Gummi Ship, Capella was off to Renovation.


The trip to the Palace of the Balchranae was tame, much to Capella's surprise. At least things weren't going to get too hectic immediately. No, instead the girl was greeted with the sight of a magnificent palace and luscious architecture as far as the eye could see. She almost didn't want to go down and instead take a lap around the whole place, but unfortunately now wasn't the time to enjoy herself. She was here for business.

Stepping out of the ship with one hand holding the veil upon her head, Capella glanced around curiously. Was she going to meet the writer of said letter out here? Or maybe she was late and the requester was already with the other people that received letters? She was only able to ponder the thought for a little bit before a shaky voice caught her off guard. Tensing up a bit before looking towards the man now in front of her, Capella stared with wide eyes, not quite sure how to even react to the sudden bowing gesture. However, after a little bit of thought, and the nervousness of human interaction slowly ebbing away, Capella caught on to where this guy was probably from. While she was confident in her ability to read Japanese, speaking it was a completely different story, so she opted for English like the man, Ryuzaki, had.

"H-Hello. Capella Auriga." Returning the bow with a nervous smile, the girl looked back up at the other, not quite sure if they were going to be working together or not. He didn't seem like he'd be a problem; honestly, he already made a very good first impression. Capella could only hope she didn't make a fool of herself or anything like that. "I'm n-not sure...but if you got this letter," she held up the two letters that came with her keychain, "then I think so. I w-wonder who wrote it though..."

And also why them...?

@Nerevarine@Double

Palace of the Blachrenae, Renovation

Damianos was not uncompassionate - He knew that Auxientia needed help, but was unsure if she'd take well to the usual ways of tending to traumatized children. So, before the Emperor and Empress continued, he stepped forward to say, "Before we begin the exposition, let's take care of one of our visitors first."

Pointing his wand at Auxentia, Damianos muttered a spell, which instantly caused all the dirt and grime on her to magically vanish, and her crude dress to become a gown of silk and brocade. A small table with several fine honeycakes and some cups of pasteurized milk then appeared in front of her - Strangely, there was enough for Dan and the others as well. "We can delay the speech for a few seconds while you two and anyone else who wants to eat, well, eats."

A few minutes' pause ensued as the Emperor and Empress nodded and agreed, and at the end of the few minutes' pause, Damianos then went to the Emperor's side and said, "Now we can begin the exposition, which, when finished, will also explain to Sunja how we can defeat Leo and his... Wizardry."

He then cleared his throat and altered the mystic hologram he was projecting to show a single Earth, a blue-green globe spinning silently in the cosmos, while the Empress began to narrate, "In the Original Earth, in the years 2019 to 2020 Christian Era, there was once a boy named Ascot, who believed that the world was heading headlong into destruction."

The hologram then zoomed into the North American Continent, where a young man with black hair and eyes - Just like Tocsax, who should have made his apperance by now - was reading a book on a desk already stacked with them.



Empress Maria then continued, "Ascot was a genius, smart and inquisitive beyond his years. But due to his belief that the people of the world were destroying themselves, he searched and searched for a way to prevent such a calamity. And he found it in old texts and new physics, ones that spoke of a mysterious force that we know today as The Light, or Lux. All Light flowed from a mysterious place called Kingdom Hearts, the Heart of existence."

The hologram shifted to a giant 'heart', one that looked like a stereotypical Valentines' Day Heart, only it glowed blue-and-white, while its left side was marked with darker spots that made it look like the Moon's surface. Maria continued, "Kingdom Hearts was protected by its counterpart, the X-blade; pronounced 'Key-blade'. And Ascot managed to summon said X-blade to himself, becoming its legitimate owner and giving him the power to save his world... Just as the nations of the world were launching weapons of great power - Nuclear Missiles."

Damianos added, "Nuclear Missiles, to those who do not know, are instruments of war that can cause conflagrations which could destroy entire cities."

((To be continued in Part 2.))

@Double@Gisk@Shiyonichi@Nerevarine@Gentlemanvaultboy@ShadowVentus