Kingdom Hearts III: The Streamlined Edition

Prologue: The Keyblade War

The Age of Fairy Tales

The dark clouds gave a foreboding sense of empathy to the clashing of keys that lay far below the heavens. A war of Keyblades, sparked by a chain reaction of events caused by the disappearance of the man known as the Master of Masters, was taking shape.

This, as it was known to many historians of the contemporary age, was called the Keyblade War.

The rain of tears from the freshly deceased began to pour down upon the dry land. It turned the sand into mud, giving green life onto the land of sand when the sun came out, but that wouldn't be until after the battle had ceased.

On this designated day, at the head of a ragtag army called the Dandelions, a fifteen-year-old Keyblader by the name of Ephemera rode out to meet the Foretellers who had brought their army out onto the same desert to witness and enforce the ceremony of submission from Ava of Vulpes.

Neighbors, schoolmates, and others who had fought alongside Ephemera in practice training were among those in his army that day. Also with Ephemera were the sons and daughters of noblemen who had agreed to pay homage with him to their own beliefs in the light and to accept his endorsement as leader of the Dandelions.

To the Foretellers, who stood tall and proud at the head of their polished army and looked across at the selected group of Ava's forces, the ceremony hardly seemed worth the wait. The Dandelions looked brave and undefeated. Even Ephemera. Aced of the Ursus Union turned to Ira beside him and said, "I should have washed my key this morning. It's never been stained by the blood of a child before."

On his side, Ephemera looked down at the Foretellers, at their banners, their fine army.

He looked back at the ranks of his own. He saw Skuld, his girlfriend. Blaine, a kid he didn't know. Old Man Bartlett—though he did not know him. He looked at the faces there in the line.

The turquoise-haired Ancora, among the other Daybreak Townians mounted beside the silver haired boy, grew impatient.

"Come," he said, "let's get it over with."

But Ephemera held something. Uncurling his fist, he looked at the pink handkerchief that belonged to Ava of Vulpes.

The other warriors readied their keys and started toward the Foretellers, but Ephemera looked up from the handkerchief to Blaine and Ancora, who had brought it to him, and were looking at him from the Dandelion line even now, their eyes pleading for him to do what Ava had instructed.

"Stop," Ephemera said.

He tucked the handkerchief safely behind his vest pocket and turned to the Keybladers who lined the side with him. He took a long deep breath and shouted,

"You have bled with Ava!" He summoned his Keyblade from invisible air. "Now bled with me!"

A cry rose from the Keybladers as from a tomb: "For Kingdom Hearts! For Kingdom Hearts! For Kingdom Hearts!" Louder, louder... "FOR KINGDOM HEARTS! FOR KINGDOM HEARTS!"

The chant built to a frenzy; it shook the ground. The young Keybladers could scarcely believe it; the Foretellers were shocked even more.

And Ephemera, leader of the Dandelions, spurred his legs into full force toward the Foretellers, and the Keybladers hurled their bodies through the desert, ready to run through hell itself...

In the year of our Lord 1734, patriots of Daybreak Town, known amongst themselves as the Dandelions, charged the fields of the desert that would be known as the Keyblade Graveyard. They fought like warriors of light. They fought like Keybladers. And won the battle.

Several guardians were chosen to protect the worlds from further destruction and so, the laws of world order were issued.