#destinysoath

Amber hues of light shimmered against the ocean's waves as Aevum's star set behind the sea. A trail of footprints led from the boardwalk to the waterline. As waves swash the beach, the footprints fill with sand, breaking the trail behind a boy dressed in black, red, and yellow.

His hands were in his pockets and his hood covered his face as he stared at the sand, glancing over shells and sea glass, picking up a few he finds to his liking.

Sora couldn't help but be lost in thought. One moment he was at the "World That Never Was". The next, he was stepping out of a tower that led him here. A new world with new faces. No Donald or Goofy, no Riku or Kairi. Is he ever going to complete his journey? Will he ever make it home?

Sora walked a few more steps. His feet continuing to splash in the water and sink gently in the sand until he finds a thalassa shell. But as he's about to reach for it, he notices a small hand reaching for it too. He glances up and lets out an ever so gentle smile.

"You go ahead, sorry. I already have plenty of other shells in my pocke-"

Deep blue eyes widen as he stares at this girl for what feels like an eternity. He then shakes his head and looks away toward the water. Sorry, you look like someone I'm trying to find. Didn't mean to weird you out." The boy muttered with an awkward giggle.

「𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤 𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤!」- "I could explain but you probably wouldn't believe me. Besides, there's no time. ...Anyways, don't sweat all the tiny details!"

He'd done his wandering and poking around for the time being, at least for now. The city was huge, far too much to explore in one day, and frankly he didn't want to keep looking around when he might miss the appearance of one of the other Saja Boys.

If he was here, surely they would appear at some point, right?

So he'd gone back to the garden around the weird crystal tower, finding a tree with a nice low branch to lay on where he could also see the tower. All he had to do was lay there and watch, listen for one of the boys to appear.

To pass the time, he played with his phone, poking around with the device. Baby liked to play games with his, maybe there were some there he could play too? Or music?

Music was more appealing, so he looked there first and low and behold, all of Huntr/x and the Saja Boys music was right there. Mystery blinked, a little dumbfounded, and immediately put their songs on repeat. If that didn't attract the attention he was looking for, he didn't know what would.

Granted, he wasn't counting on himself attracting attention he definitely wasn't looking for.

@destinysoath

And maybe he could have. If he hadn’t been found out. If Xehanort hadn’t finally decided he’d outlived his usefulness, after failing so completely in his eyes. But of course, Xehanort was never one to waste a resource, however small. Perhaps there was one last task Vanitas could be used for…

Xehanort left once the deed was done, leaving Vanitas in a state of panic, clutching at his head and chest. There was no need for him to stay. He already knew what was to happen. It was inevitable.

Vanitas struggled against the shard of Xehanort’s heart, of course. But it was useless. His body stilled as control of it slipped away from him, and as it did, his dark hair paled, the color seeping out until it was a silvery gray. He opened his golden eyes, grinning as he flexed his fingers.

“Well...this certainly is interesting…”

KAIRI will be reapplied for you!

She will retain her housing at #211, Seaside Province.

❝ you must be the ' kairi ' that sora talks about , ❞ he said . ❝ he's said good things . it's an honor to make your acquaintance in that case . ❞ a beat . then , feeling playful , link punctuated the words with a slight bow , fist to chest and arm laced behind his back . the sudden COMPULSION felt right , even if the play at formalities didn't last any longer . ❝ have the two of you managed to cross paths yet ? i'd think he'd be over the moon , if he knew you were here . ❞

You feel stillness and motion pressing upon you from all sides. From this, you are stirred, and spurred by your awakening, you step from the long quiet.

You, KAIRI, find yourself standing before the Temporal Tower, in a garden seemingly tucked away from the seasons of time. Still, people flock here beneath the borealis that lights the sky above, here to greet you. A Guardian approaches.

Hello young one…. and welcome to the Aevum Isles. Pleased, we are, to finally meet you! Preparations have been made for your arrival. We hope you will accept and cherish your time here.

You receive the following:

A House Key. Emblazoned upon it is: #211, Seaside Province

A Standard Issue Phone. It lights up when it manifests in your hand.

A GLASS-LIKE ORB with an AETHER ROSE inside it. Although the rose may lose its petals every few months, it never dies and always grows back as if reversing its age so long as it stays inside the orb. The Guardian places it in your hands, saying something about growth from balance without any further explanation.

Welcome to the Aevum Isles.