Taivas

When Dotty started singing Taivas wished he had stayed on the island to be consumed by the darkness. The next stop would be getting earplugs so he doesn’t have to listen to her talk. “I think we’re in some sort of purgatory, and Dotty is our torturer.” He said, responding to Zen. Ignoring Dotty and trying to have a conversation with the storekeeper.

Cid glared at Taivas, not liking being called old. “Tsk, who are ya callin old man ya little punk.” He leaned over the counter while puffing on the cigarette in his mouth. Blowing some of the smoke in Tavias’ face. The blonde man is increasingly annoyed by Dotty’s singing and the smoke blowing in his face.

“Whatever, look I’m just here looking to buy a ship. I gotta get out of here for some personal business. Do you have one in stock or not?” Taivas let out a sigh of relief when Dotty stopped talking and left the store. “Yeah, I’ll see ya later.” He said waving her off.

“Ya do huh, well it’s gonna cost ya they ain’t cheap ya know.” Cid responded, moving the cigarette away from his mouth.

“How much is it gonna cost?” Taivas asked, having a bad feeling about what he would say next.

“Well, I’d estimate it’ll be around 1000 munny for the cheapest ship I got.” Cid’s answer made Taivas look quite shocked.

“Damn? Maybe I can get a discount or something.” This comment made Cid laugh, shaking his head.

“Mmmm, I might be able to. What is this personal business you were talking about?” Cid said that Taivas then regaled him with his time on Destiny Island and left with Zac. And him trying to find his friends. Mentioning Adian and Xena by name. He even showed them the picture to see if he had seen him.

“Ya meet Zac, eh? Mmm, I saw the guy. He was asking around for someone named Taivas. I guess that person is you? He said he was heading to Olympus to see if you were there.” He said with a slight smile on his face. “I guess you're desperate to find these people. So how about I discount it to 500 since you are so keen on finding em.” Mentioning this still made Taivas annoyed but at least it was somewhat cheaper.

“Alright, I’ll get the munny, and then I’ll be back for the ship.” He sure hoped those dogs could cough up enough for the ship. Leaving the shop and to the dalmaintine’s house. “So we got your kid back, what’s our reward?” He said curtly to the two of them.

Dotty approached the house, Freckles next to her. Looking up at the door, she looked down at herself and realized she was still human. "You don't want to meet them like this?" Zen-Aku asked.

"Not really... Ah well." She shrugged before knocking at the door. Immediately, she would see the large black ears and nose of Pongo look out from behind the curtains before opening the door and looking down.

"Don't mention anything about them being your grandparents. Freckles is young enough to not really think about that sort of thing, but they may be... Less enthusiastic." Zen-Aku said, looking at the big Dalmatian.

"Just like episode 92..." She whispered as her eyes started beaming again. The door flew open and Pongo looked her up and down, before looking down at Freckles.

"FRECKLES, MY DEAR OLD SON!!!" He jumped with joy as Freckles bounded in through the door and straight up to their mother.

"MY DEAR BABY!" Perdita yelled, immediately nuzzling her face against his.

"Mother!" Freckles replied. "Father! This is my friend, Dotty. She's a Dalmatian too!" Pongo turned and looked her up and down.

"Don't be silly, lad, she's a pet." He laughed. Zen-Aku petted her on the shoulder and looked down at her.

"Keep calm... Don't give yourself away." Zen-Aku ordered. Dotty took a deep breath, then took a step forward.

"Hiimdottyandimadalmatianjustlikeyoubutimstuckinhumanformduetoweirdmagicsmakingmeandpoodlewolftheinvisiblespiritthatturnsmeintoagiantwolfmonsterlinkedtogetherimyourgreatgreatgreatlotsmoregreatsgrandaughtermymommyanddaddyaredouganddelilahandmommytoldmelotsoftimesthestoryabouthowyoudefeatedthedevillewomanandimsoreallyreallyreallyexcitedtomeetyou!!!" She splattered out. Pongo and Perdita looked at each other rather concerned.

"I'm sorry, Perdita my love, but i did not get a word of that." He responded. Perdita put a paw on Dottys chest.

"Darling, take a deep breath and try again." She said, reassuringly. Dotty teared up at this, a small trail of snot running down her face, as the paw on her stomach almost immediately took her flashing back to her own mother doing that. "Oh no, dear, don't cry." She cooed softly, her tongue licking up the tear and the snot. A mild look of disgust went across Zen-Aku's face.

"Sorry, you just... Look a lot like my mommy." She replied. Pongo looked rather perplexed by this.

"Well... I'm no judge of pet standards of beauty but i think that's a compliment?" He replied. His head cocked to the side as he looked at the child. "Well, if you're missing your mother, i'm sure that we wouldn't mind having you stay here for a while. We have been talking about getting a new pet after..." A look of sadness crossed his face as he remembered his dear pet, Roger. Perdita seemed to be the one putting on the brave face as she also remembered the happy times with her pet Anita. "Well, as i said, we're in the market for something." Dotty seemed to perk up at this suggestion.

"Nah, me and Poodlewolf have got places to be, bad guys to fight and more U... Puppy's to rescue." She smiled.

"Yes, i'd normally have no problems going out and looking for them, but there's nobody else here in case they do come back. and it'll take both of us to do it." He rubbed his face against Perdita's affectionately.

"Yeah, i know the story about your battle with the devilwoman."

"Oh, you know about the devilwoman?" Pongo asked.

"Of course, we have the song on greatgruncle Freckles' old music horn." She said, just as Taivas opened the door to find himself being, unwittingly sentancing himself, again, to the pergatory that he had found himself in twice already and was about to be sent to again as music began to waft in from no-where.



As Taivas asked for the payment, Pongo nodded, before walking over to the corner and began pushing a pink box with a bow tied around it towards Taivas. Freckles walked over, sniffed the box and barked at it. "Indeed, i did promise a reward. I believe this would be fitting." He sat down. Dotty immediately attacked the box like... Well, the hyperactive child she was. Inside was 500 munny.

"THAT'S ENOUGH MUNNY FOR A BUNCH OF ICE-CREAM!!!" She yelled. "OR 500 MUNNYCHEWS, WE COULD BUY THEM AND SEE IF WE CAN FIT ALL OF THEM IN OUR MOUTHS AT THE EXACT SAME TIME!!!"

Taivas

As the song was starting, Tavias plugged his ears with his fingers. Humming loudly, trying to drown out her little song. Again, the thought of leaving her here came up. And it was pretty tempting to do this so he didn’t have to hear her sing again. Tavias was staring up at the ceiling, hoping the song would be over. Occasionally, he would remove his fingers, and if she were still singing, he would plug them back up again. He removed his fingers, sighing relief when she stopped singing. “Thank god.” Taivas opened the bag, being glad there was enough for the ship.

“If we find more of your kids, I’ll return them to you.” He said, hoping the rewards would be as good as this one. Pocketing the money before heading out of the door, waiting for a moment for Dotty to follow him. Opening the door, he was met by Cid glaring at him behind the counter. Taivas slammed down the money on the counter with a smile. “Here ya go. 500 munny.”

Cid took the money and got Taivas and Dotty to follow him to a nearby garage. Cid uncovered a dirty and somewhat rustic looking ship. “What the hell is this?” Tavias’ face seemed quite angry and frustrated.

“It’s the cheapest ship I got. It’s not much of a looker, but it’ll get you where you need to go.” Cid took a drag on his cigarette.

Taivas begrudgingly pushed the ship out of the garage. Getting into the spaceship, waiting for Dotty to get inside. Starting up the ship and flying into the starry sky of the world. Luckily, he had also “bought” some earplugs and would use them so he wouldn’t listen to Dotty. Seemingly being deep in thought, he followed the directions to Deep Jungle that Merlin had provided.

Taivas hoped that he would be able to find some more clues on his friend’s whereabouts. His eyes stared at the stars and other worlds that were covered in some sort of strange mist. He was annoyed when he would have to avoid the occasional obstacle in the way. But they finally arrived on the world, with Taivas landing the ship.

“Okay, we’re here. Stay close to me and dont do anything stupid.” He got out of the ship and headed out hoping to find someone who could help him.

Dotty frowned as Taivas handed over the money to Cid for the ship. "Awww, i wanted the munnychews..." She groaned. She got into the cockpit next to him as the ship blasted off through The Space Between. Watching the weird and wonderful things that had fallen through the cracks of the worlds. During the trip, she sat back in her chair and looked at the control panel that Taivas had specifically activated the child lock on. Zen-Aku being rather glad of this. He wasn't sure how much damage she could do with it, but he had the feeling it was a lot. As the spiritual wolf monster looked out of the window, he saw a glowing, spectral, yellow, mechanical eagle fly past the window. He looked at the large eagle and heard it screech.

"Magestic..." He grunted.

"I try my best." Dotty smiled.

"No, that eagle." Dotty looked out of the window the way he was pointing.

"What Eagle?" She asked, staring directly at the eagle Zen-Aku was looking at. He looked confused at her. She clearly saw nothing.

"Nothing, never mind..." He simply continued to stand. Dotty slowly moved over to Taivas in the control seat.

"This thing got an MP3 player?" She asked... Taivas clearly ignored her. She frowned. "Alright, i can solve this one." As music began slowly creeping into the cabin from seemingly no-where again. "IT'S A SMALL WORLD AFT-" Instantly the music was cut off as Zen-Aku's spectral hand grabbed her mouth.

"ANYTHING... But that one..." Zen-Aku growled in a far more sinister tone than she had ever heard out of him before.

"OoOoOoOh" She sarcastically called to him. "Alright, mr Grumpy-bumpy pants." She sat down and huffed. Finally they closed in on the world that they were going to. A strange world that looked entirely made of jungle. As they arrived in the mists. Dotty walked out and into what looked like a giant tree canopy. Walking along a large branch, Taivas told her to ignore her base instincts. "Of course i'm gonna stay close, i'm not a complete idi-IIIIIIIIIIIIII" She screamed as she slipped on the slicked branch, falling out of the tree and straight down, screaming the whole way. Zen-Aku's spirit jumped off with her.

"PUT ON THE MASK!!!" He yelled, she grabbed the mask and pulled it to her face, but she was screaming too much to say the sacred incantations. Zen-Aku managed to grab her and put himself in front of her to cushion the blow as she fell straight through a wooden roof and into a house bellow her. Zen-Aku slowly got up and pushed her off of him. "You alright?"

"I'm good." She chirped. They looked around the house. An old, dilapidated looking house, completely devoid of any sort of life. She found an old photo of a regal looking man, woman and baby. "Think it's their house?" She asked. She then looked over at something in the corner. "Cool, leopard-skin rug." Dotty pointed at the Jaguar with enormous teeth that was staring at her like she was the last donut in the cop shop.

"Dotty... Put on the mask..." Zen-Aku replied as he stared at the angry jaguar. In one swift bound, it jumped straight at Dotty and with a single swipe of its mighty paw, sent her sprawling across the room, landing upside down. "THE MASK!!!" He roared at her, but Dotty had hit her head and seemed a little punch-drunk. Hitting the mask against her face.

"Ummm... I... Poodlewolf... Need to take a little nap now... You take him..." The Jaguar approached her licking his lips. Zen-Aku grabbed Dotty's arms and forced her to bring the mask to her face.

"SAY THE WORDS, SAY THE WORDS OR YOU'RE DEAD!!!" He yelled. As it jumped at her for the killing blow, a gust of wind blew through the house heralded by the sound of a Trumpeting Elephant. Zen-Aku turned around to see the Jaguar having been sent flying across the room and into the boxes and it struggled and writhed around in the boxes. Meanwhile the man who did it simply stood and looked at the Jaguar. It was an old man who stood, flourishing his arms and standing in a pose. He had long white hair and a stern face, he seemed to wear a strange martial artists outfit with a strange symbol on the back.

"MIGHTY SPIRIT OF THE ELEPHANT!!!" He roared, stamping his feet and the Jaguar fell over again. Zen-Aku sat and watched as the old man threw several powerful punches as the Jaguar charged him again, before grabbing it by the scruff and throwing it away again. At that point, Taivas made his entrance. The old man nodded to Taivas, but Taivas would be unable to see him. "I'll leave this to you, young one." He said, before fading away back into the aether.

"OLD MAN, WAIT!!!" Zen-Aku yelled running towards the man as he faded away. He then looked outside and saw a large cloud shaped like an elephant "OLD MAN!!! WHO ARE YOU!?!?!? TELL ME!!!" Zen-Aku bayed at the cloud. He saw flashes in his mind of a mighty, great mechanical elephant that made the same sound... Was it fighting him or was he fighting alongside it. He then turned around and watched Taivas fight the Jaguar.

@mattmanganon

Taivas

Taivas slapped his forehead as he watched Dotty fall out of the tree. Slowly, he followed behind her, hoping she would not get hurt too much. He started jumping from tree branch to tree branch, cutting down the branches in his way. “I told you to stay close to me." he said when he finally met Dotty. He scanned the area they were inside. It looked like an abandoned house, and he noticed a large portrait of a man and woman holding a baby. He wondered who was living here before it became abandoned.

His eyes peered over towards the figure in the corner of the room. “Shit.” Taivas got in front of Dotty, summoning his keyblade. “Get behind me.” He stood his ground as the jaguar was coming closer towards them. But, of course, she had gotten a hit in before it could pounce on them. “Useless.” He muttered while charging at the jaguar. The jaguar came running at him; its claws extended as it pounced at Taivas.

The jaguar’s claws dug into Taivas’ shoulder, making him be flung backwards. But his keyblade slammed into the jaguar’s body. “Son of a bitch.” He held his bloody shoulder. He held his hand out, firing some shadowy spears at the jaguar. “Eat this!” He screamed, but the spears were evaded as the jaguar dodged the attack. The jaguar again started running towards Taivas. But as it got closer to Taivas, a spear was thrown at the jaguar. A large shirtless man jumped down armed with a stone knife, screaming as loud as he could. The man jumped on the jaguar’s back, stabbing it once in the jaguar’s clawing arm. The beast fled the house with Taivas holding his wound.

“Tsk, I almost had em. Who are you?” He said, making the man turn towards them.

“Me Tarzan…” He stood upright, walking over to pick up his spear.

“My name is Taivas…and this Id. This is Dotty.” Taivas said before continuing to speak. I am looking for two people, and i was told they were here before.” Taivas showed the image of his friends, hoping he had seen him.

“Yes…saw them speaking to Jane…I take you to Jane.” Tarzan said and motioned for them to follow him.

PJ, Max, and Daisy's trip was pretty uneventful so far. They managed to avoid the chaos in-between worlds via some "shortcuts" PJ knew. They were currently flying in the space near Traverse Town when Max finally asked, "Hey, PJ. How do you know how to get to Wonderland?"

"Oh, I don't." PJ replied confidently while keeping his eyes forward.

"Wait, you don't? Then where are we going?" Max asked.

PJ shrugged. "I thought I'd just fly until I found it. It's not that hard a world to spot."

Daisy's eyes widened. She couldn't believe she was trusting a teenager to actually take things seriously. "I rather not be lost in the Space Between Worlds. We're near Traverse Town. Let's stop there and get directions from Merlin."

"Merlin?" Max asked, sitting up in his chair. "I haven't seen him since my trip to Camelot with my dad and King Mickey. What's he doing there?"

"It's his home away from home as he travels between worlds. Go on, PJ. Straight to Traverse Town."

"Yes, ma'am." PJ nodded before making his direction to the world for marooned souls.

---

PJ stayed on the Gummi Ship while Max and Daisy entered the First District of Traverse Town and were met with another trio holding a sign that read, "ITEM SHOP: GRAND OPENING". This was a group of young ducklings Daisy was all too familiar with.

"Huey, Dewey, and Louie, what on Mickey's Magic Kingdom are you doing here?"

"Aunt Daisy!?" The duck trio yelled out in unison as they dropped their sign on their webbed feet. They jumped in shock in pain before falling back down to land crisscross applesauce to rub their injured feet. "First Uncle Donald and now Aunt Daisy. Who's next, Uncle Scrooge? We're just here trying to make money."

"Wait. Donald's here? They haven't found the Prince, yet?"

Huey shook his head and spoke. "Last we saw, he and Mr. Goofy were still looking for him."

"The last thing I need to hear is my dad telling me I should be home. Let's get to Merlin's." Max said, preparing to head to the next district.

"Or Donald worrying about me. Let's go." Daisy agreed.

"Before you go." Huey said, stopping them. "You should talk to Cid. He has a book of Merlin's that both are too lazy to cross districts to exchange. They call it being busy, but they're not the ones opening a new shop."

Daisy laughed to herself, forgetting that she wasn't in the court and didn't have to be a proper lady. "Just be careful, okay?" She said to her nephews before heading to Cid's shop with Max.

---

Meanwhile Donald and Goofy finished searching the Third District and there were still no signs of the keyblade wielding prince. Donald was beyond annoyed by this point. "WHERE IS HE!?" He yelled out to no one in particular with a bright red and searing face.

"Why don't we cool off and think? Aha! What if we asked Merlin to help us find him?"

"As if that old quack knows anything." Donald responded, his face now returned to normal.

"Well, we couldn't find him on our own so it doesn't hurt to try. And you know what they say. If you've searched everywhere, it's the one place you haven't looked." Goofy said confidently.

"It's always the last place that you look." Donald corrected.

"You sure? This is the last place we looked and he wasn't here."

"... Fine. We'll ask him." Donald said in defeat, heading to the otherworldly magician's home.

---

---

Someone didn't like how easy of a time Alias and Alice were having on their journey through Wonderland. Alias' presence alone was already providing a better experience for Alice than she was supposed to have, but Alice being here and happy kept Alias from falling into despair or thinking too deeply about not knowing where his friends were. He was able to compartmentalize and focus on keeping Alice safe and getting her answers from the White Rabbit and hopefully staying off the Queen's Radar. If it only it could be that simple.

The downside to having a carefree life back on Destiny Islands was the inability to discern when things have been going a little too well. Now he was about to learn just what it meant to wait for the other shoe to drop. It dropped hard when they arrived to the Queen's Court to see it and everyone in a state of distress. Flowers that were painted red were destroyed, card soldiers and their weapons laid flat across the yard. The Queen of Hearts was furiously yelling in the distance.

"My word. What could've happened here?" Alice asked. She had never seen anything like it. Things started off weird here, but they hadn't been this bad. "Could it be the heartless again?"

"I don't know," Alias replied while conjuring his keyblade. "But stay close to me." He walked forward to fully enter the Court with Alice following closely behind them.

The White Rabbit was frantically pacing back and forth until he noticed Alias and Alice. "It's them! It's them! The monsters have returned!"

"Monsters?" Alice asked, looking behind her and Alias. No one else was there besides them. "You can't possibly mean us."

"Only monsters could do this. You've upset the poor Queen!"

The Queen of Hearts turned into a fury to spy Alias and Alice. "The nerve. To return to the scene of the crime! Off with your heads!" A silence followed as she had no readily available soldiers to deal with these threats.

"But we just got here!" Alias pointed out. "We couldn't have done this. Give us a chance to find the real monsters."

"They looked like you! But... since my other soldiers won't be here for a while I'll spare your life for now and give you one chance to find the true culprits and bring them or evidence back. But if you come back to attack we'll be ready to take those heads of yours!"

Alias gulped and nodded to show that he understood. Alice nodded nonstop like a bobblehead until Alias grabbed the back of her hair to get her to stop. "Yes, your majesty." He finally said, rubbing his neck. He grabbed Alice's hand to run them out of there so they could find these monstrous doppelgangers.

"Alias, how can heartless look like us?" Alice asked inquisitively as they disappeared into another dense forest.

Zen-Aku watched Taivas and the mostly naked man enter to prevent Dotty from being eaten. He thanked whatever creator that they had succeeded as the Jaguar jumped out of the window and ran. Dotty tried to stumble to her feet. "I'M COMING ELIZABETH!" She called before falling flat on her face, unconscious. Zen-Aku sighed and walked over to her. He stared down at her unconscious form. He poked her with his foot, before looking at Taivas.

"Can you pick her u... Ugh, you can't even see me..." He thought for a second. He tried picking her up, but after a few seconds, she phased through him and onto the floor. He then bent over and grabbed her hand, before curling her finger into a point and writing "She's out cold. You will need to carry her." In the dust on the floor. Well, while she was out, there wasn't much he could do. Tarzan walked straight through him as he approached Taivas, as if to punctuate his point. "I hate being incorporeal..." He growled. Maybe... Maybe while he was stuck in this state, he might still be able to do something useful... Running over to the window, he sniffed deeply and smelled the smell of spirit energy. He then catapulted out through the window, jumping through the forest.

Continuing to follow the smell of spirit magics through the jungle, he flashed through the tree's and up the large mountain in the middle of the island, getting near to the top of the mountain, the smell became inescapable. He stopped and looked around, before seeing a cabin in the side of the mountain. He approached the cabin, attempting to walk straight through the door, but ended up only bumping into it. He was used to phasing through doors like this... This was weird... He then knocked at the door and waited for a few seconds. Then, he heard a swooshing sound beind him. He turned around to see a man in a green and white outfit. "Who are you? Are you the old man from before?" The man then drew a weapon. It was an ornate handle with a chain leading down to a ball on the end of it. The man then flourished the weapon, not making a sound, swinging it around, as if dancing with it. He then smashed the ball on the ground and stared up at Zen-Aku. Zen-Aku then adopted his own fighting stance. "I am more than able to defend myself if you insist on this." He growled. The man rushed him, swinging the weapon, the chain wrapped around his arm with the metal ball striking him in the shoulder, Zen-Aku then spun, pulling the man into him, before backhanding him with the other hand, the man fell on his back, but quickly flipped back up and used the chain to pull Zen-Aku into a grapple, Zen-Aku flipped him over his head, with the man landing on his feet, a roundhouse kick followed from Zen-Aku next, the man backflipping, landing on his hands before flipping back in front of Zen-Aku with a punch straight towards his snout. Zen-Aku pushed the fist to one side, before the other fist came at his face, sending Zen-Aku spinning backwards, but the chain once again kept him in close quarters, pulling him back in, before wrapping his arm around Zen-Aku's throat and pulling him backwards, so that Zen-Aku was bent over backwards, Zen-Aku then swung his legs over their shoulder and landed on his feet. He rung the chain off before reached his arm out and his Creasant Moon blade appeared, he flourished it as he prepared for the next phase of the fight.

"ENOUGH!" A voice split through the mountain and the man in the suit stopped, before fading to dust before Zen-Aku's eyes. Zen-Aku looked around and saw the man open the door and walk out. It was the man who had saved Dotty. "Why have you come here?" The old man asked. Zen-Aku got down on one knee.

"You... You saved my host. I have come to thank you and to ask you about the power you possess. It is so very familiar to me." The old man shook his head.

"And what kind of power might a Duke Org find familair?" The man asked. Zen-Aku was taken aback.

"A Duke Org... You know about me?" He asked. The man looked him up and down.

"An Elephant never forgets..." He grunted. "But it seems the Wolf does... It's that horn, only Orgs have those. And your stance is fully humanoid, that indicates something higher, but you're not Nazor, Mandilok or Retinax, meaning you're not a General. So you must be a Duke." He answered. So, Duke Orgs were humanoids with a large horn like his. That was... Well, that was at least more than the Wizard gave him.

"Nazor... Who are they?" He asked, his face and voice more confused now than before. The old man looked him up and down before approaching and placing his hand on Zen-Aku's chest, closing his eyes. He suddenly opened them and took a few steps back.

"That's... Not..." He looked very visibly flustered, equally as confused about this as Zen-Aku. He looked down and then up as if contemplating something, he then turned around and walked back inside of his hut, not closing the door behind him. "Well, what are you waiting for? Come on in." He called. Zen-Aku took several brave steps inside, only to see that this house was... Well, exactly as it looked on the outside. Dusty, cold, scrolls laying everywhere, nobody had cleaned in here for some time, except for the dishes which were all immaculate. The old man sat down in a large chair and guestured Zen-Aku to sit in the smaller chair across from him. "So..." He began as Zen-Aku took his seat. "You don't know who you are... Where you are... Where you are going... Where you come from..." He grunted. "But... You have a Heart. Which is... Odd to say the least." He once again looked around as if still mulling over this moral choice.

"I am... Heartless?" He asked, looking at his hands.

"No, no, no. Heartless are not part of the natural order. They are abominations from outside of it. You are very much a part of your natural order... It's just that your kind tends not to have hearts... Although yours is very faint... Very whimsical. Almost-"

"Like a childs heart... No, that's not my heart. I am linked by a curse to the child you saved. You must have heard her heart through me." The old Elephant man simply stared at Zen-Aku.

"Perhaps..." He replied. "You faught my Dream Eater without problem. Most would have been easily destroyed. This makes you a... Interesting case..." He once again looked around. His mouth seemed to quibble quickly as if having a conversation with someone. "Tell me why your really sought me out?" He asked.

"Because i require answers and you may be the only one with them." Zen-Aku replied, matter-of-factly.

"No, that's why you followed me, but why did you come in here?" He asked. "I gave you answers and yet you followed. You assumed i had more, but that's not enough. Why did you REALLY follow me in here?" Zen-Aku cocked his head to the side, now very confused.

"Because... You invited me?" He asked, continuing to try and play through this game that he clearly hadn't been taught the rules of. The man nodded his head, mouthing Zen-Aku's words back to him.

"Yes, i invited you. You could have burst down my door and demanded answers, you could have given me a royal thrashing and demanded them, but you didn't, why not? You know i am not unarmed, so don't give me any of that honour warrior nonsense." He replied.

"Because..." He watched the man wait with bated breath. "Because that would have been rude..." The man mouthed the words along with him as they came out of his mouth.

"Because it would have been rude!" He laughed, repeating him, before laughing out loud. He then got to his feet and walked over to a scroll and opened it. He read it a few times, before rolling it back up again. "Alright. Your training begins now then." He said, looking rather excited. Zen-Aku got up, still very confused.

"I don't need training, i need answers." He protested.

"Just as one does not discuss business on an empty stomach, one does not answer questions on an empty soul. Come, you will need this if you are to continue." He walked out of the hut. Zen-Aku rolled his eyes and got up to follow the old man.

"Old man, i don't even know your name." He growled.

"You may call me Master... Master Phant."

@mattmanganon

Taivas

Taivas picked up Dotty and started following Tarzan. “Idiot.” He muttered to the girl while keeping an eye out for that jaguar. “So what was that thing that attacked us?” He asked Tarzan, whom he assumed knew what that animal attacked him was. A little part of him felt he had encountered that animal before.

“That Sabor. Been trying kill me since me baby.” Tarzan said while swinging from tree to tree. Taivas shook his head, swinging one hand, keeping Dotty close to his body. The three moved from tree to tree before finally settling on the ground.

“So that thing has it out for you eh. Why haven’t you just hunted it down and killed it?” Taivas was confused about why Tarzan hadn’t killed Sabor earlier.

The half naked man just shrugged his shoulders. Telling Taivas that he tried but could not because of how quick Sabor was. “Looks like I’ve had to do the job for you. Could be nice to have a jaguar rug in the ship.” Taivas said, chuckling softly. When they finally reached the tent, Tarzan was the first to enter. A few moments later, a tall man sporting a mustache carrying a double-barreled shotgun walked out of the tent. Glaring at Taivas, who was still carrying Dotty. Taivas followed Tarzan inside.

Taivas noticed a woman wearing a yellow dress. The woman was fumbling with what looked like a projector. She turned to face Taivas, smiling softly. “Hello, you must be the people Tarzan told me about. My name is Jane. “ She walked over, holding out her hand for Taivas to shake.

The blonde teenager shook her hand before speaking. “So I heard from Tarzan that you had seen my friends. When did you see them? And what did they do here?” He asked Jane showing her a picture of his friends.

“I did see them, but they weren’t here long since they couldn’t find you here. But I do remember they thought you could have gone to some place with a collisum. I’m sorry i couldn’t be much help.” Jane said sadly while returning the locket. "Although there was someone else looking for you. A man in a black cloak wielded some strange key shaped weapon.

“Damn it.” Taivas kicked over a nearby table, scaring Jane. But the mention of the other person did spark his interest. The memory of the old man from before came into his mind. Was it the old man. Why was he looking for him. “Tsk, thanks.” He said sarcastically while putting the locket back around his neck. “Looks like we're gonna have to go looking someplace else.” Of course, as soon as he said this, a large female gorilla came running into the tent.

Speaking some sort of strange langauge Taivas couldn't understsnd. Kala, the large female gorilla was looking quite distressed. Tarzan quickly moved to comfort Kala. When asked by Jane what what was going on, Tarzan mentioned his friend Terk was being chased by some shadowy creatures.

“Shadowy reatures?” Taivas thought the creatures from before might have infested this world as well. “Sounds like we got a big problem on our hands. I know how to deal with these things; i can help but for a price.”

“Well, I could give you some items and money if you help Terk.” Jane said, sounding conflicted about whether she should even give Taivas anything. He was a stranger to her. But if he had experience dealing with these creatures, perhaps he could save Terk.

“Here, make sure this idiot doesn't get into more trouble. ” Taivas handed Dotty over to Jane while leaving with Tarzan to save Terk.

Tik... Tok... Tik... Tok...

The rhythmic drone of the clock layered a blanket of tension over the otherwise silent hotel room. Sat in near perfect stillness at the table, Squall Leonhart, or "Leon" as he had become known, listened on to the timepiece as though he was counting to something, or measuring out the time elapsing. In a rare but subtle movement he cast a glance to the nearby bed. Yuffie, his young companion, was lounging atop the covers, feet and head bobbing to an unheard tune; contrary to Leon's intense focus, the girl seemed unbothered by the time spent waiting. Leon held his gaze upon her, perplexed, yet amused and, in a small way inspired by Yuffie's commitment to a carefree attitude amid such difficult times.

But even the ninja's lax demeanor couldn't rub off on him enough to clear him of all worry. They were short one person, and had been for several hours. Unable to continue containing himself Leon moved in a more sudden and sweeping manner. He kicked out from the table, the chair sliding back and tipping onto the floor with a loud thud. Yuffie's head perked up curiously, though unrattled. "Something getting you, Squall?" she asked, not rising from the bed.

"It's been too long," Leon began pacing. "Aerith should have been back from her rounds by now."

"Mhmmmm. You're not wrong. But it's not like she's never done this before. You know she likes to stop and appreciate things, smell the roses and all."

"I know. But this... tonight feels different. I can't explain it." Leon made his way towards the door, taking up his Gunblade as he crossed the room. "I'm gonna go look for her."

"Gee," Yuffie sat up, though stayed on the bed. "You want me to come with?"

"No. Stay here. Hold down the fort. I shouldn't be long."

"You got it boss!" Yuffie gave Leon a hearty thumbs up and resumed her lounging posture.

Leon exited and tread down the empty hallway. His footfalls seemed to echo through the silence as he made his way out to the streets. "Be safe out there tonight," a voice from behind a drawn curtain at the check-in desk called after him as he stepped outside. He emerged into a cool, crisp, and comfortable night, breathing in the fresh air to clear himself of the cramped hotel room. He scanned the plaza below, and along the raised walkways hoping to see Aerith, but saw no one. Deciding that Cid might have seen her, he hastily went to the First District.

---

"Leon." Cid recognized him just by the sound of him entering.

"Hey Cid. Aerith hasn't been through yet tonight, has she?" Leon cut straight to the chase.

"Nah. Haven't seen her." Cid gleaned Leon's disappointment and added, "but another old friend did come through."

Leon's interest was piqued. He stepped closer to the counter. "Who?"

"That Zac fellow. The Gummi ship pilot.

"Oh."

"And he says he's got a few refugees along with him. Scooped ‘em up on the last world he dropped into... dropped literally by the sound of it."

"Is he still around?"

"Probably. He mentioned needing to get that ship of his fixed up before leaving. Reckon you've got time to catch up with him. Speaking of catching up, did a kid named 'Hoshi' find you?"

"Nope. Haven't run into any newcomers tonight. But I guess that'll change once I find Zac."

"Likely so. Anyways I told Hoshi to find you. But she's apparently got friends with Zac anyways. So I'm sure she'll find someone before too long. You'd best check in with Zac in the meantime. I'll let Aerith know you're looking for her if she comes by."

"Got it." Leon nodded and left the shop. It didn't take him long before he found the familiar Gummi ship. Within the vessel he could hear the sound of tinkering and repairs being made. "Well this brings back memories," he spoke over the busy noise, reminiscing on the first time Zac had crash-landed in Traverse Town.

Zac was kneeling on the fuselage of his ship, busying himself with something with his back to Leon. ”Yeah, no salvaging that one,” he muttered, holding a part he had just disconnected to examine closely. ”I had a feeling. Looks like I was right to get an all-new one from Cid.” He was about to toss it over his shoulder when Leon’s voice startled him, causing him to drop the somewhat heavy part on his thumb. He yelped and held his hand as he turned back, breaking into a grin despite the pain when he saw his old friend. ”Long time no see, Leon!” he exclaimed as he hopped off of his ship.

As the pain subsided, he shook his hand as he approached Leon. ”What brings you by?” he asked. ”If it’s about that ten munny I borrowed, you’re gonna have to wait a bit longer. I already owe Cid a crateful for the parts he gave me.”

Leon held a hand up, saying “Don’t worry about the munny. Cid said you were in town; I figured I’d check in while I had the chance.” He took a good look at Zac’s Gummi ship and nearly cracked a smile in his facade. “By the looks of it, you’ve been roughing it again.”

Zac turned to look back at his ship just in time to see a panel fall from the underside. He let out a sigh and said, ”You could say that. Got into a dogfight and ended up crash-landing on some world on the same day it got swallowed by Darkness. Ended up playing emergency evacuation to a few people. It’s been an eventful day…or two? I’m actually not sure how long it’s been.”

He wiped the back of his hand against his cheek, leaving behind a streak of black grease. Either not noticing or unbothered by it, he turned to Leon and asked, ”Oh, by the way, Cid said he sent someone from that world your way. Hoshi. Was she able to find you alright?”

“Yeah. Cid explained about as much as that. I haven’t run across anyone named Hoshi yet. Doesn’t surprise me really; we’ve been getting more refugees lately. Sometimes it takes a day or two for us to find people. How many more did you bring along from that world?”

As he listened to Leon, Zac made his way back over to the ship and began working on something underneath the wing. ”I brought three more with me,” he said as he pulled a scorched component out of the wing and tossed it over his shoulder. He walked over to where Cid had left crates of parts for him and dug around until he found a replacement for the one he pulled out. ”Taivas and Levi, who wandered off on their own to explore when we landed, and Lucian. Lucian asked to see Merlin, so I took him over there before I stopped off at Cid’s, so he should still be there with him.”

He returned to the ship and began installing the part as he continued, ”There were a few more, too, like Hoshi. There was also Morgan, who even I could tell had more going on than it looked. And the last one was Alias, but all three of them were still on that world when it got swallowed, so other than Hoshi, I’ve got no clue where they are or if they’re even still alive.”

“With any luck the missing two ended up somewhere safe.” Though he wanted it to be true Leon knew he was betting against the odds. “The one with Merlin should be well enough where he is though, assuming Merlin is back. I’ll keep an eye out for the other two. In the meantime, do you have any news from around the worlds? Other than the one you just came from, what’s been going on? We’ve… heard rumors here; no way to confirm anything for sure.”

Zac shut the panel and stepped away with a sigh. ”Well…it’s not good,” he stated matter-of-factly. He walked over to the crates of parts and sat on one of them as he said, ”The Heartless have been getting more and more active lately. For every world I save, another gets lost to Darkness. The Ocean Between’s even getting pretty dangerous, as you can probably tell from how Sigrid looks.”

He then leaned forward, elbows resting on his legs as he laced his fingers together. “The Heartless have been acting a bit strange, too. I know they’ve been searching for the Keyholes, but it’s like they’re looking for something else. And I’m sure we both know what that something is.”

Leon grimaced. He knew too well what Zac spoke of. If the legends were true, the Heartless finding it and submitting it to Darkness would be an apocalyptic disaster. “And from the look and sound of it, they’re not as wild and disorganized as they usually are. A few people have even said that the attacks on worlds seem coordinated. The question is, by whom?”

”I’ve been trying to figure that out, but I haven’t had any luck,” Zac replied as he hopped off of the crate. At that moment, his stomach growled and he turned to Leon. ”You hungry? I haven’t eaten since before my crash landing.” Sheepishly, he added, ”And would you mind paying for me? I’m still out of cash…”

Leon shrugged. “I suppose I have some time to grab a quick bi--” the echo of a heavy bell chiming cut Leon off mid sentence. He tore his eyes away from Zac and in the direction of the Second District.

---

A searing pain cut through Hoshi’s chest. She awoke immediately, staring wide at the ceiling above her. Feverish, and still tired, she took in the space as enlarged and warped. Sluggishly, she lifted her head up and looked around. Leon had finished with his tinkering and retreated into his own room; Launchpad remained vigilantly perched upon the windowsill keeping watch upon the plaza below. Careful not to make a stir or too much noise, Hoshi slipped off of the couch, grabbed the black coat hanging nearby, and crept out of the apartment. She descended the stairs in zombie-like fashion, unsure of what deep instinct compelled her.

She didn’t come to her own senses until she stepped out into the back alley behind the building and felt a kick of wind brushed against her. Feeling more awake, she donned the black coat, mostly to stave off the chill of the night. She looked in both directions. To the right was a set of double-doors, marking the way to the Third District; to her right was the way to the open plaza of the Second District. Hoshi opted for the second, turning the corner and facing down the hotel across the way. There, clearly imprinted against the light from the Hotel, stood the silhouette of a dark figure, also adorned by a long, black coat.

All Hoshi could do was stare at the figure, and fight back the tempest that had started beneath her chest. She took a single step forward when a warm touch pressed against her shoulder.

“Ah!” she gave a yelp, but muffled it with her own hands before it had a chance to carry. She spun around on the spot, coming face-to-face with a kind looking woman with long, wavy brown hair and green eyes that felt like looking into a mirror.

“I’m sorry,” the woman said softly. “I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you new here?”

“Uh…” Hoshi lagged in thought before answering properly. “Yeah. Arrived earlier today… tonight? Why?”

“My friends and I have been trying to help refugees as they arrive,” the woman explained. “I’m sorry. My name is Aerith, by the way.”

“Hoshi.” Hoshi nodded and patted her shoulder.

“Well then welcome Hoshi. Have you by chance met Leon? He’s one of my friends.”

“Oh yeah!” Hoshi said, relieved that the woman wasn’t just a random person. “He found me as soon as I got here.”

“That’s wonderful,” Aerith said smiling. “Has he found you a place to stay? If not, we have a safehouse in town where people can stay while we sort all of that out.”

“Yeah. He set me up.” Hoshi pointed up towards the apartment. “He’s up there right now, actually. And Launchpad is there too.”

Aerith’s smile melted away into a confused, if not concerned expression. Hoshi, in turn, gave a quizzical look. “What is it?” She asked.

“Nothing,” Aerith said. “Just… who’s Launchpad?”

Hoshi fell to a loss of words. As she tried and fumbled with what to say, the shrill ringing from the bell tower cut her off. She wheeled back to the plaza, where the familiar masses of Darkness heralded the arrival of Shadows.

“We’ll talk later,” Aerith said. She stepped up next to Hoshi, heading the Heartless off. In her right hand she wielded what looked like a short staff, or a long baton. She flourished the weapon, projecting a wind-like force that cut through one of the Shadows.

Not wanting to be helpless, Hoshi summoned her Keyblade. In spite of a lack of rest, she called upon a burst of speed, and cut down a pair of Shadows that had circled behind Aerith.

“A Keyblade?!” Aerith exclaimed upon seeing the weapon.

“Long story,” Hoshi said. Aerith simply nodded in response.

“We have to get to the First District. We have safeguards there.”

“Right.”

Aerith pointed to the doors to the Third District. “It’ll be easier to go that way.” More Heartless emerged in the plaza before the pair. “You go. I’ll hold them off.”

“Got it!” Hoshi used her speed to rush down the alley towards the double doors.

---

It was a feeling all too familiar to the pair: a pressing weight in the chest, followed seconds later by the Shadows rising up from the cobblestone. Leon drew his Gunblade. “Looks like that meal will need to wait a bit longer. I’ll hold them off; you focus on getting your ship fixed up.”

Zac sighed and turned back to his ship as he said, “Alright, fine. It shouldn’t take too long, so save some for me, alright?” He tapped his foot on the ground a couple of times and a wall of stone erupted around him and his ship, giving him some added protection while he got to work.

“Huh. ‘Save some for me’ yeah.” Leon chuckled under his breath a bit. He swung hard, cutting down a Shadow in its tracks. “Yeah. I can do that..”

Dotty seemed to dance through her slumber, strange faces and places waltzing before her eyes. She seemed to struggle awake and found herself in a strange tent. "Poodlewolf?" She called. She then saw a pet look around at her. A tall woman in a yellow shirt and had long, brown hair. She was... Possibly beautiful, Dogs were a poor judge of human beauty. She yawned and stretched as the woman walked over to her. "Where's Han?" She asked. The woman knelt down next to her bed.

"Well, hello." She smiled. "I'm afraid i don't know a Han. But i'm Jane Porter" She replied. "Was that the name of that rather grumpy individual who dropped you off?" She asked. Dotty was about to confirm this, but then remembered about Han being in disguise at the moment.

"Y-... No, his name is Taivas." She said, not very convincingly.

"Oh, Taivas. Very odd name, but then again, Tarzan tells me that Mr Clayton is a very strange name to him. So, is that a London Accent i hear?"

"Oh yeah, i'm from Camdon." She replied.

"And Mr Taivas is... Your Father?" Jane asked. Dotty smiled, bit her lip, then began snickering, before fell back into the bed laughing maniacally.

"DON'T ME WEEEEEIRD!!!" She laughed maniacally. "Oooh dear... Nah, my dads name is Doug, he's a Fireman."

"Oh, brave man then. My father is..." She looked around and huffed. "Probably out looking for the Gorilla's, i do hope he's ok with all of these shadow monsters around."

"Shadow monsters?" She asked, suddenly stopping laughing, her head shot bolt upright and then looked around. "POODLEWOLF!!!" She yelled. "GET YOUR BIG BROODY BUTT IN HERE! WE GOTS HEARTLESS!!!" Jane looked utterly confused by this.

"Is... Poodlewolf some kind of pet?" She asked.

"Don't be silly, you're the pet." She replied, matter-of-factly. Jane frowned, assuming that to be some kind of insult.

"I will have you know i'm just as capable in this jungle as any man. Why, the other day, i escaped a horde of rampaging baboons." She crossed her arms. Dotty was now the one confused by that comment.

"Well, of course pets are capable." She replied, getting out of bed and running over to the tent entrance. She pulled back the flap and looked out. There didn't seem to be any Heartless around at the moment. "POODLEWOLF!!!" She yelled, angrily. She then rolled her head around letting out a long, annoyed sigh. "Ugggh, he's probably on one of his broody mountaintop grumbles." She growled.

****

Deep in the jungle, elsewhere, Master Phant stood watching Zen-Aku perform his Kata. With every movement of Zen-Aku's body, Phant seemed to either nod or shake his head. He then jumped out in front of him, striking a mighty pose, arms held aloft, before striking forward with both arms, then jumping, backflipping and bringing his foot down with a mighty boom. He then looked Zen-Aku in the face "The Wolf style is about swiftness, about surefooted strikes." He struck his first Kata pose. "From me, you will learn the Elephant style. Power, strength, brute force."

"Everything one thinks of about the elephant." Zen-Aku responded, before striking the pose. Master Phant then quickly grabbed his arms and corrected the posture a little.

"But tempered by wisdom." He replied, striking the second pose. Zen-Aku transitioned into the next movement. "A Rogue Elephant is a terrifying force, but without those around to support him, he's but a single boulder rolling down a hill. Ended by the first wall he runs into. He then struck the next pose and watched as Zen-Aku transitioned again. He shook his head. "No, those are the movements of the wolf. Cautious and ready for anything. The elephant moves with certainty. There is NO creature in this jungle that would dare attack the Elephant." He guided Zen-Aku's arms as he went through the Kata another time. "Better. Again. More certainty. You are a Duke Org, the very top of the food chain. No creature is going to attack you. So show your certainty!" He demanded. Zen-Aku ran through the kata again and again. "You learn quickly." He then extended his hand out and the same ball on chain that the Dream Eater from before had. He began slowly twirling it. He then motioned for Zen-Aku to try again. "Tell me, have you ever heard of the Power Rangers?" He asked. A twinge of pain seemed to resonate through his skull, like a migraine that only lasted a few seconds.

"It's... Almost familiar..." He growled. continuing to kata.

"An ancient order of warriors all across the many worlds. Tapping into powers. The key to the answer, becoming stronger than before, flying higher, when the signal is calling, timeless wonders they performed." He smiled. "I was one of the masters of the Order of the Claw. For generations, we trained these rangers. But now... Scattered, few... Those who use the Keyblade made us somewhat obselete. But you will prove to others that the order is still around. And still willing to take up the fight."

"You mean that this is for sheer damn pettiness?" He asked. "I suppose that there's worse reasons to train an apprentice." Master Phant laughed.

"I don't give a damn about how relevant we are. How many people thank us. The Power Rangers were always thankless warriors. We never asked for recognition and did our best to avoid it at all costs. What matters is that we saved lives whenever they were in trouble." He replied. He then twirled the maul and launched it at Zen-Aku. Zen-Aku ducked under it and twirled around, bringing his claws to Phants throat. "Stop fighting like a Wolf!" He demanded. "Use what i have taught you, face me as the elephant." Zen-Aku growled in response. Phant kicked him hard, he flew back, before clawing into the ground to stop his skid. Phant flourished the flail and then struck a pose. He then motioned to Zen-Aku who was about to charge, but then recognized the motion he had made. That was the same motion Phant made when he was ordering to follow. "MIGHTY SPIRIT OF THE ELEPHANT!!!" Zen-Aku suddenly understood. He struck the same poses as before, powerful, sure movements.

"MIGHTY SPIRIT OF THE ELEPHANT!" He growled, the same flail weapon then appeared in his hands. Phant smiled at him. He smashed the ball on the ground, before jumping, twirling around in the air and using his own bodys motion to send the ball hurtling at Zen-Aku at lightning speed. Zen-Aku threw the ball in the same direction, the ball smashing into the other and sending it off-course. Zen-Aku then followed the same motion, sending his own flail blistering towards Phant. Phant flourished his flail, before dropping it and stopping the ball with his bare hands. A mighty elephant trumpet sounded from him as he smashed his foot on the ground and then threw the flail head back towards Zen-Aku.

"Very good." He laughed, panting a little, before waving his hand that had caught the ball. "But your training has only just began. Next, we will need to work on yo-" At that point, a scared Gorilla seemed to run through the clearing, followed by a number of monkey-like Heartless. "They are here!!!" He roared. He then looked at Zen-Aku and grinned. "Enough training for now. Time for a field test."

"How? Dotty is no-where near here and i cannot interact with the material realm without use of her body." He replied. Master Phant ran up to Zen-Aku, before spinning him around, kicking the back of his knee's and forcing Zen-Aku into a kneeling position. He then grabbed the side of Zen-Aku's head and... It felt to Zen-Aku much the same as when he and Dotty were fusing.

As Terk ran through the jungle and into another clearing, she would see Tarzan and Taivas there to greet her. "TARZAN!!! IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU!!! Now, if it's not too much trouble, GET THOSE MONKEYS!!!" She screamed at them. As the monkey Heartless burst through the tree-line, suddenly, the sound of an elephants Trumpet would be heard. "Tantor?" Terk asked. As suddenly, the green and white clad warrior appeared next to Taivas and Tarzan. He looked at his hands and then around his body. He looked at Taivas.

"It's me, Zen-Aku. Don't ask." He then struck his Kata poses again. "MIGHTY SPIRIT OF THE ELEPHANT!!!" The flail appeared in his hands and he prepared for battle.

Levi glanced up from his food as he heard an off sound, muffled by his headphones. He paused his music and pulled them off, as he recognized it as a chiming bell. He was about to return to his food and ignore it, but he noticed how everyone around him was reacting. The place had been bustling with life, but now the crowd was making space, as people flocked in from the second and third district gates. He ran over to a blonde man who seemed to be helping direct traffic, and tapped him on the shoulder. “What’s happening?” Levi asked, his hand resting on his bat.

The blonde man didn’t turn to face him, instead continuing to direct people while he spoke. “Heartless, and heaps of ‘em. First district’s safe, so people are evacuating here. Now get clear, alright? Follow the crowd, and you’ll be fine.” Levi thought about that for a moment.

I’m not helpless anymore. If these people are being menaced by Heartless… then I should do what I can.

Levi started pushing through the crowd, which got easier as it gradually thinned out. He heard the blonde man call out after him, but ignored it as he pushed forward. While most made to leave the third district, he entered it, summoning True Light’s Flight to his right hand and drawing his bat with his left. He took a moment to help a man who’d fallen to his feet, before running towards the third district’s plaza. Anyone who needed to cross into the first district from the third needed to get through there, so it made sense to hold it as best he could to cover the… civilians felt like an appropriate word to him.

Besides, if Hoshi, or Morgan, or Alias are here, they’ll have to head to the first district themselves. I’d rather make sure it’s a safe trip.

Leon spent most of his time in the cramped apartment at his work-desk working on the Plasma Cannon. He saw Launchpad at the window slumped over asleep. "No..." He groaned "Marc, i promise... I'll do better on the next question..." He grumbled in his sleep.

"Ugh, he's playing Win, Lose or Draw again..." Leon groaned, getting up and moving to the next room. He set himself up on the windowsill in here instead. If Launchpad was going to sleep, then he was going to stand guard. Sitting down and pulling out the standard issue blaster. He then sat, watching the streets. At one point, he was rather concerned by a man and a dog seemingly leading a loud parade down the street, but that quickly passed. That's when he saw something... a man in full, black armour stood, watching him in the street. He stared back. The armoured figure continued to stare, Leon slowly beginning to raise the blaster. The knight slowly raised a hand, before he began pulling the helmet off, but as soon as he did, there was an explosion and screams of people. Suddenly, he didn't seem to be in Traverse Town anymore. Back in Altifaria again. It had been so long since he had seen these streets. Lilties and Yukes running past him, running for their lives, he raised the blaster, only to see a strange axe was now in his hands and before him, a terrible creature. A large dragon like monster exuding miasma He raised the axe and gave a terrible cry of battle rage, rushing forwards, leaping through the air, spinning and readying to bring the blade crashing through the dragons skull when suddenly it opened its mouth and-

"Come on, Nebula's gonna kill us!" It yelled at him, before he suddenly awoke as well to see Launchpad shaking him. He looked around, then back down at the street to see a girl with brown hair talking with Hoshi, then turning to face a horde of Heartless. He pointed it to Launchpad. "HEARTLESS!!!" He yelled, before, once again, tucking Leon under his arm. "STAR COMMAND!!!" He yelled, before summoning the magical Thunderquack again. Launching high into the air, then crashing back down into one of the Heartless that was about to attack Aerith. Leon going flying as he exploded out of the magical construct. "I AM THE TERROR THAT FLAPS IN THE NIGHT!!!" He yelled, a blue aura smashing into the ground around him, the charging heartless suddenly begining to move in slow motion. "I AM THE... Ugh..." He stood thinking for a second. "Midnight Snack... that... leaves crumbs in the bed!!!" He managed to slowly blurt out while the Heartless slowly continued their charge towards him. He then turned to Aerith. "Don't worry, ma'am, you're not the first damsel in distress we've rescued today." Leon had recovered from the crash and brought his blaster around, firing at one of the closest ones.

@mattmanganon

Taivas

Taivas and Tarzan made their way to where Terk was being cornered. Taivas was annoyed by all the vine swinging and hippos hopping. “Pfft nice outfit.” Taivas said, trying to hold back laughing at Zen’s outfit. “Stay behind me Terk.” Tarzan said, getting his spear ready for combat. The shirtless man started charging at the shadowy monkeys, yelling as he did so. Tarzan jumped towards one of the heartless; he stabbed it with his spear. The heartless disappeared in a puff of smoke. Taivas, meanwhile, attacked the heartless monkeys surrounding Tarzan.

“Bastards.” Taivas muttered as more heartless seemed to be coming. A few heartless wielding wizard hats, staffs, and large spherical ones appeared out of the ground. To make things worse, a few green-looking, heartless people were healing the others. Taivas started running towards one of the floating green ones, jumping off one of the spherical heartless. Cutting it in half before turning his attention to the others. One of the wizards notices Taivas shooting a fireball at him. The fireball hits Taivas in the side, causing him to be sent flying backwards. His clothes were set ablaze, which made Taivas start rolling on the ground to try and put it out.

Tarzan, meanwhile was dealing with the monkey and spherical heartless that was starting to surround them. One of the wizards turned their attention to Zen, readying another fireball before firing it at him. Taivas quickly got back up with his jacket being burned, exposing the black shirt he wore underneath. "Okay, now you pissed me off." He raised his hand, summoning large shadowy balls before shooting at the wizard heartless. Two of the wizards, heartless, disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Lucian graciously accepted the book Merlin gave him. “Thank you Merlin.” But before he had a chance to read through it, something else in Merlin’s house caught his attention. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something shine. He saw a small carriage in the corner of the room, vaguely resembling a pumpkin in shape. He couldn’t explain why, but he found himself drawn to it.

Tiny twinkles like stars sparked into existence surrounding the area where the small pumpkin carriage sat in the corner. The light all gathered around the pumpkin before it burst into a bright flash of light revealing an old woman in a purple hooded dress. She wielded a simple stick wand, but appearances were always deceiving.

Merlin himself nearly fell over backwards as the woman appeared, letting out a “Good Heavens! I had forgotten you were here! Terribly sorry, I meant to make a quick trip to my shop and well, as you can see quite a lot happened since I left…”

The woman took in her surroundings until her eyes locked onto the young blonde boy in front of her. A spitting image of his father with the eyes of his mother. A warm smile formed on her face. “Lucian, my boy! My dearest fairy godchild. I was worried I'd never get to see you. Where are your mother and father?”

Lucian blinked. He heard stories about fairy godmothers existing, but to find out he had one of his own was a shock. After hearing her question, he looked down, and for a moment, he wasn’t sure how to respond. “I… I don’t know,” he admitted, “The islands, they were destroyed. I saw them before we left, but… I don’t know if they made it out.” He swallowed hard, gripping the book Merlin had given him.
“Who… who are you?” he asked. “You know my parents? You’re really my fairy godmother?”

“The one and only,” Fairy Godmother said with a curtsy. “I'm sorry about Destiny Islands, but don't worry, your parents are safe. I've placed a protective charm on them just in case the darkness found them again. I'm sure you'll find them on your adventures soon. I'm your mother's Fairy Godmother. You're from another world as you've now come to know they exist. A world of magic and fantasy. Where mice can speak and a poor peasant girl could become a princess after the most magical night. That's your mother, dear. Just like your mother you have a power deep inside you that you must protect. Here. I have a gift for you.”

Fairy Godmother walked up to Lucian and touched his heart with her wand. A light appeared at the tip and entered the young Prince. She hugged him for as long as she could. Lucian reminded her so much of his mother. She remembered the day he was born and missed them both dearly. She knew this wasn't the last time she'd see him, but she was still worried for him. She stepped back wiping the tears that were starting to form in her eyes. “With this you'll be able to summon me to help you in your time of need, but be careful. Only use this under dire circumstances. Just call out my name and I'll appear. If you find any gems that you feel a lot of power from, bring them to me. They're called summon gems and they hold the spirits of heroes from fallen worlds. When their worlds are restored they'll return. Do you have anymore questions, dear?”

His parents were safe. He let out a breath he hadn’t even realized he was holding, relief flooding through him. They had made it. He would see them again. That knowledge alone lifted a weight off his heart.

And then she spoke of his mother, of the world she came from, the magic that surrounded her life, and how that magic now lived in him. He had always felt like there was something more to himself, something that set him apart, but now everything made sense.
Before he could process it all, Fairy Godmother touched her wand to his chest, and he felt a warmth spread through him as light seeped into his heart. It wasn’t like the magic he had used before. This was different. Softer, yet just as powerful.

He barely had time to react before she pulled him into a hug. For a moment, Lucian felt like a child again, being held with a warmth he hadn’t known he was missing. He hesitated, then hugged her back, tears were starting to well up. He hadn’t realized how much he needed this.
As she pulled away, Lucian nodded slowly. “Thank you,” he said. “For everything.” He placed a hand over his chest where the magic had entered. “I won’t take this gift lightly, I promise.”

At the mention of what the summon gems were, He tilted his head slightly. It was people like the ones from his own home. There was a spark of determination in his eyes now. He might not be able to restore his own world yet, but if he could save others, he would.

Lucian tried to gather his thoughts, but the questions fell out of his mouth before he could stop them. “Do you know where my parents are? Or maybe where I should start looking? And do you know what my mother and father meant when they said I was a prince of something far greater? They told me to protect my heart, but they never got the chance to explain why.”

Before she could give him an answer the doors burst open. A white anthropomorphic duck led the charge, entering the house like he owned the place or was at least the greatest magic user there. “Merlin!” He yelled out to the heavens before he realized that Merlin was right there. “We're here to find the key wielding Prince of Heart. We've been all over this town and couldn't find him.”

Merlin was startled once more, leaping halfway up into the air before landing again as he let out a loud “Does no one knock anymore? Let alone at a Wizard’s home! I suppose it was a good thing I never used those flame-trap runes on the door, or any other number I have at my disposal. You lot would be faring far worse had I chosen to properly protect my home!” That sounded like he was outing himself for being careless, even as he wagged his wand in the loud one’s face.

Another anthropomorphic animal stumbled in afterwards, this time a large dog. “Donald, it's rude to barge into people's homes and yell out their names. Hiya, Merlin. Wait. Is that Lady Morgan?”

Morgan turned at hearing her name, blinking as she saw… a duck dressed as a wizard, and a… was that a cow or a dog? And how did someone like that know her name?

Finally, the voice of reason followed, and with a sigh Merlin calmed down. “At least common decency isn’t lost on everyone. Welcome, Donald, Goofy.” He motioned them in despite his momentary anger. “Indeed, the Princess of Camelot is here. ‘Twould seem she had an unexpected adventure to another world, and in the process, has lost her memories. If you are here, may I ask, where is the King? I have much to discuss with him. More worlds have fallen to darkness, including the very one this young lad here came from. And, Camelot itself has become shrouded in darkness. I trust you understand the significance of this… but, we will discuss it more later.”

“Aw, shucks, Merlin. I'm sorry to hear about Cammylot and your memories, your highness.” Goofy said with genuine concern for the two. “King Mickey's currently traveling to fight the darkness and find who's behind everything.”

Fairy Godmother giggled at the display. “That's one of your questions answered, dear. They're looking for you. You're a Prince of Heart. Inside you rests a pure and brilliant light that the darkness fears and people want to claim for their own. As for your parents, they're in a very special book. Merlin has it.”

With a ruffling of his beard “A very special book? If you mean the one I think you do…” His bearded face ruffled up, and he said “Confound it all! How someone can be so hard working and so lazy at the same time never ceases to amaze me! I’m afraid I loaned the book out some time ago, and have not seen it since. Though, I wouldn’t dare to suggest your parents are lost out there in a book that is being tossed around at random. No no, I gave the book to a very trustworthy engineer, a man named Cid. Apparently however, it would seem the only thing he’s not trustworthy for is returning what he fixes on time. Let me see, his shop is in the First District, where he sells and repairs ships capable of traveling between worlds. In fact, our two new guests must have parked their own ship near his workshop.”

He then turned to the two newcomers, and said “Donald, Goofy, this is Lucian, no doubt the one you were sent to find. Lucian, Morgan, this is Goofy, Captain of the King’s Knights, King Mickey that is. And the sorcerer, Donald. He is the Court Wizard to King Mickey, just as I am the Court Wizard to Morgan’s father.” He leaned down to Lucian, and muttered “A very clever duck, but quick to get wound up.”

Goofy turned to Lucian. “Hiya, your highness, Prince Lucian. A pleasure to meet ya.” He said, sticking his hand out for a shake.

Donald eyed Lucian up and down curiously. The kid had some strong magical energy inside him and it wasn't just because of the keyblade. “About time we've found you. I don't know what's all this about books and parents, but we gotta go.”

Suddenly there was a knock at the door before the familiar sound of it being opened. “Hello?” A cautious voice asked. “Merlin, are you here? It's your favorite student.” Daisy said as she stepped into the house fully.

“Daisy!?” Donald asked as he turned around, almost breaking his neck and giving him whiplash in the process.

“Donald?” Daisy asked, defeated. She was hoping this wouldn't happen.

Goofy noticed his son behind Daisy. “Max?”

Max stepped in after her and saw his dad. “Dad? Princess Morgan? Lancelot?” The latter, he asked Lucian, noticing the striking resemblance to his otherworldly mentor at first glance.

Lucian could barely keep up with what was happening. One moment, he was speaking with the Fairy Godmother, barely wrapping his head around the fact that he was a Prince of Heart, and the next, a talking duck and a dog in armor had barged in, calling out for Merlin like they owned the place.

And then more people started pouring in.

He shook Goofy’s hand, and smiled. “Uh… hi. It’s nice to meet you. Um… just Lucian is fine… thanks.”

Then came Donald’s impatient squawking.

“Wait, hold on!” Lucian took a step back, his mind scrambling to keep up. “You’re telling me you’ve been looking for me this whole time? And now I just… have to go with you? Just like that?” He clenched his fists at his sides. “I just lost my home. My friends are gone. I don’t even know if they’re alive. And now you show up, telling me I have this… this light inside me that people want to take?” His voice cracked with frustration. “Why didn’t anyone tell me this before? Why didn’t my parents tell me?”

Before Donald could answer, a female duck stepped inside, calling out for Merlin. And judging from Donald’s reaction, there was history there…
And then the one called Max called him Lancelot, and Lucian tilted his head in confusion. “Uh, I’m Lucian… Who’s Lancelot?”

Sensing her godchild's distress the protective fairy decided to step in. With a flick of her wand Donald was silenced. He tried to talk and even yell, but not a sound came out. She didn't have any problems with the Pekin magus, but knew that his loud and demanding presence was not what her young Prince needed right now.

Daisy raised a brow at the fairy's spell, thinking to herself. “I'm going to need to learn that.”

“Ah, that's better.” Fairy Godmother said with a smile, turning to Lucian. “Now that the room's a bit more quiet… Lucian, sweetie. Neither you nor the Princesses of Heart were made aware of who they are and what they held. Not even your mother knew before the darkness came for our world. Being aware of the power inside of you is dangerous. Knowledge can corrupt. You as well as those around you. Whether through pride, fear, or anything else negative feelings could arise and give power to the darkness while making your presence known to it. And your friends are alive. It wasn't by chance that you ended up on Destiny Islands. You weren't the only one there to be able to wield a keyblade, correct?”

Max stepped forward before Lucian could answer. “Hey, sorry about the mix-up earlier. Lancelot's my mentor. He inspired me to become a knight.” He resisted the urge to look at his dad when he said that. He then pointed to Lancelot's statue. “That's him. Anyway, she's right, about your friends, I mean. I don't know how many friends you lost, but we're actually here to get directions to Wonderland from Merlin because one of them is there.” He pulled out the picture of Alias and the Destiny Islands Crew, which was very clearly picked up from Alias’ home. He pointed out to Alias. “That's him, right? A friend of Queen Minnie gave this to me. He saved this picture and his dad for him, but I guess he didn't have the time to save your friend himself. But he seems to know a lot about him. Said that his main focus would be finding you guys.”

Lucian should have felt bad about Donald being silenced, but he still couldn’t help giggling.

Hearing the Fairy Godmother’s explanation just gave him more questions. He was a Prince of Heart, but even knowing that was a danger? But before he could even begin to ask them, Fairy Godmother continued and told him his friends were alive. Lucian was relieved his parents and his friends had survived.
Lucian opened his mouth, ready to respond, but Max stepped forward before he could.
Lucian looked at the statue Max pointed out. He couldn’t deny the resemblance. He thought about what else he and Lancelot could have had in common, but then Max pulled out a photo of all his friends. He said that Alias was in some place called Wonderland.

Lucian nodded, his eyes bright with determination. “Well, it looks like I’m going to Wonderland then. How do we get there?”

“That's what we came here to find out.” Max admitted.
Goofy stepped forward with a raised hand as if he were trying to get his teacher's attention. “I uh… I know the way. Since the King sent us to find and protect Lucian, Donald and I can take you to find Alias. Max, how about you take Morgan and find out what happened to Camelot?”

Daisy and Max shared glances before the two shrugged. DiZ didn't care who found Alias as long as he was found. In fact, if Donald and Goofy weren't already on a mission he would've asked them. “We don't mind.” Daisy finally answered.

Fairy Godmother's spell on Donald's mouth wore off allowing him to finally speak again. He was going to give her a piece of his mind, but actually took a second to consider the consequences of that. “Great. We can finally get going, then. Onto Wonderland!”

“Wait!” Max called out. “Cid gave us this book.” He said, showing the Hundred Acres Wood book. It was fixed, but it was clearly missing a few pages.

“There it is.” Fairy Godmother said before flicking her wand at the book, causing it to disappear and reappear in Lucian's right hand. “That book is where your parents are, dear. But there appears to be some pages missing. They could be in there or in one of the missing pages. They were scattered across other worlds after the destruction of our own. You'll have to find them to experience the full world that lies in those pages.”

“One more thing…” Merlin chimed in, before coming up to Lucian. “There are more than one great power in all the worlds. One such power we have mentioned, that which makes you a Prince of Heart. The other, is a form of power granted most typically only to Royalty. Most commonly, this power is granted to a King, or Queen, while the other power comes to rest in the Prince or Princess of a world. It is very unusual that both the powers come together in one individual, but I daresay I sense it within you. It is likely your father held it before you, and has now passed it on to you. Morgan’s father was one such King who held within them this power. The fact that I do not sense it within Morgan herself gives me hope the King still lives. So, take doubly extra care on your journey, and use your head before you trust just anyone, for there are those who would seek to manipulate that power you hold. You must not let it turn to darkness. Yours is a heart of pure light, I can feel it. So I believe in you. We all do.”

Morgan had just been looking from one person speaking to the next, all of them talking about… things she apparently should have known about, but she didn’t have a clue. She wanted to ask about Camelot, about Lancelot. But would it matter? Would hearing them describe a place of person to her make any difference? She wanted to remember on her own… Eventually, she ended up looking over to Max while the Fairy Godmother spoke to Lucian, and she simply asked “You knew Lancelot? What… was he like? And, I don’t know if you know but… who was he to me?”

Max nodded. “Yeah. He's the coolest and bravest guy I know and he's crazy strong. He's also kind and cares about the little guy. Very protective of others, but most especially you. He was your personal knight. Whenever I was in Camelot you two were always together. Inseparable, really.”

Merlin eventually stepped in and said “You will remember him and more in time my dear… I am certain seeing other worlds will help jumpstart your memory, and you’ll be back to your old self before you know it. Now, in the meantime-...” he paused suddenly, as there was a rattling from something on the wall, a large clock that started to buzz loudly, and a bird popped out, flapping its wings and chirping even louder. “Oh my, something has triggered my wards at the gateway to the First District.”

He waved his wand, and a mirror floated over. Once it settled into place, he waved his wand again, and the reflection of the mirror rippled like water, until it changed from a reflection of those looking into it, to a vision of the Gate between the Third and First Districts. There, it showed a mass of Heartless growing as people ran to escape, and there in the middle of it, Levi.

Merlin’s tone was suddenly much more hurried than before, as he said “Well, with that I do say storytime is over. We have told you lot all we can. Now it seems, is time for heroes!” He looked at Lucian, adding “Whether it be those who wield the Keyblade…” then to Morgan, “Or those simply bound to the side of light. It is the duty of all living beings to push back against the darkness, wherever it attempts to take hold!”