Chapter Text
There were a lot of things Sora expected when he went through that hole. He knew who he will meet. But he didn’t expect his emotions to just burst like this.
Like… like he was back being a kid.
His eyes literally teared up when he saw Merlin. Merlin, of all people.
The guy was in his blue magician garb, looking aged. A huge contrast to his looks from when they meet in his dreams.
Were Sora had his emotions in control, he would’ve been laughing non-stop right now. Scratch that, he's already laughing.
He was laughing while his tears fall, he was a mess. Seeing this, Merlin can’t help but sigh. The bucket of water he was about to get from the well, now forgotten, he brought up his wand and gave it a whish.
Not enough. Another one. Then a twirl.
He went back to the cottage, trailing behind him was a floating Sora. Still crying and laughing.
Youths today.
Merlin was not expecting Sora to arrive. There was nothing, at all, that tells him that he was supposed to be here. It raised alarms in his head.
From the looks of things when he last checked up on King Mickey, things were not doing good. The Kingly Mouse was still searching for a way to the dark realm when they met, and the heartless was consuming more worlds as time passes.
There was no definitive way to enter the realm of darkness. There was not much he could’ve told him, except to meet his apprentice. As embarrassing as it was, Sora had more chances to enter that place than him.
King Mickey left his humble abode with a favor for him. He accepted it, seeing as it was almost time he relocates back to his place in Traverse Town.
He only took a small break before he took off, for tea time! Then, the very same apprentice he was thinking about fell in front of him.
An emotional, in-denial kid, cried then laughs the next moment he saw him. The nerve! This form is marvelous!
Now, here’s the Great Wizard, Merlin, watching over a kid sleeping on his sofa in his living room. He took a look around the room, debating whether he should start the move. I should have enough time to spare before the lass arrives in Traverse Town.
“You don’t, Kairi’s almost finished with her round trip. She’s now on her third world to visit. It will be no time at all when she gets back to Traverse Town.” Sora opens one of his eyes, staring at Merlin.
Merlin huffs, hands on his hips. “What, you’re awake? You could’ve dragged yourself back.”
He sits up and stretched his body for a bit. “I just woke up. Since it was a good time to check on Kairi and Riku, I did.”
Merlin stares a bit more at his apprentice before getting his magic at work. Seeing this, Sora stands up beside him, watching him do the fancy wrist work. Soon enough, the magic bag that poofed in front of them, got all sorts of items fitted inside it and leaving the house barren.
Closing the bag, Merlin gave him a curious stare. “What do you plan on doing now? From the looks of things, everything got twisted up from the original plot.”
“Merlin, 4th wall.”
The man huffs again, his beard following his every movement as he shook his head. “Not the point my boy, even I didn’t foresee you arriving here. I was expecting you to be the one on the journey along with the King’s entourage, not your Princess friend.”
Sora looked away for a second. “I was ready to accept the price for trying to change the future, but I didn’t. I think the one who did was my counterpart. I don’t know which one though.”
Merlin can’t help but shake his head in dismay. “I don’t even know why you’re my apprentice anymore. Your parents gave their all just to give you life and you choose this.”
He glared at him on that. “My parents had nothing to do with this. They were used, the witch also knew about it.”
A sigh escapes him, giving his head a scratch under the hat. “Again, what do you plan on doing now? Surely you have a keyblade on you, right?” Sora nods at him. “Do you want to go to Traverse Town with me?”
Sora looked down in ponder before shaking his head. “Kairi and I can’t meet yet.”
Merlin tilts his head in question. “Yet?”
He nods his head. “Yet.”
With a twirl of his wand, Merlin opens the door of the house, connected to another world by magic. “See you again, Sora.”
Sora smiled, giving him a weak kick on his shin. “Same to you too, old man.”
Merlin gave him smirk, his younger appearance peering over his cover, just a little.
Sora watched Merlin get passed the door, catching a glimpse of Kairi from behind Merlin. Her smiling face, as she argued with Donald, was something that reassured Sora, again, that she’ll be fine.
She’s catching up to Mom in terms of intimidating people, her skills will catch up in combat… she’ll be fine.
Or so he says, but he looks worried, still. Slapping himself, he looked ahead and summons his keyblade.
His eyes were narrowed, glinting in a cold light. “I guess I have to get things running a bit faster…”
Which witch was it again?
Riku was not expecting to meet anyone, moreover this lady. “I forgot your name.”
Aqua had a wry smile when she heard that. “I’m Aqua,” Then her face turned serious, going somber toward the end. “Why are you here? This place is dangerous… did something happened in your world?”
Getting reminded of Destiny Islands, Riku looked away, biting his lips. He gave her a muted nod.
Aqua looked at him sadly. “I see… what happened to your friend? Sora?”
Still looking away, Riku shook his head before looking back at her. “He got taken… I’m not sure if he got away, but I met him here somewhere in between.” Looking around again, he took his chance to ask her. “Do you know where we are?”
Aqua nods, “Yes… Here is the realm of Darkness, The Dark World.”
“The Dark… World…” Riku said the name as if trying to savor it… it tasted sickly sweet. “It really is the darkness…” He looked down again, drowning within his thoughts.
Aqua stares at him for a minute, now remembering the strange sword he was holding. The sword does not hold any sorts of special design or anything, but the magic it exudes was strange. Dare she say it, it was almost felt like a keyblade with the way it exudes light magic. But unlike the keyblade, it also seemed to layer protection over its user. “I’ve been curious about it since earlier, where did you get the sword?”
Riku snapped out of his thoughts, his eyes locking on the sword he’s been gripping. “Sora gave it to me… I think it was made from his magic… wait, magic?” He latched on the idea of magic that he didn’t really believe until he saw Sora used it that night. “Magic is real?”
Aqua giggled at his looks. “First timer?”
Riku nods to her, though before any of them could say anything again, globs of darkness surround them again. “Oh, it seems like we stayed too long, they found us again.” Aqua brandished her keyblade, the same with Riku with the sword. “Ready?”
Riku nods, bearing strength in his stance, ready to strike down. “As ever.”
Aqua didn’t let the battle to last long, her long gained abilities in her stay in the Dark World was like on display with the way she looked while she hitting those heartless. Riku follows her every step, ready to cover or help her when the heartless seemed to group themselves.
The moment the heartless got cleared, Aqua beckoned Riku to get moving. Reminding him, they can’t stay too long in one place. “Even a weak light can shine through the darkness.”
Aqua filled the silence between them of her information about the Dark World. She didn’t tell him her reason why she was there. She didn’t need to, she now knows her core. She knew she had friends waiting for her, even Sora.
After pondering for too long in their walk, Riku recounts to Aqua of what happened in Destiny Islands. Curiously enough, Aqua was more interested in Sora’s reaction. “You said… it was like he knew what was going to happen? That he knew about other worlds?”
“He never actually said about other worlds, but he would drop hints…” Riku watched Aqua stopped walking and got into deep thoughts. “Aqua?”
She looked up to him, hesitating to say something. Like she was able to win over that hesitation, she nods to herself. “Actually… It was not long when I met Sora here. It was just a glimpse, but he helped me greatly.”
Riku looked alarmed when he heard that. “Sora’s here!?”
Aqua shook her head. “I’m not too sure if he really was here or not, I never actually saw him until the last moment I got separated from my friend…” she remembers Ventus’ unconscious body, getting protected by some mysterious force before a great light engulfed everything… that’s when she saw Sora fading along with Ventus.
Riku bites his lip, gripping the sword again. “Do you think he’s here?”
“I don’t think so, if he was, he would’ve stayed with you when he met you.” Riku was still reluctant to let it go but… she also got a point.
With a great sigh, they continue their walk. “Where are we going?”
“I’m not sure, but this is the first time I saw shore here in my stay…”
She stopped again, looking to the dark horizon the world has to offer. “I was hoping there could be a clue here somewhere to get back to the realm of light.”
“I’m sure there is.” Riku almost believed his words.
Kairi was getting annoyed by the Duckiness Donald exudes. Excluding the natural quacks, he was demanding. She can fight, but they treat her like she can’t and demands more when she did. Let me fight my own way damn high duckiness!
Fighting for the control of the Gummi Ship, Kairi admits being foolish for that. But she doesn’t feel apologetic to the fact that she fighting to find more clues about her friends. One world, fine, two worlds, fine, but on the third world and they still won’t let her go out alone to find her friends, she’s ready to walk a hellfire. She took things to her hand in the fourth world… it took several arguments between her and Donald to finally make up.
If it wasn’t for Goofy, the whole Ship might’ve burned down a few times now. Chip and Dale would’ve grilled us for that.
She remembered imagining herself and Donald on a stick over the fire. She also remembered thinking that she wouldn’t have made a delicious meal.
Going back to Traverse Town felt like forever. She never imagined she would be traveling like this, being able to traverse worlds easily through a ship.
Arriving in Traverse Town, they asked around for Leon, but when they met the man, he also didn’t have the info they needed about the strange gummi block they had. Leon recommended going to Cid, who Kairi dubbed as the Tsundere Oldy in her mind.
The master of everything technically, mechanical, Cid is the one and only man you can 100% trust about these kinds of things. Just don’t trust the otherwise feeling of being insulted about your IQ, the man loves everything cute. He already views Kairi as one of his grandkids around.
Certainly, Cid did know about the block they had. A Navigation block he says.
It was expensive to get installed, but Cid made an exception to them and instead had them run an errand. Donald was red, but Goofy grabbed him out, leaving Kairi to receive the parcel to deliver.
“It’s a book from our resident Wiz, great man but weird. Jus’ get this ‘ta ‘im and yer all good.”
Weird description, but Kairi won’t say no for a free fee.
When they arrived on the place the Wizard’s home was supposed to be, it took them a solid minute before they got what the door meant. It was all Goofy’s idea. Good person… err, Dog?
When they passed the door, the interior was not that of a house. There’s a literal house in the middle of the dark lake the room had. Steps made of stone trailing from the entrance to the door of the house.
“It really is a house of a wizard…” Kairi whispers in awe. But what is this feeling… it felt familiar…
She was looking around, amazed by the mere scenery it paints. So much, that neither in their group noticed the new arrival. “Why I’m glad for the compliment lass!”
Looking behind them, an old man in blue garb of sorts walked out of the, now, glowing door. Kairi rubs her eyes when she thought she saw Sora behind the Wizard… she didn’t see him again.
She felt down, that was when Donald decides to strike again. “Kairi! The book!”
She snapped out of her reverie, quickly giving Donald a glare. “I hear you alright!? Gosh, you didn’t need to shout…” She trails off before grabbing the book from the portable bag Leon and the others gave her.
She gave the book to Merlin, in her background was a red Donald, getting pats from Goofy.
Merlin receives the book gratefully, but his eyes never strayed from Kairi. “Is something wrong, sir?”
Smiling, Merlin strokes his beard. “Nothing much, lass, now come along. I have things to tell you!”
He merrily guides them through the lake, till they reached his home. Behind him was a curious group.