Down the Twilight Path

Jason vs. The World That Never Was

A/N: In case anyone was wondering, I know full well how similar Jason's character design is to Axel. All I'll say right now is that this was a deliberate choice on my part. Today's chapter also sheds a little light on this. So enjoy, my fair readers!

Scene 10: Jason vs. The World That Never Was

Xemnas had told Jason that the next morning, the training that would shape him into a member of Organization XIII would begin. So he probably should have expected to be woken up at the crack of dawn, this time by a member of the Organization he hadn't seen before: a man with shoulder-length blue hair, an X-shaped scar on his face, yellow eyes, and pointed ears like Xigbar. Unlike the other members of Organization XIII Jason had met so far, this man didn't seem to emote in the slightest.

"It's time for you to wake up," he stated. "You have ten minutes to report to the gray area where you will receive your training assignment for today."

When he asked the Nobody his name, the man said it was Saix. "Will I be provided transportation to this gray area?" Jason asked, rubbing his eyes.

"You will not," Saix answered. "If you are to be under the employ of the Organization, you will learn how to open the Dark Corridors or you will find an alternate way. Regardless, tardiness will not be tolerated."

He left the room without another word. Jason made a mental note about the voids being called Dark Corridors, as well as the implication that anyone could open one.

Saix didn't strike me as a liar – he didn't seem to care enough to lie. And since I have this cloak they gave me, these portals seem pretty low risk. So how would I go about opening one of these things?

After putting on his assigned cloak, Jason tried to form a mental image in his mind of those mysterious purple voids, visualizing what they looked like, and willing as hard as he could that a portal would manifest inside his room.

The very next instant, a Dark Corridor erupted a few feet away from him.

Did....did I do that? May as well see where it goes.

Feeling apprehensive, Jason walked through the portal.

That feeling lasted exactly as long as it took for Jason to cross to the other side – for waiting there was none other than the 'doppelganger' known as Axel.

"It's you!" Jason exclaimed.

"Hello to you too, kid," Axel said. "I thought I told you to forget all about us."

"Believe me when I tell you that I didn't want this," Jason said. "Now I'm just looking for a way back home."

"Unfortunately for you, that's not happening anytime soon. You can't even open a Dark Corridor yet, so I had to drag you here. But at least you have a game face going for you."

Jason didn't know what was worse, the fact that Axel had opened the portal, or the perpetually amused air with which he spoken of Jason's plight. Everyone in the castle seemed to delight in his suffering.

"Hey now," Axel said, taking on a more casual air. "That's what I'm here for. I've been assigned the task of getting you into shape today. So long as you keep up you should be fine. Got it memorized?"

"I suppose so," Jason said, feeling uncertain all over again.

Axel shook his head. "I have a feeling today's going to be a long day."

Jason touched ground on the same world that he had visited with Larxene before. He was once again in awe at the nonsensical nature of his surroundings. He leaned in to study a yellow flower roughly the size of his head.