#but at the very least I believe scala was built on love

[thetwilightroadtonightfall]

I did a quick drawing for ch 3 a while back (the first image), and recently I decided to add more to the story 😊

[eevee-and-the-fandom]

It’s about time that I talk more about the second fanfic story that I’m working on!

WARNING: KHUX ENDING SPOILERS AHEAD

This story takes place immediately after KHUX, or at least, it takes place after Ephemer wakes up in the the flooded remains of Daybreak Town. And we all know he built Scala, right? So this story follows his journey to build Scala, among other things.

This story will also include the first Princess of Heart and all the new lore that comes with it (in fact, that’s what inspired this story in the first place), prototype Keyblade armor, learning about the importance of world order, world resets, sad key kids, lots of angst, attempts at architecture, and much more, not exactly in that order!

Of course, a fic like this requires some OCs, especially OC key kids. So I created a few to start off with and their designs are up above! Lemme tell you about them because I love them so much now and they’re all actually pretty cool and they’re a big part of this story anyways so yeah

I’ll go from left to right!

First up is Jamie! One of my friends wanted an OC in here based off of a few ideas he had, but of course, this character is so much more than that. Jamie is from Radiant Garden as a middle-class citizen of the fabled City of Light. He doesn’t have a lot of connections to people; he’s mostly busy working at his job and just trying to make ends meet. But when a chance at a better life comes in the form of a Keyblade and Ephemer, he takes the chance and leaves his world.

Jamie is usually an easy-going and confident guy, and he’s also one of the older people in this initial group of key kids. However, he also is quite short-tempered and can get angered at others easily. When in battle, he’s more of the strong, physical attacker type. So he’s a bit slower than some of the others, but of course, he’s a quite a bit stronger too. He doesn’t have much magic skill, but he’s capable of using weaker spells in a pinch. He’s definitely one of the least experienced in the group when it comes to using a Keyblade.

Next up on the list is Rand. He’s a somewhat flirty guy, who’s also kinda cocky. Sometimes, intentionally or not, he gets on other’s nerves and can be a bit of a pain to be around sometimes. And of course, he’s always teasing someone about something or another. However, deep down, he’s really not that bad of a guy, he just likes to rile people up sometimes and likes attention. He never goes out of his way to actually hurt anyone, at least on purpose. He actually really cares about his teammates and friends. I’m still working on his backstory though, especially since I’m not sure if I wanna make him an original Dandelion or if he would be a new wielder like Jamie.

Besides that though, in battle, Rand likes to use strong attacks of all varieties. Whether it’s physical or magic attacks, he likes to hit as hard as absolutely possible. Unfortunately, that does mean that his attacks take much longer to charge compared to his teammates’ attacks, but at least they can hit extremely hard. He is pretty balanced when it comes to attack and magic stats. And his specialty more specifically lies with non-elemental or more physical magic kind of attacks, such as earth and attacks similar to Ragnarok or Ripple Drive.

After Rand is the elegant Glacies. She’s well-respected among her peers, and is not only a capable warrior but is also rather good in social environments. She’s basically second-in-command—behind Ephemer—due to her capabilities. She’s also an extremely hard worker, always trying to be better and stronger on the face of her peers, but also for the sake of the worlds that she knows that they all have a duty to protect. Due to this, she sometimes snaps at her fellow teammates if she thinks that they aren’t taking their duties as Keyblade Wielders seriously, which can lead to some tension. However, she always apologizes later, and as the story goes on, learns to respect her teammates a little bit more. When not in battle, she’s honestly a pretty chill person and tries her best to help everyone else be at their best too. Glacies is a Dandelion.

Glacies specializes in elemental attacks, though of course her favorite element to use is ice. She’s also more skilled in magic attacks than she is at physical attacks, but she’s trained enough that her physical attacks can hurt if she needs them too. Her magic attacks do tend to be on the stronger side, but they aren’t as strong as Rand’s magic attacks. However, she’s very skilled at finding an enemies weak point and exploiting it with her elemental attacks, and she also casts relatively faster than Rand can.

Selene is up next! She’s a Dandelion who was in the same Union as Ephemer before the Keyblade War happened. She’s also who I have planned to be the first official Princess of Heart. Selene is a quiet but kind girl who finds pressure difficult to handle. At first, she seems a bit aloof and shy, but honestly she feels a lot of social anxiety. Even so, she’s very good at working together with her teammates, and she’s also pretty knowledgeable about the more practical uses of magic, like for teleportation and levitation and even for stuff like cooking or structures.

Selene’s combat capabilities are more attuned to the magic side, more specifically to light and status attacks. So attacks like faith, slow, haste (yes, I do mean FF haste), magnet, KH1 Aero, or cure. She’s also pretty good at physical attacks, since her status moves don’t do a lot of damage, but she’s not particularly strong in the realm of physical attacks either, so she usually has to stay back and act as more of a support role to her peers.

Last but not least is Nadia, another key kid who survived the Keyblade War. Sadly, Nadia came out as on of the most mentally scarred of the group, and she’s very cold to the others at first, even though she agreed to come along with Ephemer. Nadia does not take shit and is not here for friends. She almost believes that Ephemer shouldn’t even revive the art of the Keyblade because she doesn’t want to have to experience yet another Keyblade War, and she’s afraid that the more people know about the Keyblade, the more likely it is that something terrible will happen. Later on though, after some character development, Nadia turns out to be a good friend who isn’t afraid to give criticism or snide remarks if she feels it’s necessary. She’s jaded and scarred, but she’ll eventually do her best to heal.

Nadia is a swift physical attacker. Her attacks don’t hit as hard, but she hits fast, and she moves fast too. Her smaller stature allows her to maneuver through the battlefield with greater ease than most, and if a distraction is needed, she’s the best person for the job. She also doesn’t have as much of a defense as the others, but as mentioned, her speed more than makes up for that. She’s also surprisingly strong with really good stamina, and so she can jump higher and climb farther than most of her teammates as well.

Anyway, that’s all of the OCs! Ephemer himself is an all-rounder, able to play any kind of role that he needs to, but of course he’s not a specialist in any of them. But if one of the others is down for the count or if there are only a few of them on a mission, he can take any role that would benefit the team the most.

That’s all I’ll share about my story for now! The working title name is “The First Heart,” but I’m still trying to find something a little better lol.

I’m honestly super excited to write this story!

[cori-writes-fanfic]

I have a lot of Thoughts after the reveal of the new Dark Road kids, and most of it isn’t directly about the kids themselves and more kind of crazy predictions about how the story will go.  (This may be a little bit of a jumbled mess as I try to organize my thoughts, so…bear with me.)

So we know that:

We don’t really see any of the Dark Road kids in the future besides Xehanort and Eraqus (or, at least, that we know of).

Eraqus is stationed at The Land of Departure, rather than Scala.

Literally nobody talks about Scala in the future.

Eraqus was a “blue blood”—i.e. descended directly from Keyblade wielders (most likely Brain)—and Xehanort was an off-worlder who was made an apprentice and desperate to Eraqus’s equal.

We don’t really know much about what Scala was like, but we can guess, based on the size, structure, and the information about Eraqus’s family that it was likely a thriving city at one point.  We know that it was built on the ruins of Daybreak Town, and that many of the citizens were likely descendants of Dandelions.  I’m running on the assumption that not every citizen in the city would be a Keyblade wielder (though many are, and the “blue bloods” are often expected to take up the blade).  That said, my guess would be that many times masters would take townspeople as apprentices, and they’d only really take on off-worlders if they showed a lot of potential (which would really drive Xehanort’s desperation to prove himself).

As for the kids themselves, I’m going to jump on the bandwagon for two of them: Bragi being Luxu and Vor being Kairi’s grandmother.  For the first, I think it’d be interesting to see Luxu interact with the other apprentices, knowing what he does.  …Well, that, and the name is way too similar to Braig, so if they’re not the same person, I’m likely just going to get them confused.  For the second, it’d give an explanation for why Kairi’s grandmother knows that story about the Dandelions (not that it’s technically needed, but it’d be kind of fun).  That said, I’m thinking they aren’t blue bloods like Eraqus, but from regular families around the city (and I’m sure that’s going to be proven wrong soon, but…oh well).

Story-wise, I’m kind of predicting that things will start off mostly with just general training, we’ll get some references to the Dandelions/X-blade/etc. through Bragi, and MoM will pop up at some point to speak cryptically to Xehanort and stoke his ambition/fear.  I’d guess that The Land of Departure is some sort of outpost for the Keyblade wielders (perhaps one of many) that either a) a couple of masters and apprentices live at full time, or b) masters and apprentices are on a rotating schedule for who stays at an outpost and maintains it at any given time.

At any rate, about half way through the story is when I think the big “Scala calamity” is going to go down.  Essentially, I’m guessing that Bragi/Luxu is going to spur this on (presumably in order to make sure Xehanort ends up as the “scape goat” for whatever his plan is, though I’m not sure how exactly that would work).  This ends up killing and/or scattering the Keyblade wielders, and either flat out destroying Scala or basically taking it out of this plane of existence.  Xehanort, Eraqus, Urd, Hermod, and Eraqus’s/Xehanort’s master manage to escape together and head to The Land of Departure for safety, hoping to find other Keyblade wielders there. When they don’t after a time, the master head’s off to check the other outposts.

Meanwhile, the kids are stressed because they’ve just had their home destroyed, many Keyblade wielders are missing—including one of their closest friends—and the other betrayed them.  Xehanort is particularly antsy, which is partly because he’s feeling somewhat inadequate; he wanted to prove that he was good enough to be a Keyblade wielder, but he couldn’t do anything to stop Bragi, couldn’t protect his new home and friends, and now he’s not even allowed to look for them and Eraqus is insisting that they stay here because the master ordered them two, and Xehanort just doesn’t understand—

And then MoM shows up again. Xehanort vents his frustrations, and MoM does his usual thing and kind of manipulates Xehanort into leaving.  This is ultimately what ends up prompting Xehanort’s “world tour�� as he calls it in Re:mind; his desperate attempt to find what Keyblade wielders are still out there, and to prove that he’s still good enough.  Unfortunately, none of this actually gives him the time to, you know…process the traumatic event that he and his friends have just gone through.  So when he travels the world, he can’t help but notice the bad things; how so many people will lie and go behind the backs of people that they claimed to love (like Bragi), how so many people claimed to be strong but when it came down to it they couldn’t protect anyone (like him), and how sometimes those mistakes end up leading to dire consequences (like what happened to his home).  Ultimately, this is what ends up fueling his philosophy that the world needs to be restarted, even if his reasoning is faulty; if people are horrible, and they’re just going to cause more suffering (and force others to go through what he did), then they should just be saved the trouble.  And he’s going to do things right this time. He’s going to make it better.  He’s going to prove he’s not weak and maybe be able to make sure nothing like this ever happens to him again.

Back at The Land of Departure, the kid’s master has basically decided to take up permanent residence there.  He hasn’t had much like finding other Keyblade wielders; he only found one, a young master named Yen Sid, who was so traumatized by the fall of Scala that he decided to give up the Keyblade, though he’s promise to keep an eye out for other Keyblade wielders and send along any information he could get.  The master decides that the best thing he can do is keep this outpost in good condition and train his apprentices in order to make sure they’re prepared to go out into the worlds on their own. Eraqus, in particular, works like crazy in training, and adheres to his master’s teachings almost religiously; like Xehanort, he’s still grieving from an event that none of them have properly worked through, he’s just handling it in vastly different ways.  His family’s the one that was descended from the Union Leaders; he’s the one who needs to pick up the slack, to lead, to make sure that everyone’s okay.  He can’t let the others know how bothered he is by all this; he has to be strong for them. (But in the back of his mind, he’s still thinking about the darkness that Bragi brought to their shared home, and how it had destroyed everything he’d loved.  He still has nightmares about it.  It terrifies him.)

After Urd and Hermod become masters, they decide to travel the worlds, like Xehanort, with the purpose of both trying to protect people and see if they can find other Keyblade wielders (even if, by this point, they know it’s unlikely).  Eraqus wants to come with them, but they gently refuse; the master is growing weaker, and someone needs to make sure this outpost stays standing.  If anyone should be taking charge of this, it’s Eraqus.  He agrees, albeit reluctantly, and his friends head off.

Urd and Hermod visit The Land of Departure much more than Xehanort does (though all of them return for the master’s passing).  At different points, the two appear with a child in tow (Terra and Aqua).  Maybe one or both of them are their kids; maybe they just found them.  Regardless, they can’t bring them with them, and the kids have nowhere else to stay, so they have to come to The Land of Departure.  Then, at some point, Urd and Hernod just…stop coming back.

And Eraqus is troubled. He’s worried for his friends, but he can’t leave to look for them, not when he has two very young children to look after, not when for all he knows he’s the only Keyblade Master left. So he stays in The Land of Departure, and he raises—and later trains—Terra and Aqua.  He never talks about Scala; Terra and Aqua never experienced the place, never had to deal with the heritage they’d lost, and he can’t bring himself to burden them with his own traumatic memories.  (Though, if he’s truthful with himself, he can admit that’s partially because he doesn’t want to relive them, either.)

And then Xehanort reappears. Out of the blue, like nothing’s changed. Eraqus is overjoyed.  He hasn’t seen any of his friends in years, he thought he was the only one left, but now one of his friends has returned, and he’s desperate to learn more about what’s happened in the outside world.

But Xehanort…isn’t quite like Eraqus remembered him.  He’s talking about bring about another Keyblade War, about whether or not they’re worthy (he’s worthy), and Eraqus doesn’t understand.  (Why would you want to force others to go through the same thing they went through?)  Xehanort doesn’t really explain, and of course, Eraqus attacks him, and Xehanort gives him his scars.  (It’s like Bragi all over again.  The darkness corrupts people.  It takes his loved ones away from him.)

Xehanort, of course, disappears for a few years, and then comes back with a young boy named Ven. Eraqus…isn’t quite sure what to make of this, this time.  He’s not going to turn the boy away (and maybe even recognizes the name, depending on how much Bragi/Luxu told them), but he’s also…a little wary after the last meeting with Xehanort.  But…Xehanort is also the only other Keyblade wielder he knows, besides his apprentices. The last member of their group still standing.  And no matter what Xehanort had done, he can’t bring himself to completely sever that friendship.  He doesn’t entirely believe Xehanort’s given up his plan, but—maybe if he keeps a close eye on Ven, then he can make sure it never works out.  And maybe if Ven is here, the last of his friends will stop by more, and he can try and change his mind.  It doesn’t work.  It was never going to work, but how could he have known that then?

…Aaaand I’m going to leave it there because this got…really out of hand.  This is almost definitely not going to be canon, but, hey; it’s fun to think about.

[iamoncewas]

The Final World/Scala ad Caelum

Some of those who's hearts and bodies perish, end up waiting in the Final World before passing on. As such, the Final World represents death, and endings. The stars there are not hearts however, their hearts are already dead, like their bodies. These are their souls, being held there by their soul mates, who are still alive, so they may pass on together (showing that a “soul mate” doesn’t specifically have to be romantic). So Sora's heart and body are actually dead here, and it’s his soul that retained it’s form.

Chirithy weirdly tells Sora that, outside, he's just fine, even though he's dead, and not fine at all. She tells him it's on the inside that he's "in pieces", and he has to put himself back together first.

I believe Chirithy telling him to do this was also vital to the timeline changing. It changed after Riku's sacrifice, so everything that happened after that originally, could be entirely different. To say that Sora is in pieces inside is significant. Shes telling him to process what had just happened.

Everyone who was depending on him died. Kairi reached out to him as she too was swallowed by the demon tide. Everyone he loves, "torn heart from body." And right after that, he watched Riku sacrifice himself trying to protect him. Sora is no doubt emotionally shattered. In pieces inside. The idea of death often makes one reevaluate their priorities. Chirithy is telling him to pick up the pieces, to put it together, so to speak. In his rush to save everyone, he is forgetting to make sure that he himself is whole first.

Xehanort said Scala ad Caelum is the birthplace of all worlds, and a place where all of his selves could be one.

Since the Final World represents death, and Scala, birth, the beginning and the end, I believe that Scala is located in the Final World. At the very least, they are interconnected.

After the final battle, when the keyhole opened in Scala, it opened directly over Kingdom Hearts.

Even though Riku said it was closing on the other side, they were able to follow their hearts to Sora. Even though Mickey can also use the Power of Waking, I believe Riku opened the keyhole because he is the last to emerge from it. [He doesn't explicitly say so because he's a piece of humble pie.]

Scala is composed of many individual islands, connected by thin cables. Underneath each island is a "reflection".

Daybreak Town existed when all the worlds were still one. Upon its ruins all other worlds sprang. Scala was built upon the ruins of the whole world.

Xehanort said Scala was once a seat of power for keyblade wielders. Because it's a place within every heart, and those who Master their hearts could come and go there freely. Nomura said the Final World is connected to the Station of Awakening, and therefore can be visited, like any other world. Sora went to the Final World before he ever died, like Chirithy said. Judging from what Xehanort said, Scala can be visited as well.

Scala ad Caelum and the Final World ARE Kingdom Hearts. Birth and death. Light and Dark. All dualities and the harmony between them. They exist outside of time and space, and yet exist within every heart.

There is light and darkness in every heart, so every heart is a world. A kingdom. The heart's nature is darkness until we care about something, until we see it's heart, and it then becomes real, creating a connection. Light. (And remember, anything can have a heart.)

When we see young Xehanort and Eraqus playing their chess game in Scala, I believe they were in the process of their Mark of Mastery exam, within Scala, within Kingdom Hearts, within their own hearts. And the heart leads to all worlds.

This is another metaphor with the Destiny Islands trio's names. The Final World, a world of endless sky and sea (water, or darkness), is purgatory. It's nothing. When you add the land, or the light if you will, worlds are created. The foundation all things are built on. Land, sea, and the sky connects everything. Scala ad Caelum translates to Stairway to Heaven, and Sora's name also means heaven. His greatest strength is his power to connect with the hearts of others, and that is what creates the proverbial "heaven" within one's own heart.

[folightening]

Don't Go

Young Xehanort/Sora

Rated Teen

Summary: Five times Sora asked Xehanort to stay and one time he didn't have to.

5+1 fic with established relationship and shifting pov - some implied sexual content

- 1 -

This was not at all acceptable. It would do nothing for his plans. This wouldn't push Sora any closer to reawakening his power. He had absolutely nothing to gain from this. In fact, in the long run, continuing this could very well become a problem.

Despite all that, he couldn't part from the soft lips eagerly devouring his own or the lithe body encouraging their bad decision with every roll of those wide hips. Not until Sora was tugging down the zipper of his coat. Xehanort sat up to remove the coat himself, dropping it to the side as Sora shrugged out of his own jacket and pulled the tank top over his head. Sora may not be terribly muscular - he really was on the small and skinny side - but there was always something to be said about unassuming strength. That Sora was so powerful without physically giving it away was a trait that Xehanort found very attractive. As frustrating as Sora had proven that particular strength of his to be at times.

"We going to continue," Sora asked, "or are you going to sit there staring?"

"I'm enjoying the view."

Sora laughed but Xehanort's smile quickly faded as his gaze focused on the discolored X crossing Sora's torso. If he needed any reminder why this shouldn't be happening, that was a good one.

"Perhaps this isn't such a good idea."

"What?" Sora scoffed at him in disbelief, then followed Xehanort's gaze to his own chest. "Oh no. You are not leaving me now over this."

"Sora,"

"I don't want to hear it."

Sora grabbed his face with both hands and frowned at him with kiss-swollen lips. The stern look in his eyes was beautiful.

"What happened during my Mark of Mastery exam doesn't matter. Right now, I want you. You want me. So... please... stay and finish what we started."

For a few long moments Xehanort searched Sora's beautiful blue eyes. He could still deny him and leave; Sora wouldn't stop him. It would be the right thing to do. But Sora was right.

Gently taking Sora's wrists in his hands, Xehanort pressed down into another deep kiss. He could stay and forget about his - their - destiny for a while. It was easy to do that with Sora.

- 2 -

The Ocean Between really did look the same when viewed from on a world. An endless sea of twinkling stars; more than enough worlds to keep any wanderer busy for decades. Sora had seen many worlds and he was positive they didn't amount to even a tiny fraction of the worlds out there. Xehanort, however...

"How many have you been to?"

"Me personally? I didn't keep count," Xehanort said. "Nowhere near even half as many as my future self; he spent a large portion of his life running between worlds, seeing everything he could."

Sora hummed, nodded, and shifted position so his head was resting more on Xehanort's shoulder than his arm. For a moment he wondered how much had been wanderlust and how much had been for what he was doing now. When exactly had Xehanort decided to do all this?

"You have any favorites?"

Sora didn't really expect him to know about any from his future, and Xehanort probably wasn't really the type to rank worlds but Sora wanted to know more about him. His preferred worlds to visit was a safe enough topic.

"As much as I couldn't wait to get off the islands, I do find myself drawn to peaceful worlds where nothing much happens. However... My first will always have a special place in my heart, despite some of the memories associated with it."

Tilting his head up to look at him, Sora turned more onto his side. From this angle Xehanort didn't look particularly sad or bothered but a line like that could only be talking about bad memories.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Scala ad Caelum," Sora didn't miss the reverence in his voice, "was a beautiful world full of Light. No matter where you went you could hear the windmills, the ocean... An island city painted in whites and greens against a backdrop of blues... Scala's beauty is indescribable. You'd have to see it to understand."

That Xehanort couldn't find the worlds told Sora more about the place than any description Xehanort could have given him. Sometime, if possible, he'd like to go there.

"What were those memories you mentioned earlier?"

Xehanort laughed bitterly.

"Nothing too terrible. I have always been... different, and my opinions and interests weren't the most popular or accepted. I was also consistently the top of my class, which the nobility didn't like much. Then there was when I left..."

Xehanort trailed off and the frown on his lips had Sora wanting to comfort him. Without knowing what exactly was troubling Xehanort, he didn't know how much he could do.

"But you have good memories of the place." Why else would it be special to him?

"Most of my fondest memories are there."

From before whatever set him on this path happened, Sora supposed.

"Could you tell me about them?"

Xehanort chuckled and shifted so his arm was more comfortably around Sora. After a few moments he started telling stories of living in Scala ad Caelum. Chess matches with a peer named Eraqus - who's name caused a momentary odd feeling somewhere in his heart that Sora couldn't quite name. Nights spent telling stories with the stars with Eraqus and Yen Sid, though he couldn't read them the way Yen Sid does. One particular lazy afternoon he held dear and didn't get into much detail with. Being named a Master and achieving part of his life's goal...

After a while Sora couldn't stifle the yawn. It was late and he should've gone to sleep hours ago. They had a lot they still had to do in this world and he shouldn't do it sleepy.

"I should go," Xehanort said. "There are only a few hours left before dawn."

"A few more minutes?"

He was comfortable here, and he'd rather fall asleep with Xehanort than alone on the hard ground.

"Very well," Xehanort chuckled. "Until you fall asleep."

- 3 -

Sitting on the edge of the bed to pull his boots on wasn't a good idea. Thin arms wrapped around his waist, not impeding his motions at all but an obvious demand. Xehanort smiled at the gesture, but even so:

"I should be going."

Even half asleep as Xehanort knew he still was, Sora had quite the grip. He shook his head, soft hair tickling Xehanort's back, and returned his cheek to the space between Xehanort's shoulder blades.

"Don't need to be up for an hour," Sora explained, "so you can't leave yet."

"As much as I would love to spend more time with you--"

"You said 'should be', not 'need to'. I forbid it."

"Really?" He couldn't stop the chuckle. It was endearing how Sora thought he could forbid him from doing anything. A lot of what Sora did was endearing.

Though if Sora wanted him to linger that badly... It wasn't as if Xehanort wanted to leave. Quite the opposite, in fact. Xehanort would spend all morning, perhaps even longer, lazing around with Sora if their respective roles allowed it. ...He wasn't doing anything that couldn't be put off for half an hour.

"A bit longer," he relented. "I do have things I must do."

He had no idea how he was going to explain this to Ansem. The truth simply wouldn't do, definitely not, but Ansem was always so difficult to appease once he'd been deliberately ignored.

Sora nuzzling his face into his chest and fully relaxing against his side once more made the later headache worth it.

- 4 -

"I cannot believe you called me here to sneak away from your companions and play in the sand."

Finding some reason to get away from Donald and Goofy was something Sora found himself doing more and more lately. And not just because he wanted to spend more time with Xehanort. For all the problems Sora knew there was with this relationship, at least Xehanort didn't insult him all the time.

"Playing in the sand is fun."

Xehanort made a face that wrinkled his nose and reminded Sora of a person who'd just eaten something sour. It was an interesting expression and definitely not one he would've expected to ever see on Xehanort's face.

"It's the middle of the night," Xehanort argued though Sora doubted that had been his problem.

Besides, it had to be the middle of the night. He wouldn't get the chance to goof off if it wasn't. Sora placed his hands on his hips and frowned up at Xehanort.

"Do you want to spend time with me or not?"

A slight smile, half grin really, curved one side of Xehanort's mouth as he leaned forward.

"I was always told to avoid pirates."

In mock offense, Sora stepped back and placed a hand over his heart. It wasn't long before he was laughing.

"Come on, help me build a sand castle."

"I'll have you know, I haven't built a sand castle in years."

That activity didn't last long. Nor did an impromptu game of two person tag, once Xehanort tossed Sora into the ocean. Coming back up soaked and laughing, Sora tackled Xehanort into the shallow water just off the beach. The man went down easily, his own deep laughter mixing with Sora's.

Gently taking Xehanort's face in his hands, Sora moved up and kissed him. Three times; none lasting more than a brief moment. They were enough to bring a light flush to Xehanort's cheeks and leave a small smile on his lips.

"Stealing kisses now?"

"What kind of pirate would I be if I didn't steal at least kisses?"

Xehanort chuckled and stroked Sora's cheek. Without thinking, Sora leaned into the touch. Xehanort was always so gentle with him in moments like this; it was difficult not to enjoy the touches that came from this mood.

"We should get out of the water," Xehanort said.

They stood and walked onto the beach where Xehanort used some careful fire spells to dry them and their clothes. Of course Xehanort would be skilled enough to pull that off without burning them. He was... Great wasn't a word he should use to describe Xehanort.

"Stay for the night," Sora said. "Please."

It had been a few weeks since they'd spent a night together.

Xehanort smiled that fond smile Sora was pretty sure only he got to see and took his hand.

"Of course."

- 5 -

Xehanort stepped out of the corridor with a speech prepared. It had been some time since he'd last attempted to really speak with Sora about Light and Darkness. By now, maybe the Light's champion would be more open to listening.

It hurt when he considered that Sora likely denied part of him the same way everyone else had. Their respective roles in this upcoming war was a topic they refused to discuss; Sora could very well be putting aside who exactly he was. The mere thought of Sora not truly accepting him... Xehanort took a breath and closed the corridor. If Sora wasn't willing... Well, cutting this off wouldn't hurt any more than what had happened with Eraqus.

He wasn't prepared to see or hear Sora crying.

Sora was always so cheerful, so upbeat and bright and more than eager to bring happiness to everyone around him. Nevermind how Xehanort felt about seeing him in this state; Sora likely didn't want anyone seeing him like this.

Opening a corridor again, Xehanort turned to leave but stopped at Sora's:

"Wait."

A hand grabbed his own and Xehanort looked at Sora. His heart ached in response to the tearful, pained expression.

"Don't go. I- Could you-"

Xehanort turned and stepped closer, pulling Sora into a hug without hesitation. The corridor closed behind him as Sora buried his face in his chest.

There was nothing to say even if Xehanort had been any good at giving comfort. He had no idea what was wrong or what form of comfort Sora even appreciated. This was new territory for them. So he simply held Sora as he cried for what felt like hours. Some time during it he did move them to a seated position on the floor with Sora in his lap as he rubbed his back. It didn't feel like he was doing much of anything. In fact, any of Sora's friends would have done better. But it was all he had.

"Thanks," Sora mumbled into his shoulder.

Xehanort smiled as he played with the back spikes of Sora's hair.

"Do you wish to talk about it?"

Sora shook his head.

"I'll prob'ly mess that up too."

He sniffed and rubbed his face on Xehanort's shoulder while Xehanort frowned.

"What are you going on about?"

"I don't get anything right. Too dumb and- I can't get the power of waking. Can't help them get Aqua, I don't know how to help Roxas or the others in my heart. I'm useless on my own..."

Dear Kingdom Hearts, what had people been telling Sora? No, he knew what that damn duck and the others were telling him. Everyone had a limit to how much they could take, and it seemed that Sora had finally reached his.

"You are far from useless; I daresay you're the biggest threat to my oldest self's plans." That may not be the most helpful assurance, but what was he supposed to say? "No one is perfect, and you... You have something special, something none of your friends have."

Gently he pushed Sora into an upright position and tilted his face to look at him. As expected of someone who'd been crying for so long, he looked dreadful.

"The power you have - your Power of Waking - is different. It's truly no wonder you have such troubles controlling it. It's hardly your fault you can't get a grasp on using it."

Now was not the time to tell Sora that he was consistently using it improperly.

"No. I'm just too dumb," Sora whimpered.

"You may be reckless, entirely too eager to help others, and trusting enough for it to be used against you, but you are not dumb."

Sora blinked tearful blue eyes at him and scowled but Xehanort wasn't quite finished yet.

"The ones who put you down, do they have a right to or are they judging you with no personal experiences to justify their comments? Do they have any idea how easy or difficult it is for someone to master the abilities you have been told to master?"

Sora looked away and Xehanort huffed. He thought so. Why Sora spent most of his time with people willing to insult him rather than with someone who cared, Xehanort would never fathom.

A few moments of silence passed, then Sora moved into him again. Hugged tightly as Sora sighed, Xehanort returned the hold with a looser one of his own.

"Stay with me."

"Of course, Sora. I will stay with you as long as fate will allow."

That was the tragic truth of their relationship: it couldn't last no matter how much they might want it to. They had a destiny to follow.

+ 1

A corridor opening in the room pulled Sora from his thoughts about Kairi. He didn't have to look to know who stepped out of it; there was only one member of the Organization that would pay him a visit like this.

"You shouldn't be here."

"I needed to see you."

Sora turned to look at him, unsurprised to see that Xehanort hadn't looked at him with that admittance. When it came to personal heart stuff, Xehanort always seemed to get flustered or close himself off. Refusing to look at Sora while he said it was the best Sora could hope for from him.

"Pretty sure you aren't supposed to talk to the enemy the night before a big battle."

"We've done much more than talk and I never once heard a complaint."

Sora felt his cheeks heat at the reminder and now it was his turn to look away. That was true, but Xehanort being here the night before the big destined battle was different. It was dangerous, and other things Sora couldn't put a name to.

"When you're enemies," Xehanort added in a quieter voice, "the night before a big battle is the last chance you get to say what needs said."

That got Sora's attention and he was a little disappointed to see Xehanort studying his bookshelf as if it was actually interesting to him. For a few moments Sora waited for Xehanort to continue. Instead, Xehanort turned his focus to the keychains Sora'd collected during his adventure.

"So... What did you come here to say?"

Xehanort tensed and still didn't look at him. He rubbed his thumb over the red rose chain Sora had gotten from Belle.

"There is much I wish to say, but... I haven't quite found the words."

Sora could guess what was on his mind. He knew Xehanort decently well - he doubted anyone could claim to know Xehanort well - by now. This version of him anyway.

Getting up from the bed, Sora walked over and wrapped his arms around Xehanort's waist, resting his cheek on his back and gently holding him. Xehanort could take all the time he needed to gather his thoughts.

For a minute or two they stood there, just enjoying the other's presence. Sora could feel himself relaxing more than he really should with a version of Xehanort in his bedroom; especially this particular night. But he'd slept in his presence numerous times before and nothing bad ever happened.

That first time didn't count.

"I'm glad you're here," Sora said. He felt Xehanort tense then relax.

Xehanort turned to face him, his hands rose to cup Sora's face, and Sora smiled up at him. A few moments of Xehanort simply studying his face passed before Xehanort was moving closer. The kiss was gentle, yet full of a desperation Sora didn't understand. He could feel it in the way Xehanort's fingers pressed into his skin, the way his lips moved against his. Almost on auto he raised his hands to Xehanort's back. One hand pet through his hair while the other rest on his shoulders.

It startled Sora when he realized Xehanort was trembling.

Sora drew back in concern to see tears clinging to Xehanort's lashes and watched as one rolled down his cheek. Xehanort's lips parted briefly, long enough for a sharp inhale. Gently cupping his cheek, Sora wiped the tears away on that side. He... Had no idea what to say. What to feel. What was he supposed to do? Xehanort was crying.

Xehanort was crying.

"It's so easy to forget why I'm here when I'm with you. I forget that I am... Nothing more than a useful piece in a game of chess."

There was so much Sora wanted to say to that. Most of all how bullshit it was.

"You make me feel wanted."

"I try."

The laugh was a weak sound that quickly changed back to soft crying. Sora reached up and buried his hand in the soft spikes of Xehanort's hair. Xehanort's forehead pressed against his a few moments later. His eyes stared right into Sora's with so much emotion that Sora was stunned into stillness. He'd never seen Xehanort's eyes look like that. They were beautiful.

"I love you," Xehanort admitted. "So much I-- Allow me this last night together with you."

Before everything ends, Sora's mind supplied. One of them was going to lose tomorrow.

In a way both of them would.

[xigseri]

4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 26, 27, 28, 33, 36, 38, 39, 41, 40, 44, 46, 49, 50, 43 ? welcome to the self ship community!

Oh wow...tysm!! No character is listed so I’ll go for Luxigbraig, I’ll have to put it under a readmore for length. Btw we ignore canon bc it’s rather... boring.

4. Does your F/O have any battle scars? 

Aside from the ones on his face...not really? I know the fandom HCs that he has a ton all over but nah. They base it solely on his face...

7. What is your F/O fashion taste?

Black, with boots and jackets because they just feel right for him. Tight pants or ripped jeans. I imagine that he wears a scarf as Braig to offer the security of a hood since the guard uniform doesn’t have one. Fashion sense of a goth or punk, personality of a jock.

8. How tall is your F/O?

He has no official height, but he’s 5′9′’ I know it. Someone used Sora’s KH3 models to create a chart for the characters and apparently he should be like 6′2′‘ but the models aren’t consistent between games so I don’t trust it one bit.

10. When is your F/O birthday? 

For fandom it’s 2/2 (otherwise known as Xigbar Day) but Luxu was born in late October, making him a Scorpio (because...the Ancrene Wisse theming). (source: dude trust me)

11. Does your F/O know how to cook? If so are they good at it? 

Barely, he knows how to cook enough to get by. I mean if you’ve lived for hundreds/thousands of years you gotta know how to cook for yourself.

12. What is your F/O favorite flavor?  (sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami (savory)) 

Savory, salty and bitter are preferred, neutral to sweet, dislikes sour. In Braig/Xigbar’s body anyway, in his original body he liked Sweet and Salty and disliked Bitter.

13. If your F/O could be a fan of any video game what do you think it would be? 

Splatoon and Perfect Dark on n64, the latter being a bonding thing for us in particular. He also likes Fallout, Zelda and Borderlands, he tried Pokemon but decided it wasn’t for him after a few games, making me sad.

15. What color are your F/O eyes? 

Xigbar’s is a nice yellow, Braig’s were brown before the Nortening, and I HC that Luxu’s eyes were also yellow.

16. Does your F/O have any tattoos? If not do they like or hate the concept of tattoos? 

No, he’s had several bodies and thought tattoos would make him get too attached, why bother getting them when you might need to take a new vessel tomorrow? He would like to have some though, maybe as Xigbar he can since he won’t be changing any more.

18. Does your F/O have any piercings?

He got his ears and tongue pierced <3

19. Is your F/O a cake or pie person?

Pie pie pie, cake is fine every once in a while. But he loves a hot pie fresh out of the oven.

26. What harry potter house would your F/O be in? (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin)

He’s both Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Outwardly he’s very Slytherin but deep down he’ll always be a Hufflepuff.

27. If your F/O was in “avatar: the last air bender” what type of bender would they be? (air, water, earth, and fire)

Airbender, since it fits his Space powers most, but he wouldn’t follow the Air Nomads’ traditions. Peace and non-violence and all that? No thanks, he does what he wants.

28. Is your F/O LGBT+?

He’s Non Binary and Bi. He’s taken on both amab and afab bodies and experimented, he’s too old for silly Gender nonsense. He doesn’t really specifically ID as NB or Bi, Genderfluid and Pan work too but he legit does not care for labels. He doesn’t care for other people’s genders and doesn’t know nor care what his own is. Though, he switches pronouns per vessel since he has to pretend to be other people. He has a preference for he/his and they/them pronouns and amab vessels for his own.

33. Do you have any silly nicknames or pet names for your F/O? 

I’m not really one for pet/nicknames bc I embarrass easily, but he calls me Babe among others and I’m autistic and pick up on habits of others so...I’ll call him Babe every now and then and get flustered when he points it out. I used to call him Xiggy early on but it was such an obvious and easy nickname that I dropped it. I suppose calling him Luxu counts? Since he likes me calling him by his old assigned name.

36. Have you ever had a dream with your F/O in it? 

TONS!!!! And we’re dating in the dream world too so I know it’s legit! Several dreams I’ve had where we’re definitely together as a couple and it makes me so happy to have them! I can’t really talk about the last one we had for Reasons, but the one before that, he was bragging about how he was around when the BotW shrines were built and proved it to me by showing me some while we were traveling the world. “Shouldn’t you be leaving them hidden for the Hero to find?” “The Hero? As if, I don’t care about that guy. I’m showing it to you because I want to. :)”

My first dream actually happened right after I started crushing but I can’t talk about it for.....Reasons, hehe.

38. What’s a song that reminds you of your F/O when you hear?

Sympathy For The Devil by The Rolling Stones, The Song I Heard Somewhere/Clockwork Lullaby 8 by Mothy/Akuno-P, and You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid by The Offspring.

39. What is your relationship like with your F/O?

Lots of teasing, mostly from him, sometimes from me. Lots of fun times, we enjoy cuddling and watching things and sharing memes. We’re both mentally ill so we try to support each other, like him constantly encouraging me bc of my low self-esteem and, with him, he struggles with being open about things because he’s had to hide himself for far too long, so I try to help him ease up, but I never tried to force myself into his business and he appreciates that. We both struggle with identity issues so that’s a common point for us too.

40. How long have you been with your F/O? (or at least been interested in them?)

I developed a crush in I believe October of 2015, started dating in Febuary of 2016 and we’ve been married since April of this otherwise hell year.

41. Where is your F/O from? (as in born)

Daybreak Town, which doesn’t exist anymore :( it was remade into Scala Ad Caelum but that’s gone too. The last place he’s “from” was Radiant Garden/Hollow Bastion.

44. What is your F/O’s most valuable possession?

The black box the MoM entrusted to him that he may or may not have lost, but it’s all good cause he found it and it’s safe.

46. does your F/O prefer to work alone or with a team?

He tells himself and others that he prefers to work alone. He’s used to it. But if he really likes someone’s company then he’ll yearn for the companionship even if it’s brief.

49. What animal reminds you of your F/O?

Goats and Scorpions (obvs) but I also associate him with foxes and bats. The fandom heavily associates him with rats and I really don’t vibe with that.

50. What color reminds you of your F/O? 

Black (outfit + hair + keyblade), Silver (hair), Yellow (eye), and Purple (arrowguns, bow).

43. What does your F/O’s Saturdays usually look like? 

Doing missions. The Organization gives us a day off like once a year. (No, really.) When he’s finally out of there, he likes to do stuff with me, be it relax at home or travel. Just as long as it isn’t Work.

[coruscantide]

One World, Three Eras

So. Scala ad Caelum, Daybreak Town and Radiant Garden. Many elements are tied between these three places, continuous connections stacking up, and while much of this was written beforehand, in light of the KHUX ending I’ve decided to expand on this more.

It’s long since confirmed that Daybreak Town and Scala ad Caelum are one and the same, but I have evidence to believe all three places are in fact the same location. That conclusion would certainly be something interesting since certain characters kept winding up back here again and again. As this is a very long post with several images attached and some spoilers in regards to KHUX, I’ll be placing the rest of this under a read more.

From here on out I’ll be referring to Daybreak Town as DT, Scala ad Caelum as Scala, and Radiant Garden as RG.

DT was at the center of the old world, one where ‘worlds’ didn’t exist yet and it was connected to all the other places by land. It was a bastion of light itself where unions gathered and collected Lux to defeat the Darkness. Post Keyblade War, the town converted into Scala, becoming known as a place centralized as a seat of power for Keyblade Wielders. Later on RG is referred to as the “ City of Light ” by Xehanort in BBS, much like how DT was considered.

We’re going to begin by drawing up parallels.

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

This is more than a passing resemblance. These are towns / cities built directly on a large body of water  ( in addition to it’s structure it’s confirmed beaches / coasts don’t exist in DT and to get to one in game you need to sail with your friends to nearby island )  with different city districts based around similar architecture, a large clock planted directly in the middle in some form or another, and a complex irrigation system consisting of canals and waterfalls to drain the water and make sure the town doesn't get flooded.

We’ll touch on the similar architecture first. Aside from all three’s love of fountains and huge clock mechanisms, the buildings in particular look to have extremely similar styles. I’m not an expert but they seem to be nearly one to one. The major difference is the roof colors, DT with purple and RG with red and purple ( except during KH2 where it’s predominately only red ). I also wanted to point out sections of RG’s and Scala’s roads seem close in design.

Scala appeared more... i don’t know modern (?) in a sense compared to the other two, but progress on a design front was reset back to the DT-style when RG was created.

I wouldn’t be surprised by that as during a phase in Xehanort’s fight, you can see other parts of DT hidden in the foundation of Scala's buildings, the purple coloration painted over entirely. It may be a green and white color scheme now but the previous work is still there. It wouldn’t be to hard to believe it could be recreated.

In DT and RG the irrigation systems are heavily reliant on machinery / piping to function  ( there was a whole plot beat around it with the moogle shop ), but after the DT was destroyed that system obviously can’t keep the town afloat. It likely sunk and capsized, leaving behind this:

As we all should know by now during the fight with Xehanort in 3, Scala was revealed to have this structure underneath it, the ruins of Daybreak Town. More specifically the prominent shot of the clock tower.

The only other place we've ever seen this with is RG after it was reduced to little more than a twisted castle and called Hollow Bastion, depicting a second, darker crystalline-like structure hanging upside down underneath the main one:

With the war shattering the world into many smaller ones, everything being ripped apart and becoming separated from each other, naturally all the surrounding land that once connected them to Scala has vanished. Nothing is left except a world of seemingly endless ocean and sky. This is where Ephemer comes in after surviving the destruction of both DTs.

Clearly there’s no other options for materials left. The wreckage was used to build on top of the ruined world alongside whatever limited resources were present. The artificial islands are designed with the new environment in mind, much smaller in scale compared to DT, spaced out to allow a wind powered structure instead of a machinery based on, and cables / gondolas for easy travel at minimal cost between islands.

One of these islands is likely what becomes Villain’s Vale in KH2.

It’s unknown what the Vale exactly used to be. All we see now is a skeleton of what once was, little more than a husk. But the placement of it and it’s environment is telling.

The distance from the Vale to RG is roughly the length of distance from the main Scala island in 3 to the other unoccupied ones. See the change especially with water in between Scala and RG ? If you look back to the section of Hollow Bastion in Exhibit B ( Rising Falls ), you’ll notice the water actually rising out of a huge crack in the earth into the resevoir surrounding the castle. By KH2 all the surrounding water has been entirely dried up, leaving just this area, the sea bed, left behind.

At some point Scala was destroyed.

It no longer seems to be around in present day KH. It doesn’t feel like another war happened since Xehanort probably would've mentioned something like that since he was around before it was wiped off the map. I’m left to think Darkness got it for a second time. DT and RG got obliterated through darkness so I think the same very well happened again. It could give some reasoning to Eraqus' extreme aversion to the darkness. Of course all this would also mean then that the same world was destroyed at least three times. We’ll have to see when more of Dark Road comes out.

After the destruction, perhaps many of the survivors left, migrating and going on to cultivate worlds like Twilight Town and the Land of Departure, places that carry a few passing resemblances to Scala, but the residents who stayed rebuilt like Ephemer once did for DT, salvaging what remained of Scala and converting it into RG. Thanks to the islands being too badly damaged beyond feasible repair, there were only enough resources to pool together and recreate a singular island. The discarded islands formed the new surrounding land mass, with the exception of places like Villain’s Vale.

During this time, Keyblades and their wielders have all but been phased out. Too much knowledge has been lost, most of it now regarded as myths, legends, stories to be told. Keyblade wielders do endure though, in the Land of Departure, with Yen Sid, maybe more. This could be when we start seeing FF characters pop up and live in RG, the world now mostly free of the Keyblade.

Note, if RG was rebuilt on the main island of what used to be DT, then it would be obvious that this machine in RG / Hollow Bastion and the one in KHUX are the exact same device. Ephemer could’ve rebuilt this for whatever reason during the creation of Scala, and from there we encounter it again in KH1 at the World Terminus after using RG / Hollow Bastion’s terminal to access this laboratory. We know Xehanort ends up using it as part of his plan to toss Kairi  ( after kidnapping and experimenting on her )  into the void of space until she reaches Destiny Islands. This would’ve been right around if not during the destruction of RG.

From there, it’s history. Darkness starts destroying countless worlds. RG residents are scattered across the worlds or take refuge in Traverse Town, some forming a resistance. Sora, Riku, and Kairi go on their journey. The resistance reforms into the Restoration Committee post KH1 and RG is eventually restored for the most part by the events of Remind.

So with all this in mind, if they are all the same world ravaged over and over by darkness, this means Xehanort  ( not as terranort )  and Kairi both lived in this world. It would make sense why Kairi and Xehanort both recite the ‘ one sky, one destiny ’ phrase. It's a remnant from living in Scala / RG passed down over time ( a common phrase like ‘ may your heart be your guiding key ‘ maybe, it could have been attributed to the endless sky they found themselves under ) and could explain why Kairi can have this apparent association with Scala now due to Remind.

Adding in the player choosing to live as a new heart and becoming Xehanort, also could explain why Terranort ended up in RG of all places after he lost his memory in BBS, because it was really the place that used to be Scala / DT.

So here’s the rough timeline of events as it stands.

Era 1:  DT -> destroyed by darkness, restored by Ephemer -> Scala Era 2:  Scala -> destroyed ( by darkness? ), restored by someone -> RG Era 3:  RG -> destroyed by darkness ( Xehanort ), salvaged -> Hollow Bastion -> restored back into RG by Restoration Committee / inhabitants

I’d keep going, going into how Traverse Town could be an offshoot of Scala / RG created as a safe haven for it’s residents after the world was consumed by darkness again, but I think that’s another post for another time and I’ve already spent this long already on this one. Thank you for reading all of this if you made it this far !