In a cataclysm known as the Nightfall, the worlds were almost completely destroyed by a harrowing surge of darkness.
In the shadows of the ensuing chaos a new group has taken shape. Led by an Aegyl named Kalos, the 11th Hour touts an esoteric knowledge of how to combat the darkness and restore the worlds. They might be the worlds’ best chance at survival; but nobody really knows enough about them to confirm or deny their claims.
On the brink of collapse, the universe holds its breath in anticipation. Of restoration? Of destruction? It is up to individuals like yourself to decide.
A special thank you to ChasingArtwork of Deviantart, who allowed us to use this stellar banner image.
There aren't enough praises in the world I'd like to give to wonderful coders for the Proboards community. The following have contributed to World Destiny in some way: W3 Schools for countless how-tos and countless of other souls who have helped get WD up to where it is.
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All Canon Characters belong to the Kingdom Hearts franchise, Square Enix and Disney.
A dark portal opened the center of the second District. A redheaded girl stepped out, followed closely by a dark creature crisscrossed with white lines. The girl pressed a button on a small wrist computer, and the portal closed. Rose looked around. “Huh. This place seems… kinda dead.”
Halen sank into Rose’s shadow. He was getting a little tired of always having to hide, but people kept thinking he was evil. He didn’t like endangering his mistress, so he had to hide. Still, it was very boring…
Traverse Town. How the familiar walls hadn't changed, yet the people were...different. Not as in people had undergone massive personality changes, just...complete different faces. she silently wished that, wherever her dear friends were, they were safe. She knew Mikhail and Jadis were safe...well, as safe as they could be...
But Reiho, Rex, Roze...she did miss their company so.
In her arms, she carried a simple bag of groceries--she needed to concentrate on getting better. Those months of dreaming had taken a toll on her body, and it felt...almost unfamiliar to her. She patted the floppy hat ontop of her hair, that hid the roots of her real hair color. When she found time, she needed to take care of that, too.
Her eyes perked up when she "Felt" something. Had her senses become a little bit sharper?
Turning the corner, she saw a red-headed girl.
"Oh, dear," she said, loud enough to get her attention. "I'm glad it's just you," the girl said. Glad, because if it was anything more than simple Heartless, she was as good as Heartless bait.
At only a stone's throw away from the two females. At the calm cool water of the fountain. Another sensation of otherworldly travel was commencing. The water in the basin bubbled. First lightly and hardly noticeable. But then it started to bubble more severe. Water started to gush up in the center. Similar to boiling, but there was no heat or steam emanating from the fountain.
Then the clear blue liquid swayed to the side as it started to rotate and turn. Creating a whirlpool so strong it's center was leading down into a deep black hole. An occasional splash and droplets spilled over at the side. Wetting the cobblestoned ground of the large square of the Second District.
From the deep of the whirlpool, a figure could be seen rising. Ruff brown hair that rebelliously spiked out to all directions first appeared. Soon followed by the wrinkled grey face of an old man. Dressed in a brown trench coat and carrying bags and sealed quivers. Holding a metallic walking cane in his right hand that was surprisingly resting on the surface of the water. By some unseen force the old wanderer rose up from the whirlpool until it could take a step over the edge. Stepping out of the fountain, drenched in water as it streamed down his body. As soon as the elder had left the water, the whirlpool slowed down and vanished. The water rippled and waved some more until it died out and the still surface it once held returned.
The old man brought his hand to his nose. Pinched it shut and build up the pressure inside his head to clear his ears. Quickly a towel was whipped out from one of his waterproof bags as he started to dry himself off. Mumbling something silently to himself. The old traveler seemed to be occupied by something. For he did not feel the need to explain his appearance to the witnesses.
Taking a few steps forward, he reached with his hand to one of the large quivers on his back. And pulled up a large rolled up parchment. With cunning but bony fingers it unrolled it in front of him, revealing a star map. Showing every single constellation, and every single world out there. While some drops of water were still dripping from his head and the tip of his nose. It's azure blue eyes scanned the large map. Looking hastily for the right star. After finding it, he snapped his head back and gazed up. Into the night sky, searching the star at the heavens that matched the one on his map.
Just as the old man had locked his eyes onto it, the light it shined started to flicker and dim. Slowly dieing until it shined no more. The star had gone out and disappeared. The strange old man stared into the sky for a bit longer, staring in the black space that once held a star, a world. Air rushed in through his nose as finally he gave a deep and sad sigh. Letting his head hang, the old hands rolled up the star map again as he shoved it back into the quiver on his back. With a depressed voice it now said aloud: "Blast, another map down the drain. Such a pity, sometimes I wonder why I even bother."
The old man then looked up and noticed the presence of the two other young women. While wriggling out the water from his ear he stepped closer as he spoke out: "Evening lasses, suppose neither of you would have a change of dry clothes for me hey?"
Rose turned her head. “Not so dead after all, huh?” she muttered to herself. A girl was standing close by, holding a bag of food. That is what caught Rose’s immediate attention. Food. Her stomach rumbled, loudly. It had been awhile since she had had a satisfying meal. She was just about to ask for some when the fountain at one end of the courtyard started going crazy. It turned into a sort of inverted whirlpool, and deposited a man on the ground. The man pulled out a piece of paper, and looked at the sky, then muttered at himself, and turned towards the two girls.
"Evening lasses, suppose neither of you would have a change of dry clothes for me hey?"
Rose stepped slightly towards the other girl, placing herself between the man and the food-, I mean, other girl. She pointed at the man and snapped. Her shadow, which had been skulking behind her, stretched out to six feet long, and rotated around Rose like the hand on a clock until it pointed at the old man. The shadow darkened and its shape changed, and Halen rose from it. Rose didn’t like people appearing out of nowhere. Not at all. Of course, she didn’t recognize the inherent irony when Halen appeared seemingly out of nowhere too.
Halen blinked. So much for staying in his mistress’s shadow. Not even thirty seconds and she was calling for him. He closed his eyes, and examined the heart of the stranger in front of him. It was strong, filled with the experiences of a lifetime. However, something about the heart behind his mistress attracted his attention. It was almost pure light, but the light was strangely weak, as though it were depleted. He half turned towards the girl, but Rose waved at him, and he turned back towards the man. The white lines on his body spun crazily for a moment, then all moved to his right hand, which began to burn with black fire.
Rose spoke. “Alright, I’m going to ask you to explain yourself once. If you do anything besides that, I’ll sic Halen on you. Then I’ll shoot you,” she added, pulling her shotgun around, and pumping it once.
Antique chuckled at the sounds of protest from the girl of red's stoumach. It was a familiar and in a way, comforting sound, because she knew the sounds of hunger oh-so-well. And she knew that look too--it was a bit obvious the other girl hadn't ate in quite a while. Slender hands, calloused from years of using the sword, reached into the cloth bag full of food. She was just about to reach for the simple meal when the fountain started doing a bit of a show.
She stood, paralyzed for a second, wondering what in the world could have been happening. Being a hyrdomancer herself, this wasn't very typical behavior for it. And then an old man appeared from it--and her face allighted with joy. Could it be Merlin? He was definately old enough to be so...but...
No, that wasn't Merlin. But...
The shadow behind the young girl stretched out when something submerged--she looked a little bit startled by it, her eyes widening in suprise--especially when it...looked at her. Hold on a second. Was this girl controlling this Heartless?
This was a very confusing situation.
Antique lifted her hands, laughing gently. "I-I'm sure there's no reason to be hostile!"
As Halen rose up and the shotgun got pumped by Rose, the old man first frowned in surprise. Then sighed fatigued and grunted with frustration as he mumbled: "Oh bloody he... another one? Well out of the frying pan..." The elder squinted his eyes a bit at the red headed girl. She was standing to far away for the shotgun to be lethal but it still remained a real threat. But the biggest danger was the Heartless she summoned. Another sigh escaped the old man's lips. He was starting to become to old to dance with Neo-shadows anymore.
Glancing over at the blue haired girl, the man raised his hand and gestured with his palm for her to stop. While saying loud and clear: "Don't bother lass, Heartless don't need a reason to be hostile. They just are. Their drive to consume hearts is simply to great for them to overcome. She controls the Heartless and therefor she controls darkness. Succumbing to the vile urges that are paired with it. Probably looking here to find the biggest heart there is, the worlds heart. To feed it to her minions If you aren't part of this, child, then I strongly suggest you flee for your life right now. Or your heart will be its dessert."
The azure blue eyes shifted back at Halen and Rose. In a more lecturing manner he spoke: "If you haven't found it yet, then rest assured that that is one secret I'll gladly take with me into my grave. Your kind will not claim this world too if I have anything to say in it." The senior placed his walking cane in front of him with the metal tip tapping loud on the ground. Placing both his hands on the knob and standing upright in a defiance and yet non-threatening stance.
Rose blinked. What the hell? What was this guy talking about? "I don't control darkness. I control Halen. And he isn't hostile. Besides, you're the one popping out of whirlpools. And what the hell do you mean the heart of this world? A: I know exactly where a world's core is, and b: I would never want to go there."
Halen cocked his head as he stared at the old man. Crazy old coot, he hadn't had any hearts in... well it was a long time. He felt Rose's temper subsiding, and he sat down on the ground, and began to toy with his antennae, the absolute epitemy of non-hostility. No fight, he said to the old man's and other woman's minds.
Antique winced as if she had been scolded by the elder man. No, this was definately not Merlin at all. But she had heard this entire speech so many times before...but she knew that not everyone and everything that was a Heartless or controlled them was neccessarily a bad thing. The same went for the Nobodies too. She thought of Roze and Rex quietly, hoping that they were safe, wherever they were.
"That's not true! Not all of them are like that!" she said, not knowing whether she said it to be defiant or because her better-conciousness wouldn't stop nagging at her until she did so.
She took two tentative steps forward--for the love of whatever higher power was out there, please don't her be wrong. Antique had no idea if she had the energy to break up a fight, and she was still a bit weary of the Neo-Heartless in front of her--until she heard the voice in her head.
No fight.
She blinked a couple of times in suprise--then watched as it started playing with it's antanae.
Her face warmed up with how overwhelmingly adorable that was--her hand moved out just to touch it, though it took most of her better-knowledge not to go out and hug the creature. She pulled her hands close to her side like a child that knew it shouldn't pet an unfamiliar pup or kitten, and bit her lip.
"Bah, humbug!" The elder man spitted out after observing the display before him. He had seen this act of innocence to often to believe it to be true. His old age was greatly attributed to his slight sense of paranoïa. A puddle of water had created itself around the boots of the traveler, from his drenched clothing that was still dripping continuously. The humidity in the cold evening air was beginning to feel cold to the old man. Cooling him off and risking his health.
His weary azure blue eyes trailed back to the sitting Neo-shadow that was playing with it's antenna. And the blue haired girl now standing next to it, smitten like a child on a kitten. It was only now that the strange white stripes across it's body became noticeable to him. Differencing it greatly from the normal breed of Neo-shadows. The thought it shared with him also left him puzzled. So far only the human like Heartless seemed to be able to converse and posses any sort of intelligence.
Seeing as how the Neo-shadow had chosen to disengage from the encounter, the old man focused on the only real threat remaining. The temperas red headed girl. If she was playing the part of the ignorant bystander her performance was worth an Oscar. For she genuinely seemed confused. Slowly he started to walk closer. Tapping the tip of his cane with every other step. Strolling in a light circle around the Neo-shadow, that she called 'Halen', until he was beside it and gazing at the red haired girl. The old man had now moved in the lethal range of the shotgun. A risk it was well aware of.
Talking out to her, the man said: "You claim that you control a Heartless and yet know nothing of the way's of the heart? Bullocks. You seriously can not be that thick. Still the outcome of this tense situation lies solely in your hands lass. You will decide whether it will be a fight, or a more civilized outcome."
(spell check out the wazoo.) Rose lowered her shotgun slightly. "Back in the Wasteland, people who insulted me ended up buzzard food. You are very lucky we aren't there." She safed the gun, and reholstered it. "You are also lucky that Halen thinks we can trust you. Otherwise..." She let that hang in the air. "Now, I have no idea what you mean by ways of the Heart. I guess I know the basics of how this... universe, I guess, works. And, you know, you still haven't explained the whirlpool teleport." Rose added, crossing her arms.
Halen ignored the posturing that the old man and his mistress were doing. He turned to lok at the blue haired girl. He still felt there was something odd about her light. He tilted his head like a puppy, blinking, trying to muster his brainpower to figure it out.
Antique smiled rather dreamily at the Neo-Heartless. It was almost too adorable for her to comprehend. So far, Antique had been behaving very well--she wanted to play with it's antanae too! Actually, she wanted to grab and take it, hide it in her living quarters like a kid with. She smiled to herself; she didn't think that Lady Jadis would have been too happy with that--especially since she was only now starting to feel better.
"The whirlpool thing?" Antique said, pulling her eyes away from the strange Neo-Heartless, and forcing herself to look at the old man and young girl with red-hair. "It's hydromancy, isn't it?" she asked, looking at the old-man. She observed him dripping water from the fountain on the cement. At the very least, she could recognize that.
Lifting up a delicate looking hand that was very calloused, she held her palm up. She muttered lightly to herself, and concentrated, hard. Concentrating on pulling the water from on the mans clothing to her.
Soon, droplets of water pulled themselves out of the mans clothes, and towards herself. It was basic water manipulation, she realized as she did so, just like making shape. A great glob of it collected in front of her open palm, the water that once was drenching itself in the old man's clothing. Feeling fatigue cross herself, she knew that this hadn't been that great of an idea, especially when she hadn't eaten and had been feeling at her best. Clutching her palm, the clear liquid eminated a tiny dot of light from the inside, before dispensing into what only be described as semi-smow butterflies.
They fluttered only meters away before they reformed into water and dropped tragically onto the ground; the same time Antique sank to her knees. Smiling lightly, she reminded herself to not do things like that without fuel.
"Hydromancy...sorry, I'm not very good at it."
The Neo-Heartless was staring at her with a confused puppy expression. The fatigue wiped itself off her face. It was becoming harder and harder to resist it's cuteness. She reached out a single hand to it--it didn't have a mouth to bite with, did it?
"Can..I uhm...?" she asked, and looked up at the red-haired girl with big big eyes.
After the red haired girl holstered her shotgun and chose for the more civilized option. The old man's face wrinkled as he puffed his cheeks and then blew out the air with a relief. The first part of what the red haired girl was saying eluded him for he thought to himself: "Lucky that bluff worked out."
"... And, you know, you still haven't explained the whirlpool teleport."
Hearing her demand to explain what just had transpired at the fountain, he sighed again in a pathetic way. His hand clenching around the large knob on top of his walking cane. Quivering as he pleaded: "I will explain everything if that's what you want, but first I'm going to dry up."
While frowning, the elder turned to the blue haired girl. Who held up her hand and started to use said hydromancy to extract the humidity from his wanderers clothing. Baffled he remained standing there, seeing and feeling the cold wet coat being plucked from his body. Struck in awe as the liquid exploded in butterflies and then rained down on the ground. The side of his lips curled in an amused smile.
But that smile quickly disappeared as the blue haired girl felt onto her knees. Clearly fatigued by the magical deed. A hint of guilt plagued the old man's conscience. She had just helped him. Selflessly without asking anything in return. She just did it despite it being at her own dispense. The concern that stirred the old man triggered him to use his studying ability of scan. Taking in all the physical details of her body and asses the true nature of her condition. Learning of how it was now in the process of revalidation from a severe trauma. The old man strolled toward her. A sad look on his face while he looked down on the girl. She was now reaching out to the Neo-shadow. Asking permission to pet it.
The sight of the weakened girl and the innocence of the Heartless was enough to melt the weary heart of the man. As he let all his presumptions and past experiences fare with the wind and kneel down beside her. Trusting the Heartless enough to enter it's immediate range. Looking with his eyes that sparkled with youthful energy he gazed upon the blue haired girl's face. Speaking in a soft and caring tone: "Thank you, dear child. But in your state you shouldn't have. Your still recuperation from severe wounds. Wounds that have nearly led you to death's doorstep. Let me help you to make it up, how about a nice cup of tea?" The old man extended his hand, offering his help to get her up after she was done playing with the Neo-shadow.
Then he remembered the red haired girl who was probably still waiting for her explanation. While keeping kneel down he turned his head to her and said with clear and joyous voice: "I do believe introductions are in order. My name is Mercator, the Cartographer. A Map-maker. Nice to make your acquaintances ladies... and Heartless"
Rose looked between Halen and the girl with interest. He was acting weird, and this girl seemed to think it was cute. She didn't like it, but she couldn't think of any reasonable reason to keep the girl from petting him. "Uh, yeah... Sure."
Halen was only more confused. Now the nice girl was trying to touch him. Maybe if she did, he could figure out what was weird about her. He bent forward slightly, and nuzzled her hand with his head. Then he had it. Then he lost it. Then he had it again. She was weak because she was tired! She had just woke up from a very long nap, and that had made her weak. That was why her light was weak. Acting purely on instinct, he cupped his hands, forcing his light into them. A small orb of light appeared and he held it out to her.
[...LIGHT LOST: 5%...]
Rose watched this with amazement. Then she heard the old guy give his name. "Uh, I'm... Rose..."
Halen, what the hell are you doing? Nice girl light weak. Share light.
Whew...she definately needed to remember to just sit back and relax later. That wasn't an easy thing for the young girl to do. Stir-craziness occured almost stupidly easy to her. Sitting around, doing nothing? That didn't sound pleasant at all!
Trying to push the dizziness that was swimming around her head to the back of her conciousness, eyes glanced up at the red-haired girl--and smiled when she got permission to pet the Neo-Heartless. Her Heart fluttered with joy for a moment.
"Thank you, dear child. But in your state you shouldn't have. Your still recuperation from severe wounds. Wounds that have nearly led you to death's doorstep. Let me help you to make it up, how about a nice cup of tea?"
Quickly glancing at the older man, she smiled. "I think I'd like that very much, I--"
Seemingly to have the shortest attention span in Traverse Town, Antique caught sight of the Heartless forcing light into it's palms, and in a motion she recognized, it held it out to her. Her face turned gentle, her own magical energies and Heart adjusting itself to the throbbing of the warm light. She wore a nostalgic, yet strange expression as he offered it to her. Cupping her hands out, she gently accepted his light--and without moving to press it within her chest, it floated inside there.
She leaned back, her neck arching up to look at the sky as she took in a breath of air, like the Light had shaken her body.
Snowflakes began to appear, floating upwards like filluminated by a gentle white light that throbbed on the outside, dancing water-like flares along her body, sending the snowflakes to flutter like light enveloped birds. Wind picked up, gently tossing loose hair and clothing in soft, ripple-like waves--as if they had been drenched by the ocean's currents, and not the airs.
Antique reached out to the Neo-Heartless, and gently wrapped him in an embrace.
As Halen forced out his inner light into an orb in his hands, Mercator stood back up and recoiled from them. Surprised and baffled by this unusual action from a Heartless. Everything he thought he knew about these dark creatures was now utterly shattered to pieces for eternity's sake. From a few steps away he witnessed silently and dumbstruck at how the light manifested in the blue haired girl. Seeing how it engulfed her body and the power of her heart radiating outward. Until she finally fell in a intimate embrace with the Neo-Shadow.
"Blimey..." was all that escaped Mercator's lips in a breathless whisper. Then after overcoming himself being astound of the situation. Worries were sprouting up in the old man. He narrowed his eyes and grew a serious expression. With a cautious and lower voice he spoke: "We really should find a more sheltered place now. This will undoubtedly attract the Heartless attention." Mercator turned his head to Rose and addressed her then: "The wrong kind of Heartless attention."
Mercator's eyes then shifted from staring at Rose to staring pass her. Then the old cartographer started to look around the district. His eyes resting and scouting at every dark corner and alley that vents out into the large square they were standing in. Yellow eyes of Heartless Shadows were popping up in the dark places. They had felt it. A heart filled with light but weak, ripe for the plucking. So far they remained lurking from a distance. Still curious and not certain if they would emerge fully. The presence of Halen was probably confusing them or there was another reason. Glaring at the growing risk, Mercator repeated himself once more very clearly: "We should leave."
