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Nora narrowed her eyes at Qamar when the girl introduced herself. "Zalam? That name–"

"Sounds familiar...come to think of it... I don't think I ever knew her family name. She never once mentioned it. Hm..."

"So the Onyx Company Captain's long lost daughter finally returns. Huh. Thought you'd be dead. Well at least that idiot didn't waste too many resources looking for you." She mused, though said nothing more on it as a matter of greater interest presented itself immediately after Qamar introduced herself. Her cousin had brought not one but two Princesses of Heart to their doorstep, the radiance of their hearts instantly apparent to her. "What the hell!?" She exclaimed in surprise. "Why would you ever bring two of the brightest beacons over here!? WHY?"

"We'll answer to Joch. Not you."

"Torrin you idiot. We don't have time for your stupid games. We're at war in case you've forgotten. Just what–" Her eyebrow twitched at the sound of a man flirting with her? She snapped her head in Enzo's direction and marched over to the smooth talker to grab him by the collar. The insolence! Who did he think he was talking to her so boldly? "Dagger huh? Do you want to feel what a real dagger is like when I remove your tongue, you worm?"

"Easy Nora. Don't break him. I've only got one Enzo and I can't afford to replace him."

Nora glared at Enzo for a moment longer and shoved him back, wiping her hands on her shirt afterwards. "Hmph. Wouldn't have been sporting anyway." She grumbled. "None of you are under arrest yet. Considering that you all seem to be Torrin's guests I don't have much choice but to allow you to use the castle as sanctuary. But only Torrin and Boreas will be permitted an audience with the King as most of you are outsiders or...commoners." She spoke condescendingly.

"I'll have you know I am a princess you rude boor!" Eilonwy finally snapped which elicited a small smile from Nora.

"And Taran over there is a package deal with her. And Aria is no commoner." With what dwindling influence he could tell he still had he wasn't sure if he could force Nora to let the others in to meet the King as well but even if he couldn't he was sure they would find better uses of their time while on Orphic Coast. Torrin turned towards Aria and whispered, "Sorry about the family. They're...probably all going to be like this. Except my father and the King. Maybe."

"You should work on whispering quieter, Torrin." Nora sneered in a mock whisper.





The ice around the crowd began to melt, not even leaving so much as a puddle in its wake, as CEO Angus raised his hands to adjust his tie and prepared to continue with his speech. "That's an interesting weapon you've got there." A deep voice came from beside Tinarah. "Judging by the way you kids just acted I'd say you're not on their side, are you?" Turning to look for the source of the voice would have resulted in seeing just more of the crowd standing in anticipation of Angus's speech. "That look you have towards Angus seems genuine enough for me."

"I've seen what blades like that are capable of so I won't ask if you're combat ready. Your types seem to travel in packs." A large muscular man in a black jacket brushed past Tinarah. "Follow me if you're ready to do more than stand around looking stupid." He remained still just long enough to catch a glimpse of his scarred face before the stranger began to walk through the crowd, heading for the streets and continuing on until he reached a dark alley where he waited, arms folded to reveal the black tattoos decorating his arms.

​

One thing led to another and now they were pitted against some kind of Heartless parasites within the stomach of the giant whale that had caged up a girl and a wooden boy. All in all, not as weird as it could have been. Castur rested his keyblade on his shoulder and looked down at the acids that would coated the floor. "Definitely don't want to be caught up in that." He muttered under his breath and looked at the others by him. "Alright. Ignis, you're pretty good at hitting things hard so just keep doing that. As for the others...well I haven't exactly learned what you guys are good at yet so don't get yourselves liquefied by the acid, alright? Good." Applying a similar strategy as the last battle he was in with Ananta and Ignis, he cast Aeroga on Ignis and positioned himself in front of the mage to ensure they wouldn't be the first ones to go down.



Castur used Aeroga on Ignis and Covered Ananta

​

Once the guards finished bringing Torrin's comrades to her the woman held up her keyblade in plain view for Boreas to see. "Keeping this a secret for a year was a pain but it was definitely worth it." She smirked. "When I found out you were heading out into the Realm of Light to find my worthless cousin over here," She motioned towards Torrin with a slight motion of her head who in turn responded by simply crossing his arms, "I knew I had a chance to make use of my private training. It was surprisingly easy to see how quickly the Emerald Company, the generals, and the lords on our council fell in line to support my claim to the throne." She waved her hand at the guards and began to walk forward as the group was escorted in the direction of the castle.

"So you figured there was a good chance I'd return and what? You wanted to show me up? All the support in the realm wouldn't matter. At the end of the day, only the key and our blood decides who is next in line." Torrin stated plainly.

"Don't pretend you give a damn about blood or tradition." Nora snapped.

"Everyone meet Nora, my cousin. Not my biggest fan. Something you'll find in common with all my cousins." Torrin added in dryly. "So Nora, how's the rest of the family doing?"

Nora turned back to glare at Torrin but gave him no response and instead continued to lead the way forward until they reached the obsidian bricks that paved the way to the castle gate. The guards rose the gate upon seeing Nora. Beyond the gate was Nocte Arce, a massive black imposing castle with a heavy air weight of darkness around it. "I wasn't raised in the castle but Nocte Arce was my home away from home." Nora overheard Torrin say towards the outsiders. Once the gate closed behind them she turned and eyed Qamar and Enzo with annoyance first, immediately recognizing them as of this realm, then turned her gaze to the ones wearing black cloaks.

"Alright. Hoods off. Just who the hell did you bring with you?" Nora spoke impatiently. Torrin gave a nod towards Aria, Lumen, Eilonwy, and Taran to let them know it was okay to show their faces.

Zeno disappeared behind the stage leaving Quinton alone. Once the countdown hit zero on the airship above nothing happened at all. The crowd murmured in confusion wondering where the spectacle was or if Gigas's CEO had been late in his arrival. A large circular shadow passed over the crowd but looking up would have given no indication as to what was casting the shadow. The airship had already left and there were no others above Central Plaza. The shadow zoomed over towards the center of the stage where it made an abrupt stop.

Suddenly a massive dark purple arm sprung forth from the shadow as it began to blacken into a pool of darkness. Several screams came from the crowd but before anyone could run away a massive wall of ice encircled the crowd, the keybladers, and the stage to keep everyone in place. Up above standing on a building overlooking the plaza was a white-haired boy, who Chrys could have identified as Pagos, gave a short wave at the blonde before disappearing in a flash of light. During the commotion Quinton and the rest of the Gigas security personnel looked unfazed by the events unfolding in front of them and made no move to so much as draw their firearms. By now a Dark Follower, the more powerful cousin of the Darkside Heartless, had risen from the darkness and was posed to lay waste to the crowd of civilians.

Just then a voice boomed in the sky. "HAVE NO FEAR, CITIZENS. GIGAS HAS ARRIVED!" The roar of a jet engine rumbled overhead as a streak of blue and gold rushed in the direction of the Dark Follow. A loud crack like thunder filled the air. Sparks of electricity surged through the Dark Follower's body as it began to fall over, disappearing in a puff of black and purple smoke before it even hit the ground. Behind where the Heartless stood was what had struck it down in a single blow. A large 20 foot (6 meter) tall mechanical suit of armor painted in a brilliant blue and gold pattern turned towards the crowd, the electric blades it had in place of hands transformed into large metal fists. "I apologize for the frightening demonstration." Echoed a voice from the mech's speakers. The mech's torso began to split open to reveal a tall man wearing a black suit inside. As he leapt down one of his aides quickly ran onto the stage to hand the man his fedora before rushing back off into the background.

"I, Angus, CEO of Gigas have ensured the future of our home's protection. Nothing, be it man or beast, stands a chance against our ultimate creation! Gone will the days of our law enforcement's inability to handle these growing threats. Just one of these suits can replace an entire squad. Now, imagine how much good ten of these could do. Or a hundred! Or a thousand!" The crowd had been silent upon the arrival of Angus's mech but as he continued to speak excitement amongst the people grew, gasps of disbelief and wonder filled the plaza.

Torrin gritted his teeth and looked at the tear in the shoulder of his cloak from one of the slashes left by the Heartless. His eyes narrowed at his enemy that had managed to keep up with him with its incredible speed. Torrin knew the fight would have been over by now if he had used his keyblade and by now his identity should have been his last concern but out of stubborn determination he refused to draw his keyblade. He had dealt this much damage to the Heartless without one and he refused to stop now. Boreas's sudden call over the communicator was enough to cause a momentary distraction that allowed the Heartless to cut him across the chest only deep enough to reveal part of the coat he was wearing underneath the cloak. "Glad to hear it, Boreas. Just a little busy right now." Torrin spoke quickly as he leapt back and dodged another attack before retaliating with several dark bolts. "I've got it covered though. Check on the others."

His eyes flashed as he shot out another burst of darkness only for it to miss entirely as the Heartless sunk into the ground and rip a chunk of a building behind it in the process. He cursed, knowing that his target had not fled since he could still sense its presence in the area. Torrin tried to pinpoint its location but all he got was a vague sense that it was nearby. Suddenly dozens of dark orbs surrounded Torrin and began circling around him. "Shit—" He barely had time to bring up his arms to defend himself before he was pummeled by attacks from every angle that seared and burned at his cloak. The explosion of black energy left a plume of black smoke where Torrin stood, the upper half of his cloak now burnt off and the charred remains of the rest of it now laying at his feet. Torrin lowered his arms and growled, looking at his hands now that his cloak had been blasted off. "Good for nothing...FINE! I'll do it my way. No more holding back!" His keyblade appeared in his hand. If the head of silver hair had not been a dead giveaway then the blade he wielded would have.

"Is that...?"

"It can't be!"

"What are you doing gawking at it? Haven't you seen a keyblade before? Move, soldier!"

Even as the fires were being put out and the Heartless were getting under control the guards were having a difficult time moving the civilians farther away from Torrin's battle seeing as how he had been the only one capable so far of standing against it. The Heartless reappeared in the same spot it had vanished to and its blades began to shine red. Torrin had seen this before. If he didn't finish the fight now...there were dozens of people still in the area about to be torn to shreds by its next attack. Torrin rushed forward, his eyes caught a glimpse of a small cloaked figure, Aria judging by the keyblade, arrive on the scene. Torrin's speed faltered for an instant and he lunged for the killing blow.

The Heartless dropped its blades. Black smoke rose from its body as it began to disintegrate. But he had not been the one to strike it down. No, instead it was another keyblade wielder holding an unfamiliar black blade. Incredible strength emanated from the armored stranger. Torrin wasn't sure how to even respond to having someone else finish his battle. "I had it handled." He spoke towards the stranger with a clear tone of annoyance. "Did you not see that I was going to finish it off?" He stepped forward but received no response save for a heavy sigh from the armored person. It had to be some new knight he had been unaware of. Someone Boreas neglected to mention.

"Are you listening? Look I get that some of you soldier-types are thirsty for glory and honor and all that but getting in the middle of someone else's fight is a sure way to–"

"Sure way to what? Get themselves killed by you?" The figure spoke, tapping the armor activator on its shoulder to disengage the armor. "Maybe if you didn't want your kill stolen, Torrin, you should have been focused." Torrin froze at the sound of the voice. The keyblader turned around.

Spoiler

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Nora's eyes narrowed at her younger cousin. "Six years gone and the only thing that's changed is your eyes? No. Worse. You're weaker than before." She hissed, giving Torrin a forceful shove. "You've been here for mere minutes and you not only bring outsiders to our home but Heartless. Does your shame know no bounds?" She sighed and shook her head. "Six years, Torrin. You shouldn't have come back." Nora snapped her fingers and on command the guards drew their weapons on Torrin albeit somewhat reluctantly.

The guards had helped finish off the Heartless but the sound of a snap issued by their commander rung out, echoing farther than one normally could have. On command the guards turned their weapons on Boreas, Enzo, Qamar, Lumen, Taran, Eilonwy, and Aria. Torrin's voice came through the communicator. "Don't fight. Just surrender. I...I'll figure something out." Torrin had tried to hide it but his tone came across as worried.

​

By the time the group arrived at Central Plaza there was a crowd of hundreds of people surrounding a stage set in the center. The local law enforcement was busy redirecting traffic on the streets and sprinkled throughout the crowd were cops keeping an eye out for troublemakers. Towards the back were several vendors trying to sell off poorly made food at outrageous prices to make a quick munny out of the event. The stage was empty but overhead the airship's countdown read "5 minutes". Towards the side of the stage surrounded by Gigas-employed bodyguards was the CEO's right-hand man Quinton, a large muscular blond man whose eyes were hidden behind a pair of shades and whose fur coat was as expensive as it was obnoxious. Upon a closer look it seemed that he was speaking to a very familiar person. Their face was too far to make out but the male he was speaking to had bright blue hair.

A massive blast of wind magic shook the streets, clearing several houses of the flames and taking out several Flame Cores at the same time. A slender figure clad in black armor ran past Aria, a black keyblade in hand as it charged onward to cut its way through the Neoshadows that were in the new keyblader's path. The figure paid no attention to the girl and as it kept running it briefly paused to give a quick glance at Lumen and Qamar who were both fending off the Heartless that continued to jump and take swipes at the duo as they protected Taran and Eilonwy. Without a single word the black-armored keyblader ran into a burning alleyway, disappearing from sight.

The heavily armed castle guard, wearing pristine black armor with silver embellishments, began to arrive in town and cleave their way through the Flame Cores and Neoshadows with little effort. Some of them even began using water magic to clear out the flames and provide back up for Aria, Boreas, Lumen, and Qamar.

Torrin raised the sword he had picked up to block one of the Heartless's attacks. When the two blades collided Torrin was launched backwards from the force of the impact and smashed through the door of a house behind him. Cursing and grunting as he pushed himself back to his feet he looked down to see the sword he held had shattered from the blow. "Damn..." He tossed the now useless sword aside and clenched his fists as he rushed forward, extending his hand to command several black chains to rise from the ground and hold the Heartless still. Torrin leapt and landed on the bound Heartless, placing his palm to its face. A purple aura surrounded his hand and began to intensify as he channeled all of his magic into a single Death spell, amplifying its powers with his own dark reserves of power. The purple flames raging in the surrounding area began to darken and grow as their hue shifted red. Torrin was thrown off as the Heartless broke free from its chains and used its bladed tail whip at Torrin, nearly cutting him across the face but only slicing through part of his hood. The Heartless's face bore a hand-shaped burn on its face where the spell had been concentrated on, angrier than ever. Knowing that he was handicapped without his keyblade Torrin entered Dark Impulse hoping to even the odds.






"Hm. We have no idea how strong his students are by now so I suggest that none of you split up." Fost spoke after a moment. "Avoid them if you can but as long as you stick together this could be an opportunity to judge the strength of our enemy." He answered Illiana before moving on to Chrono's inquiry. "As far as I know the ore is too rare to be used for anything large. We only need enough of it to mix in with the other materials we actually have to create your armors. I've heard of an entire weapon being constructed of pure Orichalcum of the highest grade but it seems unlikely that even the Light Chaser would possess such a weapon. Perhaps Ardyn and the Chasers' presence is merely to test you. After all, it has been some time since any of them have faced you in combat. Hm..."

As the group walked a commercial airship decorated in bright blue, gold, and white paint made a low pass over the park. The massive displays on its sides reading with bright red flashing scrolling text "GIGAS DEMONSTRATION AT CENTRAL PLAZA IN 1 HOUR. DON'T MISS OUT ON THE FUTURE"

Dozens of Neoshadows surrounded Qamar and Lumen, circling them as if they were easy prey. Eilonwy let out a small yelp and stepped behind Taran who was doing his best to keep from cowering behind the two keybladers. Even as Lumen cut his way through them more Heartless emerged and leapt at the two keyblade wielders.

Meanwhile, people began running out of their homes now that Aria had doused several fires and cleared a way for them to escape. Flame Cores appeared in front of the girl, stopping her in her tracks as they rushed her, trying to burn her with the intense heat from their bodies. Enzo had come across a small child being shielded by his mother from the flames, the inferno blocking their way out. "H-help!" The mother called out upon seeing Enzo charge into her home. "Please!" She cried out.

Boreas had found his mother alive and well. Excluding a burn on her left forearm, a bruise on her cheek, and some slightly tattered clothing she was looking as well as could be expected though she was clearly shaken by the sudden intrusion into her home.

Torrin rushed forward seeing a large Heartless, something he had seen only once before, hovering over two purple flames beneath it. The blades in its hands were sprinkled with blood of the fallen guards around it. "Dammit!" Torrin growled, angered that he had arrived too late to save them, and charged right for the Heartless rolling forward and picking up a sword from a fallen guard as he closed the distance between himself and his target. "Bring it on, scum. I'll show you what the darkness is really capable of." Black energy flowed through Torrin and coated the blade he now held while he leapt into battle.






Just then...Tinarah, Chrono, Illiana, and Take's communicators began to beep. The only one whose communicator wasn't going off was Chrys's. A message was coming through. Whenever the first person answered their communicator the group would have heard a warning from Master Fost. "Due to your idle chatter I neglected to mention a reminder for you all. The Council may allow Chrysanthemum to join your mission but she is not to be left alone with Takehiko at any time." This would have been said loud enough for Chrys to easily hear.

Torrin scratched his cheek and thought about Qamar's question. "I don't think we'll have to come up with any names for me." Torrin shrugged. "But if the need arises...there was a squire I once befriended. His name was...Avis I think?"


"I quite like that." Eilonwy spoke up, reminding the group of her and Taran's presence.


"I still don't understand why we have to wear these...robes." Taran complained holding up his arms to show how loose his sleeves were as they completely draped over his hands.



"Sorry about that. Guess I picked out the wrong one for your size. The one Take had worn would fit you better I think. Anyway, just keep them on. They're for your own protection."



"Oh all right..." Taran folded his arms. "I hope we don't have to walk much farther. Eilonwy's getting hungry." After he spoke his own stomach growled loud enough for the others to hear causing the boy to laugh nervously and place his hand over his stomach while the princess next to him giggled over his white lie.



"Not much farther. Let's keep—" The sounds of screams in the distance broke the dull bustle of the townspeople. Torrin sensed the presence of darkness take a dramatic spike and spotted purple flames beyond several buildings. The guards immediately began to mobilize but were stopped in their tracks as dozens of Neoshadows began materializing from out of thin air. "What!?" Shock went through Torrin's system as he had never seen Heartless in town before let alone so many.



Knowing that even summoning his keyblade would give away his identity he refrained from doing so. Torrin looked at the others and issued a rapid fire series of orders at his team. "Qamar and Lumen stay close to Eilonwy and Taran. Boreas, you already know who to check on. Aria, Enzo, these fires are spreading and the guards aren't equipped for this. You both are on fire duty, alright?" Even as he spoke more Heartless began to appear with Flame Cores speeding through the air as they set buildings ablaze as they flew by with magical red flames. Though the structures took no damage the flames made their way indoors trapping people inside. Without saying anything else Torrin ran deeper into down casting Water spells along the way to quell the fires as he headed towards an even stronger Heartless presence farther away.










Ardyn held up his index finger towards Take and Tinarah to get them to quiet themselves, his eyes now fixed on Chrono as he answered him first."To presume that our mutual acquaintance even requires such a material is naive at best. It is used for the making of armor and weapons is it not? His students have armor and what need would they have for new weapons?" Arydn answered before lowering his hand.

"I have merely come to observe you puppets. It is not me you should be worried about but other, less wholesome, familiar faces. Dear Chrysanthemum over there should be excited for what is to come. In any case..." He lifted his arm to look at his wrist mimicking the motion of checking the time. "I do hate to do this to you but I must be on my merry way. Until we meet again!" With a sinister smile he took his hat off and gave the group a bow before vanishing in a red flash.

​

Castur wanted to keep talking but before he could say anything he soon found himself losing the footing beneath him due to the floor disappearing. He had prepared to make a graceful landing, flipping in midair to orient himself in the right direction. The only problem was that Karina had landed first and was just recovering from the fall in the spot he intended to land in. "Watch ou–" He tried to warn as he crashed into the young woman and bowled her over. "Oomph! Aarrgghh...thanks for not having your keyblade out. For being a hardass...your...never mind." He grunted and mumbled a nervous apology to Karina as he stood up and held his hand out to offer the girl a little assistance with getting up after he had unceremoniously knocked her down.

Torrin froze for a moment and turned his head to look over at Enzo. "Lost loves? Hah. Haha... That's funny." Torrin scratched the back of his neck and looked ahead as he continued to walk. "As for the rest...well that describes my cousins. A lot of baggage there that I'd be more comfortable not involving you guys with." He paused and thought for a moment about adding more to the statement but instead let it hang there in the air as he had no wish to continue on the subject of his family at that moment.



Minutes later the group had arrived at the town gate, having run into no patrols along the way, and the guards who immediately took notice of Boreas's house crest and armor gave the captain a respectful bow of their heads and quickly called for the guards on the other side to open the gate for them. Torrin noticed that the men gave Qamar and Enzo a curious glance for their strange garbs but said nothing of it lest they risk insulting the company that Captain Boreas had kept with him. Once they were on the other side Torrin could smell a faint aroma of baked bread in the air mixed in with the metallic scent coming from a nearby blacksmith shop. The town buildings were constructed of a smooth solid stone and looked sturdy enough withstand a magical blast from even their own magic. The townspeople themselves were dressed in garments in varying shades of dark blues and reds that were all well kept.



"For the most part nobles live around here. So chins up and pretend like you belong." Torrin commented. "Castle's not too far now."













"Oh what a joyous return of the prodigal children!" An all too familiar voice crept up from behind the group. "Ah the man upstairs said you would show up here but I was beginning to worry that you were never going to arrive. How rude of you all to keep a gentleman like myself waiting. What? Already showing signs of trepidation around me? What a pity." In a flash of red light Ardyn reappeared on the other end of the alleyway.

The man flashed a sly grin at the keybladers and held out his hand to press it against a nearby wall as he began to lean against it as if he wasn't talking to a group of protagonists who weren't all willing to strike him down. "Don't mind me. I'll be keeping an eye out for your precious Orichalcum and your dear old father. Do try to enjoy yourselves while you're home. Life is precious and can be cut short at any moment. Just ask Glyde."

​

Castur sighed and shook his head at Karina. "You don't need to be so mean to the kid. Picking on children isn't worth the effort. Just like it isn't fun to steal candy from a baby." Castur bumped against Karina as he stepped forward and whispered a faint "sorry" as he did so before placing his hands in his pockets. "The whole group name seems kind of lame. SOS makes it sound like we need help. Wait, I don't even know if I'm technically a part of it or not. Eh...probably not. Well good for me I guess. Bad news for Aux though." He joked. "Anyway, Karina's right. Look, kid, if you've got friends to look for you can either follow Hothead's advice or stick around us until you run into your friends. Not to brag but Karina's pretty strong and she's light enough to pick up and use as a shield if need be so cower behind her if you must. This is a no judgment zone unless someone is using a technique with the name Judgment in it then it's totally a Judgment zone."

Castur cleared his throat. "Sorry about the rambling. Still trying to find the sweet spot between annoying and double annoying." He scratched the back of his neck. "Let's go straight on ahead. I'm not getting good vibes with the left path." He said, beginning to head onward and straight...ward.

Torrin would have pressed his hand to Enzo's mouth to quiet him but he didn't see much point at the moment considering no one was even around to hear him. He folded his arms and raised an eyebrow at him, wondering just what exactly what was going on through Enzo's head. "So wait, Qamar gets us all killed and...you kill her for it? You know, you have a pretty grim outlook on this mission if you think it'll play out anything like that. Um. Just don't sing once we're in town. I don't need people freaking out that I'm back until I'm standing right in front of my family." Torrin commented, scratching his cheek. "Oh and that's Lumen."







"Anyway. We've stood here too long. If Boreas is right, and he just might be, we need to get moving. I don't like our chances if we're out in the open when a horde comes along." Torrin tugged at his hood and began walking forward. He took a deep breath of the fresh dusk air and kept his eyes focused on the castle looming ahead.

Secret boss is down and the Ultima keybade is mine. Ultima has a great sound when being summoned. I think it's the only one with a different sound.

​

Castur sighed and folded his arms as he watched Karina chew out Ananta. He only half paid attention to the conversation but it had gone on for too long already and he wasn't interested in hearing more of it. "As much as I'm not enjoying this sass we should get back to moving. Karina, if you're still mad at Ananta by the time we're out of here, go ahead and duke it out with her when we're outside. Until then, you two really shouldn't be wasting your time talking to each other. Whatever baggage you all have won't be resolved in this labyrinth."

"Anyway. Moving on. When all else fails, go left. Karina, it'd be nice if you can direct that spiciness of yours into direction-ness. Maybe then we'll have a chance at getting out of here because if we're going to be stuck here for the rest of our lives I really don't want you hating me for eating Aux first and I really don't want to have to move on to you eventually." Castur gave a slight smirk and began walking towards the left path.

(Castur headed Left)

Beat the game on Proud. Collected all the Lucky Emblems and I'm currently working on all the other treasures. Fought the secret boss already. I lost but that was just a first try so...it'll be dead when I face it again.

Torrin couldn't hide his grin when he saw the ridiculous pose Aria struck, the coat seemingly a little baggy on the girl. "Definitely your color." He spoke half-jokingly with a chuckle. At least she managed to break his somber attitude about the whole "going back home" situation. He briefly wondered about offering an additional warning about his family but decided that if anyone needed to be wary around them, it was him. He let out a sigh and shook the thought off decided to worry about when it came time to actually face them.


"Soldiers?" Torrin raised his eyebrow at Qamar. "No. No one would believe it without a uniform. As for me, I think this coat will do just fine. Just keep your voices low and move quickly and we'll be in the castle in no time. Portaling out of the castle is fine but the magic protecting the area prevents anyone but the King from portaling too close to it."


"Anyway..." Torrin scratched the back of his head and pulled his hood up. "Been over six years but better late than never, I guess." He nodded at Boreas then held up his hand to prepare to open a portal. After so long, it was finally time to go back home. Torrin turned his head over towards Take, Chrono, and Tinarah and gave the three a thumbs up. "Good luck. Come back in one piece, guys." With a final wave toward the other group Torrin extended his hand once more and summoned a column of darkness before him. He took a long, deep breath and took a step forward.


"Long time coming..." He spoke under his breath. With one final look at his group he faced forward and stepped through the portal first.

Upon crossing over the familiar weight of the Realm of Darkness pressed upon him. Even though the coat was meant to shield one from its influence Torrin could still feel it through the garment. Then again, when it came to darkness he had a better sense when it came to it. Torrin's eyes glowed a deep amber in this world, their focus now on the castle on the horizon. Home. To his left was the shoreline and the sounds of gentle waves filled the air. The air was calm and the sandy path ahead was clear. It was clear to him that night was nearly upon them as the sky was, what might have been to some, an eerie shade of deep purple.


"At least there doesn't seem to be any fighting anywhere near here...strange though...I can't see any guards on the road. Maybe they've fallen back to the Nocte Arce's town." Torrin began walking forward. "Let's get moving. You guys don't want to be outside of the town walls after nightfall." He warned.

​

Fost folded his arms and shook his head at the group. "Well you kids need to figure out what you need to do about your father but the mission stays the same. Now that Illiana has arrived it's about time I send you off on your merry way." Fost called on his keyblade and held it up. A beam of light shot forth from it and opened up a portal of light to Chrono and Tinarah's homeworld so that they could cross over easily.

​

When the group crossed over they found themselves stepping into an empty alleyway smelling of rotten garbage in the middle of the downtown area. Directly in front of them was a large park and beyond a group of skyscrapers gleaming in the sunlight.

​

Castur folded his arms and looked around at the directions there were to choose from and...there wasn't much in the way of options. He briefly considered trying to use the full might of his gravity to...gravity his way through a new opening but that didn't really make any sense at all and he was beginning to wonder if playing the role of Arctus for so long messed with his psyche. "Hm...this is gonna be an annoying maze isn't it..." He muttered in annoyance.

Before he could say anything else to Ananta, Karina and Aux popped up causing Castur to grin right up until she spoke his wrong name. "The name's Cast–wait you know what? You're too stubborn to correct so just...keep calling me whatever." He shook his head and sighed. "Hey there. You two came just in time. If we had been stuck here any long I would have had to resort to cannibalism in desperation and I don't think Ananta has much meat on her bones. And the others? They don't look particularly tasty." He took a few steps closer and noticed the way Aux was looking at him. "Oh don't worry about me attacking you again. We're good. I was playing a character and...eh it's too convoluted to go any deeper than that. Moving on, I don't know who else from your old gang who's here. There was an old man but...uh...I think we left him behind. Don't worry about it though. He wanted to fix a boat. We didn't just abandon an old man to move faster."

Returning to his home so suddenly after just over six years of absence gave him little time to prepare what he would do or say. The first thought that came to mind was what his cousins would think of him upon seeing him. He was certain there would be at least one punch thrown his way...or worse. Torrin wasn't sure how he would ready himself for his return but given the circumstances, he had no choice but to go along with it even though he had hoped to save the reunions until after the Light Chaser had been taken care of. The only items he knew he wanted to bring for himself were the remains of his armor activator and the flute he had made to call on Flammie. He doubted he would need to summon her but having a dragon in your metaphorical back pocket was never a bad idea.


Torrin knew that he must have taken some time thinking about this because when he arrived at the main hall where the others were gathering almost everyone had already arrived before him. He looked off to the side to see Eilonwy and Taran trying to comfort Fflam and Gurgi who were staying behind while they were away. Torrin wished he could have brought them along too but it even with just Eilonwy it still seemed like a stretch to have his uncle give her sanctuary. "Well it looks like most of us are ready." Torrin folded his arms and eyed Qamar and Boreas. "Unless something's changed, the light over there is enough for the others to see just fine. It's sort of like a permanent dusk during the day." He answered Qamar. "From what Boreas has told me the situation there hasn't improved so no one is going to be particularly friendly to outsiders. The last thing we need is to pick a fight with my people so just let Boreas flash his captain's armor around and we should get by just fine."


"Oh right. I almost forgot. I asked for a few extras of these..." Torrin summoned several black coats into his arms. "Um. Don't ask where they came from. I'm sure Kide could've whipped up a few of these real fast but I already had some ready from before so..." He offered the coats to those who needed them either to withstand the weight of Orphic Coast's darkness or those who needed to be hidden until they arrived at the castle. Lumen, Taran, Eilonwy, Aria, and himself were the ones who needed them the most. "Taran, Lumen, don't take it off. I'm sure both of you could last maybe an hour or two outside of that coat before feeling the effects of my home but the darkness around Orphic Coast is particularly strong so it's best not to take any chances here. Also these will keep the princesses from shining like beacons and me from being recognized and drawing way too much attention before we make it to the castle."

​

Fost stepped into the entrance hall, him being the one to see the groups off as the Council members returned to their research and other duties, and headed over towards Chrono and Tinarah. "Seeing as how the others know exactly where they are going, do you two need assistance traveling to your homeworld?" He spoke formally, barely even giving Tinarah a glance as he spoke, directing it mostly towards her brother. "If there's any...unforeseen issues that arise, the Council seems to finally be in a position to lend a hand should you need it. Though, from what I've heard of your homeworld I don't think that will be an issue." Fost folded his arms and paused for a moment before continuing. "Anyway. Are you kids ready to ship off then?"

​

"If you believe your father is in danger then find a way to handle the problem. If need be we will be...willing to provide sanctuary for him. Think of that as a last resort however. The Council is not in the habit of taking in every stray who comes our way." Kaio spoke with unusual sincerity that was almost ill-fitting with his normal attitude. His eyes shot over towards Illiana with annoyance as the girl disrespected him. The thought did occur to him to light the girl's hair on fire but it would have been a waste of magic.

Gero nodded and stood up from his seat as he spoke. "Hm. Very well then. It appears that most of you have it settled then on where each of you are going. Anyone going to Orphic Coast without some kind of immunity to the Realm of Darkness's effects must wear protection–" Selene and Skia snickered causing Varos to glare at the two which made them shut up instantly. Ignoring the two, Gero continued, "Unless there are any other questions, this meeting is over and everyone is to depart as soon as possible."

​

"Though it's no surprise that you would want to go, Qamar...keep in mind that strings had to be pulled to ensure punishment would not befall upon you for leaving that realm in the first place. While I would agree that you are able to survive just fine there, if you're so set on going I would urge you to show some restraint. On the other side you will not have the any influence from which to sway others to listen to you." Kaio spoke candidly.

"The common folk would have more of a voice than you, to be honest." Torrin spoke up, leaning back in his seat with his arms folded as he kept his head tilted down. "Royalty or not, I'm not sure I'm in much better standing even if Boreas did come all this way looking for me. But yeah...this'll definitely be a road trip to remember."

"Moving on. The specific metal we use to forge armors is known by many names. The ore itself is a variant of Orichalcum. My own master, a man of little creativity, once referred to it as Orichalcum Plus. Suffice to say, just the name Orichalcum will do when referring to the metal. Your communicators have all been adapted to react in its presence." Gero said before moving on to what Illiana had brought up. "Hm...very well. If the boy brings one of the protective coats along that should be enough to protect him during his stay. As for you, Illiana–"

"Either make yourself useful and go with one of your friends or we'll have to bench you for the duration of this conflict." Kaio looked over at Gero and smiled faintly. "Forgive me, Master. We cannot continue to coddle these children. Worlds are at stake and we've spent enough time training them to shove them out the door. It's now or never."

"Hm...a fair point, Kaio. But do not interrupt me again." The old man stroked his beard thoughtfully for a moment before being brought back into the conversation by Boreas's comment. "Sooner or later, this battle will make its way to the King's doorstep. The simple fact that it hasn't yet is all the proof we need to be sure that the Light Chaser is not ready to wage a war on two fronts. He is not foolish enough to fight the Sovereign of the Night and the Council at once. The Light Chaser would not dare to make a new enemy when the first one is still standing. Logically, easing your King into this reality would be best accomplished by having his own nephew explain how dire the situation is here. He may care little of what becomes of this realm but he would never jeopardize his own domain."

​

Castur headed right.