Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

I remembered the sobs of my mother as it was announced. The tears poured from her eyes as she wailed into her hands. The world would end, not in religious awakening or a rising ocean to drown away the sins of man, but in a fiery explosion as a planetoid bigger than the planet itself was on a flight path to the sun.

That in itself would have been enough cause for concern. The true kicker was that the planet was in its predicted path.

I thought perhaps that would be it. No other event could top the earth being nothing but a gnat in the path of a giant celestial body, I had told myself.

Then the gods appeared. Gods from every pantheon of every kind. Each one offering salvation to those who swore fealty and servitude to them. My mother folded under the immense pressure and convinced my younger siblings to join her as vassals of the Goddess of Hearth.

'At least they'll be safe.'

My pride had prevented me from choosing any god. Not even the Christian one. At least I got to see the Alpha and the Omega. It was cool to see the only pacifist to ever make violent men tremble in fear.

I watched in trepidation as the sphere then times the earth's size destroyed the moon.

There were no regrets in my heart, even when my family had begged me to join them in their vassalage. I couldn't. Not because I hated gods or anything edgy like that. I just didn't feel like I would truly be free under someone else's power. The rules had clearly stated we would be confined to a world of their choosing.

I was tired of being stuck in one place for the entirety of my tenure in this mortal realm.

'Maybe in the next life, I'll be free to go on an adventure wherever I want.'

I felt my body crush under the funneled air pressure before it went black.

And then my sense of sound returned to me. Then came sight but it was pointless since there was nothing but darkness around me. Next was touch, and with it hearing, as I realized I was falling when air filled my ears. I could only assume my other two came back as I could kind of taste my saliva even though there was nothing to taste.

My upper body was pulled downward mid fall. I was greeted by the sight of a large glass panel emitting a bright light. It seemed damaged with a large chunk missing around from a certain area.

I felt my body spin before my sense of balance somehow worked mid air to right myself with my feet facing downward. I took a cursory glance over my body to find I was no longer wearing my t-shirt in jeans I had worn before I died.

It was a full body robe, a fancy one at that. Similar to those robes you'd imagine a deity wearing. The top was pure black with blue accents on the opening near the chest whereas the bottom was a mixture of black and blue swirling along the freeform fabric that covered my legs and bare feet.

Along the waist of the robe was a black belt with a silver buckle that was shaped like a wolf's head.

A heart that yearns for adventure. 

I heard a voice within my head. It was a soft, feminine voice. I had no clue what to do upon hearing such a voice but there was no need to react as two pedestals rose from the floor of the broken platform. Due to the movement of my feet, I could tell it was glass. Floating a few inches above both pedestals were two items. A sword and a staff.

'There's no way…'

I knew that symbol on the sword anywhere, especially considering the staff head was fashioned into the symbol as well.

A broken heart yet still powerful in its nature.

I didn't know the person speaking. If I remembered correctly from the games it was the voice of the most impactful person you knew, whether you met them yet or not, speaking to you.

Choose which it is you will give up.

I approached the staff first. I wondered if this would have an impact on me. A stray piece of myself still believed I was just suffering in an afterlife that would present your deepest desire. I was scared that this would be taken away from me the moment I fully accepted or embraced the idea of this. So I approached with skepticism.

The staff was as I remembered it from behind a screen. A green body with tan on both ends of the shaft and a brown holding piece to connect the blue head of the staff. I assume the head acted as a conduit for power.

The power of the mystic. Innate power. A staff of ruination and elegance.

I didn't grab it. I only stared at it before approaching the sword next. I decided to play along for now. My doubts were growing by the second. Why it had taken my mind so long, I had no idea.

The sword was standard in the design of its hilt, having a gold tip at the bottom with the grip having black and blue as the coloration, the blue forming into lines that made helixes all around it. The guard was golden in color with a red spot that held the black symbol embedded in it.

The power of the warrior. Steadfast determination. A sword of great despair.

I glanced at the broken section. There was a way to fix it. That much I knew.

"I already know how this goes…" I spoke blandly.

I placed my hand along the broken section of my heart. If I wanted to reach my full potential, I would need to heal this.

"I sacrifice every memory from my past life, every attachment. I won't let myself be weak for this journey." I placed a hand upon my chest. If I wanted to be anything like that guy then I would need to do this earnestly. "I can do that, right? After all, my heart is the strongest power of all."

You've chosen to sacrifice the power of the past. Your journey will be a perilous one. You may now choose from all three Pillars of Awakening.

I watched as the broken section of my heart healed up. It was as if a white void was expanding in the darkness until a perfect circle was now visible.

On the repaired section, a pillar with a standard fantasy shield appeared. It was red around the edges with black on the inside and a red circle with two more red circles to make the symbol. The red emblem was lined with gold.

The power of the guardian. A path filled with grief, endless suffering follows.

I stepped away from.the shield and took in my options. If I was going by what knowledge I had, which was disappearing at a quick rate, I needed to sacrifice the one that wouldn't hinder me most on my journey.

First would be choosing the path I would focus on the most. I was never good at protecting people and I knew the path of the mystic would never fit me.

I made my way towards the sword of the warrior and clenched it tightly.

You have embraced the Path of the Warrior, now what will you sacrifice?

I then moved to the shield of the guardian and clenched tightly. I would never be good at being a protector, so this was for the best.

You have sacrificed the Path of the Guardian. Is this your final choice?

"Yes." It was a no brainer. I'm following what my heart tells me is the best.

Your path will be long and arduous. Your memories will betray you. Your heart will be the only guiding light in a path obscured by Darkness.

Underneath me was no longer a blank platform. It was a young man with midnight hair that went to his ears. His eyes were closed so I could not tell what color they were. The thing that made me realise it was supposed to be me was his attire. It was the same robes. His hands hung at his side, empty while behind him there was a night sky mural. Near his head were four circles with nothing in them.

"This isn't a joke, is it?"

No one answered my question. Instead I was forced to close my eyes due to how heavy they felt.

Your chains forsaken for new shackles, will you escape your fate? Only time will tell in this journey. 

And suddenly I felt my mind be emptied. Not a single memory could be recalled. Not even on what I had just been doing.

My sense of touch began to act strangely, it felt like I was submerged in a warm liquid. It took me a while but I forced my heavy eyes open.

I was within a strange tank. Outside of the tank were two people. A man with black hair and black eyes wearing a black toga with a white sash and white cape stood before my tank while the man in an all black hood stood behind him. I knew that coat from somewhere and yet I could recall where I had seen it.

"So, what do you think? Like the little modifications I made?" The hooded man asked the room's other occupant. "While not a real keyblade, his human nature will allow him to use an ethernano based one similar in utility."

The black haired man's lips twitched upward before his expression returned to its stoic default.

He placed a hand upon the tank's glass whilst staring at me. I did my best to move my eyes despite how weak they felt.

"This experiment was interesting." The black haired young man finally replied without turning to his companion. "I never thought I would make another Etherious out of flesh."

What the hell are you two talking about, I wanted to ask. My body felt too weak to even blink so that wasn't an option. That man in the black coat chuckled before placing his hands behind his back and walking up to my tank.

I couldn't see a single thing underneath his hood but it gave me chills even in this warm water.

"I added a few more, let's say, tricks to him."

The black haired man went to speak but I didn't get to hear him before my eyes shut and my consciousness faded for a moment.

'What was I doing again?' That was the first question to return to me upon gaining consciousness. 'I remember a warmness enveloping me… almost like a hug.'

I opened my eyes to find myself sitting against a tree while rain fell gently above and around me. A yawn escaped my lips as I rubbed my eyes. I could recall flashes of pain, darkness, a warm embrace, and two men but it always slipped by the second I could almost grasp the memory.

Looking down I noticed that I was in clothes that felt familiar. It was an all black coat with an inverted zipper that zipped down to my waist. The lower section was left open for the bottom to part open and reveal my black pants and black boots.

There was a boom coming from the east of where I currently sat but it was muffled. A part of me felt curious. Should I investigate-?

"You're awake then?" A soft voice asked from my right. Turning my head, I found a young man with black hair sitting against a tree whilst reading a book. A sting pain hit me as I held my forehead before the pain subsided. At his side was another book but I couldn't see anything interesting about it beside the leather cover. "My goals have been decided. You have your role."

The young man rose to his feet and moved to grab something to the left of me. It was a black book with gold accents and no cover title. I instinctively blocked his hand from reaching it. I froze in fear at the red color flashing into eyes that disappeared a second later.

The book began to glow with specks of darkness leaking off of it and somehow appeared in his other hand.  The size had changed and it was now as big as a textbook.  The gold accents now looked like real gold and had a large χ on the back. On the front I could see large letters but only the capital letter "E" was visible due to his hand covering the rest of it.

"Please be sure to befriend Natsu, that was one of the reasons I made you. I leave him in your care, Fool." He began to walk away before disappearing into the foliage. 

A strange pocket of darkness began to open up beneath him before surrounding him and disappearing seconds after. I was ready to assume there was no one else here until a hand fell on my shoulder.

"Man, you wouldn't understand how much that guy freaks me out!" A laid-back voice called from behind me. "He even gives me the heebie-jeebies!!"

A man in a black coat appeared before me. A feeling of familiarity rang around my head at the sight of the large coat he was wearing. I stood on guard but relaxed the moment I recognized his voice.

'My head hurts.' I placed a gloved palm on my forehead.

This was… The Master. My head was starting to clear up now. Master had brought me here since he already gave Luxu and the others their tasks. I was simply awaiting his guidance now.

"This is the worst world Falle. It's full of crazies!" I watched him wave his free hand around excitedly before he moved in front of me with his hands behind his back. "Your task will be the most important!"

I blinked in confusion as the master handed me a hardcover journal. Inspecting the inside showed me that the pages were empty.

"You're going to write down everything you experience in this world." The Master's voice became serious. It sounded almost menacing. "You're not to miss a single detail."

I hummed in thought. My task seemed easy compared to the others. I especially felt bad for Ava. I could remember… times. They were vague but there were times we got along. My mind still feels sluggish. Most likely from the method of travel.

"Master, does this mean I'm a Keyblade Master now?" I questioned while bringing out my own keyblade. "I can summon it easier than before even if it still lacks power like the others."

I watched his shoulders stiffen before he turned his back to me and began to stride away. I never could tell what he was thinking even with his mannerisms.

"Sure, yeah." He raised his right hand and closed all his fingers, except for his index, before pointing at me. "Go forth, spread your knowledge, find a student."

He turned to face me completely with his arms spread wide. I could see a faint glowing eye underneath his hood.

"May your heart be your guiding key."

A slight wind picked up before hundreds of leaves obscured him from my vision. Within seconds the wind died down and he had disappeared.

What an eccentric master I have. The small downpour had suddenly increased, causing me to groan. That's probably why the Master left in a hurry.

'That jerk left me in the rain!' I quickly pulled my hood up before making my way out of the clearing which held nothing but me.

The booming from earlier returned except it was now above me. It seemed that there was a thunderstorm happening on the day I was to start my task.

The heavy rain made it difficult to make out anything in these woods but I managed to find a path that I could follow. Part of me wondered if this world housed creatures of darkness and whether I would meet them on my journey.

Up ahead I could finally see a town. The sign next to the entrance displays the name Shirotsume. The benefit of being a Keyblade Wielder is the universal language spell that's applied to all users.

I was surprised when no one tried to stop me from entering. Luxu and I often complained about how conspicuous our coats made us look. Then again, this town was covered in a thick fog of darkness.

Disgustingly so.

I focused my hearing outward to see if I could hear any gossip that may give me details as to why.

After all, a Keyblade Wielder was nothing if they did not meddle.

"I heard they plan to make Makarov a Wizard Saint." An old lady spoke casually while picking at the produce.

"Already?" Another responded while packing her items in a bag. "He's only been a Guild Master for four years!"

A Wizard Saint is most likely a position of prestige. Judging by how long this person had been in charge of a guild, they were unique. That offered me nothing about this town, though.

"Deliora's been rampagin' through Joya. Heard he destroyed around fifty towns." An old man said while butchering a rabbit.

"I ain't too worried. Heard 'em wizards from the east are a different breed." A customer replied while eyeing some of the other meats. "I give it about twenty years or so before he's put down."

So this country is somewhere in the west. That offers up a good idea geographically. Political standings would be good to know too but that can wait.

Just a small snippet is all I need to figure out the situation.

"Did you hear that Duke Everlue's half-sister will be visiting next month to investigate the rumors?" A man with a ponytail questioned his friend who was currently downing a drink from his flask. "You think maybe she'll set him straight? I'm tired of being quintuple taxed."

"Don't–" The friend burped. How classy. "Don't let the duke or any of his men hear you talking like that. Otherwise it's to the prison dungeon like that Zekuna or whatever fella."

I now had a rumor to keep listening out for. I found a nice little restaurant to eat in while listening out for any more rumors on the Duke.

A waitress took my order and I would pay with munny that turned into the world's currency. While waiting I finally managed to find some more information.

"I swear. That Duke…" The woman complained while eating her meal. She seemed flummoxed by something. "Demanding our daughter under his employ and then threatening to take her by force."

The man across from her tried to placate her as she stabbed into her steak.

"And then! And then he uses that Ugly Whore to try and threaten us!"

Many people around her sent looks of sympathy. Wow, well now I have my excuse to intervene.

A leader ruling with an iron fist and kidnapping people? That sounds exactly like a job for me. I barely touched my meal and left the exact amount plus a tip.

'Time to save a prisoner and beat up a bad guy!'

As a duke he would have to have a large residence and so far the only place to fit that description is the large manor all the way up the hill!

'Do I wanna do this covert or show my hand?' I contemplated whilst following the main road towards the manor. If I did it covertly, I could go in like a ninja. Showing my hand would mean facing however many guards. I don't know what to choose…

Hard decision! Time to wing it!

Time to rescue a possibly innocent man!

I put my all into my speed, dashing through the forest, before stopping short when I found a wall covered in magic. It seemed this house had decent security.

"Hehe!" A devious feeling filled my soul. It's an amazing thing when you have a universal, metaphysical key to everything! "Okay! I'll finish this in a jiffy!"

I stretched my hand outward with a call to my heart and my keyblade answered in return. Its intricate design always fascinated me. It was all black with white accents. I admired the square hand guard all around the hilt before my eyes followed the two cylindrical protrusions stretched outward and fused with the star that would make up the teeth. Only three points from the star were the teeth while the bottom two were fused with the length of the blade.

'Corrupted Star… still a concerning name.' I turned my keyblade at different angles in my hand. 'A offshoot of the Starlight variant.'

Grasping the hilt with both hands, I pointed my weapon toward the barrier. Two orbs of light orbital around the tip before a thin beam of light shot at the barrier. Within seconds there was an opening for me to slip through.

The second my feet touched the grounds of the manor, I let myself move at an imperceptible speed. The first room I checked was empty, and the next, and the next.

It seemed like the entire manor was empty… Almost like the people.were evacuated. Had I been found out already?

The second floor was turning out to be a bust. If there was no one up here, then the only option was to move down a floor.

The moment I prepared to speed through the foyer quickly was when I had to block an attack from behind me.

"My goodness! Are you a gorilla?" A giant, fat maid with blonde hair had attacked me at a speed that shouldn't be possible for her size.

"My master doesn't like intruders! Get out ugly!" She pulled a club from out of nowhere and swung down at me. I was a little distracted as I dodged the attack.

Did- Did she just call me ugly? I'm not a vain person but even I know I'm good looking. I pulled my hood down and pointed at my annoyed face.

"I-I'll have you know my Big Sister Ava says I'm the most handsome boy she's ever seen!" I felt my nostrils flare when she grunted and turned her head away from me in disgust.

This woman is clearly blind!

"Well, it seems that I have an intruder!" A fat man with a blonde comb over announced as he rose from.the ground. He let out this weird laugh as he got on the shoulders of his maid.

"An ogre?!" I shrieked in surprise. His face was clearly an abomination with the amount of fat and weird skull outlines. That could be the only answer. "I've always wanted to meet an ogre!"

"W-what?!" The man questioned. He seemed appalled by my correct guess. His face turned red, which is weird since ogres are usually green. "Listen here you ugly brat! I'll have you know my mother says I'm the most handsome man she's ever met."

I ignored his butthurt feelings since the truth obviously hurts. His mother clearly said out of all the men she's met. Meanwhile, Ava told me out of all the men she's ever seen. I crossed my arms in confusion, letting my keyblade dismiss.

Does that mean that the Master and the other guys are ugly? Are… are they jealous of me? They always treat me harshly, well Ira is always like that, but I didn't think that was why.

"To be handsome, is to be the envy of all men." I nod my head as I place my hand under my chin. I back at the fat duke nodding his head. "Why are you nodding?! You're super ugly!"

I stretched my hand outward as a flash of light appeared and pointed Corrupted Star at him. He seemed to get angry but why? The Master always told me to tell the truth.

"Release your prisoners! I know you have them here!"

"Houhou!"

His angered visage quickly switched to smug as he let out that horrendous laugh with a hand over his mouth. How someone like this could be a duke, I would never know. I could see his fat rolls wobbling.

"You come into my abode and think you can just make a fool of me boy?!" He shouted from his perch.

I could feel my face fall flat at that. Is he stupid? I haven't even done anything yet. Plus he's making himself look stupid.

"I don't need to think about it, you already did it yourself!" My sense went haywire as I had to block another club swing from the woman I will now dub Gorilla Blonde.

"Then I, Duke Everlue, shall show you your place!" He snapped his fingers and the entire room became surrounded by a purple barrier. "Erica! Kill him!"

Pushing my feet off the ground and dodging backwards, I flipped midair before landing on the barrier wall and running along it. This wouldn't be too hard. I transitioned from a run into a jump before throwing my keyblade near the Gorilla Blonde. Obviously, she was more focused on me and how close I was getting through the air.

She was never prepared for me to vanish into an orb of light and reappear next to her with my keyblade in hand.

"What?!" Everlue cried out in shock as I got in between him and his maid.

'I want to knock her out, not kill her." My mind conjured up the combat forms I learned from the Master. I went for two horizontal slashes before switching to a vertical slash.

Once she was vulnerable, I slammed the head of my keyblade into the ground and watched as she was launched into the air.

"Force!" I called out as I let loose a low tier Gravity spell. I watched her crash into the ground as a groan escaped her lips. I turned to a fearful Everlue who was standing next to the stairs. "And now onto you!"

He reached for one of the wall mounted torches with a shriek and the ground began to shake.

"Woah!" I cried out as I tried to maintain my balance.

The floor had begun falling downward, almost like an elevator. Within minutes we were now below ground level. As the elevator stopped moving, I noticed this seemed to be some sort of…

"This is the prison." I turned to Everlue who had already abandoned his maid. "I-It was that easy?!"

I smirked as a feeling of pride surged in my chest. If that was the strength of most bad guys in this world this would be easy.

"First bad guy taken down!" I wiped a finger under my nose before rushing to the cells that lined a section separated from the elevator.

"Hello! Anybody in here?" I called out.

"O-ov-er here!" A tired voice responded.

I turned toward the nearest cell. It was larger in size and the moment I could see inside, I realized it was likely due to all the writing materials. Sitting on a wall next to the bars was a tired looking man. He had smile lines on his face, his eyes seemed permanently squinted and his blonde hair looked unkempt.

"Don't worry! I'll get you outta there!"

I pointed Corrupted Star at the cell door and watched it disappear in a flash of light. The guy nearly tripped over himself rushing out the door and falling to his knees.

"Thank you!" The man called out from the floor. He seemed more tired emotionally since he looked well fed. "He kept me there all for some damned book."

The man then pointed at the Gorilla Blonde on the ground… who was no longer a giant gorilla and some plain looking blonde woman.

"That woman was kind enough to make sure I remained properly fed whenever he forgot." The haggard man managed to regain his bearing before rising to his feet. He walked up to me with his hand outstretched. "My name is Zekua Melon, I can't thank you enough."

"Huh? Nice to meet you, Zekua!" I took his hand to shake and then pointed at myself. "I'm Falle!"

"Falle… Falle… I see." He turned to look up above at the light shining down on us. "I'll be sure to keep track of your exploits. I believe they would make a good story."

I tilted my head in confusion before shrugging my shoulders. I did what I came here for. Kind of. I watched Zekua go and tend to the blonde maid as I set the elevator to go up.

When it finally reached ground level, I watched as Zekua approached me again. 

"I've noticed you haven't mentioned any guild affiliation. Will you be leaving before the Rune Knights arrive?"

I hummed in thought while watching the door. It had been blocked off earlier but since that guy fled it probably wouldn't be locked anymore.

"I'll probably leave." I'm kind of bummed. I didn't see any guards and there was only one prisoner. Was it even true that he taxed people? "I don't mesh well with figures of authority!"

"I'm forever in your debt, young man." The old man called out as I began to walk away.

I pulled my hood back over my head and waved over my shoulder. That was the easiest task I'd ever taken. The Duke guy was overhyped and it wasn't even a real villain.

I was already far down the manor road when a thought struck me. The Duke guy had seen my face and I obviously had committed a crime…

"If I do get caught, how am I gonna explain I beat up a fat guy because it seemed interesting…?"