Fellowship & Fairydust

I exited the dark corridor into the base where the others were supposed to rejoin me, but I wasn’t holding my breath. I didn’t like them the second I saw them, and I wasn’t disappointed to see that they were not here. I moved through the lab trying to find the one in charge, but I found no respect for the guy. Something about him just irked me. 

“Did you get it?” I heard a voice behind me. I turned, but to my surprise, there was a robot waiting for me. “My little friend will take the data from you.”

Holding the circular drive thing I had used to extract the data from Ansem’s computer, I gave it to the robot. A chamber opened up and the drive was inserted, causing its eyes to light up and a series of beeps to be made. “What does that mean?” 

“Your mission was a success. Tell me, did you also destroy the Alternate Reality Transporter?”

I scoffed at that. “Yeah, but I still don’t get why you had me trash that piece of junk.”

“It wasn’t a piece of junk! It was an incredible leap forward in the name of science. As for why it had to be destroyed, it was necessary for my plans. Now they have a reason to leave Radiant Garden. You.”

I glared at the robot for that. “You’re using me as bait?” 

“No. Motivation.”

“Whatever. I just want to know how this data helps me get my memories back.”

A holographic screen appeared in the air before, projected from the chest of the robot. From it appeared the images of seven maidens, which took me by surprise. “The data that has been analyzed shows that there are seven hearts of pure light scattered throughout this… multiverse, as I prefer to make sense of this data. And when gathered together, they produce tremendous power. It stands to reason that if you were to collect these hearts of light, then you would have the power to restore your memories.”

I couldn’t help but think that he seemed to go through all that data faster than I thought was possible, but maybe the robot helped him. At any rate, I now knew what I had to do, so I’d cooperate with him. For now. “Where will I find them?”

“Take this device.” The man’s voice said as the robot produced another of the circular drives, just small enough to fit into my pocket and be usable. “As the data becomes translated and broken down, you will receive the locations of the hearts, and all you need to know about the worlds they are located on.”

With a scoff, I said, “Whatever. Just as long as I don’t have to spend years searching.”

“I will send others to assist you when the need arises.”

“I do not need help. I can do this on my own.”
“Don’t forget, Mortem–”

“No, you don’t forget. I work with you, not for you. I’m not some minion you can order around. I tolerate you and the others because you saved me from oblivion, but do not test me. Our interests are aligned, but as soon as I have what I want I am parting ways with you and your group.”

There were several minutes worth of silence before he spoke. “Very well. Do as you wish. You’ll find the information about the first heart’s location in your holo-screen.” 

So that’s what this thing was called. With the push of a button, I activated the blue light screen that I could interact with, and used it to study up on the world I was about to head to. Pocketing it once I was done, I opened another corridor of darkness and entered it, ready to claim the heart and retrieve my memories.

CLAIR’S POV

I couldn’t believe it. Aerith had healed everyone by now and had helped me to do it as well. The sensation I felt when using healing magic was wonderful like I was being praised by the divine for my compassion. However, everyone was taking the matter of Jason using a Keyblade like it could alter the fate of reality. Okay maybe not to that extreme, but it felt like this was a bigger deal than I would’ve thought. I was feeling a little nervous about all this. 

Right now, Ansem was at the huge computer pulling up and organizing the data to try and make it into some sort of presentation. I felt like we were back at school for a moment, but thinking that was a mistake because that made me look at the ruined machine. Our way home, gone. Was this because of me? Was Gri punishing us because I had wanted to stay here?

“Ah, here we are,” Ansem said as he finished. Turning to us, he explained, “What you are about to learn is a secret you must guard with your lives. No matter what, you must not divulge the information you are about to learn. In the wrong hands, this knowledge can bring chaos and ruin to all.”

“I understand.”

“Whatever.” Jason folded his arms and looked at the machine. 

Pressing a button, a diagram showing lots of circles and equations appeared before us, and a Keyblade was in the center of it all. “Before you is a sketch of the Keyblade. For years it was regarded as a weapon of myth and legend, but we know for a fact it exists. To fully understand its potential you will have to know of the history behind it. 

“Long ago, it is said that all people used to be one, bathed in the glorious light that was shared by all. As time passed, some tried to take the light for themselves and created darkness. A war broke out that resulted in the apocalypse.

“Before you can ask why we are here, it was in that moment that seven lights which had survived the destruction worked to rebuild what had been destroyed. To prevent such a cataclysm from happening again, they buried the light deep within the new world they had created and divided the world into the present universe we have today.”

My cousin let out a yawn. “Yeah, real interesting. But what does this have to do with us?”

The scientist king frowned at him before he answered, “It was during that war that the Keyblade came into existence. The legends surrounding it vary in the description, but from what I’ve pieced together it appears that some tried to use the Keyblade to take the light, while the others were made to protect it. So, like those who bear them, these weapons can either be a force of good or evil for Kingdom Hearts.”

Huh? I raised my hand. “Excuse me, sir, but what is Kingdom Hearts?”

“It is the light I spoke of.” Was the answer. “It is the source of all light in existence, and what allows everything to exist. We are all connected to the power within Kingdom Hearts, and if it were to fall, so would every world out there.”
“Wait. You mean there are more besides Harthyn and Radiant Garden?” Jason asked. “How many are out there?”

“We haven’t been able to document every world in creation, kid,” Cid said. “It’s been an ongoing investigation. Near as we can figure, there are as many worlds as there are stars in the sky.”

That made me gasp. “That means there could be limitless worlds out there.” 

“Exactly,” Ansem said. “Your world is a new world for our records, evidence of an ever-growing multiverse. Keep in mind that another world is not the same thing as another planet. A world is another existence that can either be achieved by advanced science, complex magic, or a combination of the two.

“Not long ago, I began studying the heart and its potential. My research brought chaos to several worlds, and it was only because of a boy chosen by the Keyblade that the madness was stopped. Only now there is the matter of this Mortem and the fact that you can now use a Keyblade, Jason Norman.”

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