A New Journey Rewrite

Chapter 4: The First Appearance

I slipped out of the castle and quietly followed Terra. It seemed I was doing well, as he never looked back. Eventually, he reached Aqua and Ven, who were smiling and gazing at the stars. I stayed hidden behind a tree, watching them. I wished I could join them, especially since I'd been turning down Ven's invitations all week. But I wasn't sure how to approach them.
"Terra, you came," Ven said excitedly.
"I'm not the only one who came tonight. Isn't that right, Soreen?" Terra said, smiling as he looked toward the tree where I was hiding.
He noticed! Embarrassed, I stepped out of my hiding spot. "Is it okay to join you guys?"
Ven jumped up, practically beaming. "You finally came!"
"It seems someone's happy to see her," Aqua said, smirking at Ven.
"Well, of course I am. She's finally going to see the beautiful view," Ven replied, flustered.
We all sat down to watch the stars. Aqua was on my left, Ven on my right, and Terra beside him.
I looked down, clasping my hands together. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry for turning you down all week."
Ven placed his hand on mine and smiled. "Don't worry about it."
"You don't have to apologize. We know you've been doing extra training," Aqua said, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"Yeah, to catch up with us," Terra added with a smile.
"How do you all know?"
"Master Eraqus told us," Ven said.
"I see."
After a while, Aqua suddenly spoke up. "Oh yeah, Terra. You and I have our Mark of Mastery exam tomorrow. I made us good luck charms."
She handed out the charms—an orange one for Terra, a green one for Ven, a red one for me, and a blue one for herself.
"You made one for me too?" I asked, surprised and happy.
"Of course. You're our friend," Aqua said.
"And this proves that we are friends," Ven said, holding up his charm with a smile.
"How about we warm up before the exam?" Terra suggested, standing up and summoning his Keyblade.
"That's a good idea. I'm not going to lose, though," Aqua said, summoning her own Keyblade.
"I'll show you what I've learned over the past week," I said confidently, summoning my Keyblade as well.
"Don't forget about me," Ven added, summoning his Keyblade too.
Without any warning, something unexpected happened. Everyone froze. It was as if they'd become statues. Panic set in as I called out to them, "Guys, guys! This isn't funny! Aqua! Terra! Ven!" But they didn't respond—they were really frozen. I knew I had to find Master Eraqus.
I ran back to the castle, bursting through the door, only to find it filled with Time Breakers. I fought them off as I screamed, "Master Eraqus! Where are you?! Someone answer me!" Then it hit me—why were the Time Breakers here? Could they have followed me? But how? I had to tell Master Yen Sid if I managed to get out of this mess. As I continued searching for Master Eraqus, a terrifying thought crossed my mind: what if he was frozen too?
Finally, I reached the training room. I opened the door and saw Master Eraqus lying on the ground, surrounded by Time Breakers. I rushed to his side, fighting off the creatures as more of them kept appearing. Suddenly, a black hole opened, and Vanitas emerged, summoning a swarm of Heartless to battle the Time Breakers.
Panic and confusion filled my mind until a memory surfaced—a spell I had been taught by his majesty, a spell to banish darkness. I raised my Keyblade high and chanted, "Light appear and let the darkness disappear!"
A brilliant light emanated from my Keyblade, eradicating all the Heartless, Time Breakers, and even Vanitas.
I opened my eyes to see Master Eraqus still lying on the ground. I ran to him, shaking him awake. When he opened his eyes and saw me crying, he sat up. "Why are you crying?"
"I thought you were gone," I said, unable to stop the tears.
"Don't worry about me," he reassured me.
"Master, I want to go back to my timeline... I don't want to cause any more trouble," I said, wiping away my tears. He didn't say a word, so I continued, "Also, I want to cast a forgetting spell. I don't want anyone to remember me after I leave."
Master Eraqus stood up. "I understand. Say these words: 'Let the memory store before I come.'"
I stood up and hugged him. "You're the best teacher I've ever had. Thank you for everything." I then held my Keyblade, pointed it at the door, and a portal opened. Before I stepped through, I whispered, "Let the memory store before I come," and entered the portal.
At the end of the portal, I saw a light. Beside me, I saw myself as a little girl, along with two boys and a girl. "This is Sora and me... but who are the others? They look so familiar."
Finally, I found myself standing in front of Master Yen Sid. "Well done, Soreen. Now, you will begin your journey."
"Yes, Master, but something happened while I was there..."
I told him everything that had happened over the past week—my training, the encounter with the Time Breakers, and my conversation with Master Eraqus. However, I didn't mention the spell he had taught me. Something told me not to.
"I was afraid that would happen," Master Yen Sid said. "As you continue your journey, the Time Breakers will follow you because of your ability to travel through time. Be careful."
"And what about the Heartless and Vanitas? What should I do?" I asked.
"Don't worry. There are others who are dealing with them right now. Your focus should be on stopping the Time Breakers," Master Yen Sid replied.
I nodded. "Thank you, Master. I'll be careful on my journey." As I opened the door to leave, I heard Master Yen Sid whisper, "May your heart be your guiding key."
I smiled and stepped through the door.