Kingdom Hearts: Twilight Destiny

For the convenience of people not all that into AO3, this blog will repost KHTD stories from AO3, as well as art from server members. Join the Discord to participate in the RP!

Repairs

There was a knocking on Ai's door.

"Uhh, Ai?" Dado's voice rang out. "Is now a good time?"

"...O-oh, come in!" The android sounded surprised. "The door's unlocked!"

"Hey," he opened the door, closing it behind himself. Slung over his shoulder was a bag.

"I'm sorry for getting you hurt," Dado hung his head low. "When Vincent threw darkness at Nerina, I..." He bit his lip, trying to hold back more tears. He'd cried enough today.

"It's... It's fine. I'll get past it." Ai looked much better for wear. Though his visor was still half-dead, his joints no longer sparked.

"...I brought some tools," Dado changed the subject. "And a manual for a fuse box."

The manual had been dug out of the Toy Box on an illicit Halloween run a few years ago. It probably wouldn't map 1:1, but the fundamentals were what mattered most.

Ai just dug the fuse set out of his bag, handing it over to Dado. He then pulled out some sort of manual.

"My creator wrote this for my usage, should I have to repair myself. Maybe you can make use of it as well." He gave the manual to Dado, then began to power down. He'd have to have his visor disassembled, after all.

"Ah- wait! What page number?" Dado flipped to the Table of Contents, frantically beginning his search for mentions of fuses or visor repair.

He began to mutter to himself.

"You seem partially organic. Is this more of a sleep state for you? Am I on a timer? Can you breathe like this? Wait, that's actually-"

He put two fingers to various spots on the android's neck, feeling for a pulse. He felt one fairly quickly. Was Ai a cyborg, perhaps?

Either way, he'd put himself to sleep...

...

Dado pet the fuzzy lil' fella.

"Alright, let's get you all fixed up. Let's see... Orange, B4." He held the fuse with a gloved hand.

"Should be pretty simple..." He carefully removed the visor. "Ah. There's the problem; it's practically melted. That's not fun.

"These things are designed to be replaced, though." Dado began rummaging through Ai's bag for the correct screwdriver. The fuse used a shape not found among the paltry tools he'd brought.

"Bingo. Nice and easy, let's... Ugh. That friction isn't good. Where's that compressed air? Here we go. Don't need to scrape anymore than we absolutely have to. Stupid carbonization from heat, I hate chemistry so freaking...

"Alright. Carefully, now... Boop. Lovely, lovely. Now, let's clean the inside of the socket a little more, just to be safe. There we go, that's better...

"Alright. Now, carefully... There we go. That's a good fuse. Let's get you all nice and reassembled, now. Good visor... Lovely. And let's put you back on... Bap."

...

Dado booped Ai's nose.

"Perfect. That was a lot easier than I expected. Now, let's get you turned back–"

As soon as he'd found the page titled "Reactivation", he saw Ai begin to stir. The page featured an illustration of a humanoid figure lightly tapping a similar android's nose.

Dado smiled. Even throughout the worlds, human desire to boop small animals reigned supreme.

"Greetings, Dado." Ai's visor had finished strobing (recalibrating?), and had settled on its natural white. "I see that the repairs went well. That's good to see."

"Yeah!" Dado grinned. "It was a lot easier than I expected. I was worried I'd have to solder something, but nope. Just needed a bit of compressed air!"

"...be careful next time you need to do something like that again. I'll show you how to use the Lanes Between; make a portal somewhere safe any time you're about to put yourself in harm's way."

He didn't bother chiding him against doing so. He knew better.

"That would be great to have, yes. I'm sure I'll be able to get the technique down." Ai smiled wistfully.

"I'm serious," he began to scold. "No one can stop you from throwing yourself at explosions. But if you're gonna do reckless stuff like that, you need to stay safe. If something happens to you..."

Nerina'd taken a huge liking to Ai, and despite feeling somewhat awkward around him, Dado liked him too. Fiora certainly seemed to like having a fluffy friend around. If anything happened to Ai, Dado wasn't sure how everyone would recover.

"Now come on." He pat his back. "We're gonna practice until you can make an Entrance with your off-hand."

"Alright," Dado instructed. "One last time for good measure. Keyblade at your side. Energy into your off-hand. Foot on the gas pedal. Accelerate... Create the Entrance."

Ai nodded and focused a ball of light in his left paw. He forced the energy outward, opening an Entrance to the Lanes Between. It was even of a decent size this time, so that beings other than just Ai or animals could go through it.

"Perfect! Now brake, decelerate, and close." Vines snaked their way out of his coat and formed a lawn chair. He took a seat, pre-emptively beginning their break.

Ai nodded before pulling his paw back, immediately sealing the Entrance. He sat down on the ground, a small sigh leaving him.

"Th-There. Did it right this time."

"Alrighty. Break time." He sighed happily, proud that he'd been able to teach something.

"Since you're guided through the Lanes by your Heart, you might not– no, you won't reach your intended destination every time. Steering your Heart in the right direction takes practice, and isn't perfect."

"But if you wind up somewhere new, chances are, you've got good reason to be there..." He grinned knowingly. "So don't be afraid to explore a bit."

"So," Ai cocked his head. "If we were to all go through the Lanes, we would all end up in different places unless we steered ourselves or focused on staying together?"

"Travel through the Lanes as a group is... impractical," Dado explained. "Speeds are so high that the wrong collision can lead to you crashing somewhere new, so people often have to keep a far distance.

"The best way to travel as a single group seems to be to have everyone follow the Heart of a single leader. But it's easy in those hours for someone to lose focus, and for that leader to fall out of sight... so I think it's better for everyone to simply agree to meet at a destination, then carve their own paths through the Lanes.

"This, as you can probably guess, leads to more detours... But that's what the Heart does. That's why we say «May our Hearts be our Guiding Key»."

"I see." Ai looked at Dado, his simple display seeming to stare into his soul. "After the Mark of Mastery... After Straeh decides who among us is a new master... What will we do then?"

"The Mark of Mastery isn't, uhh..." That was interesting timing for such a question. Dado internally debated whether or not to tell the truth.

"It's not zero-sum. The goal of this place, the Land of Departure, is actually to train new generations of Masters.

"Obviously, Nerina will get there first, but ideally, we should all get there... Eventually."

He dodged the question about the future in favor of answering an unasked question. He didn't want to talk about that book... Not yet, at least. Not until he apologized to Nerina first.

Ai narrowed his eyes, seeing straight through the dodge, then looked away from Dado with a saddened expression.

"Would you leave me behind if it meant you could stay with Nerina and Fiora forever?" Ai asked his true question, letting a mask of calmness slip away for a moment before attempting to reclaim it.

"I-It's a stupid question. Nevermind..."

Dado's eyes welled up. "I..." No. It wasn't fair.

It wasn't fair!

He already had two people to look after! Why couldn't he leave behind just one–

"...Ai." He stared at the android, trying to force eye contact with his visor.

"Had you asked me that yesterday..." He shuddered; the tears came free. "I'll be honest. I would've said yes.

"That would be a massive mistake." What was he doing? "You have so much more to offer..." He needed to stop; he was just sabotaging the rest of his family's chances of escaping–

Oh.

"Than taking Master Straeh's place."

The "rest" of his family implied there was someone being left out.

"That's what this place was built for... And screw that. Screw this whole system.

"We're all gonna Depart. Together. The next generation of Masters can be trained organically. No one will have to make this choice again.

"No one's getting left behind." He offered his arms in a hug. "You're family now."

Ai's eyes widened, but... He approached Dado and pulled him into the hug. He took a paw and traced Dado's chest. His expression didn't change much, but he slightly pulled himself up to Dado's eye level.

"I wouldn't have blamed you either way" he started. The tears flowed faster. "I have to be completely honest, I was sure you would have said yes. But... I'm happy you consider me to be family. I'll be by your side, no matter what."

As if by magic, upon the shape being traced on his chest, Dado wept his cognitive dissonance, his shame, and his hate out against Ai's soft coat.

He kneeled there, merely crying and mouthing a wordless apology, for about half a minute. He now understood.

Dado was weak. He had less light in his Heart than anyone else in this world. He was just some nerd with a rebellious streak...

But maybe that was his true purpose. His Mark wouldn't just allow him to teach new Wielders (though he did intend to do that), nor serve as a proof of power... It'd be a tool with which he could break and rebuild the systems in place.

He could make a better future. One in which found families like his own, and presumably like those before his, wouldn't tear themselves apart for an arbitrary title.

"I wanna be honest with you," he finally spoke. "But I need you to be honest with me, too...

"Do you need me to repeat the passage I read? Or have you already heard it?" He did his best to keep his tone inaccusatory. It was a genuine offer, after all.

"I haven't read it. Not yet," Ai clarified. "I'd like for you to tell me."

Based on that, Dado was inclined to assume the android may have somehow partially overheard their conversation, or that either Nerina or Fiora told him. That was fine. He was glad either way.

"It's from an account of this place's creation:

"We will create a hidden land. Here, a new generation of Wielders will be brought, and raised by a single Master. They must be taught the way of Light. They must each achieve skill worthy of the title Master.

"All but one will Depart. Unto the final Master, their Master's blade must be bequeathed. This Final Master will be tasked with protecting this Land of Departure, and training the next generation of Masters.

"That's the system they built... But if ancient Keyblade Wielders were particularly wise, they wouldn't have started a Keyblade War." He smiled slightly, his determination growing. "We're the next generation of would-be Keyblade Masters. If anyone's gonna fix all this... It'll be us."

Ai nodded, looking more hopeful. "When we leave from here," he spoke. "I hope we can all meet up somewhere new. If we can figure that out... Well, either way, I'm sure we'll all cross paths again. It'll probably be at one of the worlds a Master dwells."

"May our Hearts be our Guiding Key." Dado grinned, determined. "That's the thing about the Lanes Between: Hearts can usually find each other pretty easily. Anytime you need me... Even if you don't know where to find me, I promise you'll be able to."

"... Indeed. May our Hearts be our Guiding Key." Ai stared up at the sky. "Though I have the feeling my Heart is going to lead me somewhere dangerous... I won't be scared. And I WILL come back to see you all again. Promise."

Dado held out a pinky. Ai wrapped his own around it.

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Master's Summons

Vincent left the Grand Hall atop a styracosaur.

Neat. In any other mood, Dado would be overjoyed. His tearstained face bore a barely contained scowl.

He and Fiora apologized for their tardiness, bowing their heads. He walked to a different spot than usual: one as far from Nerina as reasonable.

"I can see," Master Straeh began to speak. "That there has been some... issues. But, truth be told, I'm simply glad to see you all alive. I would like to speak with you all separately on the matter — later, after you have all rested up."

Fiora seemed frustrated that her story was being put off. Dado closed his eyes, listening as the Master continued.

"Of course, that is not why I called you all here. You see, Master Mod-Gnik, my old master, has informed me and the other masters about a possible new threat. Negative emotions given form into beings of pure darkness have been appearing throughout the worlds. We have decided to call them «Unversed»."

Fiora gasped. The Master continued.

"I've decided that you all would get better training and experience out in the field. The Lanes Between are open to you all. As the Unversed spread, the chaos they bring spread with them. I simply want you to encounter them and learn what you can, then return here. Once we know a little more about this new enemy, I will assign you all with new tasks involving them. Is this understood?"

"I'll do my best," while his voice sounded robotically confident, Ai didn't look up to task.

"Understood, Master." Nerina was next to speak up. "Is this the first time such creatures have appeared?"

"From what we know, this is the first time."

Dado cursed her for her thoughtful question. It was hard to stay mad at her when she'd just saved him a few hours of fruitlessly poring over text for clues about their enemy.

"Master," he nodded, swallowing his resentment. "Are there any limitations on which worlds we shouldn't visit?"

At this, Master Straeh stopped, putting a hand to her mouth thoughtfully.

With their fight earlier, Dado was pretty sure the three of them wouldn't be exploring together... not initially, at any rate. This would give him freedom to study. Maybe he'd be able to catch up.

"I recommend checking worlds without other masters," she started. When Fiora inhaled sharply through gritted teeth, the Master elaborated. "Worlds like Twilight Town and Destiny Islands already have masters and students there to investigate. Other than that, use your best judgement. If a world seems too dangerous or not required to visit, then do not."

Dado finally understood what was going on. She'd been acting on edge the past few days...

"That is all," the Master nodded at them. "For now. You may leave after you have recovered. I'll summon each of you for your account on what happened later. Dismissed." Just like that, she turned and left.

"Fiora," Dado stepped in front of the distraught girl. He motioned to the hallway. "Can we talk for a sec?"

"...I have to make this relatively quick," he remembered. "I already offered to help fix Ai's fuse. That said..."

He looked at her, resolute. "You're going to Destiny Islands."

As Fiora's poker face fell, he continued.

"Check up on your home. Make sure it's alright. And if you need plausible deniability..." He smiled slyly. "I will take the blame for pushing you into the Lanes Between."

"But– but the mission... and she forbade, and– I..." Tears welled up in her eyes.

"You've been acting weird lately, and I finally figured out why. You had the nightmare again." He paused dramatically, then continued.

"You can't effectively focus on investigating «Unversed» if you're worried about the Islands... So screw the mission for now. You can check up on everyone, make sure everything's okay, and then find another world. No harm in that."

Light glowed in his left hand. He grinned.

"Wanna be «pushed into the Lanes» now, or do you have something you need to grab first?"

"I– Dado, how can I..." She cut herself off when she suddenly jumped forward and bear hugged him. Gone were mere tears of frustration and indecision. Dado returned the hug, his tears matching her own.

"Thank you!" She cried. "I don't know how I'll ever get to repay you! You, and... and..."

"Love you, Fiora. Nerina does too. I'll see you soon, okay?" He gently ran his fingers through her hair.

"...Thank you," she began to compose herself. "I'm ready. I already have what I want on me."

A portal to the Lanes Between opened in front of him and behind Fiora. He gently tapped her armor activation mechanism.

"Safe travels." With a wide smile, he pushed her off of himself and into the portal.

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Copse

Four knocks rang out against wood, and Dado poked his head into the partially chopped grove.

"...Fiora?"

While following her messy trail of light, he cried. The tears had now subsided, but their remnants were likely still visible.

"I'm, uhh... Can I come in?" He felt awkward. He'd never knocked on her hidey hole before, out of respect for her... but this situation called for it.

"You... followed me," Fiora turned to face him. "What about Nerina?" She peered past him, looking around.

"She said if she didn't waste her time training me, she'd be even further." He took a seat on a tree stump and sulked. "Besides, I can't just leave you alone. None of us gets left behind, remember?"

"We're holding her back, huh?" Fiora looked disgusted. "Fine..." She turned her back.

"I'm fine. Go back and talk with him. He showed mErCy, so you guys should hear him out. Not like he could have killed you or anything..."

"I don't need to hear him out. That's the Master's job... and she'll be hearing all of us describe what happened. Especially you, Fiora."

Despite his best efforts, a tear rolled down his cheek. He clenched his eyes shut, and more tears fell out. He'd always been worse than Fiora and Nerina at holding back his emotions... along with, it would seem, everything else.

"You had a view of the whole battlefield. If anyone's story is gonna be taken seriously, it'll be yours.

"And honestly..." He looked to the side. Master Straeh didn't like them cursing.

"Fuck them right now. Vincent, Ai, Nerina, whatever. They're all full of it.

"I... I tried using the Keyblade on him as soon as I saw him use Darkness against her. I even tried the Black Hole Bomb." He trembled. "None of it did a thing. He let himself get hit by it. Fighting him for real? It would've just gotten us all killed for real."

Fiora clenched her fist and turned around, enraged.

"So you do realize that he could have killed you both and should be dealt with! Who knows how strong he actually is! We had a chance to take him out while he was weak. I had a chance! But no, he should train under us."

Fiora's tears flowed freely as she continued.

"At any point he could attack us. He could have... Nerina and AI could be... they..." She fell to her knees, not finishing the thought.

"Think, Fiora!" Dado shouted. "Would some allegedly self-trained Masterless Wielder who uses darkness give his enemies a perfect opportunity to destroy him? Of course not: he knows Curaga!

"We're in a survival scenario, and as you just saw, our way out isn't fighting. All we can do is tell the Master, which is what I've been trying to say this whole time!"

"Fine." Fiora, suddenly and uncannily, stopped crying. "We'll tell the Master everything that has happened. She'll handle him."

Suddenly, a bell rang out from the castle: a summons.

She hummed absently. "Perfect timing. We can tell her now."

Fiora was poor at masking, but Dado knew when to drop a subject. The declarative 'Fine' sold it further.

He stood up, but didn't bother to wipe his tears. If Nerina would see his tearstained face...

Well, worst case scenario, she won't care. Best case scenario?

It'll hurt.

Dado walked behind Fiora.

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Damage Control

Dado knelt against Ever After, bloodied from a thousand paper cuts. Vincent fared little better.

"I think..." Vincent started. "I think you might be mistaken about the danger here."

"Hah," Nerina panted. "That was incredible. We haven't had a strong foe like that since the Master."

Leaning on Rainfell as a cane, she limped over to Dado, extending a hand. He accepted her help, the argument formulating in his mind vanishing as soon as he saw Ai.

The android's visor and joints visibly smoked from how hot his internals had gotten. Regardless, he was somehow able to move his body enough to get into a kneeling position.

"Th- tha-t..." Ai's voice was choppy. "Was certai-nly so-mething, Vince- Vince-nt. Y-you're incre-incre..."

"Fiora," Dado's voice was hoarse. "Ai needs the most help." He wished he knew how to repair electronics. In such a wide, weird world, it seemed like a helpful skill.

Fiora hesitated for a moment, panicked eyes darting back and forth before she ran past Ai to heal Nerina and Dado. Green wind soon swirled around the two.

Dado put his fingers to his temples as Fiora mentally shut down, then realized the benefit as his muscles repaired themselves. This was good.

"...Thanks, Fiora. This has helped." After affirming her, he walked over to Ai, who was clearly having a panic attack over his damaged circuits. A teal spray was failing to mend his circuitry.

"You," he pointed at Vincent as he walked past him. "You need to train under Master Straeh."

The gears continued to turn as he continued. "I'm not sure how you've made it this long on your own, or with that much darkness..."

"Heal." He interrupted himself, focusing on Ai. Green light shined on him, and he examined the damage to the android's machinery. His organic bits seemed mostly healed by the cyan mist and Cure cast, but it'd take a lot more for the rest of his circuitry. His visor, for instance... Half of it was dead.

"We're going on a field trip soon," he made eye contact with Ai's seeing side. "We'll get you to an Information Age world; one with touchscreens and stuff. They'll be able to fix you up."

Ai slowly looked up at Dado, a still-worried expression the working half of his display, but spoke confidently regardless.

"It's just a blown fuse," the Cure cast seemed to help with his voice. "I might have a replacement one with the rest of my stuff. My creator always made sure I had spares, and this is only the... Second time this has happened? I will only need someone to replace it, and I can write down basic instructions to do so even with one functioning eye."

"I can–" Dado stopped himself as he blurted the words out. What was he on about? He had no experience! He couldn't–

"I mean, I think I can try? I've been studying basic circuits while trying to learn Thunder." It wasn't untrue. "And I'm good with Shego Bricks. I..."

Escalation

"Nerina!" Dado's voice was drowned out by the pounding in his chest. Was the new guy really throwing darkness at her?!

A spiraling galaxy glowed violet and gold, scattering into a shower of Dark and Light. As stars rained down at Nerina, Vincent bore a satisfied expression.

Dado skated along the ground in wide arcs, weaving through Ai's Ragnarok absentmindedly as he approached the wielder of Darkness. The Mirage Staff, thrown aside, returned to his grasp in its original form.

"Light!" A pencil-thin beam shot from the blade's tip aimed directly at Vincent's chest.

"Waterga!" Nerina's voice rang out, shocking Dado. A torrent more powerful than any he'd seen punched through the projectiles, curling around his beam as it, too, raced towards their shared target.

Dado felt Ai and Vincent's Hearts link, and the Android was suddenly by the threat's side. A barrier took the brunt of his and Nerina's separate attacks.

Dread fell over Dado. He was entirely in over his head. Between Nerina's hitherto concealed third-tier magic, Vincent's darkness, and Ai's defense of him...

No. There was something he could still do.

"Nerina! Like we practiced!" He reached out to her Heart. She shook debris out of her hair as she rushed towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Right," she nodded encouragingly.

"Together!" Dado felt a massive surge in power as their Hearts fell in sync. A mess of glassy hexagons swirled around a Magnet cast.

"I call upon the waters of the nameless sea! Give rise to your waves!" Water flowed forth from her, spiraling inwards between the barrier shards.

"It's ready!" Her confidence flowed into him, reassuring him as Vincent and Ai prepared their Limit.

The hexagons spontaneously locked into place, forming an absolute seal. No light got in. No light got out.

"Eternal!" Vincent and Ai's voices rang out as one. Light and Darkness coiled around the duo, their stances mirroring each other.

Dado grunted, drawing on Nerina's strength to maintain the barrier as the Magnet cast swirled the Water magic, now broken down into pure energy, ever-faster.

"SESSION!" Vincent and Ai charged, their pointed Keyblades spinning around each other as they drilled forward.

"Dado, now!" Nerina cried.

"BLACK HOLE BOMB!" A single hexagon was removed from the barrier, concentrating Water-aligned Aether into a single wave of destruction directed at Vincent and Ai.

Pure chaos rippled outwards. Aquamarine, violet, and gold light flashed in violent explosions, sending shadows screaming across the tattered cliffs and castle walls. Glassy hexagons of varying opacities spiraled outwards, shattering against Keyblades and Wielders alike.

The dust began to settle.

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Friendly Spar

By the time Dado's spin stopped, Ever After had taken a new form: the Mirage Staff.

If everyone else insisted on playing defense, he'd oblige them.

"Light!" Lasers flowed from the staff's tip into a prism, refracting into other prisms throughout the area unpredictably before flying towards a target.

Nerina's dancing water pooled in front of her, acting as a shield. She smirked at the ripples against their surface.

"Good! Maybe you'll get through my water, Dado."

"That's the plan," he thought.

Ai aimed his turrets at Dado, raising his left paw upward to create a barrier.

"Calibrating... Aiming..." The turrets on Ai's shoulders began to charge. Dado mentally noted them, eyes darting over to Vincent.

"Geez..." The dark-haired man grimaced, slamming his Keyblade through redirected beams of light. "Everyone uses magic. I should've seen something like this coming."

His movements were sloppy and direct, but well-focused. Despite glancing around wildly like a cornered animal, he seemed in a comfort zone of sorts. All of a sudden, Dado found it a lot easier to believe Vincent had no formal training.

"Three... Two..." Ai called out.

"Now then..." Nerina glanced back from the android and to Dado, seemingly having made the same calculations as him. She slid her hand along Rainfell, infusing it with the water element.

"FIRE!" Both turrets fired at Dado, launching twin barrages of lasers at him. Nerina rushed forward, swinging an explosion of water outwards in a wide arc.

Ai's lasers flew towards him, punching through what revealed itself to be a Mirage.

Of course Nerina, perpetually savvy to his trickery, had accounted for this with her arc. He'd prepared a cast for her accordingly.

"Fire!" A cloud of steam erupted where her Water Strike would have made contact with him.

As the steam faded, Dado's blade to his side and off-hand stretched outwards, Nerina's hair smoldered.

"So you decided to play with fire, I see." She grabbed a lock of her own hair, crushing an ember with a bare hand. Dado paled as an especially cold-looking bubble formed in at the tip of her Keyblade-

"GAAAH!" And yelled out in pain. Ai, seeing his dropped guard after his exchange with Nerina, had remotely detonated a Holy cast directly beneath him.

For a fraction of a moment, violet smoke trailed from his left eye.

"Petal Surge!" He clenched the eye shut and dashed towards Ai. A maelstrom of golden petals swirled around him.

The furry robot friend attempted to sidestep the storm, only to underestimate its breadth. Clipped by the petals, he backflipped into the air, his turrets returning to their Keyblade form. He twirled the weapon in a Windmill before him, an orb of light forming tangent to its center.

Dado knew a Shotlock when he saw one. He surveyed the battlefield, planning out how he'd evade it.

Nerina, for her part, had spared him earlier, redirecting her ire at Vincent. For her troubles, she was flattened against the ground by a Gravity cast. Vincent hovered over her, Keyblade enveloped in violet mist. With a bemused smile, he pointed the demon wing at her, Darkness building at its tip.

"Ragnarok!" Ai shouted, scattering the orb into countless beams of light.

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Staredown

With minimal convincing, Ai gathered the gang for a good free-for-all spar at the Summit. Dado, Vincent, and Ai were the first to arrive.

Dado eyed Vincent as the latter gave his angeodemonic blade a few unrefined test swings. His wariness and curiosity battled each other. Something was off about the man; he could feel it in his Heart. But Ai took to him quickly, and Nerina trusted Ai...

Ever After shimmered into his palm, golden dust floating around it. Similar golden dust trailed from his heels. A breeze buffeted his cloak, concealing a slim figure within the billowing layers of cloth.

Ai, likewise, began to summon his typical energy blade. His arm glowed with a brilliant light.

When the light dimmed, he was holding something new. The blade was short and colored a light grey, with white LED bulbs going down the center of the weapon in a perfect line to the hand guard. The hand guard itself was simple, a pair of angelic wings curling inward to protect Ai's paw. The "teeth" of the blade were small plasma emitters, which immediately turned on and ignited into small pillars of light as he gave the weapon a few practice swings.

"Wait," Dado was surprised. "Since when are you a Keyblade Wielder?"

"Ah," Ai seemed nonplussed. "So this is a Keyblade."

He swung the weapon a few more times, jabbing forward in preparation.

"Maybe I always was, but didn't know it. All I know is... If I was indeed one before, this isn't the right Keyblade."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dado was shocked. How could someone's Keyblade be 'the wrong one'? How could one even be sure?

"I'm not sure myself," Ai shrugged. "But something in my Heart tells me this isn't the weapon I used to use... But it will do regardless.

Dado cursed silently at the android's cryptic words. Ai had been a strange case ever since he showed up a few months ago, but ever since Vincent arrived earlier that week, he'd been even less communicative.

He jumped as Nerina pat his shoulder, arriving just in time to interrupt his thoughts. She flipped her hair back, calling Rainfell to her hand.

"Come now, Dado," she teased. "Even you should realize that the heart is a tricky one.

"Perhaps this new looking keyblade could be formed from bonds you no longer recall," she suggested to Ai. "Or a testament of the trials you overcame before we found you."

"Still: nice to see that if something happens, we can rely on Ai, right Dado?" She placed a hand on her hip, pointing her blade at Dado with a grin.

Pointing a Keyblade directly at someone was the universal sign of a challenge. Dado, out of habit, stanced up: blade held overhead pointed towards Nerina, with his empty left hand front and center. The stance was common in duels, focusing on wide swings complimented by defensive magic.

After a beat, he changed his stance. He first brought his feet together, crossing his arms over his breast, blade held upwards in an intermediary pose. He then pushed his right foot forward in a gentle lunge, holding the blade in a diagonal commonly seen in fencing. Unlike the non-magical version of the sport, however, his left hand was held at his hip, like Woody reaching for his trusty revolver.

He knew Nerina would recognize this stance. It was deceptively defensive, with an emphasis on deflection and trickery. Every time he used it, he ended up pulling out something "non-traditional".

Nerina kept her eyes on Dado as she hopped into the air. Her magic held her just above the ground to grant her quickened evasion. Watching Dado's change of stance, she willed Water to dance around herself. It seemed to move with a mind of its own: a testament to Nerina's control.

Ai continued to twirl his weapon, finally tossing it into the air before catching it in a new form: a pair of plasma turrets. They mounted themselves to his shoulders. One of them misfired in Nerina's direction, a laser passing her face by a margin of inches.

"Apologies," Ai blinked. "Recalibrating..."

As Fiora arrived and took a seat outside of the splash zone, Vincent finally seemed to settle on a stance. He held the Keyblade in front of himself in a single-handed guard, reaching with his off-hand similarly to Dado. He rolled his eyes.

"Well, Dado?" Nerina's voice was a singsongy taunt. "Who shall strike first? Or shall we wait for the others before joining in on the fun~?"

"So..." Vincent started to make awkward small talk. "I guess you two have fought with each other for quite some time? Hope I don't end up throwing a wrench into your dynamic here."

"Hmph." Dado grinned.

No one wanted to make the first move. Everyone seemed to take a defensive stance.

He leapt backwards into a spin, dust trailing his boots as prisms flew around the area.

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By Rites and Hopes

Quest Log 2: Defending Against Rogue Nature

World: Neverland

Kate Thirabella's Thoughts:

So... Things may be so much different than I initially thought. I've started my training to become a full-fledged Keyblade wielder. And a part of that training, let me do go out to other worlds to investigate these strange creatures that have been appearing in the other worlds. How much is my mind gonna be blown just going from world to world here? I dunno, but can't deny it!

So my first stop, was a place I later heard to be called Neverland. I won't pretend to understand how this place works, but, all I know is that it's a simple island with pirates, kids and a flying man the pirates doesn't seem to like. I couldn't ask the captain we were with, as he was scared off by a ticking sound... Sounded like a clock. Never saw the source though.

Anyway, during my exploration, I had heard a commotion. The dangerous kind of commotion. And when I could finally see, I could see a battle in place. These... Strange dark blue creatures, and a sentient tree that they were spawning out of. Other keyblade wielders were fighting it, I noticed. So, I came in to help. Though... In a way I can't explain. I was just... In the air. In my keyblade armour, standing on a floating platform that formed a path as I ran... I've tried to replicate that platform thing, but I could never do it. I just can't explain it.

It took some effort, and was a bit of a close call on my part, but we destroyed that tree, and took the rest of the... Unversed, I think? Out. I did cut it quite close, but thankfully I was healed before I fell to the things.

We talked amongst ourselves, though one of the wielders... Dado, was it? Asked a strange riddle to the pirate captain. The pirate sounded like he was going to answer, but... Well, the ticking started. I can only imagine it is the thing that took his hand and forced him to have a hook. I don't know what the riddle means, but I did recognise my teacher's name as a part of the riddle... Whatever the case, we moved on to safer and less world order needed areas, to a new world... An island. I am pretty sure I heard them mention Destiny Island? Or maybe I heard that from somewhere else... We elaborated on the threats, and some of the people needed to get home.

I don't have a home anymore. The closest thing is my master's schoolhouse. So that is where I will be when I am not travelling. And if they are correct, and I WAS called onto the battlefield by the world itself?

I need to be ready to answer any more calls for help. I need to get my strength back, so I can defend all whom I can.

Important Points:

Mad Treant - Defeated!

Flood Wave - Exterminated!

Connection - First introductions to Dado, Arano, Alex, Captain Hook, and Smee.

Mystery - New mysteries around a mysterious riddle, and elaborations on possible information around the Unversed.

Strength - Kate has grown stronger because of this fight, but still has some work to do to reach her true potential again.

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Alexis Starlight

Alex is a pop star from Twilight Town who uses guns! Her favorite gun became a Soul Weapon, eventually turning into the Astral Blast Keyblade.

Dado (Keyblade Armor)

Dado is the focus character of Dado's Journal and Dado's Journey! He wields Ever After, and has vine & gold motifs.

If you'd be interested in commissioning the artist, his Discord is cloudishly! You can also find him in the KHTD Discord!

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Thunder. Ow.

"Thunder. Ow. Thunder. Ow."

Dado was frustrated. How was he having this much trouble with one of the three base elements?!

"Water," he lifted the water from a cup on his bedside table, then gently set it back down. That had taken months to learn... But he'd been very determined to take away that extra bit of ammunition from Nerina. She had teased him for years about how easy Water was to cast, often by simply throwing some at him...

So what did he do? He went to the library and studied it. He studied the physics of fluids as a whole, how surface tension held bodies together. He learned that even Earth behaves as a fluid in large enough quantities.

Due to water's weight, he couldn't rely on mere convection to do the bulk of the work for him the way he did with Aero. Likewise due to its "gloopiness", he couldn't simply break off a piece the way he did with Quake; attempting to do so would create a localized pocket of lower pressure and cause the targeted body to resist movement.

He needed a different approach, and that surface tension was the key. By thrusting air into the crevices between water and its container, he could create a Bubble. That Bubble was then much more freely movable. For larger bodies of water, he could simply cause splashes to accomplish the same effect.

Reinvigorated, Dado tossed the battery onto his bed. He walked out of his bedroom, ready to learn the spell his way.

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Sibling Meeting

A clink against the door.

A second clink.

A latch turning itself through supernatural means.

CRASH.

Dado kicked Nerina's door in (unlocking it first with his Keyblade, of course) as revenge for the other morning.

"You!" He pointed dramatically at her, stifling a grin.

For her part, Nerina laid in bed with a faraway look, barely glancing at Dado. She waved a finger around, her notebook magically closing and filing itself away.

She finally sat up in the bed, donming a playful mask as she pointed the same finger at him. Water began to form at her fingertip.

"Breaking into a ladies room now, are we, Dado? I didn't know you had a scandalous side to you!"

"Hey," he protested. "You're the one who tried soaking my nightgown!"

Nerina had a familiar air of sadness about her. She did a good job hiding it, but being an eldest child himself at one point, he knew it too well not to recognize it for what it was.

He let it be.

"Fiora and I were looking for you," he said. "We thought you'd be helping that Masterless Wielder."

Nerina dropped her hand, a teardrop of water falling from her finger.

"I helped him get settled, but from there, I'm leaving it to Master Straeh on what to do next." She got up, walking over to the window and sitting on its ledge.

"What was it that you both needed me for?"

"Oh, well... We're both worried about the Mark of Mastery." Dado walked over and sat next to Nerina.

This room had always been comforting. He sighed wistfully.

"You're obviously gonna pass with flying colors..." he started. "But I don't have anything beyond fancy words. And Fiora's, like, incapable of self-confidence. So she's worried she'll get left behind."

"We wanted to figure out where we wanna live after we all, you know... Depart."

Nerina looked at Dado like he was insane for even saying that.

"Who says this isn't our home, or that we can't return even after our mark of mastery?" She gave him an incredulous look, then quickly turned her head away. Her gaze was drawn up towards the stars.

"Nerina..." Dado felt his heart sink.

"Something tells me," her face bore a determined expression. "My home is still out there; that the cursed lands didn't take over it... or at the very least, didn't consume it. If that's true I want to find it.

"Besides, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. We just have to play to them." Her voice was as encouraging as ever.

The idea was nice. It'd be nice for them to all live in a castle. To obtain ingredients from off-world every now and again, and cook meals together.

Even without stealing that book from the Restricted section, the subtext from Master Straeh was clear as can be. How did she not see it...?

"This place is called the Land of Departure. We were never intended to stay here forever." He stood up, hands clasped behind his back, and paced somberly.

"...I took another book last night. A written account of this place's creation." He took a deep breath, then repeated the memorized exerpt.

"We will create a hidden land. Here, a new generation of Wielders will be brought, and raised by a single Master. They must be taught the way of Light. They must each achieve skill worthy of the title Master.

"All but one will Depart. Unto the final Master, their Master's blade must be bequeathed. This Final Master will be tasked with protecting this Land of Departure, and training the next generation of Masters.

"If any of us chooses to stay here..." Dado stopped pacing with a grim look. "We'll be separated. The only way for us to stick together is if we all leave."

A gasp was heard from the doorway. Dado and Nerina both turned to see Fiora, hands over her mouth.

"First we have Dado trying to sneak a peek," Nerina joked as the two walked to the doorway. "And now we got Fiora eavesdropping." She stood over the girl with her arms on her hips.

"No one is leaving or getting separated any time soon," she spoke authoritatively. "I honestly don't know why you both stress about stuff like that."

"Back in the Toy Box," Dado sighed. "A common stock moment in our stories was someone partially overhearing something, and then freaking out.

"What parts did you hear?"

"I heard what you said about the book you found..." Fiora's eyes drooped. Had she had a nightmare? "And I heard that Nerina wants to find her home. Her original home."

"Fiora, you..." Nerina sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose before continuing. "Look, I want to find out what happened to my home; why the cursed lands were spreading rapidly. Doesn't mean I'm going to stay there permanently."

"I wasn't saying you were going to stay there!" Fiora protested. "I... I was just answering what I heard... I know you'll come back..."

Nerina glared at Dado with a silent message: "quit asking stupid questions and help."

"Field trip," he blurted out.

It was so simple!

"Let's have a field trip," he explained. "We'll investigate Nerina's world, see what other worlds have to offer, and figure out our plans for after the Mark of Mastery along the way!"

"But Dado," Fiora shook her head. "The master forbids us from leaving without her permission. Especially me. If she found out, who knows what kind of trouble we'll be in."

"I'll ask," Nerina began. "And I'll tell her that I know my world is not gone like she has told me, and that if I'm to prove myself worthy I should go and investigate. We can use it as a way to see how far along you've gotten. The both of you."

Nerina began to leave the room outright, turning her back to the duo.

"The worst she'll say is no," her voice didn't have its usual bubbly tone.

"And even if she says no, who's to say that isn't a test?" Dado offered. "Keyblade Masters are supposed to take initiative; to investigate darkness and root it out. What would be more noble than investigating the supposed fall of a world?"

Dado thought about Nerina's wording. There seemed to be an implied accusation there... Was she simply accusing Master Straeh of being mistaken? ...Or was there something deeper?

"Nerina, Dado," Fiora seemed slightly less afraid. "I'm sorry for eavesdropping. I was just really scared... But yeah, we should go investigate, whether the master wants us to or not."

Nerina simply nodded, then walked with purpose in the direction of Master Straeh's room. Dado waited a moment, then spoke softly.

"Fiora?" He gave her a look. "I don't think Nerina's okay... and I'm no good at any of this stuff."

He always defaulted to raw logic. While it helped him cope, it didn't seem to work as well for others. Fiora, on the other hand...

"Think you can talk to her?" It wasn't fair for him to put this on her... but neither was their situation.

"I'll do my best..." Fiora put her hand to her chest, reaching out with her Heart. "It feels like she is angry about something. I just wish I knew what so I could understand better."

"She might be angry at Master Straeh?" Dado was unsure. Her tone hadn't told him much.

His eyes drifted over to Nerina's bookshelf. She'd been writing in that journal. There were plenty of old journals in the Restricted Section...

...But that'd make him no better than his biological family, wouldn't it?

"I dunno. I'm gonna grab a snack." He power-walked out of the room, avoiding tempting himself further.

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Journal XVIII, Entry I

Age eighteen. Another year, another journal. Here's to nineteen, eh?

I'll admit, it's surreal. Nearly a decade ago, I assumed I'd be dead before I reached adulthood.

Fiora, Nerina, and Master Straeh ambushed me in the kitchen, startling me with a loud Happy Birthday. They teased me a bit, asking when I'm gonna take the Mark of Mastery. It's no secret that I intend to pursue the title of Master, but I'm inclined to wait until I've mastered some Grand Magic and published at least one academic work. After all, what good would the title be if I've nothing unique to teach yet?

While Fiora and Nerina had a laugh about this response, Master Straeh indicated approval. She asked what I plan to write about.

As I've noted in previous entries, I figure the various applications of Flower magic as a teaching tool is a good start. I briefly summarized how displays in Information Age worlds work, as well as the difference between Raster and Vector render formats. Flower magic, when channeled in its purest form as fractals emergent from initial parameters, can be molded into various types of polynomial functions. The Vine line, in particular, shows promise due to its fundamental nature as a parametric function of length.

They seemed blown away, and I let myself feel proud. Master Straeh said she was looking forward to seeing my paper on it.

All in all, this is shaping up to be a great year. I can't wait to give Fiora her birthday present next week.

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Book Heist

"Silence," Dado whispered. Blue mist fell over him.

As he tapped his Keyblade against the library door, the impact's energy was not converted to sound. Rather, the door's wood was ever so subtly heated as it unlocked itself. He opened it without so much as a creak, then proceeded inside.

He walked a memorized path through the dark, fidgeting with the item in his pocket. They were discouraged from bringing anything from off-world, but he'd managed to sneak a few flashlights from various trips to Destiny Islands. By dislodging the batteries in just the right way (and padding the interior to prevent them from jiggling back into place), he had a light dim enough to read book covers, but not so bright as to alert Master Straeh's security.

Of course, this song and dance was as much a game as anything else. He was certain that, if she really wanted to, she could apply far more robust security measures. This allowance of his prowling around was merely another form of training, likely with a layer of plausible deniability in case he learned something one of her peers might frown upon.

He appreciated the game of cat and mouse, even if neither could admit aloud they were playing.

The restricted section was full of "adult" books: mostly dry historical texts with regard for neither sensible pacing nor self-censorship. To Nerina and Fiora, there was likely little here of note.

To Dado, this was a gold mine of information: Eyewitness accounts of the political landscape leading up to the Keyblade War uncorrupted by the lens of hindsight, various letters alluding to a 'Xigellivr Incident', and even an exerpt from a journal seemingly belonging to a Lost Master.

Tonight, rather than mere curiosity, he searched with purpose. This tiny place... Master Straeh implied it wouldn't stay their home forever. He, Nerina, and Fiora would one day leave.

But why build an entire castle on an empty world with no staff, no shops, and well under a dozen inhabitants at any point in time? Why not build it to be a proper home?

...Why couldn't this be their home?

Scanning over covers, he finally found a promising packet. Its cover was a sketch of the castle: slightly different, but recognizable regardless.

He tucked it into his cloak, setting out for his bedroom to read it by the candlelight.

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Entry VII

Life in the castle is pretty structured! We wake up first thing in the morning, then eat a breakfast with protein. Then, we learn using an old-school blackboard and stuff. Once we're done with our "normal" learning (which includes magic theory and crazy stuff like that), we do Keyblade training. Right now, we're on the basics: stance, breathing, and sensing magic. I actually channeled my magic into a technique called "Flower Shoot"! It's a ball of light with golden petals, and it means I have a natural affinity towards Light!

Fiora and Nerina are really nice! We did some sparring, and afterwards, Nerina revealed that she'd baked us a welcome cake! And Fiora noticed when I was getting overwhelmed at one point and helped me!

Master Straeh gave us new clothes. Currently, we're all wearing mostly the same stuff, but she says once we come into our own as Keyblade Wielders, she'll help us design our own outfits!

It's… honestly really weird. Feeling cared about.

I like it.

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