Kingdom Hearts. As they say, it is the very embodiment of all Hearts, illuminating everything with light. It was linked to ours through a mystical object called the X-blade, and in its day people began to create replicas of this called Keyblades. But people began to fight for this light, unleashing what would be called the Keyblade War, causing Kingdom Hearts to disappear, and the X-blade split into pieces of light and darkness. But despite everything, the worlds were saved thanks to the light of the children who survived the conflict, and creating several smaller worlds in the process, disconnected from each other.
Much time passed after those events, soon becoming legends, guarded by Keyblade Masters whose mission was to prevent the tragedy from repeating itself. But among them was one named Xehanort who was studying these legends, coming up with a hypothesis that could give meaning to all worlds, but to prove it, he had to unleash a second Keyblade War to summon Kingdom Hearts. In his eagerness to quench his thirst for knowledge, it brought misfortune to everyone around him, but fortunately, he was stopped, although at a very high price. He murdered his classmate Erakus, let a young student named Ventus lose his Heart and go into a coma, sent the newly appointed teacher Aqua to the Kingdom of Darkness, and took possession of the body of an apprentice named Terra to abandon his aged body.
Sometime later, Xehanort divided into a Heartless, creatures of darkness that devoured people?s Hearts; and in a Nobody, beings who supposedly were devoid of Heart and feelings. The Heartless half began to devour worlds using many villains as pawns to create their own Kingdom Hearts; while the Nobody created a group called Organization XIII, with which he would gather the lost Hearts from the Heartless to create his own Kingdom Hearts.
Fortunately, they were both stopped by a young man named Sora, holding a Keyblade in hand, stopping their perfidious plans. But it was only the beginning. After their defeat, Xehanort was reborn and resurrected Organization XIII to create twelve replicas of himself, inserting parts of his Heart into twelve other different people, and making them fight against seven warriors who defended the light, as legend had it that the X-blade broke into seven parts of light and thirteen parts of darkness. Fortunately, during the conflict, Sora had help from several people to confront this threat: Riku and Kairi, his two childhood friends; King Mickey, who left his royal duties to protect the worlds from darkness; the first three apprentices who disappeared, Terra, Aqua and Ventus; and three deserters from the previous Organization XIII, Lea, Xion and Roxas, the latter two created to be replicas of Sora at the service of Organization XIII.
About a year has passed since the events of the Second Keyblade War in which Organization XIII was destroyed, members controlled by Xehanort returned to their place and Master Xehanort was able to rest with his old friend and companion Erakus; but also since Sora disappeared after saving Kairi after falling during the fight in one of Xehanort?s plans to restore the X-blade. During that time the group began to search for Sora in different ways: Terra, Aqua, and Ventus would search for the Kingdom of Darkness; Lea, Xion, and Roxas search through the memories of the latter to find Sora?s whereabouts; Riku tries to follow any clue from Sora with the help of the Radiant Garden Reconstruction Committee; while Kairi was in a deep sleep hoping that within her there is a clue to Sora?s whereabouts.
During the time that Kairi was sleeping, she remembered certain moments she had with Sora, but there was a dream that kept repeating itself continuously on certain occasions, in which appeared a burning tower under a red moon and a dark being approaching her.
Still, Kairi met on her dreams a remnant of Master Xehanort but was unable to defeat him by herself. But by a chance of destiny Sora connected with her and was able to defeat Xehanort's echo for good, discovering that way the last clue to find Sora: a fictional world, away from the one of Light and Darkness.
After this discovery, Riku traveled to that world to find Sora, and meanwhile, Mickey went to search for information about that world in the city of Scala ad Caelum, while Kairi learned from Master Aqua until they came back.
A month later, in Radiant Garden outside the city, Kairi was training alongside Master Aqua, and she was showing how tough the woman was. Obviously fighting to survive in the Realm of Darkness had some good in training for her, and it made Kairi break a sweat during physical workouts. After training, Kairi and Aqua sat on some rocks to catch their breath.
"Are you okay, Kairi?" Aqua asked, with some concern, and it was no wonder.
For the first few days, Kairi was focused on her lessons, learning fast, but recently Kairi seemed to be absent as if something else was receiving half of her attention.
"The truth is I don?t know myself." Kairi replied. ``For a while now, I have been having a strange dream. One that I have been having since I was asleep all this year. And the strangest thing is that it is the same dream, over and over again. Always the same place, always the same scene, always the same person.'' Kairi listed. ``The burning tower, the red moon, and the dark figure. Everything is the same whenever the dream appears. "
"I see." Aqua said, thinking for a moment. "And have you thought about discussing it with the Fairy Godmother or with Merlin?"
"When I can, but they often tell me it?s nothing, that maybe it?s my imagination." Kairi replied.
"Well, sometimes dreams are just dreams." Aqua said. "And you?ve slept for a year, remember?"
"Yes, maybe you?re right." Kairi said with a smile.
But deep down, Kairi knew there was something wrong because when she asked Merlin, he seemed to be holding him off for some reason, but she always let it go. Obviously, she couldn?t accuse a wizard more powerful than her without evidence.
"Hey, what do you think if after the lesson I take you to eat something?" Aqua asked.
"I would love it!" Kairi said.
That was what she liked the most about learning from Aqua. She could be quite serious about her lessons, but at the same time, she knew how to encourage her to do her best. Kairi found it funny to think of the problems Sora would have if he had to train with Master Aqua. Anyway, Sora is Sora after all. A stone, no matter how much you carve it, is still a stone.
Kairi was about to start training again when something entered her mind.
``Master Aqua, why are we training here today? Didn?t we have a perfect place to train in the castle Ansem lent us? "
"Yes, it is." Aqua replied. "But these days, strange things have been happening in the city."
"You mean the strange monsters that appear at night?" Kairi asked. ``I ran into Cid the other day and he told me about it. They don?t seem Heartless or Nobody according to him. "
``I have heard those stories too. And Tron is busy making sure they don?t cause trouble. The truth is, I do not know who or what they are.'' Aqua explained. "Although it seems that they only haunt the area without causing damage, but we would have to be vigilant, just in case."
"Is that why we're training here? Because do you think something could happen to us with those things?" Kairi asked Aqua.
"Yes, it is." Aqua said. "It?s okay to be cautious, don?t you think?"
"That?s true." Kairi said with a smile.
Aqua soon got up to continue with the lessons, but then she started to look around her with a frown.
"Master Aqua?" Kairi asked confused.
Aqua raised her hand so that Kairi was still, as she looked around her. After a moment, they soon both realized that there was a strange shadowy figure in a black cloak moving among the hills, watching them like a predator upon her prey.
"Who are you?!" Aqua asked the figure, noting her position.
"You better not meddle in this, mortal." Said the mysterious being with a distorted and at the same time gloomy voice, causing Aqua and Kairi to shiver for a moment. "Give me the girl, and I will let you live!"
"I?m sorry, but whatever you are, I won?t let you lay your hand on her while I?m present!" Aqua said, invoking her Keyblade, watching the strange figure's movements.
Without warning, several small portals appeared near Kairi, and from these came out several hands with chains that grabbed Kairi, holding her tightly, this one screaming in surprise at what was happening.
"Kairi!" Aqua yelled seeing what happened.
The mysterious being then came out of hiding and lunged towards Kairi armed with a huge scythe made of bones, but Aqua got in the way and blocked the weapon with her Keyblade, colliding with the scythe?s bone rod, starting to fight, pushing his enemy back.
``Oh, so you?ve chosen death, haven?t you? Well then, I?m glad to be your choice, girl!" The mysterious being said, directing his face towards Aqua?s eyes.
Looking back at him, Aqua?s eyes widened in terror, but she managed to push her enemy away with her magic, pushing him away from Kairi and knocking him off the cliffs.
"Hold on! I got this!" Aqua said to Kairi, before jumping up to follow the attacker.
"Okay, like I could go anywhere." Kairi said in a sarcastic tone, trying to get rid of the grasping hands.
Aqua made her way down the cliffs to the bottom, her mind processing what she had just seen until she found her target. There she could see better the attacker, and she could see that she was not dreaming.
What stood out from the black robe was not exactly a person, but was a skeleton with red glints in the concave holes of his eyes, one skeleton hand holding the bone scythe. And also a pair of black wings appeared on his back, giving the sensation of floating above the ground ominously.
"What the hell are you?" Aqua asked, preparing to fight.
"I am... your choice." The creature said ominously.
Aqua pounced on him, but the being raised his free hand, making several small sickles appear around it, and with another gesture made them go towards Aqua, causing her to stop and turn to the side to avoid the sickles, but she was fast enough to catch up with her enemy and manage to hit him several times and push him back with one last blow.
But the creature just laughed and raised her hand, causing a strange circle to appear where Aqua was. Instinctively she jumped back to avoid a surprise attack in the shape of a bone stake. Then another circle appeared where Aqua landed, which forced her to start moving to avoid this new attack as it approached the sinister being again, but the thing was complicated when it summoned more sickles that flew towards Aqua from various directions, making the most complicated approach yet. Having no choice, Aqua used one of her magic, Thundaga, against him, hitting him squarely with a powerful bolt.
But he laughed again despite the attack. "I?m starting to like this game." He said, raising his arms to create a kind of chain shield that spun around him.
"It seems like this is going to take too long." Aqua told herself after hitting it hard a second time.
"Let?s see what you do with this." The being reached out with his hand, creating a second sickle of bones out of his chain shield, which began to float and move under the intruder?s control, throwing it at Aqua.
She blocked the first attack with her Keyblade, and began to fight hand in hand with the sinister weapon, trying to destroy it with all the movements that she knew, under the gaze of the creature who seemed to delight in how the young teacher tried to fight her weapon while he was there watching.
Aqua continued her attacks with the skeletal weapon, striking the staff whenever she could while she avoided the surprisingly sharp blade of the scythe. But then Aqua jumped back, and launched a Blizzaga against the scythe, hitting it squarely on it, and taking advantage of the moment Aqua hit it with all of her strength, shattering it at last.
Aqua turned her gaze to being sinister with a smile. "Is this the best you have?"
The skeletal being chuckled for a moment as the chain barrier vanished. ``Yes, it was fun. Unfortunately, I have a business to attend to. "
Aqua quickly understood what he was referring to and ran towards him, but the creature rose quickly, returning to where Kairi was.
"Kairi!" Aqua yelled, raising her hand helplessly at what was about to happen.
The skeleton soon raised her scythe, prepared to launch her deadly attack, while Kairi was bound by the hands. "It?s over."
Kairi watched as the creature tried to attack her with her scythe, soon closing her eyes to the inevitable, just as the dark being executed a swift diagonal movement with her scythe.
Fortunately, he just hit the air, as the chained hands crumbled as if they had been broken.
Right after that, someone landed on the ground behind the creature, with Kairi under his arm. She opened her eyes, seeing who had saved her, surprised to see him.
"Terra!
Terra lowered Kairi and turned to point his Keyblade at the creature.
"What are you doing here?!" The creature asked Terra, angered by the intrusion.
``I was in the area when Merlin and Aerith reported the presence of a monster stalking Kairi and Aqua. And I must admit that calling you a monster is an understatement. "
"Are you coming to confront me alone?" The creature asked.
"Who said I came alone?"
"Hey ugly!"
The creature turned around at the sound of that voice, only to receive a blow to the skull with a Keyblade with enough force to knock it sideways, as its attacker landed on the ground.
"Ventus?" Kairi asked in surprise upon recognizing Ventus.
The creature took notice of both Ventus and Terra, who were now between him and Kairi with their Keyblades at the ready.
"Terra, Ventus!" Aqua called as she climbed up the hill and saw both of them in the same place.
"Do you mind if we give you a hand?" Ventus asked upon seeing Aqua.
"Me? Charmed!" Aqua replied, preparing to fight.
With the three keyblade users between her and the creature, Kairi dared to address the monster.
"Who are you?" Kairi asked. "And why are you attacking me?
"I am here for a single mission, and that is to kill you." The skeleton pointed its scythe at Kairi, who quickly summoned the Keyblade from him to defend herself.
"Do the math, pal." Ventus said. ``We are four against one. So I would think about what I would do now in your place. "
The specter began to move to one side, while everyone watched it in case it made any strange movement. He then pointed his skeletal finger at Kairi.
``You were lucky today! Now will not be your time, but one day it will come! "
At those ominous words, the wraith spread its wings and soared, fleeing towards the horizon as everyone watched it walk away from them.
When the creature disappeared, the others turned to Kairi.
"Kairi, are you okay?" Aqua asked Kairi
"Yes, I?m OK?" Kairi replied, looking around her. "What just happened?"
They all gathered in the Committee building, where Aqua and Kairi told the others what had happened on the outskirts of the city with the intruder to the Committee members, while Ansem and part of the scientific team were present listening to the story. After explaining the story, Merlin?s face was pale as if she had heard a ghost story. Although considering what happened...
"Merlin?" Kairi asked to get his attention and pull him out of his stupor.
"Uh?" He turned to Kairi. "Oh, sorry! I was thinking of something else. "
"Okay, can you tell us who, or what, that thing was?" Even asked Merlin, after hearing what happened.
"That is a good question. When I fought him, it seemed like he was just playing with me, as well as saying very strange things, like he was my choice and things like that." Aqua explained.
"And most importantly, will that thing come back?" Cid asked scratching his head.
"I?m not sure. In any case, you have been very lucky today. Well, this rival is no other enemy like the ones you faced before." Merlin said looking at Aqua, Terra, Ventus, and Kairi.
"And why is that?" Terra asked.
"Because, if I?m sure, I think this enemy was none other than... Death." Merlin replied with a worried face, making everyone look at her as if she had lost her mind.
"Death?" Ansem asked.
``The entity that claims to take the souls of the deceased? THAT Death? " Ienzo asked.
"Yes, I am afraid so." Merlin replied.
"You?re kidding, aren?t you?" Ventus asked. "That thing was the grim reaper himself?"
"If what you?ve told me is true, I?m afraid it?s not a joke." Merlin replied.
Then Ansem thought for a moment. "From what I understand, Death never usually takes a physical form and attacks people at will."
"Yes, but it only does it when someone commands it." Merlin replied.
"Seriously? And who could command something like that?" Yuffie asked.
"A great evil." Merlin replied. ``A great evil that has not been known for years. A being corrupted by the darkness, but at the same time, it fears him. A being that can control beings more terrible even than the Heartless. Plus..."
But suddenly Merlin turned toward the door. "And as your friend says, just when you thought things couldn?t get any worse..."
Terra ran to the door, soon followed by Kairi, despite Aqua?s refusal. As they exited the building, they looked around, soon finding across the street a mysterious person wearing a red robe with patterns that seemed based on a firebird that covered his entire body. You could barely make out who he was because the robe hid his face and body, but she appeared to be a woman.
"Who you are? Answer!" Terra demanded, summoning his Keyblade. "I suggest you back off, we are busy now!"
The woman, despite her warning, continued walking towards them without flinching.
"You wanted it." Terra muttered and lunged towards her, despite Kairi trying to stop him.
When Terra was close to her, the woman took a great leap, and as soon as Terra was under her, she hit him with the soles of her feet causing him to fall to the ground.
"Terra!" Kairi exclaimed seeing how she knocked Terra down like nothing.
When the mystery woman landed on the ground, he flung himself towards her, leaving Kairi no time to react. Suddenly it passed by her side, and when she put her hand on the back of her neck, everything went black for Kairi, losing consciousness of her.
