Fellowship & Fairydust

CLAIR’S POV

The Mysterious Tower…

“Master Yen Sid! Master Yen Sid!” Goofy cried out as we hurried up the stairs. “It’s terrible! The worst has happened!”

As he burst through the doors to the study of the sorcerer, the blue-robed man stood from his desk looking at us. “What has happened?”

“It was Mortem. He got one of the hearts.” Riku explained as he and Jason brought in Alice’s body. Eyes widening, the wizard conjured up a cot that the two of them set Alice upon. Looking at our teacher, the Keyblade Master continued, “We tried to stop him but we weren’t able to protect Alice. He had powers I was not familiar with.” 

“He is strong in the darkness,” Master Yen Sid explained as he looked over Alice. “It is clear that we are dealing with a foe who is more dangerous than Xehanort ever was.”

Blinking, I asked, “Who’s Xehanort?”

“Oh, that’s right. You weren’t here for him,” Scrooge said. “My nephew and his friends used to fight him all the time.”

That got my cousin’s attention. “So Xehanort was a villain?”

“More than a villain,” The old wizard explained, “Xehanort was a madman who sought to recreate the events of the First Keyblade War.”

That sent shivers down my spine. “K-Keyblade War?” 

“Yes. Long ago, in the age of what many worlds refer to as the time of fairy tales, the worlds were united as one. Everyone lived in the beauty of the light, which was shared by all. But where the light shines brightest, the strongest shadows are cast. Many people began to covet the light for themselves, and from that greed, darkness was born into the world. 

“In this time, a weapon known as the X-Blade was forged, and was created as a means to take the light. Others forged lesser keyblades in its image, but none were near as powerful as the first. In time, some realized what they were doing was wrong, and repurposed their keyblades to protect the light instead. War still became inevitable, and the forces of light and darkness clashed. In that conflict, the world was swallowed by the darkness.”
Feeling a little sick, I began to sit down when a chair ran up behind me to offer a place to sit. “So everyone died?”

“No, Clair. In that darkness, seven lights survived, and together they rebuilt the world that had been taken. To prevent a cataclysm from happening again, the world was divided into the universe that exists today, each world remaining separate from the other. The X-Blade was broken into twenty fragments: seven of light, thirteen of darkness. The light faded away into the darkness, where it remained hidden as Kingdom Hearts. 

“Xehanort, who was a gifted Master of the Keyblade, obsessed over the legend, and became determined to see what would happen if another Keyblade War were to be unleashed. For years he traveled the worlds bringing chaos into countless lives. He even split his heart into thirteen fragments to create the Thirteen Darknesses to capture the Hearts of Light. And he would have succeeded if it had not been for Sora and those you see before you.”

During the story, my keyblade had appeared in my hand. Before I used to look at it with wonder, but now I had so much doubt and uncertainty. Was my weapon evil? Was my purpose to hurt others and bring misery into their lives? My thoughts became interrupted as Jason asked, “Do you think Mortem could be connected to Xehanort?” 

“I do not believe so. Xehanort has been defeated for over a year now, and the damage he has done to the worlds is being repaired as we speak.” Yen Sid answered. “Yet the fact remains that Mortem has taken one of the Hearts of Light, and will seek the others in time. We must be ready.”

I don’t know how, but Kairi asked a question that was in my heart. “What about Alice’s family? Won’t they be wondering where she is?” 

“We will do what we can to keep her family from worrying for her. Which is why you must do what you can to return her heart to her.” 

“I don’t think it’ll be that easy.” My cousin spoke up. “In one of the worlds we went to, someone said something that’s been bothering me. They seemed to suggest that all of us have just become pawns in an elaborate game, and I have a feeling this is a game we don’t want to lose.” 

 

***

 

As I wandered through the tower, I was amazed at how much space was held in these walls. It was like being at the mall even though there was no way from the outside to tell that. There were rooms for sleeping, bathing, even gardens that were so well kept the richest person alive would be jealous. I even found entire rooms filled with libraries of books that would take me an eternity to read all of.

As much as I wanted to spend my time reading, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. The tale I had just heard was making me question myself and the path I had chosen. Why would I have a Keyblade if I was good? It was meant to be a weapon of evil, so did that mean deep down I was evil? I didn’t want to be someone like Gerald Hendricks, or Buddy Primrose. The crimes they committed in history still made my spirit shiver like someone had blown cold air on me, and I wasn’t sure if I could live with myself if I was made to be a person of evil.

Hearing footsteps behind me, I looked to see Kairi was coming my way. “Clair? Are you okay?” 

Shaking my head, I explained, “I’ve been thinking about Master Yen Sid’s story. If keyblades were made to do evil, then does that mean people who use them are evil? Is it only a matter of time before–”

“I’m going to stop you there.” The redhead told me as she looked at me with those blue eyes. “I have a keyblade of my own, but I also hold one of the Hearts of Light. Do you know what that means? That means there isn’t a drop of darkness anywhere in me.”
“But I don’t have a heart of light.”

“No, but that doesn’t make you evil. My friends all made some pretty poor choices on their adventures. Some were bad, others were just dumb. But they rose above their mistakes, and both are now Keyblade Masters.” Her eyes conveyed the truth of her words because I could see no deception in them. “I don’t believe your keyblade is a tool of evil. It gives off a feeling of warmth and goodness, and every time I saw Xehanort or one of his vessels I always felt dread and cold from them. Don’t worry. You are a good person. I know from the bottom of my heart.”

Her words made me smile before I asked, “What about Mortem?”

She paused at that, and I knew she was feeling conflicted about it. “He… he seems lost. I believe there’s good in him somewhere but there’s a thick cloud of darkness raging in him. It’s like his heart is trying to weather a storm, a hurricane, and he’s looking for someone to help him.” 

I couldn’t believe it. “Mortem needs help? He doesn’t act like it.” 

“Maybe this isn’t who he really is. Maybe if the storm clears he can be a big help for us. Hello. What’s this?” Her question caught me off guard, so I turned to see what it was. 

It was a plain wooden door, but I don’t recall seeing it there. “Was that door behind me a few seconds ago?”

“No. It appeared when we were talking.” Kairi then reached for it, and I realized she intended to open it.

“What are you doing? We don’t know where that goes.” I warned her. 

The princess looked at me with comfort and assurance. “But it came to us. Maybe we’re supposed to go through this door. Master Yen Sid said this tower had a way of helping those who needed help.” 

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