The Keyblade War Chapter II: Chaotic Twilight

Prologue: Keyblade

Three years have passed since Sora and his friends saved the worlds from Dark Orion's wrath. The night is calm and peaceful, with a gentle and soothing breeze coming from the west, and the stars shine brightly, perhaps brighter than they have ever been in a long time. Dawn quietly gazes upon the stars, as if counting them, and she smiles and sighs and looks to her right, where there resides a fortress, a fortress she calls home. She wishes nothing more than to just escape from there. It's not out of hate or despair, not even about disappearing. She just wants to meet Riku. It's such a simple wish, she thinks to herself. Why then, would the elder not allow her to see him? But that's something she already knew the answer to, and no matter how hard or how much she could try to convince the elder otherwise, his answer would remain the same. As she thought of this, her resolve and will were slowly fading away, as her dream of being able to meet Riku would never be realized. And with that, she heads towards the fortress.

Upon arriving, she notices that the fortress is oddly quiet. Perhaps a little bit too quiet, she thought. But then she pays it no mind, and instead she goes towards her room. As she walks along the beautifully crafted stone hallways, she can't help but feel a sudden tinge up her spine, as if something had frozen her from behind. She looked back and saw no one behind her. She thought this rather odd, and so she picked up the pace, hoping to head over to her room quickly, where she knew she could be safe. Suddenly she felt the strange tinge again, and this time, when she looked back, she saw something, or rather, the shadow of something that just passed before her eyes. Now she knew that she wasn't alone. She cautiously took a few steps back and she looked to both sides, at her right noticing that the stone hallway had become pitch black, and on her left, she noticed that everything seemed normal. Something definitely wasn't right, and she didn't like one bit of it.

Breathing in slowly and relaxing her muscles, Dawn remains calm and collected, despite feeling the tinge on her spine yet again. Then, when she shifts her eyes to her right, she notices that a Neoshadow charges towards her, and she barely dodges it's attack. The Neoshadow tumbles on the floor and is dazed, and Dawn is completely surprised. "Heartless? Here in the fortress? How can this be? This is supposed to be a sanctuary, where no darkness can enter!", she thinks to herself, now fearing the worst for the elder and the others, but then she quickly shakes her head. "No, they can't be dead. They can take on these creatures, it would take more than these things to take them down." She then regains her focus and notices that the Neoshadow goes towards her again, and this time, she falls to the ground and closes her eyes, ready to receive the final blow.

But as she opens her eyes, she notices that the Neoshadow dissipates before her, and then she's even more surprised to see that she's wielding a Keyblade! She gasps and drops it on the ground, and then she looks around, making sure that no one watched the events that just took place. She then looks at the Keyblade and admires it's design. The hilt is a smooth silver color, while the handlebars are scarlet red and bronze. She then looks at the blade, noticing the smooth curves and sharp edges on either side. She also notices a type of scripture on the blade, in a language she doesn't understand. Then she notices that at the top of the blade, the smooth curves coalesce into a bronze crown. She suddenly feels uneasy, and then she quickly runs to her room and slams the door shut, and she puts the Keyblade on her bed, uncertain of what to do.

"Impossible. How is it that I've come to wield a Keyblade?" ,she says to herself. Then she remembered the teachings of the elder, and she remembered these specific words: "Only those with a strong heart that doesn't waver in the face of adversity can be deemed worthy of wielding a Keyblade." She then looks at the Keyblade in her bed, and she thinks to herself: "Is my heart really strong enough?" She then thinks of Riku, and she feels a sudden surge of determination. "Riku, you are my strength, you make me feel strong! You're the reason I can wield the Keyblade!" With that, the Keyblade disappears in a blinding flash of light and then it rematerializes in her hand, and she looks at it, amazed, and already she feels the blade as a part of herself. "I'll call you, Flaming Crown." ,she says to herself while admiring her Keyblade. Then she hears a knock on her door, and she gasps and quickly dematerializes her Keyblade and quickly makes her way to her bed. "Come in!" ,she says.

When the door opens, she sees that it's none other than the Elder. He smiles a reassuring smile and then closes the door and sits in a chair near her bed. Dawn smiled appreciatively and she sat on her bed and she put her hands together. "Hello Elder. To what do I owe this visit?" The Elder leaned back on the chair and he smiled. "Well, I came to check on you, for I sensed that you were quite agitated." He then took a second and is smile faded away into a serious and questionable face. "Dawn, what happened to you? You look very pale..." Realizing his suspicions, Dawn tries her best to improvise and the pretends to cough. "Oh, my apologies Elder, I was out on the porch enjoying the night breeze, and I seemed to have caught a cold." The Elder kept glancing at her, and then he stood up and started walking towards the door. "Well, at least your safe, and that's what matters. If you need anything, come to me, or if I am not available, seek the other members of the counsel."

Dawn nodded and she bowed her head down in respect. "Yes, of course. Thank you very much Elder, I appreciate it." With that, the Elder left her room, and she sighed of relief. This was too close of a call, and if she hadn't had such sharp hearing skills, she might not have had a chance to dematerialize her Keyblade. She remained seated in her bed, and then she extended her arm forward, and her Keyblade materialized in her hand again. She was dumbstruck that she could wield such a power, but she still had many answers that were gnawing at her mind. "I need to consult this with the one person I trust the most...Valgard." She immediately reinforced her decision, for Valgard was the one person she could trust in the counsel. It wasn't that the others had evil intentions, but she never felt comfortable around them, not even around the Elder. And so, she quietly snuck out of her room and then she headed towards the library, where she knew that Valgard would be.

As she walked towards the library, she noticed that the cold breeze had suddenly stopped, and now everything felt less eerie and more peaceful. She could hear faint sounds of blades clashing, no doubt other members of the counsel honing their skills in the courtyard. She took advantage of this and headed ever faster towards the library, and as she entered, she saw Valgard perched at the very top of a giant stockpile of books, where he was carefully analyzing one. Dawn smiled and she put her hands behind her back. "Hello there Valgard, and good evening." Valgard marked the page of the book so he could read it later, and then he closed it, and he gracefully landed towards Dawn, and he smiled warmly, his silvery hair complimenting his silver eyes and fair skin. "Well good evening Dawn. I didn't expect you to be here at these hours of the night. But then again, you've never been one to follow the rules. Come, have a seat. What can I help you with?" Dawn sighs in relief and then she sits and she breathes in and out slowly. "Well, here goes." She extends her arm and her Keyblade materializes in her hand, causing Valgard to drop his jaw in amazement. "A Keyblade!?"

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As Dawn discovers the power of the Keyblade, what guidance does she seek from Valgard? What did the appearance of that Neoshadow mean? Dawn hopes to find the answers by speaking to her beloved friend Valgard. Stay tuned for Chapter One: "The Power Of The Heart."