Chapter 1

WHAT KIND OF POWER FLOWS WITHIN YOUR HEART?

Your story will now begin.

The heart that guides you… What form does it take?

When the light enfolded you, you awakened and took your first step.

You found yourself in Daybreak Town, in the familiar Fountain Square. But then darkness appeared, swelling and growing into an enormous humanoid form—the Heartless known as Darkside. The Heartless were manifestations of the heart’s darkness that seek to take away the hearts of others—but how could you defend yourself?

Suddenly, a Keyblade appeared in your hand.

Your Keyblade held the power of light, the strength to drive back the darkness. You charged ahead as if you had known all along what you were going to do. You swung your Keyblade at Darkside, but you were batted easily aside and tumbled across the stones.

But as the Darkside reached for you, someone else arrived, Keyblade in hand, and knocked away the Heartless’s arm.

Your rescuer was the Foreteller Invi, wearing a white robe and a serpent’s mask. She lashed out with her Keyblade and drove the Heartless back into the darkness it had come from, then jumped in after it.

I guess we all have to start somewhere?

Anyway, that was when you were joined by your faithful companion Chirithy—in other words, me.

“Pretty scary stuff, huh? But you get an A for effort,” I said to you.

You were still sitting on the ground, and you just blinked at me in surprise.

“You look a little confused. Here’s what’s going on.” I came over beside you and cleared my throat. “Your pursuit of light made you the perfect candidate for a Keyblade wielder. Darkness is spreading, and it’s up to you to use the weapon to get rid of it, collect light, and in turn save the world.”

You just stared blankly back at me—guess that was a pretty dramatic place to start.

“I know it’s a lot—are you still with me? The monster that was just defeated belongs to the darkness and is called a Heartless. These Heartless scour the world searching for hearts, spreading darkness as they go. The Keyblade is an effective weapon against them.”

That didn’t seem to do anything for your confusion, and I was starting to get a little worried. I leaned in closer.

“I hope this is all sinking in… Anyway, I was assigned by a certain someone to watch over a new Keyblade wielder—you! I’m Chirithy. I’ll be supporting you the whole way, teaching you everything you need to know and more.”

I extended a paw, and you took it.

“Nice to meet ya! Right now, that Keyblade is just like you—it has room to grow, and you’ll need to learn to draw out its power. I know this is a lot to take in, so we’ll pick this up again in a bit, okay?”

After I helped you get to your feet, you finally smiled.

That was good enough for me. “See you next time!” I called, then vanished with a somersault in the air. I think it startled you a little.

As you watched me go, others wielding Keyblades much like yours gathered around you, and shortly after that, the Foreteller Invi returned after driving off the Darkside.

“You’ve managed to tap into the power of the Keyblade,” she told you quietly. “Lesser Heartless won’t stand a chance, but in order to defeat stronger foes…you must combine your strength with those who share your purpose and aspirations. Your friends will become your power.” She was referring to the Keyblade wielders around you.

Each Foreteller led one of the five Unions of Keyblade wielders, and the one you had chosen was Anguis. These five leaders all had a copy of the Book of Prophecies and a role given to them by their own leader, the Master of Masters, and they had formed these Unions according to his teachings. The Unions brought together Keyblade wielders like you to collect light in the form of Lux by defeating Heartless, creatures of darkness.

“There are others who collect the light, but not all of them share the same goal of bringing peace to the world. You must discover who amongst us walks the path of darkness.”

With a somewhat disconcerting bit of advice, Master Invi took her leave, and the group of Keyblade wielders began to disperse.

What was this feeling stirring your chest? Hope? Anxiety?

Or maybe—something else.

“What happened? Are you okay?” I appeared before you again and watched you closely, trying to see what was going on inside your heart. “I know this is overwhelming, but darkness waits for no one! In fact, it’s found its way to a bunch of other worlds, which need your help. I know a way to these places,” I said, leading you to a brightly glimmering gateway.

Okay, time for your adventure to begin. Next stop, Dwarf Woodlands!

Your eyes filled with wonder as you took in this brand-new world.

You were in the midst of a dense forest, and every so often you could hear the twittering of little birds nearby.

“Uh-oh, we have a problem. A great light is about to be enveloped by darkness! Someone needs your help.”

You nodded, and we headed deeper into the dimly lit forest. Heartless came after us along the way, but you made short work of them. Not bad at all for a beginner!

“Aha! Over there! The Heartless are attacking her,” I shouted as I spotted a girl deep within the trees. She had black hair and red lips, and her dress was red and blue.

She was also surrounded by large, round Heartless the color of darkest night, and you ran toward her as fast as you could.

You brought your Keyblade down on one of the creatures, and it clawed back at you with one of its spindly arms. And yet you didn’t falter. You only met it with a steely gaze before you switched over to magic to finish it off.

The girl was trembling, hunkered down with her eyes closed.

Once you made sure she was safely behind you, you sprang into the midst of the remaining Heartless. After dealing with them, you said something to the girl.

“Oh dear. Oh dear,” she murmured. “I’m so afraid! It’s much too dark and scary in this glade.”

But when she finally opened her eyes, you smiled and raised your Keyblade, sending light over the both of you.

“Oh, you seem so warm and made of light. Was that your heart? Tell me, please.”

Instead of answering, you just lowered your Keyblade and tilted your head in confusion.

“Yes, I’m sure it was! How sweet. Meeting you is quite a treat. Oh, how silly. I haven’t introduced myself. My name is Snow White,” the girl said with a cheerful smile. Snow White was someone very special.

Just then, you heard the eerie sound of flapping wings from deeper within the woods. Snow White looked up in surprise.

“I mustn’t stay. It’s too dangerous for me here. Good-bye!” She hurried off.

“That’s her all right,” I said, next to you. “She’s a precious light, one the world can’t afford to lose. That’s why you need to watch over her.”

You nodded to say you would, then hurried off after Snow White. After pushing your way through the thick underbrush, you found her surrounded by Heartless yet again.

Snow White’s expression turned to relief when she saw that you had come to the rescue. “Oh, thank you! This forest is so scary when I’m alone.”

You offered to lead the frightened girl out of the forest.

“Would you be so kind? I’d feel so much better if you would,” Snow White said as she calmed down again.

You made your way through the trees with the girl in tow, but the deep, dark woodland seemed to go on forever. At long last, you came across a small cottage.

“Look! A cottage! Oh, thank you. I don’t think I could have gotten here on my own.”

You bobbed your head in acknowledgment. This little dwelling appeared to be under the protection of some mysterious power.

“Oh, it’s adorable! Just like a doll’s house.” Snow White stepped inside, and you followed.

Tidy was not the word to describe the state it was in. There were dishes of half-eaten food scattered atop the wooden table, and clothes were strewn all over the floor, as if whoever had worn them had just taken them off and left them there.

Snow White let out a long yawn, sank down onto a diminutive bed, and promptly began snoring softly. Running from all those Heartless in the forest must have been exhausting.

“I can’t think of a safer place for her to be,” I commented.

You replied with a nod.

In one of the rooms of the clocktower overlooking Daybreak Town, Invi stood before the Master of Masters.

This was shortly before the Master disappeared.

Both of their faces were hidden; his beneath the hood of his long black coat, and hers behind her snake mask and white hood embroidered with gold thread and tied in the center with a blue ribbon.

“So, to sum it up, I’ll need you to observe the others. Easy breezy,” the Master informed her cheerfully.

“A-all right.”

Though her mask obscured her expression, Invi’s reply made her discomfort obvious.

Oddly enough, the Master seemed pleased by this reaction. “Like I said, Ira may have to take over for me… But don’t be shy. Just be fair. And do not be afraid to speak up! Even though I say ‘observe,’ you’ll need to be the mediator; make sure people get along,” he explained lightly.

Invi’s head was still lowered. “I understand, but…without you or Luxu, to form and maintain our own unions is…” She finally looked up. “It’s a little unnerving, to be honest.”

The Master walked up to her slowly. “Oh, come on. Lighten up a little! Maybe I’ll never disappear.” He peered into his apprentice’s face. “Wait. Do you want me to go?”

Flustered, Invi shook her head vehemently. “What? N-no! Of course not!”

The Master chuckled. “I was just kidding!”

“I see…,” she murmured, hanging her head again

“Look, I get that change can be hard for everyone,” the Master of Masters told her. “But things need to keep moving forward.” His head turned just the tiniest bit, as if he was looking away. “And you need to keep up. Otherwise, you’ll just get left behind all alone. Now that you know what the future holds, Invi, what does your heart say?”

Invi raised her head. The Master didn’t usually talk like this—something was slightly different.

“‘May your heart be your guiding key,’” the Master continued. “I say it all the time; you ultimately need to do what your heart feels is right.”

“Right,” Invi agreed, quiet yet firm.