Chapter 2

WHEN YOU RETURNED TO DAYBREAK TOWN AFTER your excursion in the Dwarf Woodlands, you spotted an enormous shooting star streaking down through the blue sky.

“Whoa, what’s that?” I said, watching it fall as I met you in the Fountain Square. What was going on? “Looks like it fell near the waterfront. Should we go check it out?”

You agreed with a nod. Actually, I realized, you didn’t know the town that well. At the center was a fountain, and the bricks laid around it formed a pattern of five stars. There were also loads of houses. And then there was the clocktower off in the distance. It didn’t display normal time, though; instead, it had several round clock faces all on top of each other, so it was really hard to read. Its giant pendulum was always swinging. I’d heard the bells even rang once in a while, but only at special times. You probably hadn’t heard them yet. And of course, the sky was almost always the color of daybreak. It was a lighter hue than twilight, somewhere between blue and pale violet.

You were hurrying up the steps leading from the square to the waterfront when a Heartless arrived. The pesky creatures had a habit of showing up in the most unexpected places, even in town, but you were already a practiced hand with your Keyblade by that point. Without a moment’s hesitation, you took it down. Lux spilled from the Heartless, and you gathered it up before continuing on your way. Collecting this light was your mission as a Keybearer, after all.

You crossed a bridge over one of the many channels carrying clear water around the town and arrived in Waterfront Park, a beautiful green garden facing the sea. You noticed blocks of various colors scattered about the round flower bed at its center.

What were these?

You walked over to one of the blocks and started to pick it up when someone came running toward you.

“Kupo!”

It was one of the local Moogle shopkeepers. After locking eyes with you for a moment, the Moogle sharply turned away, apparently embarrassed.

“I smell a munnymaker, kupo!” he muttered before snatching up all the blocks in the area and dashing away. You were wondering whether to go after him or not when you heard an unfamiliar, quacking sort of voice: “Aw, phooey! How did this happen?”

“I don’t know, Donald. It’s like the whole thing just fell apart.”

You walked toward the voices and found two figures standing next to an aircraft. By all appearances, it was built of the same type of blocks as the ones lying all over the park.

“Gawrsh!” The taller of the two exclaimed, noticing you. “Is that what I think it is?” He was wearing a yellow hat and pants of the same color, along with a green shirt and brown vest.

The shorter of the two was dressed in blue. “A Keyblade?!” he squawked, and the Heartless chose that moment to make their entrance.

As the two strangers leaped up in surprise, you faced off with the Heartless, Keyblade in hand.

These Heartless were a tad different from the ones you’d encountered before, though; they were shaped like combinations of those blocks. What’s more, each time you defeated one of them, instead of the usual Lux, a small block came tumbling out and went flying into the pocket of the tall one.

“Wak! What was that?” yelped the short one, peeking into his friend’s pocket.

“Got me! Hmm… What’s this? Huh?” The tall one pulled the block out of his pocket and inspected it.

“A Gummi block! How did you do that?” the smaller one said in confusion.

Okay, so those things are called Gummi blocks.

“I think maybe it’s ’cause of this,” the taller one said before removing a small, round device from his pocket—maybe some kind of radar. “When a Gummi Heartless is defeated, this Gummi radar retrieves the Gummi block it was carrying. Of course, we couldn’t have done it without our new friend!” he explained, looking at you. The device was probably the Gummi radar he’d mentioned.

His short friend was thinking. “Oh. Okay…” After another moment or two of contemplation, he suddenly looked up.

“I’m Donald! And this guy here is…”

“Goofy!”

Once the pair finished introducing themselves to you, you gave them your own name.

“Hey! I almost forgot! Why do you have a Keyblade?” Donald asked.

You caught them up to speed.

“Masked figures in white robes?” Donald complained wearily. “Chirithy? What’s the big idea?! How come I’ve never heard of them before?”

“Well, maybe it’s because we’re someplace new,” Goofy commented. “I bet there’s still lots we don’t know about this world.”

“Possibly…” Donald still seemed a little miffed.

Next to him, Goofy gave you a thoughtful look. “Say, maybe you can help us. We came here in a Gummi Ship, but it fell apart when we landed. And then the blocks that the ship was made of were stolen by the Heartless. Do ya think you can help us get ’em back?” he asked, although he sounded extremely hesitant. That aircraft thing in the middle of the park was the Gummi Ship, and the two of them must have ridden it here.

“Goofy! What are you doing?! We don’t need help. We can do it on our own,” Donald snapped with a hint of annoyance.

“No, we can’t, Donald,” Goofy pointed out. “Remember, we don’t have anything to fight with.”

“Oh. Right.” Donald hung his head dejectedly.

No two ways about it—the only way to get the blocks back was to take on the Heartless. And that would be almost impossible without weapons.

“So, whaddaya say, pal?” said Goofy. “Do ya think you could collect the Gummi blocks we need?”

“Yeah. It sure would help us.” Donald looked up and joined Goofy in asking for your assistance.

You replied with a firm nod.

“Gawrsh, thanks! Oh, and be sure to take this with ya.” Goofy placed the Gummi radar in your hand. There were probably plenty of Heartless with plundered Gummi blocks hiding all over town. “We’ll be right here tryin’ to rebuild the ship with the parts we still have.”

With that, you rushed off to help, and the two of them watched you go.

First stop was the boardwalk that ran along the seafront. The Heartless were everywhere, but you started with the Gummi Copters (the aircraft-shaped Heartless like the one you defeated earlier) and took them down left and right.

Eventually, you made it all the way back to the Fountain Square and dealt with the Gummi Copters there, too. But it still wasn’t enough. When you forged ahead into the marketplace, you found a Gummi Hammer—a great, round Heartless built from a whole bunch of Gummi blocks. You and your Keyblade were old friends by this point, so the battle was a piece of cake.

After your complete circuit of town, you had quite a collection going.

You returned to Waterfront Park and found Donald and Goofy hanging out by the Gummi Ship, chatting about one thing or another. You called out to them.

“Thanks! You sure found lots of pieces,” Goofy said happily.

Donald bobbed his head beside him. “Now let’s see if we can put ’em together.”

You watched as the duo shuffled around the ship sticking Gummi blocks here and there.

“These pieces fit like this…”

“And this one goes here…”

“Wak! Goofy! That doesn’t go there!”

As the two began bickering, you started to look a little worried about them.

“Hmm, I don’t remember our ship lookin’ like this.”

“Yeah, there’s something screwy going on.”

The finished Gummi “ship” looked more like a car than anything that could fly.

“Uh, Donald? I don’t think that’s a spaceship,” Goofy sighed.

“WAK! What do you mean it’s not a— Hey! That’s not a spaceship!” Donald snapped back at him. “This is all your fault!” He started taking apart the incorrectly assembled Gummi Ship. “Hmm…looks like we’re missing a few blocks for the engine.”

“What do we do now…?” Goofy wondered.

Suddenly, you felt the Gummi radar vibrating in your pocket and pulled it out. Goofy peered at its screen with you.

“…Hey, I’ve never seen a signal like this! Maybe it’s the blocks we’re missin’.”

The radar was directing you back toward the market across the bridge. With a nod, you retraced your steps.

It seemed to you that there were more Heartless with Gummi blocks than before, and you checked the radar again as soon as you got back to the marketplace. All signs pointed to a Heartless with a special block inside one of the neighboring buildings.

You stepped into the dim interior and realized this was probably a warehouse. You found some crates and clambered up to reach the second-floor passageway, where a pitch-black Gummi Copter was lying in ambush.

You readied your Keyblade.

This Heartless was a bit bigger than the ones from earlier, and it fired missiles at you. You jumped out of the way and then hammered the oversize Gummi Copter hovering in the air.

There was a heavy thud as your blow hit home and knocked the Heartless to pieces. A Gummi block fell out of it, but this one was shaped differently than the others. You claimed your prize and exited the warehouse.

Now we should be able to fix the Gummi Ship.

However, as soon as you tried to head back, Heartless materialized around you. These ones didn’t have Gummi blocks—this type always used magic.

Tense, you brought your Keyblade into fighting position.

Just then a ray of light flashed through the sky, zigzagging down to land right in front of you.

As you jumped back in surprise, someone dressed in red appeared from the light. He was just a bit shorter than you, but he carried himself with dignity and held a Keyblade in his white-gloved hands. He fixed the Heartless with a gaze that was all business. His Keyblade suddenly moved, almost too quickly for you to notice, and then all the Heartless were gone.

“Uh-oh! There’s darkness in this world, too…,” he said, then turned toward you with a smile. “Oh, and Keyblade wielders.”

He extended his hand, and you shook it.

“Hiya, pal. I’m Mickey.”

That’s right, he was Mickey Mouse. Now that introductions were out of the way, Mickey let go of your hand and frowned.

“It looks like I took a surprise journey to a new world.” He took a moment to get a look at his surroundings. “Say, have you seen my friends Donald and Goofy? They would have appeared outta the sky just like me.”

You had, of course, so you filled Mickey in on everything that had happened.

“Their ship was destroyed? And you’re helping them rebuild it? Gosh, thanks! Guess it’s a lucky thing I landed here,” he said, and then glanced over his shoulder. “Of course, I never would have made it without my two copilots.”

He appeared to be speaking to someone behind him, but you couldn’t see anyone there…

“Your Majesty!” Suddenly, two little chipmunks popped up over Mickey’s shoulders. Wait, was Mickey a king?

The two chipmunks hopped down to the ground.

“Remind me to show you how to use the brakes next time!” the one with the black nose complained.

His happy-go-lucky, red-nosed companion to chimed in, too. “Oh, boy! That was exciting!”

“Sorry, Chip. Sorry, Dale. It’s just that I was in a hurry,” Mickey apologized. Chip and Dale must have been their names. “Now I’ve gotta go look into something. Fellas, would you two go and give Donald and Goofy a hand?” the king asked in a cheerful voice.

“Leave it to us!” declared Chip proudly.

“Say, pal, would you show them the way?”

After you agreed to Mickey’s request, Chip and Dale jumped onto your shoulders. “Thanks!”

You hurried to Waterfront Park, where Donald and Goofy were waiting.

Mickey watched you all go, then looked up at the sky. “So it wasn’t the Star Shard that led me here. Hmm… What exactly is going on?” he muttered to himself.

Meanwhile, one of the Foretellers was watching him.

“And just what are you doing here…?”

You arrived at Waterfront Park, clearing out Heartless every step of the way.

Donald and Goofy had rebuilt the Gummi Ship, and this time, it was a real, working ship—as if they planned to go sailing.

“Wow! This is neat!” squeaked Dale. You had to agree, it didn’t look half bad, but…

“No, it’s not! It’s not neat! It’s a disaster! How did this happen?!” Chip exclaimed in horror at the mixed-up Gummi Ship.

“I don’t know. Chip, what do you think?” Goofy said slowly as he turned in the chipmunk’s direction. “Huh? Chip! Dale! You’re here!” He hurried over to them.

“What?!” Donald waddled after him.

“Sit back and relax, fellas!” declared Chip as Dale bounced up onto Donald’s head.

“Yeah, leave this to us!”

They dashed over to the vehicle and gave it a look. Those two sure knew their way around a Gummi Ship.

“The frame is perfect, but we’re missing a core part!” Dale stated.

The core… Didn’t we have something like that?

You showed everyone the black Gummi block you found in the warehouse.

“Ya mean that one?” Goofy said, pointing at the block.

“Yep!” Chip said as he took it from you.

“This’ll only take a second!”

Chip and Dale began reassembling the Gummi Ship.

“Gawrsh, that’s a relief.” Goofy grinned at you.

“And it’s all because of you! Thanks!” exclaimed Donald happily.

“But hey, where did ya meet Chip and Dale?”

You told Goofy about your encounter with Mickey.

“The king!”

“His Majesty is here?!”

Donald and Goofy shared a joyful glance.

That was when Chip shouted, “Ta-daa!”

The chipmunks had put the Gummi Ship back together into something that resembled a plane. At last, it looked like it could fly.

“You better check the engine,” Chip cautioned Donald and Goofy before they climbed onboard. He waited on top of the craft with Dale.

“It’s this button, right?” Donald said, punching it without waiting for an answer.

“Donald! No!”

“Huh?”

While Goofy panicked, the Gummi Ship almost instantly began shuddering.

Chip and Dale hopped up and down in alarm.

“What’s happening?” Dale asked, rather nonchalantly given the situation.

“The ship’s gonna fall apart if we don’t take off!” Chip barked back at him. “Now!”

The Gummi Ship’s engine revved higher and higher, ready to take flight at any moment.

“But what about the king?”

The question was barely out of Dale’s mouth when Mickey came running over. The king flashed you a smile and then hopped aboard, while Chip and Dale slid from the roof into the cockpit after him.

“C’mon, it’s time to go home—to our world.”

As if it had been waiting for him to give the okay, the Gummi Ship blasted off.

All you could do was watch them go in stunned silence.

That’s when I appeared next to you with a flip in the air and joined you in watching the king and his friends vanish into the sky.

“They were a friendly, noisy bunch, weren’t they?” I murmured, still looking up. “So he’s the king.”

You stood there beside me for a while, gazing up into the canvas of dawn above.

The gears turned noisily within the clocktower in Daybreak Town, as they always did. They fit together so perfectly that they almost formed a solid wall, and next to that wall was a desk. The flasks scattered across the top suggested someone was conducting research here.

The Master of Masters sat before the desk in his black coat, flipping through the pages of a book. Nearby was a young man dressed exactly the same, named Luxu. It was difficult to get a good look at his face because of his hood.

“So that makes you the indispensable number seven,” the Master commented in his usual flippant tone.

“Sure…” Luxu wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to that.

“Come on! It’s simple. You six plus me is seven,” said the Master. Suddenly, his head snapped toward Luxu as he realized something. “Wait. Don’t tell me I don’t count!”

“No… Uh, um…”

The Master of Masters stood up before his confused apprentice, sauntered over to stand directly in front of him, and stuck out his right hand. In it appeared a Keyblade—the nameless Keyblade that would eventually be passed down to a certain man.

“Here, take it.”

The Master of Masters approached Luxu to begin the Bequeathing. Beside the Master was a black box.

Everything yet to come would be tied to the role Luxu received here, but that was a tale for the distant future. For now, no one knew.