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Something something, oh no there's more rings, oh god the humanity of it all. Oh no people are being knocked out but not really, they're all reviving okay cool. Still that one chest sitting around across from him, rip. Oh no more rings, oh hey people are alive and attacking well guess I better attack.

Stratos attacked for 29 damage.

With still being good and on his feet, Stratos had managed to heal up Kel, making the warrior look a lot more safe in his health than before. However, there were others who were not so lucky. While Stratos wanted to assist in them getting back up, there were others who were far more qualified in that department. And so, there was only one thing that Stratos was able to do now. And that was attack.

Stratos attacked for 29 damage.

He had been locked into a box. He had been freed. He had been attacked, and attacked and went down. He had been cured. He had been knocked back down. He had been brought back up. He had been locked again. Upon the lock breaking and his body being ejected from the chest that he had been cramped into, Stratos's expression was one of irritation more than anything else saying, "dealing with emotional turmoil isn't as mentally taxing as this." Giving a thumbs up back to the girl who had freed him, again, Stratos looked to his right to see a row of chests, and no people standing about them. Letting out a sigh, he struck the chest next to him in order to keep things moving.

Stratos freed Ananta.

After striking Misrabel again, she retaliated at the boy with another magical ring, striking him hard again. Being brought down by the attack again, Stratos fell unconcious, only to swiftly be brought back awake as he let out a pained, "thank you," in the direction of the person who had cured him. Another new person. These guys were alright. Getting back to his feet, starting to wonder if this would just be a constant thing, Stratos grabbed his keyblade and attacked Misrabel again.

Stratos attacked for 29 Damage.

After Stratos called his keyblade back to his hand from striking Mizrabel, anothre ring of energy of hers found its was towards him. Being struck by it, Stratos went down, simply lying down on the ground. He wasn't there for long, though, as he felt a wave of healing energy wash over him and bring him back to his feet, he saw that one of the newer people had helped him out, to which he said, "oh, thanks for that," giving her a thumbs up to signify his thanks. He wasn't sure who she was, but she had already freed him from a chest and brought him back from unconscious, so she was alright in his book. Bringing his keyblade back up, the boy then rushed at the witch, striking at her with his blade again.

Stratos did 29 Damage.

After freeing Ananta from a chest, Stratos looked around to take in his surroundings. It was a pretty odd place, everyone was just kind of arranged in some kind of circular fashion, and others were locked in chests as well. Stratos was a bit confused as to what exactly was going on, or who the person next to him was, but that didn't really matter much. They were on his side, at appearing to be so, and that was all that really mattered at the moment. And so, turning his attention to the witch in the center, as she struck him hard with some kind of magic, Stratos spun his keyblade, tossing it at the witch.

Stratos attacked, dealing 29 points of damage.

Once Karina had said that she was going to start, Stratos felt a bit relieved to see that she was feeling better. While it shouldn't have been confused with her feeling good, at the very least Karina had no longer been in her incredibly down trodden state that she had been in prior. As she started to disband away from them, Stratos looked around to see that a good deal of other people had found their way out of the castle's room, none seeming to meet the same fate as her, and there were quite a few new faces that he didn't recognize...well save for one. Regardless, as Stratos was about to go greet them, smoke started to rise and spread throughout the room, enveloping everything. Stratos wasn't entirely sure what had happened after that, but he was somehow in a chest now. That was...odd.

It didn't take long however, until the chest was opened and he was let free. A bit frazzled and confused by the whole situation, it was plainly obvious that some kind of fight was happening, and what had happened to him had happened to everyone else as well. As such, Stratos looked to the side and, seeing the chest, summoned forth his keyblade. Striking the top of the chest, he went to break the lock that sealed and get whoever was in there out.

Stratos freed Ananta.

​

As Karina went on to explain what was the reasoning behind her staying with them, Stratos wasn't sure what to make of it. If all she wanted to do was run away and be safe forever from her home, then joining a group of magic sword wielding people that solved all the world's problems was neither the least conspicuous thing to do nor the most safe. Not to mention aiding them in doing so. Though, as she then went on to express how she had no idea as to who she was or what she was supposed to do, other than just keep going on, Stratos started to think on it a bit. Looking at her he said, "well yeah, you can hold on to things like friends and vengeance, but I'm not sure if those are deeply personal enough to make you want to keep going." Scratching his chin, still thinking he then said, "well, I'm not really sure what it is you should hold on to in specific. However, while you're trying to find who you are, just look for the one thing that you can't absolutely be without. And once you've found it, I'm sure the rest will fall into place just fine."

​

Stratos looked at Karina after he gave his piece on the matter, and for once she actually seemed to be deep in thought and trying to process through her head what others were saying instead of just hitting a knee jerk response and going off at them. She seemed pensive, confused and lost all at once. And soon, she gave her response. One that she had no idea what she was supposed to be doing and didn't know where to start looking for things. This question had made Stratos think as well. A reason to fight was something that came fairly easily to him. He had a world he wanted to save, enemies he needed to defeat and friends he needed to protect. But he never really understood what it was that Karina had been looking for, what she was trying to do, and what she was hoping to get out of helping others. And given these new developments, she probably didn't ever either. And while Stratos was about to say something on the matter, Ananta, who probably had the least ability to comprehend or acknowledge a situation of anyone he had met, decided to do what could only be described as the worst thing possible. She slapped Karina.

Stratos felt his eye twitch a bit as he bit his lip in frustration. While there were many things he could say to Ananta, he simply looked towards her and said, "please, just stop and go bother other people." While there was a whole plethora of things he could and wanted to say to her, at this very moment in time, it was not the proper moment to do so. Looking to Karina he then said, to actually answer her question, "I can't really tell you what kind of reason it is you need to go on or how to get one. That's mostly on you. But, the best way I can think of to start with is think of why you did this in the first place. Why you not only left your planet, but why you stuck around with us. Why you continued to fight alongside us this whole time and try your darnedest to save all the other worlds instead of just packing your bags and running away right from the get go. That would probably be the first step to take."

After he said that, the new girl walked over to him as well, and asked him what he thought he was going to do after he was done with this whole SOS business. To that, Stratos simply shrugged. "Can't say I know for sure. I mean, I'd probably like to go back home and help things out there but, with how many worlds I've seen in trouble, it doesn't look like it'd end just there, you know?" He said, though, then realized he gave very little context to go off of. However, before amending what he had said, Stratos looked at the girl quizzically and saying, "sorry, but this has been bothering me for a bit. Who are you?"

Stratos listened to what Karina had to say, taking in everything that she had experienced in that room and learning more about her current situation. Where she had come from had sounded like a pretty terrible place and shed some light as to why Karina always seemed so angry and closed off. Nothing about that place seemed to facilitate her growth as a person and her father seemed to top this off into what sounded like a rather repulsive type of person. Yet, even still, this was a trial in which people were forced to face their inner demons. In order to do that, they had to show off the strength that they had acquired, to show themselves stronger than when they left. Naturally, Stratos figured that if he were able to do it, then anyone of the group should have been able to. Karina, being one of the strongest people he knew, especially. Yet she had failed. And based on the way she had spoken, he figured out why it was that she failed.

While Beuce seemed to be in favor of leaving her alone, Stratos wasn't exactly sure that in this state, it would be the best thing to do. And as he heard Ananta speak, he knew that the way she was consoling her was pretty improper and probably completely unhelpful in further betterment of herself. Besides, it was quite clear she didn't leave her memories behind, rather they were still haunting her now. Then there was Kaida who was on a similar line of thought as he was, though, somewhat blunt and tactless about the way she was going about giving advice. With a bit of a sigh Stratos then added, "she's not wrong. Really, I think the only one who's ever thought you were weak, powerless and unhelpful out of the group was just yourself." Thinking more on it he then said, "but, the thing is, it's not like being weak is all that much of an issue. It's pretty easily remedied. You just need two things. One, you have to want to. If you don't want to change, then obviously changing is just a thing that'll never happen. But the fact that you're even here, and tried this test in the first place proves that you do want to. The next thing, though, is that you need to believe it."

Looking towards her, his face was one of understanding in the plight of the weak. "If you don't believe you can, then you'll never see it. If you don't think you can ever change, then even if you do, you'll be blind to it and think that you're the same as you've always been." With his face gaining a more friendly disposition to it he then said, "like I said, we'll always be here to help you back up on to your feet. But in order for us to do that, you have to want to stand up first."

While Stratos was curious about the distress that Karina was feeling, he heard what the new girl had to say on the matter. Looking back to her, it became clear that whatever it was she saw in her memories was something that probably disturbed her greatly and, worst of all, probably something she couldn't overcome. Stratos had seen Karina when she had been at her worst before, and based on that, he knew there was probably some truth in the girl's suggestion to leave her alone. After all, Karina seemed to be the type of person to not really get anything unless you shouted it at her over and over again, or just let her be and cool off, as best as that term applied to her. However, this seemed different from her other fits of rage and self loathing. And while Stratos wasn't sure he could actually be of help to the girl, he simply said, "I mean, if she wants us to go then sure." It wasn't like there was any place for her to be private in, in the giant expansive corridor with nothing else in it. And if everyone were to just shy away from her in plain view, that'd probably only make things worse. As such, Stratos heard Kaida's voice and responded in kind, "it's practically a given at this point that if you're in trouble I'm there for you as well."

Stepping out from a flood of white light, Stratos found himself surrounded entirely by...white. Right. Despite only being in there for what felt like a few hours, Stratos had forgotten that he was only able to get there via this castle in the first place. What an odd place it was. Taking an immediate look around, Stratos did not see anyone, with only the expansive white to fill his vision. While wondering more about this castle, Stratos then heard a loud, annoyed, and unfamiliar yell resound through the halls of the castle. Getting to attention, Stratos walked down the rather elongated hallways only to see some familiar figures standing in the distance. Rushing up closer, he noticed three of them to be the friends he had made that also entered this castle . Then there was a fourth, a woman with long red hair, and while Stratos had never seen this person before he couldn't help but feel there was some kind of familiarity there with someone else he knew. However, his attention was very much directed away from that as he saw the incredibly down trodden and naked form of Karina. While the image certainly came as surprising to him, he himself seemed to be more concerned then actually distracted by it. Looking to the others, though Beuce and the new girl were wandering away, he simply asked, "what happened?"

I suppose I should post here saying the same. That with the homeworld done, Stratos has now changed from choosing Guardian and sacrificing Warrior to Choosing path of the Hunter and sacrificing Warrior.

XXXVII
The Story of Stratos
Finale - Beginnings ​

Gripping blade tighter, Stratos rushed towards Noir, the man standing his ground as the boy approached. With a short leap, Stratos jumped at him, bringing his blade down at full force, with Noir simply parrying it with his own blade. Being slightly pushed back from the attack, Stratos then went on to strike a few more times with his blade, one after the other, only for each attack to be parried as easily as the first. As Stratos's combo finished, the two blades locked for a bit, Stratos pushing against what appeared to be a completely still blade. As he continued with this, a bolt of lightning came from overhead, crashing down on where Noir was. However, without even an instant passing, the lightning bolt struck nothing and Stratos had fell forward, with nothing that he was pushing against anymore. Looking back, he saw that Noir was standing behind him, blade resting on his shoulder with a small smile on his face. "Is that all?"

Knowing that simple attacks wouldn't work, Stratos needed to start to use more techniques in order to defeat him. And in order to use those, he needed to use the powers of those he had traveled with. Taking from the shadows they cast on him, he would use those techniques in order to win against the overwhelming might of Noir. And so, with flame igniting across his blade, Stratos leaped at him again, this time with a fire strike. Taking a short back step to avoid the flaming blade, Stratos then switched his sword to be coated in an aura of cold. As he did this, Mickey conjured a large spear of ice, firing it straight at the man, at the same time that Stratos unleashed a vorpal blitz against him. Casually tossing his sheath to the side, flicking his wrist after it had left his hand, the sheath remained motionless and frozen in the air as the spear of ice struck it, shattering as it struck it, yet the sheath did not budge an inch. For Stratos, he merely continued to parry against the attacks as he had been doing all of this time. As Noir continued to take a few backsteps, Stratos leaped at him with another fire strike, only for him to vanish in an instant, as he had done before. Appearing right beside Mickey this time, the man simply kicked the mouse away. Stratos, seeing this, attempted to rush after him, yet as he was about to move, the suspended sheath finally moved back from the impact it had sustained earlier, launching itself straight at the boy and crashing into him.

In a single instant, Noir reappeared near Stratos, catching his rebounding sheath after it struck Stratos back. As the man retained his unchanging expression, Stratos took a back step before creating a series of four bubbles. As the four launched at him, ready to hit him at the same time, the boy moved in alongside them. While he had been lagging behind them, in a sudden burst of speed from a sliding dash, the boy had closed the gap faster than the bubbles had. However, Noir still seemed unfazed by this as he used his sheath to parry the boy's blade, followed by attacking what seemed to be four times all in the same instant, destroying the bubbles. With a swift kick, he knocked the already unbalanced Stratos off of his feet and to the ground. "My my, is that the best you can do? Is that all this power of yours amounts to?" His smile seemed to drop into a more neutral expression, watching as the boy stood back up.

Tightening the grip on his blade Stratos seemed to have a frusturated expression on his face. "I know I will." Noir raised a none too amused eyebrow. "Were it myself, I know I couldn't. But with everything I've gotten, from all of my friends, I know I'll defeat you!" With that, Stratos raised the blade so that it was pointing towards the sky, and as he did, four pillars of light appeared around him. The radiant columns, shifting around him, then gathered to form a wall rather than a circle before launching themselves towards Noir.

The man sighed, seeing the holy energy being thrust towards him. Placing the sheath to his side, he then went to grip the blade with both of his hands. As he did, Stratos's eyes widened as something entirely too familiar happened. Cherry blossom petals fluttered through the air as he seemed to stand firmly still, unflinching towards the incoming spell. "Is that all you are then?" Then, in a single instant, his form shifted. The blade looked as though it had gone through the full motion of slashing, yet the man was in the same location as he started. A large cut appeared across all four of the pillars at once, stopping and dissipating harmlessly into the air. Stratos was stunned at the display the man put on, using the technique he had used so many times before. Shifting his form back so that he now had his blade to his side. "Is all you are a collection of shadows, layered a top one another?"

As Stratos heard this, his shocked expression turned into one of doubt. What was he doing that was so different than before? He had come to the conclusion that he was not strong by nature. He had come to the conclusion to match everyone else's strength, he needed to take theirs and use it for himself. How exactly was that any different than what he had already known? What was the difference between being weak and being someone who lived entirely in shadows? Nothing. One just sounded cooler. All he was was a void, scrambling to use the power of others. But if it was all just theirs, then did he ever really have any power at any point? Did he ever have a right to change anything about the world? He didn't know. And in this not knowing, he grew confused and frustrated. In not knowing what power he had, he mimicked the man before him, causing a scattering of cherry blossoms to fly all around him, whipping around without any grace of form. And in that instant of not knowing, Stratos rushed forward with the strongest command he knew, striking forth with his own Zantetsuken.

And in that instant, Noir's form changed. In that instant, Stratos appeared behind Noir, his sword snapped and being sent flying away from the man. In that instant, everything Stratos had had been defeated.

"What shadow do you cast?"

As those words left his mouth, Stratos had just lied there on the floor, trying to take them in. He had lost again. He couldn't keep fighting. He couldn't win. If this were to carry on, he'd have to leave here, no different then when he started. But what was it? He was a blank slate, devoid of any power himself. In order to combat that he tried to take the power of others, he tried to fill that void with what he could from find from those he journeyed with. Yet, all that was was layering shadows on shadows. It wasn't something he could call his. It wasn't something that he could do that no one else could....unless, perhaps it was. He had always been under many different shadows, but what if they were all just the same. What if instead of layers, it instead blended into one true culmination. One thing that could be called him. His right to change things. His power.

Getting back up on his feet, Stratos gritted his teeth as he started to pulse with an energy. A brilliant red light shined from Stratos's chest as red lightning started to crackle across his body. "I don't know why the keyblade chose me." The heart pulsed and the color changed to blue. "I was weak. I was a coward. In the face of a fate I couldn't immediately solve, I ran." His heart pulsed again, the color changing to green. "But this time, I won't run from you. I won't just give up." Pulsing again, the color changed to yellow. "I don't why it chose me. But this time," his heart flashed again. All four colors were flashing from his heart at once, the lightning that arced across his body seemingly every color at once. "I'll force it to choose me!" With that, the broken sword he was holding vanished in a flash of gold light, surrounded by a black and green gale. In its place, was something familiar, yet different. All too common, yet unique. In its place, was Stratos's new keyblade.

With the smile reforming across his face, Noir seemed both amused and pleased by this displayed. As he watched the boy crackle with energy, he was curious as to what was to come next. Spinning the blade in his hand, the energy seemed to arc across it, causing it to be lit ablaze. Throwing the blade, Stratos then took off after it, running behind it as it flew towards the man, who once it got within range simply parried it. Calling it back to his hand almost immediately the energy arced across the blade again, causing it to be enveloped in a cold energy. Knowing what was coming up next, Noir effortlessly parried the three strikes of the combo. However, as he was getting ready to defend against a new attack, there was fourth strike, followed up with three more in far too rapid a succession to be simply a different attack. Being caught off guard, the man was still able to parry most of the attacks though they had come much closer than any other attack had thus far. Back stepping, in almost immeidate response, Stratos pointed his keyblade behind him. From there, four bubbles formed, crackling with the same energy the boy was before, made of not water but light. Directing them towards the man, the bubbles flew one after the other towards him.

As he had before, as the first bubble came near him, he struck at it with his blade. However, unlike the first time where they had simply turned to water scattering across the wind, this time they exploded with a powerful burst of light. Being caught off guard by the force of the explosion, Noir gave a brief flinch, as the other three bubbles came at him. In an instant, he was no longer where he was standing, instead the bubbles exploding against nothing. Calling out to the boy he said, "how very interesting." Stratos, still crackling with energy looked at the man. Gripping the keyblade with both hands, he seemed to a focused expression on his face as cherry blossoms steadily and gracefully flew all around them, crackling with the same energy as the boy. Seeing this, Noir was curious what kind of new power would be behind this one, and as such, got ready to counter it as he did before. Then, in a single instant, upon seeing the boy starting to come forward in a burst of speed, Noir's formed changed as it had when he countered the command earlier. Only this time, the boy was barely farther than where he had started. And just as his eyes grew wide with realization, the boy was gone, appearing behind him with a slashing marking forming across Noir's torso.

"It's over."

"That it is." Seemingly unfazed by the cut, Noir simply sheathed his blade as he said, "you've done well and I commend your efforts here. But do try not to lose that power of yours now that you've found it." Walking away from him, the world around them started to crumble and fade away. The sky was merely a white void now, the ground starting to lose all detail as well. When finally there was nothing but white, Noir simply said, "I look forward to the world that you and your comrades shape, and if it is greater than the shape of the one you're against." With that, he too faded from the scene. And as all around him was a white void, the boy started to feel himself fall, deeper and deeper into nothingness.

Story of Revival
Part ??? - Dive to the Heart
​

As he fell further and further, the white slowly blended into a grey that slowly changed to a black. Soon, there was nothing but black around him, as he fell further and further. As he continued to fall, coming into view was a single platform beneath him. As he approach it at alarming speed rather than crash, his body started to slow into a gentle fall. Soon enough, he was turned upright as his feet landed on the platform. Looking at the platform, it was made of some kind of stain glass, depicting the resting form of Stratos gripping onto the new keyblade that he had just acquired. Scattered across the rest of the platform portraits of others, each only containing their faces in their own circular frame. The faces contained were those of all of his comrades that he had met so far. The rest of the empty space was a backdrop, one depicting the ever burning orb of light and darkness, bleeding a cascade of all sort of different colors. Equidistant from the center, each on a different cardinal direction were pedestals. Each of them had a different weapon hovering above them, a ray of light shining down on each. A sword, a staff, a shield and a spear. Despite this rather odd scenery around him, Stratos did not feel as though it was entirely new. Instead, he knew just what this was about. What shape for his heart to take. Which one would he receive and which would he discard.

In times past, he felt the closest affinity to the shield. Yet now he no longer felt as though he needed to hide behind one. Next was the staff, one that he could understand its resonance with him and yet was not necessary to him. Then was the sword. The sword was the one he had taken from the most, the one he had pilfered the most power from. And yet, that was their power. It wasn't his. And so discarding the sword, Stratos walked to the Spear. The will to press forward, to move through any danger. The aptitude to take and receive anything and the ability to catch up to those who were so far away. With it, Stratos had accepted the path of the hunter and discarded the path of the warrior. As he did, the scene around him faded away, back to the blank white void with nothing but the same door he entered this world with before him. Seeing the door, the boy walked towards it, opening it to reveal a familiar flood of light. Not looking back, he walked forward, looking towards the new story that was about to begin.

XXXVII
The Story of Stratos
Act 5 - Noir​

Standing on the outskirts of Himmel, Stratos looked to the village with a somber look in his eyes. He and his friends had fought their way out of The Chasm, making it back to the surface and catch their breath. Stratos and Meso hadn't talked to each any more after that had happened, both seemingly content with having gotten everything they did off their chest. Both accepting the other, and needing no other words to express their thoughts, they had made their way back to Himmel. Once there, though, Stratos did not follow them in. Instead, he had left them behind, wandering back and away from the village, not willing to meet with everyone for one last time. And so, with nothing left to do in his village, he simply said, "goodbye," and continued his walk forward, into the distance.

A joyous smile on his face, Mickey said, "you did it Stratos. What'd I tell you, all you needed to do was make sure you could be sent off with a smile."

A grin appeared on the boy's face as he said, "you did, you did. But," his expression became more stern. "I'm not done with here yet." The mouse looked confused at his answer before Stratos said, "there is one more person I have to see."

"Whatdaya mean? We already met all of your friends right? And you helped save them all. Wasn't that the thing in the past holding you back?"

"Sort of. I will admit, that whole thing with Meso was not something I was expecting to face. Hell, I didn't even know it existed. But, that's not what I came here to do, what I came here to face."

"What was it?"

"There's a man here. One that has a lot of myths surrounding him, being the main cause for the state of the world we live in here. Being the person who invited darkness to our world and making it become what it is today. We, Meso and my other friends, used to call him the 'robot overlord' because he was said to have a lot of gears and machine parts in him, you know like you'd find in those stories about robots and stuff." Giving a bit of pause to let the idea sink in, Stratos then continued. "Well, the events of here changed greatly from what they were back then. Following our return from the Chasm, Meso and Ther were bed ridden for a few days. Seeing the state of his child and deciding this way of life couldn't go on any longer, Lith sought to change the world. And so, the only way he knew how to do this was bring down the man who started this all. Despite his existence being treated as myth, it was practically common knowledge where to find him. It wasn't too far from Himmel either, and so, with a feeling that he had nothing to lose and could only gain from this, Lith set out. He did not return."

Stratos's expression became more solemn as he continued with his tale. "He was gone for roughly a few days, and once Meso had learned of this, he seemed completely broken up about it. He wanted to go out and find the man himself, but with the injuries he had, could barely move. So, he basically begged me to go in his stead. Practically forcing me to promise him to bring his dad back. I didn't want to go. It sounded terrifying, especially if it was something Lith couldn't handle. But what could I do? So of course, I left to go find him. I traveled to where I figured he'd be. And there I saw him. The man who was said to bring ruin to our world, with the corpse of Lith not too far away from him, wound still fresh from the battle they had. I was scared. I didn't want to fight him. But, I knew that I was expected to and had to. So I fought him." With slight pause settling over again, Stratos then continued. "Naturally, I lost. It wasn't even really a fight. Anyway, after I lost, I didn't feel like I could go back home, and I didn't want to face everyone after failing one last time. So I ran. Left my world without a word."

"So ya think you have to beat him now?"

"Something like that." Without much more on the subject, Stratos continued to walk forward, bound on a set destination. The world around him felt much stranger all of a sudden. The journey there, by foot, took a day or two. However, sights and landmarks he knew of were appearing a lot faster then they should have. As if the world itself was pushing him along, cutting out all of the unnecessary time with the travel. And after only and hour or so, Stratos paused a bit, taking in the sight before saying, "we're here." The scene around him was one that looked like it had just been through some kind of incredible war. Weapons of all kinds lined the ground, some shattered, some stuck into the earth sticking hilts up. Some looked to be coated in a thick layer of rust, some seemed to have fresh stains across them and some were merely scattered to the wind. All around them, bones were shattered, separate from bodies, decaying and rotting into the ground. Parts of structures, large cogs and ancient looking gears towered above all else, a testament to a ruined civilization. The ground itself seemed to be one that had been scarred as well. No grass for as far as the eye could see, merely dirt and dust all around. Plumes of white and black smoke, like those around Himmel, were clearly visible. Yet they seemed to all be bending away from the area, no matter which direction the wind was blowing and no matter where they were, they seemed to be trying to distance themselves from the center of this wasteland. Walking forward, Stratos and Mickey made their way through the ghastly scene. While Mickey seemed to be unsettled by the whole surroundings, yet Stratos seemed to be laser focused on a single goal. As they made their way through the field, a single figure could be seen, sitting in solitary next to a large gear rooted into the ground. His voice still even in level and volume, Stratos merely said one word. "Noir."

Upon hearing the name, the man stood up, looking straight at the boy. The man was not particularly tall, having only what seemed to be a few inches on Stratos. And yet, his figure seemed to be as tall as the ruined buildings that lied behind him. His clothes were loose, swaying gently in the slight breeze of the wasteland. At his side was a long, curved blade, sheathed in its scabbard and attached to his side. He himself did not seem at all bothered by his surroundings, as if they were all simply the norm to him. His eyes opened, looking straight at the duo. Blue as the sea, his eyes seemed to be equally vast within, as were someone to look into them they would see no reflection in it. Instead, they would see gears, cogs, pendulums, all sorts of machinery working in tandem like a clock in motion, stretching infinitely within him. As if eternity itself could be seen within him. He stretched his arms out to the side, as if making a welcoming gesture to the boy and the mouse. Though he seemed warm in his expression, there was an incredible pressure coming from him, one that caused Stratos to instinctively take a step backward, as an animal would in the face of its predator. His voice was soft, yet even still that was imposing as he responded, "Stratos. It's been awhile."

Raising an eyebrow, Stratos asked, "awhile? I don't think we've met yet."

Cocking his head, in mock confusion, Noir said, "oh, haven't we? Well, it matters not, really." Waving his hand, as if to dismiss the thought, he asked, "so for what purpose to you wish to see me, former keyblade wielder?"

Stratos was confused by the knowledge the man seemed to possess, but tried his best to ignore it as he said, "I'm here for answers."

"Oh, and what questions might you have?"

Stratos paused, motionless. He knew he had all kinds of questions regarding why the man did what he did. Why he would break their world. Why he would kill all those people. Why he let him live. He knew all of these questions, but they weren't the ones he wanted to ask now. He stood there, unsure of what to say. Clutching Meso's sword, Stratos looked back up and asked, "I want to know if I've grown."

Sighing, the smile never leaving his face, Noir looked back up and said, "I would imagine the answer is obvious. Then again, here you are, after all of your journeying, right back at the starting line." Stratos did not have a retort to that. "Let me ask you a question. What do you think power is?" While Stratos was about to mull it over, Noir did not give him time to answer. "It is the right one has to change the world as they see fit. If you have more power than someone else, then it stands to reason that your vision of what is right will only end up more valid then someone else's. So tell me, do you think you possess power now?" Thinking on what had happened, Stratos nodded. "Yet, you are missing the most key element still. That which gives almost any one who wields it undeniable power. You are still missing the keyblade, are you not?" Stratos averted his look away from the man. "So, let me ask you another question. Do you know why it chose you in the first place? Why of everyone in the world, nay, all worlds, you were deemed special enough to obtain a keyblade?"

Stratos thought about it for a moment. Trying to figure it out. He remembered when he first got it. How he was surprised. How he was hopeful. And how he was terrified. How he wished to be rid of it. How he wished to go back to simply residing in someone else's shadow. His grip around the hilt of the blade tightened as he shook his head. "I don't know why it chose me. I don't think I'll ever know why it did. But, I don't care now." He looked back up to Noir, confidence in his eyes as he said, "I don't know why it chose me then, but with the power I have, I'll force it to choose me this time!"

Despite his proud declaration, Noir seemed rather unfazed. Instead, shaking his head he said, "well, you're almost there. You've got the right idea, but are just missing the crux of what you need." Thinking more on it, he then said, "and if I leave you to your devices you will likely never find it. Instead, you may just end up losing it all again." Stratos went a bit more on guard as Noir seemed to be thinking out loud to himself. "So instead, I'll just have to force you to your answer." Drawing his blade out, Noir flicked it, keeping it to his side before pointing it at Stratos. "So, until then, show me this power you have."

Pointing the blade back at Noir in response, Stratos looked to Mickey. Nodding at the sorcerer's apprentice, he nodded back, before looking back to Noir. "Yeah, I'll be sure to show you've everything I got. This time, I won't just crumple and back down. With the power of my friends, with everything I've learned, this time, I will beat you!"

A grin stretching further across his face, Noir said, "then come."

XXXVII
The Story of Stratos
Act 4 - Meso​

The heartless had made their way up to the boy who, without a keyblade, was hard pressed to defend himself. The only thing he could immediately think to do was throw a punch at the creature. While there was a solid impact on the hit, surprisingly, and the shadow heartless tumbled backward, it did not dissipate from the strike. Stratos knew he had never been strong, and he knew that keyblade really helped in dealing with these heartless, but he had never realized just how much of a difference it made. As he stood there, unsure of what to do, the memories reeled through his head of what had happened last time he was here. In the past he had come down, slowly trekking across the path that he was on now looking every which way, paranoid of the heartless and where they might have been. When they had finally shown themselves he had faltered in the face of them, only going into attack once they had. And when he had finally gone to attack, it was more flailing about with his keyblade and hoping that he struck them more than anything. This time, however, he didn't even have that kind of leisure at his disposal. He couldn't charge at them since they would overpower him, but he couldn't afford to waste any time against them. Silently cursing to himself, Stratos simply got ready for them to leap at him again, in order to slug at them again.

"Watch out!" He heard the cry of the mouse as a shadow jumped at him. Before it could get anywhere close enough, though, it burst into a puff of darkness as a fireball had impacted and exploded against the heartless. Looking to its source, Stratos saw the gloved hand of Mickey, embers across it as another orb of flame started to coalesce in his hand. "Don't worry Stratos, I got your back," the mouse reassured.

"Thanks," the boy said, nodding his head. Looking at the attack again, Stratos realized that that might have been what he needed to do as well. Even if he couldn't use his keyblade right now, he could probably still use magic. He hadn't tried it since his heart was reset so who knew. Placing his palm out, nothing came out first. And so, the boy tried to focus more and more on the feeling he had when he first learned to do so. He knew the power behind it was a lot weaker than it had used to be, and his font of mana was far lower than it was as well. Without a keyblade to channel it through as well, the difficulty of casting had risen, but it wasn't as though he hadn't done it before. And so, with just a bit more focus, he had found it. With the feeling of magic flowing through his hand, sparks started to race across it before he flicked his wrist, discharging the energy into the air around him. After it had done so, lightning started to rain from the sky, striking heartless after heartless and causing them to burst. While he couldn't get them all in one fell swoop, a similar, yet much stronger, storm of lightning rained from the sky, taking out the remaining shadows. Giving a thumbs up to the mouse, he returned one in kind and the duo began to start hurrying down the rest of the Chasm.

As the duo continued to move forward, not letting any heartless bar their path, eventually the sounds of struggle could clearly be heard. The sounds of exertion, grunting, and injury were all echoing through the air, and Stratos had already knew what they were. However, they sounded different then he remembered. "Come on, we're almost there!" The boy shouted back. As he kept running forward, he eventually found the source of the noise. As he saw the sight of his friends, the memories replayed through his head once again. Only Tro had been left standing, unable to defend himself against the menace that was the heartless. He never really was one much for fighting and by the time Stratos had arrived, he had been in a complete panic with injuries all around his body, practically begging with the dark creatures to not kill him. Near him on the ground was the wounded and barely conscious body of Ther, having been unable to deal with the unending horde of heartless herself. And then next to her had been Meso, beaten, bruised and bloodied on the ground, completely unconscious. When Stratos had come to deal with them, he was barely able to hold his own, and even then was swarmed by the heartless, on the cusp of defeat. Had Lith not arrived back then, it was likely that all four of them would have died that day. However, this time had been different. This time, it would end different.

Standing, with injuries covering his body, Meso was fighting off what appeared to be a wave of shadows and darkballs that stretched much further down the Chasm than anyone could see. He seemed to be exhausted, wound clearly across his body, and looking as though the sword in his hand was starting to shake from fatigue. Near him was Ther, in better shape, though similarly tired. Finally was Tro, who seemed to be pleading with the others to get leaving from the area. Still pressing forward though, Stratos could here the frustrated, yet undaunted voice of Meso yelling at the heartless, "is that all you got!?"

Not having the energy to charge at them, Meso stood back, awaiting for them to come to him. However, before they could approach any further, lightning rained from the sky once more, decimating the heartless in the front row. The three, thoroughly surprised by this, turned their heads around to see the, slightly out of breath, Stratos standing there. The boy, looking past them and instead at the heartless, shouted, "you leave them all alone!" With that, he charged downward, Mickey hurriedly following after him.

As he passed by, Tro's face lit up a bit, with Ther being slightly taken aback by his sudden declaration. Meso, however, looked at him with one of both disbelief and, what looked slightly like disdain. "Stratos?" He seemed to mumble, as the boy ran straight past him and into the horde of heartless, unflinching, fists balled and ready to go. With one shadow jumping at him, he punched it straight back away from him, knocking it to the ground. He didn't have limitless mana, so fighting what appeared to be a small army away with nothing but two spells and his fists seemed daunting, to say the least. Yet, he was determined to make sure things ended differently this time. He was going to make sure that everyone made it out of here this time, and so, he his hand erupted with magic, sending a ball of flame straight into a dark ball encroaching upon them. Meso, looking as his friend had simply dealt with these things that he had been fighting, had his expression tighten and become more perturbed before yelling, "what the hell are you doing here?"

Stratos turned back, his tone shifting to as if he were stating the obvious, saying, "I'm here to get you out. What else?" As he was turned, the heartless had started gaining on him, only to be blasted back by a series of fireballs. Turning to see Mickey, a large orb of flame floating above him with a constant stream of fireballs shooting from it. Looking back to Meso he said, "so take the others and go."

"What?" Meso's voice and expression seemed almost completely dumbfounded. His grip around his sword tightening, along with his free hand balling into a fist, he yelled, "just who the hell do you think you are?!"

"What?" Stratos's expression had turned into one that seemed more baffled than anything else.

Tro then shouted out, "I think we should really get goi-"

"Shut up!" As Meso's angered and loud voice cut through, Tro quieted down, with Ther looking at him and shaking her head, as if to just tell him to let it play it out. Meso, turning his attention back to Stratos shouted, "what, do you think you can just walk in here and be the big hero? Do you think your can just wave that sword thing of yours around and save the day?"

"What-"

"No! I came here to save Exos. I came here to bring someone back from here. And do you think you're just going to come in here and tell me what to do? Do you think you're going to be the big hero instead, is that what you're looking to do? Just go back home! Let me-, I have to do this!" Meso was practically raving at this point, walking closer and closer to Stratos.

"Meso, what are you talking about? Why would-"

"I said shut up and leave!" And with his clenched fist, he punched Stratos in the face.

After his head had been jerked back from the sudden force, he just stood there, stunned for a moment. In the past, Stratos had always crumpled and folded against Meso. Even when he thought it was a bad idea, he followed his word to the ends of the world. He was never particularly violent with the other members of the crew, outside of playful fighting. When he was angry, no one spoke up, everyone would just follow along and let him vent on them. Standing there limp, unable to answer, unable to respond, unable to speak out. But this was no longer the past. Clenching his own fist, Stratos's stunned expression started to become one of anger as he yelled, "are you kidding me!?" With that, he punched Meso in the face, causing the other boy to stumble back a bit. "What the hell do you even think your saying right now? You can't keep going or you'll die!"

Despite being stunned by the sudden outburst of the green haired boy, Meso had regained his anger as he dropped his sword. Running, fists bared, he continued punch at Stratos, shouting, "I told you I have to! I have to do something big, something that people will think was amazing, something that we thought was impossible!"

Returning a punch of his own to the Meso's gut, Stratos looked back up saying, "is that what this is about? Was this whole thing, was everything that happened just part of some great ego you had!?"

"What do you know?! All my life, I've been nothing but Lith's son. He's always been the best of us, best at fighting, farming, hell there's not a person who doesn't like him. It only makes sense that everyone would look up to him. But I didn't want to look up to him. I didn't want people to think of me as some sort of accessory to him. I wanted to be strong, stronger than him, strong enough to change this whole goddamn mess of a world. Everything I did was always to prove myself; any adventure we had, every plan I made, even leading that group in general. And it was working too. But then, then you. You had to get that ****ing sword. You had to be so special that everyone couldn't help but notice you. And me. Well, I went from Lith's son to Stratos's friend. No one cared about someone who wasn't-"

"Shut up!" With that, Stratos grabbed the boy by the collar, headbutting him. "Do you think throwing yourself at the world will make it know you better? Do you think any of us ever thought of you as less than Meso?"

"It doesn't matter. A shadow can't do anything, no matter how much anyone thinks otherwise." As he said this, Meso's eyes seemed to have sort of resignation in them, as if he had accepted some kind of cruel fate before him.

Stratos, however only had a fury grow in his. Tossing Meso to the ground, he then rushed after him, getting on top of continuing to beat into him. "How do you think I felt? Every day, every moment of my life no matter where I've been in someone else's shadow. When I got this stupid keyblade thing I didn't even want it. I was happy being in your shadow, I didn't care that no one was paying attention to me. But when I got it how does someone who's never been special suddenly pretend that they are? I couldn't. And so I tried my best, all the time to stay in everyone's shadow. But people wanted me to stand out, and you're right, a shadow can't do anything. That's why I could never succeed in saving others. That's why it always falls out of my grasp. That's why I failed all those times. Because if all I think of myself is a shadow, then that's all I'll ever be. And you're no different!" At this point, he had stopped striking at Meso's face. "But what does it matter if you're "Stratos's friend" or if I'm "Meso's friend"? That just mean a part of us lives in the other. And you think that'll make you weak? It'll make you worthless?" With one final punch to the face, Stratos shouted, "now get over yourself!"

"Guys!" Tro had shouted, trying to draw their attention to the horde of heartless that, even with Mickey's aid weren't relenting in trying to get the kids.

Sighing, Meso then looked up, with a defeated yet accepting expression across his face. He looked as though he were trying to process everything he was just shouted at with, but rather than saying anything on that he said, "damn. When did you learn to hit like that?" The two of their expressions turning from scowls to grins, Stratos stood back up, extending his hand to Meso, helping the boy back to his feet. Looking at the situation around him, and feeling both exhausted and an incredible amount of pain, Meso said, "alright gang, let's get back. We're done here." Ther and Tro seemed to be relieved at this, only for the panic to set in again as he realized that they still weren't safe. Limping over, having Ther support him up, Meso then looked to Stratos saying, "well then 'Meso's Friend,' shall we?"

A smirk crossing his face, Stratos picked up Meso's blade, saying, "yeah. Let's." With that, the group of five began to make their ascent out of the Chasm.

XXXVII
The Story of Stratos
Act 3 - Chasm
​

Spinning around, a stunned look on his face, the last person that Stratos was expecting to be standing in Rennshalt. "M-Mickey?" Stratos exclaimed, dumbfounded. He looked at the small anthropomorphic mouse that stood there, starkly contrasting the scenery around him. Donned in a long, over sized (relatively speaking,) red cloak that seemed to have sleeves that extended beyond his arms. Contrasting even more to the scenery around him, the mouse had his familiar vibrant blue hat with patterns of stars decorating it. This was, without a doubt, Mickey Mouse standing before him. More specifically it was the Mickey Mouse that he and his friends had met in the Symphony of Sorcery world not all that long ago. Upon hearing his name said, the mouse perked up with, giving a wave to the boy before he pressed on further. "Wh-what are you doing here Mickey?"

The mouse shrugged, saying, "well, I'm not too sure myself." He looked as though he was going deep into thought as he started to recount what had happened. "I think I was just working in Yen Sid's tower, and then suddenly felt something calling to me and then bam. I was here." He seemed to be just as confused as Stratos was in regards to what was going on here, yet, after saying he said, "but it's good to see you again Stratos."

"Yeah, yeah, nice to meet you again too." The boy still baffled by this odd turn of events and wondering just what was going on here. It was then that he realized something even weirder happening, when he noticed that Mickey had known his name. "Wait, how do you know who I am?" The mouse was taken aback by the question, confused for a bit, before Stratos explained further. "Yen Sid, he said that once we left your world you'd forget all about us."

Mickey placed a finger to his chin, tapping it with a pensive look on his face. "Hm, well I don't know what happened. Maybe," he mulled over it some more before seemingly coming to a conclusion. "I got it! We're in a world made by your memories right?" Stratos nodded. "Then maybe I can remember everything you can remember about me." The explanation only furthered to confuse Stratos, causing more questions than answers to appear. The two most prominent being how did he know he was in a memory, and how did he know this was his home world? The more he thought about it, the less he thought it made sense, and only drew him to one last question. Was the Mickey before him the real Mickey, or was it simply some construct made from his memories, created to assist him through whatever issue or trial he had to face here. While trying to figure out the answer, Stratos's train of thought was interrupted as Mickey piped up again. "Well, it seems like you were in trouble, so it's a good thing I came. So, why are you looking so glum?"

Stratos stood there, his confused yet relieved expression turning more somber. Averting his eyes from the mouse he said, "well, my world is a bit of a sore spot for me. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I don't like the place," he shook his head. "No, despite how this place might look compared to where you come from, it's still home to me. I still had friends here and still had good memories for me, it's just..." He paused for a bit, thinking how to phrase it before saying, "it's just I didn't leave on the best of terms from here."

"Well then maybe that's why you're here." Mickey's idea caused the boy to face him again before he continued, "maybe we just gotta go through your memories so you can be sent off with a smile this time." Stratos looked at the mouse, a brief look of confusion crossing his face at the sheer simplicity of the suggestion, and couldn't help but shake his head.

As he finished a slight grin formed on his face before saying, "maybe you're right. But, it's not exaclty -" before he could finish his thought, he was cut off by a loud, sharp voice.

"Straaaaaaattooooooosssss!" Turning around to look for the source of the voice, he saw a figure running towards him. It was a female, one Stratos was quite familiar with, and her voice was one of urgency. The girl rushed to him, seemingly not noticing the mouse near him at all, eyes filled with worry and panic as she looked up at him. "It's bad, it's really bad. You gotta help him, you gotta-" the girl seemed at a loss for words as she continued to stammer at him.

"Ph-Pheera?" The boy stammered out her name. The young girl before him was a long time friend to him, the younger sister to one of his best friends, Meso. Being roughly three years younger then Stratos, he had a good deal of height over her, and this allowed him to look and see clearly the severity of the situation of the situation in her eyes. She had looked as though she rushed here before doing anything else, and the more he took in, the more he realized what was about to happen. A sharp pain hit through his head, as a slideshow of memories ran through his head, knowing exactly what scene was playing out in his head. And while he knew where this was going, he still couldn't help but ask, "what's wrong Pheera?"

She seemed to gather her thoughts a bit better as she attempted to explain, "it's Meso. My brother- he, Tro, and Ther went to, they went to the Chasm. They told me not tell any of the adults but but- they've been gone for awhile and I don't really know what to do and-" She seemed at a loss for any other way to explain what was going on before just pleading, "please Stratos, you gotta go help them. I-I can't really do anything but you've got that thing of yours, right? Please." Pheera had seemed nearly hysterical as she tried to explain to him the situation.

The scene had played out in his head as it had last time. He, Meso, Tro, Ther, Exos, and Pheera had always hung out together. Of all the friend groups in the village of Himmel, they were probably the tightest nit. Meso was the reckless leader of the group who always figured out new and fun things for the group to do in their little hole box of a home. He had gotten them into trouble a bunch of times, but he was reliable, dependable, and had been like the entire group's older brother instead of just Pheera's. Yet the day before this one, Exos had gone missing, presumably taken by one of the monsters. Stratos had stayed locked away in his house the day this was found out, wondering what he could have done differently to save him. Yet while no answers came to him, one did to Meso. He had rallied the crew together into an expedition force to find Exos, and decided on going to the Chasm. He had not asked for Stratos's help originally when he began his journey, and Pheera had been opposed to the idea entirely. Yet there was no stopping Meso, and the other two followed swiftly behind him. When the young girl began to worry more and more, as time went on, she had come to Stratos for help, wanting him to go and find and possibly save the trio from any harm that would have found them. In the past, Stratos was frightened to go near the place, frightened to leave. He didn't want to go out of the village and rush into the horde of monsters, and he definitely thought that this would have been a task far better suited for Lith.

In the past he had hesitated. He had tried to talk her into looking for an adults help. He had tried to avoid the issue entirely before giving into her plea. This time, however, he put a hand on her shoulder, bending down to be at eye level. His voice was steady and calm, his face confident and eyes assured as he stated, "don't worry. I'll be sure to bring them back. Just you wait." The girl, who was on the verge of tears had seemed surprised by the boy's sudden resolute nature. Standing back up he further reassureed, saying, "like I said, be back soon." And with that, the boy had started his dash.

"Hey, wait!" Exclaimed the mouse, who had been standing there all that time just kind of watching the conversation unfold. Rushing after the boy, both of them making their way towards the place known as the Chasm.

The run was a long one, stretching on for around seven miles and passing by various plumes of smoke from the ground, causing their journey there to be impeded by creatures of light and dark alike. As they had gotten closer and closer, the grass started to receded and the once dirt terrain had slowly become akin more to a purple rocky kind. Beyond that, the ground slowly started to slope downwards until it became a complete vertical drop. The ground had appeared to be split in two, the drop stretching on for as far as the eye could see, and the drop itself going who knew how far down. With a foreboding and dark aura seeping from the large crevice, the appearance itself was enough to send chills down one's spine. This was the Chasm.

In the past, Stratos had stood before the scar in the world, terrified to go in. It was an area he had never been in for good reason, and one he didn't ever want to go through. In the past, he stood there for a good five or so minutes, debating on whether or not he had made a mistake in coming here, before forcing himself down there. This time, however, without looking over to the mouse near him he said, "let's go." While Mickey seemed to have just caught up, being a bit out of breath, he reached out his hand as Stratos slid down the side of wall. It was not a long slide, the part of the wall ending in an indent in the wall that could be used as a walkway to traverse the area.

Mickey, jumping in after him, caught up with the boy again and said, "wait. Why would your friends want to be in a scary place like this?"

Stratos had started walking down the path, no pause in his stride whatsoever as he continued down the dark ravine. "They were looking for Exos." The mouse seemed confused by the statement before Stratos decided to keep explaining. "Exos was one of the friends that I had here. And, from when we are now, he disappeared yesterday. So, I guess wanting to find him, Meso decided to lead the old troupe down here to find him." Stratos still wasn't sure why he never was asked to come along, even if he obviously would've thought it was a bad idea anyway and disagreed. That had never stopped Meso from including anyone in his schemes before.

"So are we here to save your Exos friend?" The mouse inquired.

Stratos shook his head. "No, Exos is probably already gone for good. We never found him this day and, knowing what I do now it makes sense. We didn't really understand how heartless and the like worked. So, when they attacked, and someone vanished, we needed an explanation for it. So, we had come up with the myth that they just took them and brought them down to the Chasm, never to be seen again." Stratos pointed in the opposite direction they had come from before saying, "there's another Chasm, not that much further from Himmel then this one over that way. It's got all those weird light creatures coming out of it so, the story fit for either kind." After Stratos explained the story he then said, "though, now I know he probably just got his heart stolen or was eaten by the darkness or something." After completely explaining the whole thing, Stratos then stopped his descent down the Chasm before, as shadow heartless began to seep out of the ground. Instinctually, the boy flicked his wrist, hand opened in order to call his keyblade to his side. However, nothing appeared. Sighing, he instead balled up his hands into fists, getting ready to find some way to plow through them.

XXXVII
The Story of Stratos
Act 2 - Himmel
​

Walking towards it, it became apparent that the village had seen far better days. Houses made of wooden planks with some stone foundation, looking as though they were made from drift wood or things taken from older and ruined structures. The ground was one of dirt, spotted with yellow and brownish splotches of grass, contrasting the green he had seen on other worlds. There were trees that stood, though sparse and few in number. None of them were particularly large, towering, or imposing and if someone from a different world were to look at them they would think they were either dead or just clinging on to life. Yet here, they were in their most natural and normal of state. The bark, while some would expect to be a deep brown, was instead an ashy gray color, with flecks of black spotting it, the focal points in which any light that touched it would be photosynthesized through. Outside of a few here and there, the branches were all relatively thin and weak looking, yet despite the tree's supposedly dying looking state, it was still covered in leaves. Quite like the grass below it, the leaves on the tree all shared a similar brow and yellow coloration to them. The sight was one that gave Stratos a sense of familiarity to him, one that he hadn't seen in quite some time. Yet in the wake of this familiarity, while other worlds still had grass and trees and village and all manner of things similar to each other, this made him realize how odd what his home was like would look to someone not from there.

Continuing forward, the ramshackle buildings that made up the village were few in number. About ten of the wooden buildings were used for houses, areas where the small amount of people that resided in this village lived in. There were few other buildings in the main village area, though their function was still important. A building, contrasting the all of the other wooden ones, was made completely of stone with a much larger chimney than other buildings possessed, that billowed smoke at near all hours of the day. That had been the main metalworking and forging workshop that existed in the village, though also doubled as the smith's home. The strange feral creatures of light and dark, while generally not bothering those in larger communities, were not always daunted by such displays. As such, the manufacturing of weapons and keeping oneself defended against such attacks became increasingly important. The only other building of note in the main village area was one similar building made of stone, though, unlike the last one it possessed no chimneys. In fact, it did not have any sort of opening to it other than the doorway. The building in question was one that functioned more as a storehouse, one to keep anything valuable or anything worth trading with other communities nice and locked away.

Beyond the area that housed most of the buildings lied what appeared to be plotted land. A small collection of tilled ground that had rows of crops, whether they be some manner of fruit or vegetable, sprouting out from the earth underneath. Continuing alongside that, the buildings that were near the fields were few and far between. There were two ones, roughly as tall as one of the houses yet far wider, that held the animals and livestock that resided in the village. In the midway point between the residential area and the farm land was a cylindrical column of stones, one that was hollow and had a massive hole dug into it, one that extended all the way to some reservoir of water. This was, of course, the well used to provide water for the rest of the village. Beyond that, the only other building was beyond nearest to the farmland. It was one that stood taller and wider than any of the other buildings, made of sturdier wood than most of the houses seemed to be made of. Within was a large storage containment for most of the harvested crops and, separated from those, an area which stored all of the tools and equipment that were used to work the field. The village was surrounded by a wall of wooden planks that formed a figure eight like shape, though given the height of the planks it acted more as a fence than a traditional wall. On a few sides around the wall were planks arranged horizontally, as opposed to the vertical direction of the wall fence. Forming the gates of the wall, the planks seemed to barely be held up and each time the gate had opened it creaked just a bit more. As the gate did little to stop the heartless and soulbourne from crawling under or hopping over, or people for that matter, it was often in a state of disrepair with various holes formed throughout it acting more as a formality than anything else. This rickety looking village that seemed to look as though it had constantly been subject to storm after storm went by the name of Himmel. This was the village where Stratos was born, and the one he had stayed for most of his life.

Approaching the village, Stratos walked towards it, with a wary expression crossing his face. The fact that he was still in front of his home, standing before it after so much or what felt like so much time had passed, it felt surreal. Walking to the gate, he stood there, motionless. It looked just as he remembered it. Completely unchanged from the day he had left. It was a sight that he had never thought he'd see again, one that he resolved to never come back to see all those months ago. Yet here it was, in the middle of the castle. Perfectly how he had remembered it, perfectly as it had always been. Despite knowing that it was impossible, the village looked so real, as though the door had acted as a quick gateway to it. Yet still he knew that this was naught but a memory, a fragment of time that had already passed. However, due to village's ever weathered look, he was unsure of what point in his memory he was in. The answer had, of course, lied inside the village. And so, clenching his fists tight, the boy started to walk closer to the gate when something had happened. Something that had completely knocked out the momentum through the memory he had been trying to carry. Something that he wasn't aware of how off guard it would take him happened.

"Stratos?" An older man's voice pierced the ambient silence around him. Frozen in place, eyes seemingly wide with fright and surprise for a moment, the boy dared not to shift his gaze to where the sound had come from. Hearing the footsteps slowly cross across the ground, as the man was trying to make sure his eyes did not deceive him, it piped up again saying, "Stratos! Hey! What are you doing out there?" It was a voice mixed with both confusion and worry, as the man started to make his way to Stratos, pace clearly more hurried and turning into a brisk jog as it got closer to the boy. Stratos slowly but surely turned himself to face the man as he got close enough, the boy's expression turning into one as though he had just seen a ghost. Before him was a man who had not more than a few inches on Stratos, yet his face showed a much more matured and aged look to it. The man's expression was one that was filled with a great deal of concern, not at all lessening as he actually saw the expression across Stratos's face.

"L-Lith," was all he had managed to stammer out. As he did, a sharp pain went through the boy's head, causing him to wince in pain as a collection of memories passed through him. A series of images of things that had already come to pass. The filed of broken blades. Lith, motionless, unmoving on the ground. The wound through his sternum. The hole from which the blood seeped through. And the man looming above him, smile on his face. After these faint memories finished replaying to him, he attempted to shake himself back into reality, and looking at the man before him now. Lith was someone who Stratos had known for all of his life. Father to his long friend Meso, Lith was one of the main guards to the village of Himmel and one of the most experienced at that. Always carrying around his greataxe, generally geared in some manner of leather armor, the brown haired adult had made it his purpose to make sure that no one in the village would ever be in danger. As he looked a bit shocked by Stratos's taken aback response, the boy tried to double back saying, "uh, um, I mean, I was just uh-"

Despite frantically looking for words, Lith just put up his hand to cut him off. Letting out a sigh, shaking his head at the boy, the man said, "look. I know you want to try and help out now, but it's still dangerous out there." Stratos was stunned for a bit, trying to figure out what he may have been referring to. "Just because you have that weird magical mace, or sword? I'm still not sure, but regardless., just because you have it now doesn't mean the dangers out there are any lesser." Waiting for a bit his expression went softer as he said, "and besides, you're still a kid. And kids shouldn't have to fight out here. Leave that to the adults." At that, he puffed his chest out, pointing to himself with a much prouder smile on his face before motioning for the boy towards the village saying, "now come on, let's go back." With that, he turned around and started making his way back to the village, opening the gate behind him.

Stratos had followed, walking closely behind, finally getting over the shock of seeing someone from long ago. While he had been curious before, his brief interaction with Lith had answered a few questions that he had about the "when" he had been in his memory. It had definitely confirmed that he was in a memory or the past or something, as it was clear to him that this occurred before his journey with the other members of the SOS began. Furthermore, this couldn't have been that far back if what Lith was talking about was Stratos wielding the keyblade. This still had a rather large time frame that it could have been apart of, but if this was about facing his inner demons, then Stratos was starting to piece together what point in time this could have been in. The boy briefly tried to summon his keyblade to his side, as the memory of him would have been able to, yet nothing came to his hands. Looking at the empty palm, Stratos couldn't help but wonder about the keyblade picking him in the first place, yet set aside in his mind for the time being, and continued onward into Himmel.

Upon entering the town was as lively as it had ever been. A few adults standing their ground, keeping watch at their stations around other parts of the wall and making sure no monsters of any kind could make their way past their walls. The other adults and some of the older kids were out in the fields of the farmland, tending to the crops and keeping similar vigil to that of the guards, ensuring that there was no issue with monsters making their way in. The blacksmith's workshop had the familiar billowing of smoke coming from it, showing the man who lived there was likely at work as he always was. And while there were those who kept to the indoors, for the times when people were awake, they generally loitered or played around with others in the village center. All the faces there were familiar to him, being in such a small community everyone knew everyone. They noticed him, either waving to him or giving him a simple smile before going back to their daily business. The boy had been walking still, attempting to approach his house with a somber expression on his face, and as he approached it, a different voice rang out from behind him. One that didn't belong to anyone from Rennshalt, yet still familiar to him. "Well golly," the voice started, "for being back home you don't seem very happy."

After meeting up with everyone, the white cloaked man began to speak. Well, attempt to speak, at least. For having been able to speak in the most cryptic of ways prior to this, he seemed to have trouble speaking like a regular person might. Maybe he was just really awkward and his cryptic way of speech was just a cover to hide that fact. As Stratos continued to think on that idea, he then shook his head a bit as suddenly two mice had appeared out of nowhere. Talking mice. Right that was different. Well, no it wasn't. Mickey was a mouse, and he talked. And that wasn't the only animal he had seen before that walked around and talked. But they were all human sized, not actually animal sized. While he was trying to understand whether or not this whole situation was weird or not, the mice continued to speak, saying that they were part of some sort of Rescue Organization or something. Upon being questioned as to what exactly they were, it was then that the title that was bestowed to them was revealed in full. SOS. Three letters that had started this all. Servants of Sanctuary.

Stratos wasn't sure what the Sanctuary was. Whether it was a specific organization, a place, or just the concept of Sanctuary in general. Servants was also something odd to call them, but he was going to push the thought out of the way for now. Instead, the man in white continued to explain what they were to do, both to reclaim their strength and to continue what they were always meant to be. To go into the looming castle, sitting just behind the man in white. Within there, they would be able to face their memories, face the things that had haunted them, and come to terms with it. Stratos doubted the man's words, in calling them strong hearted people. He hadn't been strong in the heart, not ever, and he had never felt that he did his job in defending those who could not defend themselves. Not yet at least. Looking at the castle, beyond just the words of the man in white, there was something that he instinctively felt, that the answers he was searching for would be there. And so with everyone else, he walked to the inside of the castle, seeing what lied inside .

As the group entered the castle, there they were in a castle that seemed to be rather empty. Blank, filled with nothing but doors that stretched indefinitely, spiraling upwards as far as he could possibly see. Stepping forward Stratos looked around at the doors, seeing what appeared to be letters prefacing each of them. Going sequentially, one by as the doors went on, Stratos continued walking forward, not paying any mind to his allies who had been breaking off and going to see the door. Each one of his friends had seemed to be affixed on a particular door, leaving as they continued down. And so, being among only a few others, Stratos continued to climb the stairs until he came across a door that caught his attention. Labeled with a mark, a number higher than most others, the door stood out to him among the others. Where others had been blank, this one had his name on it. Being, obviously, called to it, Stratos split off from the remaining members he had been with, walking towards his door.

Standing still before his door, Stratos thought about what he would find behind it. The way to learn what he was really fighting for, the way to protect his friends, to protect all of the worlds he had been to, and what his strength truly was. He stood there, recounting the memories he had made since he came here. Not too long ago, when they had fought Aux, the colossal beast of a man. How he had brought the world of Disney Town to ruin. How he had effortlessly fought all of the former keyblade wielders, pummeling them one after another and sending them into the darkness beyond. The force of the man's fists connecting with him, the feeling of powerlessness he had felt before him as everything he had thought and fought for was crumbled by one being. Being struck with such might that he could do nothing in the face of it, and was sent hurtling into the darkness, left for dead and left with nothing to show for all of his efforts up to that point.

Going further back was the time they had fought in Central Haven. The endless tide of darkness that flooded into the world, that he and all of those who had keyblades were force to defend against. The sea of heartless that were unrelenting in their assault, that each and every one of them had been run ragged, brought near death, lost an arm in one case, and just barely managed to pull through. Yet even after slaying one thousand of them, they were not strong enough to save the world from the onslaught, and it had eventually managed to drive them away. Unable to save the world, barely able to save each other, and leaving everyone who had remained there to their fate. His memory went further back to the first world he had went to with the SoS. Camelot. A world where they had fought, defeated a witch, and managed to let the person there, Wart, claim a holy blade and kick start the rest of his life. However, even in that success, they had failed. His first experience with the female apprentice, Nequa. Her appearance, her theft of the sword, her kidnapping of the young member of the order, Mizu, and her overall display of strength against them. No matter what he had done, no matter how many successes they had achieved, each and every time it was met with a much larger failure.

Yet even before that, there was one instance that went beyond just those failures. One that took place before all of those. One before he had even left his home world. Once he had acquired the keyblade, it was a failure that had chased after him for the rest of his life, from that point on. It had pained him to think of it, of having to go and face those failures again. The three questions, while he had no recollection of when they were asked, he knew in his heart what they were. Each and everyone one of them, to face it almost gave pause to him. He had fallen prey to them before, even with his keyblade, and yet here he stood now. Powerless, and without any sort of safety net. Though nevertheless, he could not falter. He could not run away from his fears, his failures, and his future any longer. Just as he had placed his hopes in his friends to succeed and defeat their demons, he too believed that they were placing theirs on him. And so he would not back down from this any longer. He would face his weakness, and learn what his strength truly was. Placing a hand on the door, it seemed to glow from his touch, the number and word illuminating and letting loose a low hum. Putting more force into his palm, the door began to let loose a creaking noise, slowly inching open. As it did a light spilled forth from the small opening, growing larger and larger as the door opened itself further until finally, there was no more room left to push.

The boy could not see, beyond the blanketing white light, what had lied beyond it. None of his senses could prepare him for the task he was about to undertake. Though there was nothing he could truly perceive, in his heart he had already understood what he was stepping into. Clenching his fists together, keeping his hands by his side, the boy took one last deep breath as he steeled himself, confident in his resolve. He knew not how he would combat his inner demons, he knew not how he could change himself entirely, and he knew not whether or not he was truly ready for the task. But none of those seemed to matter. With nothing but blind faith and the will to fight for something bigger than himself and the will to fight against those bigger than him. He was going to find his path with his own resolve, and be stopped no more. Taking his steps forward, the boy had walked through the entry way, slowly consumed by the light pouring from the entrance. With every step he would become less visible to the outside viewer, until finally his form was no more. The door, slamming shut behind him, would allow no leave until the trial was complete.

XXXVII
The Story of Stratos
Act 1 - Rennshalt​

Stepping onto the grass of the world, he stood there, motionless. It was a sight before him that felt both strangely alien and yet, one filled with immediate nostalgia. What had likely only been months felt like years. The world he stood on felt so distant, so foreign. It was as if he had forgotten the world itself and only moved forward. Yet here he stood, everything rushing back to him. Every sight becoming more and more familiar. Every sound become more and more recognizable. This remarkable world that he stood upon was where he had lived all his life. This broken world that all of his memories were forged and founded in. The unnatural world that he gained his keyblade originally in and had fought his fate far before the days of SOS. This frightening world that he ran away from all that time ago. The Land of the Eternal Eclipse was what those from the outside had called it. But to him, it went by a different name, one that all the denizens knew of. This world had gone by the name of Rennshalt. And this world was his home.

The nickname it had earned was not one that was difficult to figure out. Like most worlds, Rennshalt was one that had a sun to gift it light. However, the sun never set, always perpetually looming in the exact same spot. Were one to look at it, though, they would not see a blazing ball of light and fire. Instead, an orb of darkness, not dissimilar to the one that had swallowed the whole of Disney Town, was there. The orb gave off the constant threat of devouring all that was under it, yet it did not, as light continually and sporadically bled through it. The two great elements seemed to be in a constant clash, the darkness swallowing the light around it, only for the light break through the veil and shed onto the people below. This had caused a rather odd lighting pattern to world, causing shadows to be cast randomly about the world. No rhyme or reason to their existence, simply blanketing the land below in darkness wherever it saw fit for not more than a few minutes.

To further add to this confusing dance of light and shadow, across the horizon one could see what appeared to be plumes of smoke rising from the ground. Columns of white and black mist ascending to the sky, converging onto the warring sun above. The truth of the matter, though, was that they were simply pools of light and darkness, drifting from the ground to the sky, only to be sent back down by the orb, in quite the same way rain might. From these plumes of primordial elements, hellish beings emerged from them, ones that were not content just being apart of a cycle and instead sought those opposite of them. Hunting them, chasing them, devouring them. Those born from the pools of dark were the pure blooded heartless, ones that Stratos had become quite familiar with. Yet from the light was born a creature less known to others; those called the soulbourne. Equal in simple mindedness, instinct and terror, the two constantly fought between each other, devouring the denizens of the world that got caught in the crossfire or were simply hunted by the creatures. Yet despite all their efforts, the balance was never disturbed. Things had always remained as they were. Despite the ruinous state of the world though, there was little Stratos could do to help it as it was. And instead, he knew his destination was one just a bit further in the distance. A small town, one that looked ramshackle and weathered. The town where Stratos grew up in.

While Stratos wasn't entirely sure if what he said was true, Luna had seemed to find relief in his words, coming to peace with something she had been wrestling with. After she had muttered something under her breath, she then asked the boy a question. One that he had not been expecting. To find a loved one or to save the lives of others. He was fairly certain he knew why she was asking him, and there was no way he could give her the answer for her on her behalf. However, no matter how he tried, he couldn't think of what he would likely do. It was likely because the question didn't really pertain all that much to him, or rather, the two choices didn't feel all that different to him. While he had been busy thinking on the her question, Luna then spoke again, breaking his train of thought. Saying that she was ready to get going to the beacon, he nodded with a smile on his face saying, "yeah, let's go. We don't want to keep anyone else waiting there for too long." With that, he started to walk forward, ahead of the girl, before his expression became more somber. "Oh, and to answer your question from earlier, I'd obviously do both. The only people I want to find right now are also the ones I want to save." And besides, he had failed at doing either in the past, so it was only right that he was owed both now.

After walking around for a bit more time, the duo eventually arrived at the beacon. As Stratos looked at the area, his eyes lit up as joy filled his expression and he jogged towards the area. "Hey!" He shouted out, waving to the people there. Up until now he had nothing concrete to aid in his hope, but here, right before his eyes there they were. The people who he had been journeying with for his time since he had left home, they had been in this realm as well and were all still here. After getting towards the others, catching his breath from the brief run, he said, "good to see you're all still alive." While he had a smile on his face beforehand, his expression tensed up a bit as he looked up to see that the man in white had been there as well. While a bit standoffish towards him, he acknowledged, "I take it this whole thing was your doing? I don't really know who or what you are but, thanks regardless."