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[selfconsciousalt]

Dado's Journey: BBS Saga

Friendly Spar

By the time Dado's spin stopped, Ever After had taken a new form: the Mirage Staff.

If everyone else insisted on playing defense, he'd oblige them.

"Light!" Lasers flowed from the staff's tip into a prism, refracting into other prisms throughout the area unpredictably before flying towards a target.

Nerina's dancing water pooled in front of her, acting as a shield. She smirked at the ripples against their surface.

"Good! Maybe you'll get through my water, Dado."

"That's the plan," he thought.

Ai aimed his turrets at Dado, raising his left paw upward to create a barrier.

"Calibrating... Aiming..." The turrets on Ai's shoulders began to charge. Dado mentally noted them, eyes darting over to Vincent.

"Geez..." The dark-haired man grimaced, slamming his Keyblade through redirected beams of light. "Everyone uses magic. I should've seen something like this coming."

His movements were sloppy and direct, but well-focused. Despite glancing around wildly like a cornered animal, he seemed in a comfort zone of sorts. All of a sudden, Dado found it a lot easier to believe Vincent had no formal training.

"Three... Two..." Ai called out.

"Now then..." Nerina glanced back from the android and to Dado, seemingly having made the same calculations as him. She slid her hand along Rainfell, infusing it with the water element.

"FIRE!" Both turrets fired at Dado, launching twin barrages of lasers at him. Nerina rushed forward, swinging an explosion of water outwards in a wide arc.

Ai's lasers flew towards him, punching through what revealed itself to be a Mirage.

Of course Nerina, perpetually savvy to his trickery, had accounted for this with her arc. He'd prepared a cast for her accordingly.

"Fire!" A cloud of steam erupted where her Water Strike would have made contact with him.

As the steam faded, Dado's blade to his side and off-hand stretched outwards, Nerina's hair smoldered.

"So you decided to play with fire, I see." She grabbed a lock of her own hair, crushing an ember with a bare hand. Dado paled as an especially cold-looking bubble formed in at the tip of her Keyblade-

"GAAAH!" And yelled out in pain. Ai, seeing his dropped guard after his exchange with Nerina, had remotely detonated a Holy cast directly beneath him.

For a fraction of a moment, violet smoke trailed from his left eye.

"Petal Surge!" He clenched the eye shut and dashed towards Ai. A maelstrom of golden petals swirled around him.

The furry robot friend attempted to sidestep the storm, only to underestimate its breadth. Clipped by the petals, he backflipped into the air, his turrets returning to their Keyblade form. He twirled the weapon in a Windmill before him, an orb of light forming tangent to its center.

Dado knew a Shotlock when he saw one. He surveyed the battlefield, planning out how he'd evade it.

Nerina, for her part, had spared him earlier, redirecting her ire at Vincent. For her troubles, she was flattened against the ground by a Gravity cast. Vincent hovered over her, Keyblade enveloped in violet mist. With a bemused smile, he pointed the demon wing at her, Darkness building at its tip.

"Ragnarok!" Ai shouted, scattering the orb into countless beams of light.

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[selfconsciousalt]

Dado's Journey: BBS Saga

Staredown

With minimal convincing, Ai gathered the gang for a good free-for-all spar at the Summit. Dado, Vincent, and Ai were the first to arrive.

Dado eyed Vincent as the latter gave his angeodemonic blade a few unrefined test swings. His wariness and curiosity battled each other. Something was off about the man; he could feel it in his Heart. But Ai took to him quickly, and Nerina trusted Ai...

Ever After shimmered into his palm, golden dust floating around it. Similar golden dust trailed from his heels. A breeze buffeted his cloak, concealing a slim figure within the billowing layers of cloth.

Ai, likewise, began to summon his typical energy blade. His arm glowed with a brilliant light.

When the light dimmed, he was holding something new. The blade was short and colored a light grey, with white LED bulbs going down the center of the weapon in a perfect line to the hand guard. The hand guard itself was simple, a pair of angelic wings curling inward to protect Ai's paw. The "teeth" of the blade were small plasma emitters, which immediately turned on and ignited into small pillars of light as he gave the weapon a few practice swings.

"Wait," Dado was surprised. "Since when are you a Keyblade Wielder?"

"Ah," Ai seemed nonplussed. "So this is a Keyblade."

He swung the weapon a few more times, jabbing forward in preparation.

"Maybe I always was, but didn't know it. All I know is... If I was indeed one before, this isn't the right Keyblade."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dado was shocked. How could someone's Keyblade be 'the wrong one'? How could one even be sure?

"I'm not sure myself," Ai shrugged. "But something in my Heart tells me this isn't the weapon I used to use... But it will do regardless.

Dado cursed silently at the android's cryptic words. Ai had been a strange case ever since he showed up a few months ago, but ever since Vincent arrived earlier that week, he'd been even less communicative.

He jumped as Nerina pat his shoulder, arriving just in time to interrupt his thoughts. She flipped her hair back, calling Rainfell to her hand.

"Come now, Dado," she teased. "Even you should realize that the heart is a tricky one.

"Perhaps this new looking keyblade could be formed from bonds you no longer recall," she suggested to Ai. "Or a testament of the trials you overcame before we found you."

"Still: nice to see that if something happens, we can rely on Ai, right Dado?" She placed a hand on her hip, pointing her blade at Dado with a grin.

Pointing a Keyblade directly at someone was the universal sign of a challenge. Dado, out of habit, stanced up: blade held overhead pointed towards Nerina, with his empty left hand front and center. The stance was common in duels, focusing on wide swings complimented by defensive magic.

After a beat, he changed his stance. He first brought his feet together, crossing his arms over his breast, blade held upwards in an intermediary pose. He then pushed his right foot forward in a gentle lunge, holding the blade in a diagonal commonly seen in fencing. Unlike the non-magical version of the sport, however, his left hand was held at his hip, like Woody reaching for his trusty revolver.

He knew Nerina would recognize this stance. It was deceptively defensive, with an emphasis on deflection and trickery. Every time he used it, he ended up pulling out something "non-traditional".

Nerina kept her eyes on Dado as she hopped into the air. Her magic held her just above the ground to grant her quickened evasion. Watching Dado's change of stance, she willed Water to dance around herself. It seemed to move with a mind of its own: a testament to Nerina's control.

Ai continued to twirl his weapon, finally tossing it into the air before catching it in a new form: a pair of plasma turrets. They mounted themselves to his shoulders. One of them misfired in Nerina's direction, a laser passing her face by a margin of inches.

"Apologies," Ai blinked. "Recalibrating..."

As Fiora arrived and took a seat outside of the splash zone, Vincent finally seemed to settle on a stance. He held the Keyblade in front of himself in a single-handed guard, reaching with his off-hand similarly to Dado. He rolled his eyes.

"Well, Dado?" Nerina's voice was a singsongy taunt. "Who shall strike first? Or shall we wait for the others before joining in on the fun~?"

"So..." Vincent started to make awkward small talk. "I guess you two have fought with each other for quite some time? Hope I don't end up throwing a wrench into your dynamic here."

"Hmph." Dado grinned.

No one wanted to make the first move. Everyone seemed to take a defensive stance.

He leapt backwards into a spin, dust trailing his boots as prisms flew around the area.

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[selfconsciousalt]

TFR Quest Log

By Rites and Hopes

Quest Log 2: Defending Against Rogue Nature

World: Neverland

Kate Thirabella's Thoughts:

So... Things may be so much different than I initially thought. I've started my training to become a full-fledged Keyblade wielder. And a part of that training, let me do go out to other worlds to investigate these strange creatures that have been appearing in the other worlds. How much is my mind gonna be blown just going from world to world here? I dunno, but can't deny it!

So my first stop, was a place I later heard to be called Neverland. I won't pretend to understand how this place works, but, all I know is that it's a simple island with pirates, kids and a flying man the pirates doesn't seem to like. I couldn't ask the captain we were with, as he was scared off by a ticking sound... Sounded like a clock. Never saw the source though.

Anyway, during my exploration, I had heard a commotion. The dangerous kind of commotion. And when I could finally see, I could see a battle in place. These... Strange dark blue creatures, and a sentient tree that they were spawning out of. Other keyblade wielders were fighting it, I noticed. So, I came in to help. Though... In a way I can't explain. I was just... In the air. In my keyblade armour, standing on a floating platform that formed a path as I ran... I've tried to replicate that platform thing, but I could never do it. I just can't explain it.

It took some effort, and was a bit of a close call on my part, but we destroyed that tree, and took the rest of the... Unversed, I think? Out. I did cut it quite close, but thankfully I was healed before I fell to the things.

We talked amongst ourselves, though one of the wielders... Dado, was it? Asked a strange riddle to the pirate captain. The pirate sounded like he was going to answer, but... Well, the ticking started. I can only imagine it is the thing that took his hand and forced him to have a hook. I don't know what the riddle means, but I did recognise my teacher's name as a part of the riddle... Whatever the case, we moved on to safer and less world order needed areas, to a new world... An island. I am pretty sure I heard them mention Destiny Island? Or maybe I heard that from somewhere else... We elaborated on the threats, and some of the people needed to get home.

I don't have a home anymore. The closest thing is my master's schoolhouse. So that is where I will be when I am not travelling. And if they are correct, and I WAS called onto the battlefield by the world itself?

I need to be ready to answer any more calls for help. I need to get my strength back, so I can defend all whom I can.

Important Points:

Mad Treant - Defeated!

Flood Wave - Exterminated!

Connection - First introductions to Dado, Arano, Alex, Captain Hook, and Smee.

Mystery - New mysteries around a mysterious riddle, and elaborations on possible information around the Unversed.

Strength - Kate has grown stronger because of this fight, but still has some work to do to reach her true potential again.

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[selfconsciousalt]

Cloudishly finished two commissions in the past few days!

Alexis Starlight

Alex is a pop star from Twilight Town who uses guns! Her favorite gun became a Soul Weapon, eventually turning into the Astral Blast Keyblade.

Dado (Keyblade Armor)

Dado is the focus character of Dado's Journal and Dado's Journey! He wields Ever After, and has vine & gold motifs.

If you'd be interested in commissioning the artist, his Discord is cloudishly! You can also find him in the KHTD Discord!

(( Join the KHTD Discord below! ))

[selfconsciousalt]

Dado's Journey: BBS Saga

Thunder. Ow.

"Thunder. Ow. Thunder. Ow."

Dado was frustrated. How was he having this much trouble with one of the three base elements?!

"Water," he lifted the water from a cup on his bedside table, then gently set it back down. That had taken months to learn... But he'd been very determined to take away that extra bit of ammunition from Nerina. She had teased him for years about how easy Water was to cast, often by simply throwing some at him...

So what did he do? He went to the library and studied it. He studied the physics of fluids as a whole, how surface tension held bodies together. He learned that even Earth behaves as a fluid in large enough quantities.

Due to water's weight, he couldn't rely on mere convection to do the bulk of the work for him the way he did with Aero. Likewise due to its "gloopiness", he couldn't simply break off a piece the way he did with Quake; attempting to do so would create a localized pocket of lower pressure and cause the targeted body to resist movement.

He needed a different approach, and that surface tension was the key. By thrusting air into the crevices between water and its container, he could create a Bubble. That Bubble was then much more freely movable. For larger bodies of water, he could simply cause splashes to accomplish the same effect.

Reinvigorated, Dado tossed the battery onto his bed. He walked out of his bedroom, ready to learn the spell his way.

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[selfconsciousalt]

Dado's Journey: BBS Saga

Sibling Meeting

A clink against the door.

A second clink.

A latch turning itself through supernatural means.

CRASH.

Dado kicked Nerina's door in (unlocking it first with his Keyblade, of course) as revenge for the other morning.

"You!" He pointed dramatically at her, stifling a grin.

For her part, Nerina laid in bed with a faraway look, barely glancing at Dado. She waved a finger around, her notebook magically closing and filing itself away.

She finally sat up in the bed, donming a playful mask as she pointed the same finger at him. Water began to form at her fingertip.

"Breaking into a ladies room now, are we, Dado? I didn't know you had a scandalous side to you!"

"Hey," he protested. "You're the one who tried soaking my nightgown!"

Nerina had a familiar air of sadness about her. She did a good job hiding it, but being an eldest child himself at one point, he knew it too well not to recognize it for what it was.

He let it be.

"Fiora and I were looking for you," he said. "We thought you'd be helping that Masterless Wielder."

Nerina dropped her hand, a teardrop of water falling from her finger.

"I helped him get settled, but from there, I'm leaving it to Master Straeh on what to do next." She got up, walking over to the window and sitting on its ledge.

"What was it that you both needed me for?"

"Oh, well... We're both worried about the Mark of Mastery." Dado walked over and sat next to Nerina.

This room had always been comforting. He sighed wistfully.

"You're obviously gonna pass with flying colors..." he started. "But I don't have anything beyond fancy words. And Fiora's, like, incapable of self-confidence. So she's worried she'll get left behind."

"We wanted to figure out where we wanna live after we all, you know... Depart."

Nerina looked at Dado like he was insane for even saying that.

"Who says this isn't our home, or that we can't return even after our mark of mastery?" She gave him an incredulous look, then quickly turned her head away. Her gaze was drawn up towards the stars.

"Nerina..." Dado felt his heart sink.

"Something tells me," her face bore a determined expression. "My home is still out there; that the cursed lands didn't take over it... or at the very least, didn't consume it. If that's true I want to find it.

"Besides, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. We just have to play to them." Her voice was as encouraging as ever.

The idea was nice. It'd be nice for them to all live in a castle. To obtain ingredients from off-world every now and again, and cook meals together.

Even without stealing that book from the Restricted section, the subtext from Master Straeh was clear as can be. How did she not see it...?

"This place is called the Land of Departure. We were never intended to stay here forever." He stood up, hands clasped behind his back, and paced somberly.

"...I took another book last night. A written account of this place's creation." He took a deep breath, then repeated the memorized exerpt.

"We will create a hidden land. Here, a new generation of Wielders will be brought, and raised by a single Master. They must be taught the way of Light. They must each achieve skill worthy of the title Master.

"All but one will Depart. Unto the final Master, their Master's blade must be bequeathed. This Final Master will be tasked with protecting this Land of Departure, and training the next generation of Masters.

"If any of us chooses to stay here..." Dado stopped pacing with a grim look. "We'll be separated. The only way for us to stick together is if we all leave."

A gasp was heard from the doorway. Dado and Nerina both turned to see Fiora, hands over her mouth.

"First we have Dado trying to sneak a peek," Nerina joked as the two walked to the doorway. "And now we got Fiora eavesdropping." She stood over the girl with her arms on her hips.

"No one is leaving or getting separated any time soon," she spoke authoritatively. "I honestly don't know why you both stress about stuff like that."

"Back in the Toy Box," Dado sighed. "A common stock moment in our stories was someone partially overhearing something, and then freaking out.

"What parts did you hear?"

"I heard what you said about the book you found..." Fiora's eyes drooped. Had she had a nightmare? "And I heard that Nerina wants to find her home. Her original home."

"Fiora, you..." Nerina sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose before continuing. "Look, I want to find out what happened to my home; why the cursed lands were spreading rapidly. Doesn't mean I'm going to stay there permanently."

"I wasn't saying you were going to stay there!" Fiora protested. "I... I was just answering what I heard... I know you'll come back..."

Nerina glared at Dado with a silent message: "quit asking stupid questions and help."

"Field trip," he blurted out.

It was so simple!

"Let's have a field trip," he explained. "We'll investigate Nerina's world, see what other worlds have to offer, and figure out our plans for after the Mark of Mastery along the way!"

"But Dado," Fiora shook her head. "The master forbids us from leaving without her permission. Especially me. If she found out, who knows what kind of trouble we'll be in."

"I'll ask," Nerina began. "And I'll tell her that I know my world is not gone like she has told me, and that if I'm to prove myself worthy I should go and investigate. We can use it as a way to see how far along you've gotten. The both of you."

Nerina began to leave the room outright, turning her back to the duo.

"The worst she'll say is no," her voice didn't have its usual bubbly tone.

"And even if she says no, who's to say that isn't a test?" Dado offered. "Keyblade Masters are supposed to take initiative; to investigate darkness and root it out. What would be more noble than investigating the supposed fall of a world?"

Dado thought about Nerina's wording. There seemed to be an implied accusation there... Was she simply accusing Master Straeh of being mistaken? ...Or was there something deeper?

"Nerina, Dado," Fiora seemed slightly less afraid. "I'm sorry for eavesdropping. I was just really scared... But yeah, we should go investigate, whether the master wants us to or not."

Nerina simply nodded, then walked with purpose in the direction of Master Straeh's room. Dado waited a moment, then spoke softly.

"Fiora?" He gave her a look. "I don't think Nerina's okay... and I'm no good at any of this stuff."

He always defaulted to raw logic. While it helped him cope, it didn't seem to work as well for others. Fiora, on the other hand...

"Think you can talk to her?" It wasn't fair for him to put this on her... but neither was their situation.

"I'll do my best..." Fiora put her hand to her chest, reaching out with her Heart. "It feels like she is angry about something. I just wish I knew what so I could understand better."

"She might be angry at Master Straeh?" Dado was unsure. Her tone hadn't told him much.

His eyes drifted over to Nerina's bookshelf. She'd been writing in that journal. There were plenty of old journals in the Restricted Section...

...But that'd make him no better than his biological family, wouldn't it?

"I dunno. I'm gonna grab a snack." He power-walked out of the room, avoiding tempting himself further.

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[selfconsciousalt]

Dado's Journal: Beginnings

Journal XVIII, Entry I

Age eighteen. Another year, another journal. Here's to nineteen, eh?

I'll admit, it's surreal. Nearly a decade ago, I assumed I'd be dead before I reached adulthood.

Fiora, Nerina, and Master Straeh ambushed me in the kitchen, startling me with a loud Happy Birthday. They teased me a bit, asking when I'm gonna take the Mark of Mastery. It's no secret that I intend to pursue the title of Master, but I'm inclined to wait until I've mastered some Grand Magic and published at least one academic work. After all, what good would the title be if I've nothing unique to teach yet?

While Fiora and Nerina had a laugh about this response, Master Straeh indicated approval. She asked what I plan to write about.

As I've noted in previous entries, I figure the various applications of Flower magic as a teaching tool is a good start. I briefly summarized how displays in Information Age worlds work, as well as the difference between Raster and Vector render formats. Flower magic, when channeled in its purest form as fractals emergent from initial parameters, can be molded into various types of polynomial functions. The Vine line, in particular, shows promise due to its fundamental nature as a parametric function of length.

They seemed blown away, and I let myself feel proud. Master Straeh said she was looking forward to seeing my paper on it.

All in all, this is shaping up to be a great year. I can't wait to give Fiora her birthday present next week.

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Dado's Journey: BBS Saga

Book Heist

"Silence," Dado whispered. Blue mist fell over him.

As he tapped his Keyblade against the library door, the impact's energy was not converted to sound. Rather, the door's wood was ever so subtly heated as it unlocked itself. He opened it without so much as a creak, then proceeded inside.

He walked a memorized path through the dark, fidgeting with the item in his pocket. They were discouraged from bringing anything from off-world, but he'd managed to sneak a few flashlights from various trips to Destiny Islands. By dislodging the batteries in just the right way (and padding the interior to prevent them from jiggling back into place), he had a light dim enough to read book covers, but not so bright as to alert Master Straeh's security.

Of course, this song and dance was as much a game as anything else. He was certain that, if she really wanted to, she could apply far more robust security measures. This allowance of his prowling around was merely another form of training, likely with a layer of plausible deniability in case he learned something one of her peers might frown upon.

He appreciated the game of cat and mouse, even if neither could admit aloud they were playing.

The restricted section was full of "adult" books: mostly dry historical texts with regard for neither sensible pacing nor self-censorship. To Nerina and Fiora, there was likely little here of note.

To Dado, this was a gold mine of information: Eyewitness accounts of the political landscape leading up to the Keyblade War uncorrupted by the lens of hindsight, various letters alluding to a 'Xigellivr Incident', and even an exerpt from a journal seemingly belonging to a Lost Master.

Tonight, rather than mere curiosity, he searched with purpose. This tiny place... Master Straeh implied it wouldn't stay their home forever. He, Nerina, and Fiora would one day leave.

But why build an entire castle on an empty world with no staff, no shops, and well under a dozen inhabitants at any point in time? Why not build it to be a proper home?

...Why couldn't this be their home?

Scanning over covers, he finally found a promising packet. Its cover was a sketch of the castle: slightly different, but recognizable regardless.

He tucked it into his cloak, setting out for his bedroom to read it by the candlelight.

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[selfconsciousalt]

9. tjthedj0388 on Discord & Me

Art I've made for KHTD thus far!

Design Credits:

cloudishly on Discord & Me

Me

lisax on Discord

actualbread & ottachu on Discord

thatguy9011 on Discord

RemHydragrove on Twitter

Me & the_starman. on Discord

thefrightfulreapers on Discord

[selfconsciousalt]

Dado's Journal: Beginnings

Entry VII

Life in the castle is pretty structured! We wake up first thing in the morning, then eat a breakfast with protein. Then, we learn using an old-school blackboard and stuff. Once we're done with our "normal" learning (which includes magic theory and crazy stuff like that), we do Keyblade training. Right now, we're on the basics: stance, breathing, and sensing magic. I actually channeled my magic into a technique called "Flower Shoot"! It's a ball of light with golden petals, and it means I have a natural affinity towards Light!

Fiora and Nerina are really nice! We did some sparring, and afterwards, Nerina revealed that she'd baked us a welcome cake! And Fiora noticed when I was getting overwhelmed at one point and helped me!

Master Straeh gave us new clothes. Currently, we're all wearing mostly the same stuff, but she says once we come into our own as Keyblade Wielders, she'll help us design our own outfits!

It's… honestly really weird. Feeling cared about.

I like it.

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Dado's Journey: BBS Saga

Cleaning

"Crap, crap, crap, crap!" Try as he might, Dado simply could not mop up all that water. There was too much!

"Stupid Nerina with your stupid..." How did she manage to conjure so much?!

Nerina had always been faster and stronger that him. And Fiora had her light; her absurd, implausibly powerful light. That Flower Shot earlier... He brushed aside the pang of jealousy. That wasn't productive.

And what did he have?

"...Vine." Brown tendrils flew from his robe, their parched pores soaking in water as they fractaled across the floor.

"Fiora, any way you can flash freeze this without making more water?"

"O-oh!" At his suggestion, Fiora left her state of panic. "Yeah! Be careful not to slip!!"

Fiora summoned her keyblade and pointed it at the water.

"Freeze!" The water followed the command, quickly freezing to ice.

The vines, reinforced by bark, held strong as the water between them froze. The floor was now dry.

With a flick, they lashed, shattering the ice into a flurry of diamond dust, sparkling magnificently. Most importantly, however...

"Wind!" They were light enough to be swept up by the whirlwind.

Dado grunted, concentrating on keeping as much ice airborne and centralized as possible.

"Window!" He called over to Fiora desperately.

"Shoot shoot shoot!" Fiora rushed over to a window and quickly unlocked and opened it. She then ducked out of the way, making sure she wasn't in the Dado's line of fire.

"Now!" She called out.

"Snowstorm!" While not a proper spell name, the verbal component helped channel his intentions. He added his own weaker cooling effect into the Aero cast, then sent a howling wind carrying the miniature tempest outside.

"Did... Did we do it?" Dado blinked in disbelief as his vines began to dissolve into golden light.

Fiora took some deep breaths as things began to calm. Relief and excitement washed over her.

"We did it!" She jumped up and practically tackled Dado into a hug.

Dado laughed with joy, returning the hug while barely maintaining his footing.

"Mark of Mastery ain't got nothing on us! Whoo!"

"Yeah! ...Yeah." Fiora's mood seemed to drop a little.

"Hey, Dado... I..." She hesitated, but then shook her head and her smile returned.

"Nevermind. Let's see what Nerina is up to. Probably something with the new guy."

The moment's hesitation wasn't lost on Dado. He began walking through the hallway alongside her.

"...Hey, Fiora."

There was a pregnant pause.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Fiora stopped walking in her tracks, then took a deep breath.

"Yeah... I know; it's just.. Okay. I've just been... thinking. About the Mark of Mastery. About you, and Nerina. And about what's next."

She looked Dado directly in the eyes... she was scared. She then began to rapid fire.

"What's going to happen when you guys pass? I mean, I'm clearly not on your guys level. No way I'm going to pass anytime soon. So what then? Will you guys be around? Will you move on without me? How long will you all be gone? And what if danger comes? I can't do anything without you guys. I can't... I... And then what if–"

Tears began to well up in her eyes.

Dado wrapped her in a hug. No vines, no magic. Just an ordinary hug.

"Fiora...

"It's okay, calm down, breathe..." He took a deep breath,

Held it,

And let it out.

Fiora followed along, calming slightly. He continued.

"...and think for a moment. Why would I leave? My focus is on academia and abstract study of the fundamentals of magic. I'm writing a thesis on the practical application of parametric functions in Vine magic as a teaching device." He grinned. "What the hell is gonna help me with that on Destiny Islands?

"Look," he sighed. "Being serious for a moment? Your Heart is stronger than mine and Nerina's combined. You're closer to passing than you think, and you're not remotely helpless in a dangerous situation.

"The day might... No. I'm worried too, but the day will inevitably come when someone finds a reason to stay off-world. That's why they call this place the Land of Departure; we're supposed to depart. But our Hearts will stay connected, and we'll keep in touch.

"Plus... You know, we don't have to wind up apart. After getting this Masterless Wielder settled in, why don't the three of us sit down? We can plan for the future, figure out what world we'd like to live on."

By the time he'd finished, she seemed reassured. She nodded her head, considering everything he said.

"Yeah," she started. "Yeah, I would like that. Please."

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[selfconsciousalt]

Dado's Journal: Beginnings

Entry VI

Apparently there are multiple worlds.

I don't even know where to begin.

A lady came up to me and introduced herself as Master Straeh. Then she summoned her own Keyblade and asked to talk.

She explained that there are other worlds, and Keyblade Wielders are supposed to protect the worlds from darkness. Since my world wasn't falling to darkness, it was inappropriate for me to use the Keyblade the way I was.

And then she offered to train me. On another world.

I mean. How could I say no? It's one thing for me to play superhero and stop muggers, running from cops and surviving off scraps. It's a whole other thing for me to live in a fancy magical castle, be trained by an expert to fight the darkness, see other worlds, and sleep in a warm bed.

When we were on her spaceship, she said she needed to pick someone else up before we went back to her castle. (Also space is so big oh my goodness)

So we went to a beach called Destiny Islands, where we picked up a girl my age named Fiora. Today was actually her 10th birthday. I asked if Master Straeh picked up young Keyblade Wielders often, and she said that no, today was just a weird day.

When we got to her castle, we met another girl: Nerina. Apparently in other worlds, it's normal to have weird hair colors, because Fiora's hair is green and Nerina's hair is blue. Anyways, Nerina's 11.

By that point, it was pretty late, so we had a big dinner and went to bed. I've been awake this whole time, though. I started writing to try and make myself tired, which has kind of worked. My eyes are droopy now… but my brain is still thinking.

I can't wait till tomorrow.

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[selfconsciousalt]

Dado's Journey: BBS Saga

Vincent

"Alright, time to get a move on!" Without further warning, Nerina began to magically drag her three friends along and ran from the incoming meteor.

As Ai and Fiora stumbled, Dado's mind raced. Prestidigitation on several independently moving bodies simultaneously was difficult at the best of times. During a stressful situation, though?

"Hold on tight, guys. Vine." He calmly extended vines outwards, hugging Fiora and Ai against himself.

"And up." The vines, still bracing the trio together, pushed them a foot off the ground, allowing Nerina maximal flexibility to telekinetically drag them behind herself safely.

Nerina nodded at this fluid maneuver, running along further before summoning her keyblade. She thrust it into ground, creating a simple barrier around them to block the imminent debris.

Curiously, nothing broke off of the meteor during its plunge, despite it easily being the size of a human adult. When it made contact with the grassy summit terrain, the earth rippled. Dirt and pebbles were thrown everywhere, accompanied by a deafening crash.

Through the smoke and dust, Dado sensed a unique signature of light and darkness: the unmistakable Scent of a Heart.

"... Standing by for permission to engage," Ai stated calmly. The padding on his paws glowed. "Permission to engage?"

"Is that... are they okay?" Fiora wondered aloud. Dado wasn't sure which answer to her question would be worse.

"Let me go check it out," Nerina's tone was stern. She dropped the barrier and began approaching the crater, Keyblade gripped tightly.

"Alone? Not a chance!" Dado jogged after her, Ever After still in its 'Ivory Tower' wand form.

Nerina didn't protest, merely holding her Keyblade up defensively as she approached.

"...Hello?" She called out.

As the dust settled, Dado saw an armorless Keyblade Wielder with tanned skin, jet-black hair, and amber eyes on all fours. The Keyblade's design emphasized duality, contrasting its demonic imagery with a stark angel wing. He thrust it into the ground, leaning on it as he stood.

"Miss," his voice was hoarse. "I really don't want a fight. Could you put that away?"

Dado relaxed somewhat at the sight of the stranger's Keyblade. While there had, historically, been warmongering Wielders in the past, the present was generally peaceful, and its Keyblade Wielders generally prioritized cooperation over competition.

He flicked Ivory Tower into his sleeve, bracing it against his forearm with a vine, then extended a tightly-charged field of magic around himself... just in case.

"Who's your Master?" he asked.

Master Mod-Gnik, in her Mysterious Tower, didn't typically take on students herself. Master Aria, on Destiny Islands, occasionally trained the odd Keyblade Wielder, but seemed to have a more lax attitude. Supposedly, Master Kiki was somewhere in Twilight Town... But he'd only seen her on rare occasions. Master Straeh didn't talk about her much.

Nerina reached an arm back protectively towards Dado, only for her hand to enter his magic field. She locked eyes with him, nodded, then dismissed her Keyblade.

"Fiora!" She called out. "We need your healing over here!"

The girl rushed over, followed closely by Ai. The android seemed to be staring at the stranger intensely.

"That was a nasty fall," Fiora tended to his wounds, eliciting a nod from the raven-haired man.

"Don't worry," he grunted. "I'm a bit tougher than I look."

The man looked over Nerina's shoulder and locked eyes with Dado. A chill dripped down his spine.

"I dunno what you mean by a 'Master'," he spoke the word with disdain. "But I don't serve anybody, if that's what you're asking."

"In this context," Ai kept a level tone. "It is moreso meant to mean 'Do you have a teacher?'"

"A Masterless Wielder..." Dado murmured to himself. "That's pretty rare. Normally when the Keyblade manifests Ex Nihilo, its Wielder kicks up enough dust to catch Master Mod's attention."

"The only other Wielders we've ever met had Masters of their own," Fiora replied. "Unless... are you possibly a Master?"

"You seem familiar," Ai stepped forward holding a scrap of paper in front of his face as though comparing it to the stranger. "But I'm... Not exactly sure why. Please, can I have your name?"

"And how did you get here?" Nerina crossed her arms.

"Let's put this in proper order," the stranger put raised his hands in an open gesture. "My name is Vincent, and I've never heard of Keyblade Wielders needing Masters before. I was already far from home when I got this," he gestured to his Keyblade, then continued.

"Never learned how to really use it. And as for where I came from... I don't even really know; I've been wandering for as long as I can remember.

"I've helped people with it, but that's kinda what it's meant for, innit? To clean up the kinds of monsters normal people can't deal with?"

The story was inconsistent. Clearly, Vincent was being dishonest on some level.

"...Master Straeh needs to meet him," Dado volunteered.

"Agreed," Ai stood still. "It would be prudent to inform Master Straeh of his presence."

"With how bright your landing was, I'm sure she's already on her way." Nerina seemed to buy the man's story just as much as Dado did. Good.

"Speaking of..." Fiora stepped aside, giving their Master room as she rushed forward.

"What happened this time? Another trai–" Master Straeh paused, pupils shrinking at the sight of Vincent.

"Everyone, step away." As the four Wielders stepped back in unison, Vincent shifted uncomfortably. Straeh walked up to him, head raised high.

"Where did you come from," she demanded. "And why are you here?"

"I'm not from anywhere you can find on a map," Vincent stood his ground. "I don't know how I actually got here; all I can remember was falling out of the sky."

"Psst," Dado whispered to Fiora, conjuring a slight breeze to obscure their voices. "You noticed the gaping holes in his story too, right?"

"It's very strange," she agreed. "I'm not sure if we should trust him... But also, look at his stance. He might just be unsure if he can tell us."

Straeh sighed and crossed her arms, thankfully ignoring her students' whispering.

"You only remember that you came from a place that you don't want to tell us about," she questioned. "And that you suddenly fell out of the sky?"

After a beat, she tried a different approach. "What will you do, now that you are here?"

"Why withhold information from Keyblade Wielders," Dado's whispering grew more tense. "And why the confusion about Masters? All he can remember is falling out of the sky, but he's practicing information security like he's trying to maintain World Order!"

Dado's racing thoughts were interrupted by a loud clap from Nerina.

"Master," she offered. "Why don't we invite him to the Castle? That way, we can show good hospitality and tend to his wounds outside of Fiora's healing magic."

She shot Dado a look. Huh? What was she–

"Ah!" Dado paled. "Good idea! I'll, uhh," he took a few steps back. "I'll get stuff ready!"

Without another word, he turned and raced down the mountain. Golden sparkles trailed from his boots as he slid above the ground, building up speed. Hopefully, he could mop up the mess they left in the hallway before Master Straeh took notice of it.

After all, it'd be bad sportsmanship if he lost and didn't clean up the water.

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[selfconsciousalt]

Dado's Journal: Beginnings

Entry V

A guy walked up to me, asking if I was Keyboy. I summoned the Keyblade and got ready for a fight. He started saying weird stuff like "New World Order" and I was like "Oh shoot the Illuminati? I can't be fighting a league of supervillains yet. Noooo thank you! I'll be back when I'm stronger." He called out for me to wait, but I didn't bother. I just ran.

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[selfconsciousalt]

Dado's Journey: BBS Saga

Flower Shot

"That... was a wall," Dado observed. A goofy grin spread across his face.

Were it not for all the training, the wind would have surely been knocked out of him. Fortunately, dazed though he was, he managed to realign himself.

Nerina, for her part, gave a wink as she turned the corner, she racing to the kitchen just mere meters away.

"Looks like Im the winner, Dado~," she came to a graceful halt, then waved at his saboteur.

"Thanks, Fiora!" Her grin was wide. "I would've had to take us out the window if you hadn't interevened!"

"No problem!" Fiora giggled, then ran over to Dado. With a steady hand, she cast a well-practiced Cure, eliciting an appreciative nod from the boy.

"Oh! Dado!" She looked excited. "I finished that book you lent me, by the way! I learned a new technique from it that I wanna show you!"

"New technique?" His eyes widened, his excitement matching her own. "Nerina! Food can wait! New technique!"

Nerina's eye twitched. She summoned her Keyblade, pointing at him dramatically.

"And, pray tell, WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU ATE?"

Dado sucked air in through his teeth in a wince, his expression telling her all she needed to know. As she broke into a sprint towards him, his cries echoed through the halls.

Dado, now bearing a sizable lump on his head, made his way up the mountain path alongside Fiora, Nerina, and Ai.

Ai was an adorable Toon android that showed up a few months prior. Upon first meeting him, Dado had joked about him being "Ai the A.I.", receiving a blank stare in response.

Ever since, he'd felt quite awkward around him.

"Hurry!" Fiora broke into an excited jog, interrupting his thoughts. "Before Master Straeh needs us or something!"

A spring installed in Dado's step. He mentally ran through the various books he'd lent her, trying fruitlessly to predict what she'd come up with. He'd collected a lot of books from trips off-world, and lent out nearly half of them at one point or another.

"Alright," while excited, Nerina seemed ever so slightly tense, as though thinking about ways she'd have to play damage control if thinks went awry. "Let's see this new technique; you have my interest piqued."

Ai, meanwhile, watched from a sizable distance away. Dado couldn't help but be amused by this; if anyone was safe to be dangerously close to during an experiment, it was Fiora. She'd always been the best of the three at Cure magic.

"Okay, okay!" As everyone took their positions, Fiora began gesticulating from the summit's center. "So, you all know that I have a strong affinity with light, right? And you know how Dado uses a lot of vine and flower magic?"

He raised an eyebrow. That narrowed it down considerably. In fact, there was one technique in particular...

"Wellllll," she continued. "I read one of his books on flower magic and got inspired to try something. Here, watch!"

Fiora pointed her keyblade up to the sky. The tip glowed, then fired off a small blast of light that quickly took the shape of a blooming flower. Rose-gold ethereal petals trailed behind it before the flower exploded into a burst of more petals, each lingering and gently floating downwards.

"Tada!" Fiora grinned proudly.

"Is that a variation of Flower Shot?" Dado asked excitedly. "That's such a pretty color! How'd you get that big an explosion?"

He began pacing, still staring up at the lingering petals. He'd never seen them remotely activated like that. Perhaps he could house them in a barrier within the cast...? Or maybe he could lean into what he saw in his dream...

Nerina held a hand to catch one of the petals, then watched it fizzle away. She nodded with approval, giving a small round of applause for the younger girl.

"It's very beautiful, Fiora." She sighed wistfully. "Have you seen anything like this, Ai?" She inclined her head towards him, a faraway look still in her eyes.

Ai shook his head, trying to analyze every detail of the technique himself. It was clear that the display had caught his interest, now the question was if he'd try to replicate it himself.

"No," he shook his head. "I have not. I've rarely ran into others who use the Flower Shot technique in the first place. However, considering the qualities of the base ability, I can imagine a theoretical procedure to apply Fiora's modifications... Regardless, it was quite impressive."

"I put a lot more light of my own light into it," Fiora smiled and unsummoned her keyblade. "I guess the change and increased power is coming from there. I didn't really think of it, I kinda just did it."

"Fascinating," Dado pushed down a pang of jealousy for the sake of talking shop, then summoned Ever After. With a quick spin, it shrank into an ivory wand, golden strands coiling around it.

"See, if I focus..." With a flick, a small handful of ethereal golden petals flew from the wand's tip. They floated gently downwards, glowing solid gold.

"I can accomplish a similar effect in isolation, bu-" Dado found himself cut off as eyes met Fiora's gaze, then were drawn towards a shooting star. Concerningly, it appeared to be getting bigger.

"...Is that coming towards us?" Ai asked the question on everyone's mind.

The four young mages looked at each other, their eyes widening in fear.

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[selfconsciousalt]

Dado's Journal: Beginnings

Entry IV

I settled on a superhero name: Keyboy! It's cheesy, I know, but I think it fits! Since I'm the boy with the Keyblade, it works!

Anyways, I stopped a mugging today! A guy with a gun was patting a lady up and down to look for her wallet, and she was really scared. I was really scared too, because like, this is just a big stick. That's a gun. Guns kill people.

But I faced my fear, and I ran in. He saw me running at him and shot at me a few times, but he missed by a mile. He started to try and run away, but I leapt forward and hit him in the leg. So then he tried shooting me again, but I spun the Keyblade in front of me and ACTUALLY BLOCKED THE BULLETS. HOLY CRAP THAT'S SO COOL!

His gun ran out of ammo and I knocked it out of his hand. He started saying "please" and stuff, and I told him to just wait here for the police to arrive. The lady thanked me, asked for my name, and I told her I was Keyboy! She asked where my parents were, and when I told her I didn't have any, she was understanding.

Then, once the police came, I got out of there. Not dealing with that! Nuh-uh!

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[selfconsciousalt]

Dado's Journey: BBS Saga

Race

Dado awoke with a start. That dream... the details were fuzzy, but it was definitely a Dive to the Heart.

He grit his teeth, trying to grasp the memories as they slip away. A voice spoke to him, but despite its familiarity, he was unable to remember many details about it.

Clearest, however, was the dream's ending. He fought an obscured silhouette of himself, likely an Antiform. What most concerned him was how easily he was defeated by the monster: it immediately overpowered him. It wielded magic beyond anything he'd read. Wild colors danced unpredictably, reflecting off the crystalline ground below. Pillars of energy erupted from the tip of its Keyblade, washing away his willpower. Mirages fired elemental spells in unison.

He held his hand to his forehead, more exhausted by now than he'd been when he fell asleep.

However the chance for rest was long gone. An ominous presence loomed just outside his door. Before he could react, a quick swift kick was made as an older girl smirked at Dado.

"I knew I'd find you here, you lazy bum!"

The blue-haired girl pointed her finger at him as a bubble began to form. Dado recognized this; it was one of her classic methods of ensuring he was fully awakened by shooting at him with small, "harmless" orbs of water.

"Eep!" The noise escaped his mouth before he could hold it back. He rolled off the bed, falling to the floor with a thud in an effort to escape the cold shock.

"Neriiiinaaaa..." He whined, failing to hold back a grin.

Nerina let out a hearty laugh as she swished her hand, dispelling the spell. She walked into the room, flicking on the light.

"Hmm... exhausted, barely waking up around noon, missing breakfast, and presumably about to start reading. Yep. You pulled an all nighter again didn't you?"

She towered over him, giving another laugh at his studious routine.

"No! Wait. Technically...? Does 5:30 count?" Dado reached up a hand in a silent request to be helped up off the floor.

"But it wasn't just that. I had a Dive! It's been ages since I've had one of those!"

Her expression shifted to a flash of anger at the mention of 5:30 in the morning being his bed time. She was getting ready to summon a giant bubble of water over him, until he mentioned a dive.

"You had another dive!? No wait you can't use that as an excuse for staying up so late!"

She pointed her finger as water began to form once more.

"If you really had a dive and not a sleep deprived dream then you should at the very least recall a bit of it."

Ah. Crapbaskets.

"I dunno," he looked nervous. "A male voice?" I definitely fought an Antiform; I remember that much. But it was... I dunno what I expected, but it wasn't that."

His eyes narrowed as the orb of cold water hovered closer over his chest, and his speech accelerated.

"It entirely overpowered me! It used a bunch of stuff I've never even read about... Well, except maybe one? I think it might've used Sparkza? Like, rainbow crystals fell from the sky and whatnot. Which is weird, considering Spark is typically Light-element, and Antiforms are, well... And, oh! It fired spells remotely from Mirages! Except rather than losing efficiency, it somehow gained it?"

Suddenly, fear flashed across his face. If Nerina blinked, she'd miss it... but there was something more.

"C'mon, you know I'm bad at all that Waking stuff..." He attempted to deflect.

Nerina knelt down, pointed her finger at his forehead, then flicked him instead of blasting him with water.

"There's nothing to fear," she said soothingly. "Remember, Master said the Dives are our hearts testing us. Perhaps yours was a test to see how far you got in your training."

She stood back up and she held a hand out to Dado, a soft, sisterly smile on her face.

"If it's a cause of concern, we can talk to the Master about it. And even inquire on the use of Za spells!"

"Yeah," he took her hand, getting up. "Yeah, you're right."

Does my Heart really think...

"If anything," he brushed the thought aside, "I guess this was just a reminder of how much I have left to learn." He smiled, stretching his arms and legs. Vines coiled under the sleeves of his nightgown, pulling his slender arms as far as they could comfortably go, and then ever so slightly further.

"Race you to the kitchen?" He offered.

In response, she gave him a wink before shoving him towards his bed as she ran towards the door.

"I already have your 'breakfast' cooking! Better beat me before I decide to make it my lunch!"

She ran her hands on the door frame as a simple barrier formed behind her... Only to see Dado already running down the corridor?!

"Please!" He called back smugly. "You really think that'll work twice?"

A flash of golden light briefly illuminated the hallway as the Mirage in the bedroom dissipated.

Nerina rolled her eyes and conjured columns of water in front of Dado. As he dodged and wove between them, she simply barreled through, catching up with ease.

"Loser has to clean all the water!" As she passed him, she gave his shoulder a good pat. More water swirled beneath their feet, accelerating Nerina further and sending Dado spinning.

"Wowowowoah!" He barely held on, gliding along by a single heel. Sparkles trailed behind his foot as he let himself waterplane forward.

Seeing his competitor gain a hefty lead, he was struck by an idea.

"Jetskiga!" Vines erupted forth from his comically large sleeves, obscuring his figure as they raced towards Nerina. Upon clearing, his nightgown was replaced with his proper cloak: a trick he'd taught himself after one of Master Straeh's stories.

The vines wrapped across Nerina's torso, forming an impromptu harness. He clung to them for dear life, skating along the nigh-frictionless trail she left behind.

Nerina gasped as the unwanted passenger clung to her. She didn't want to have to use her secret weapon, but desperate times called for desperate measures. With a deep inhale she let out a shout.

"FIORRAAAA!!!"

A green-haired girl ran into the hallway from a nearby room, a bit confused about what was going on... until she saw all the water and the vines. She quickly pieced together what was happening with a smile.

"Dado, chill!" Fiora aimed her hand and let loose a blast of frigid air.

"HEY, NO FAI-" a high-pitched squeal flew from Dado's mouth as the cold shocked him. The vines froze and shattered, sending him careening towards-

THONK.

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