The darkness was plentiful as thunder was the only source of light to the forest below. Rain, despite constant pounding and with the strength to wound skin, could not penetrate the leaves shielding whoever walked in this fateful night.

Then a flash underneath the canopy cut through the leaves before a column of fire overtook it. The eruption was quick, small, and the fire put out faster than it could consume.

Near the explosion, part of the rain began spinning in the whirlpool by some unseen force. It increased in velocity, becoming a spire as it curved towards a specific place. The place was a part of the branches that stirred, as something underneath pushed them while chasing for something.

Leaves and branches were torn apart before the spear penetrated through the tree, but that was it.

Amidst the darkness the trees provided, an aqua blue light is emitted from an orb attached to a staff. The wielder is covered by a cloak, but even that can’t hide how their head moves up.

Standing next to the new gape and heavy downpour, is the silhouette of a large humanoid figure, but lightning from the sky revealed its dark-brown skin, red veins on its thighs, shoulder and head; it’s crocked antennas that nearly reach the ground behind it. But what truly caught the staff wielder’s attention, are the claws it possesses that flex like fingers would, and the unnerving yellow orbs that hold no trace of emotion.

However, when the lightning’s roar ended and rain overtook all sound, even the orbs vanished.

The staff wielder got adjusted to such darkness, but the pureblood is nowhere in sight. It’s presence, however, is difficult to miss.

The mage turned, and there close behind are two cloaked individual with weapons of their own: a sword and a bow respectively.

“RUN!” They shook; her voice - gentle as a young girl’s - knocked them of their stupor from seeing a Novashadow.

With weapons ready, all three sprinted away. Eyes forward and ears on alert as they tried to pick noises other than their footsteps and the rain.

All of them are panting lightly; they been running for some time now. For how long? HOURS! If only there’s something other than rain or an endless forest in that world, then maybe they could have a better sense of time.

The wielder of the sword turned their gaze to the right. This individual can perfectly see the trees, the grass, branches and leaves with a yellow vision.

There, more than a dozen meters away, a dark pool moving faster than the eyes could follow. It curves around the trees if there was one, other times slowing just to be by their side, but always moving closer to its prey.

The swordsman clasps the other hand onto the handle, and focuses his magic, “Thundaga!”

Multiple thunders roared at once, cutting through the branches in near succession and exploding on the dark pool with a speed even it could not outmatch.

All three stopped in time to watch domes of electricity spark to life. Yellow illuminated the environment as the surrounding trees are splintered into pieces as collateral damage.

They watched as the electricity faded away, leaving behind a scorched soil and smoke that was extinguished by the rain.

“Did-Did that get it?” The sword wielder - a kid’s voice with a soft tone - asked with worry.

The bow wielder lifts the weapon slightly, and pulls the string in the same manner. His voice also belongs to a kid, but slightly deeper than the swordsman’s, “That worked better on the Neoshadows. You had to get lucky to wound that thing.”

With the danger too high to ignore, they turned their backs to each other and closed the distance. In their triangle formation, each kept a keen eye on their assigned spot.

Thunder broke through the rain’s pounding once more, and even the light through the new hole in the canopy didn’t reveal the location of the Novashadow.

So none, however, noticed a small pool of black growing beneath them.

Then a second thunder covered them in a white flash, thwarting the purple wave lights, and surprising the wielders as pain coursed rapidly through their bodies.

Shot in opposite directions, the sword wielder is the first to come to a stop by an unyielding tree; the impact cracked the bark in an irregular shape and fissures formed around it.

The fire user recovered fast enough to stab an end of his bow to the ground. It slowed him, but not the enough as the momentum still pushed towards a tree of enormous size.

“Plumage!” a gold light shimmered on the tree’s bark, and when he collided with it, he felt the thick soft layer of a golden wing’s feathers lighten the blow. He bounced of it and landed on the ground catching his breath.

The most fortunate is the staff wielder; who fell over but crossed to protect her face. She skidded near painlessly over the grass until she stopped.

“Cura.” The orb on her staff glowed again, followed by a calming green around her body. The pain crippling her back diminished to nearly nothing. Her arms began shaking as she pushed herself up.

With their attention diverted at the moment, the Novashadow examined his prey before setting his gaze on the sword wielder. His back is on the floor as well, but he’s the only one showing the least signs of getting up soon.

Seeing an easy feast, it crouched down and dashed, claws up and ready to penetrate the boy’s chest.

He gasps, the temperature dropped too sudden as the heartless drew nearer.

“Teleport!” He fades in a flash. Claws’ digging deep in the ground before the heartless pulls it out in a forceful manner.

A moment passes till its food reappears again; it turns right and witnesses him fade into existence in the air.

He falls face down; his body twitches as he struggles to exert some strength to his arms. But he feels the heartless drawing nearer; its hunger making a sickening knot in his stomach.

“T-Teleport.” Like last time, he didn’t have time to think of a proper location, but right now anywhere would do for him. The problem is, he’s still there. What? W-Why? He gauged the magic he has left, and reached the morbid conclusion he’s nearly empty.

He could only struggle against himself as the Novashadow stood above him; its claw poised to strike his heart. It descended in a fast blur, penetrating ice and halting the claws inches above his back. It studies the strange anomalies, seeing how the ice has encased his prey in a dome structure.

That’s when he notices the light somewhere to the right. It inspects; the blue light is coming from the wielder’s staff. Her two hands clutching her weapon so it doesn’t fall from her weak grasp.

It tilts its head slightly to the sight, wondering why a meal is protecting another instead of running.

Before it could pull its hand free, a white glow shines brightly behind him.

The same one penetrates its chest and the force launches it off its feet. Practically breaking its hand free in the process.

It eventually stopped after a few seconds, landing on the ground with a loud thud with a whole block of city distance flown. The heartless remained there as if dead. The white glow hasn’t left him, being emitted from a shaft – of equal color – protruding from its back.

The caster of the arrow keeps a keen eye on the fallen heartless. Even his steps are small and cautious as he approaches the thawing dome.

Other footsteps hurry at a worried pace. By now the ice melted entirely, allowing her to kneel next to the swordsman that has yet to move.

She puts a tentative hand on his shoulder, scared to inflict more damage on his battered, tired body.

Rain continued pounding against the leaves with the same ferocity, but her ears still picked up footsteps stopping next to her.

“Sele, heal us.” His tone is even, almost as if he’s unaffected by his injured friend, but Sele knows better.

There’s a heartless, a strong one, that’s threatening them, concern can come later.

“Cura,” their bodies are covered in a bright green. Once faded, the archer’s posture is more upright, and the swordsman finally pushes himself to his feet without trouble.

He turns towards the healer, and he smiles at her, but it drops at seeing her half lidded eyes, “Sis, are you okay?”

Selena forces a weak smile, “Yes, only tired.”

“Don’t relax,” the archer curled his fingers - thumb, index and middle finger - closer to the string, “I don’t know why he took so long, but he’s about to get up.”

They are surprised at first, but when they see it for themselves, fear is mixed in as the Novashadow has gotten to its knees.

It rises at full height before turning around, and right there on its chest, the arrowhead continues emitting a soft white glow.

With the arrow still penetrated through him, it hardly looks bothered by it. Its expressionless yellow orbs study the three once more, and notices the vulnerable is now the one who shielded the first.

Sele shudders, for the Novashadow turns its head in her direction.

This doesn’t go unnoticed by the archer; he steps forward until he’s in front of Selena, blocking the heartless’s view of her. She’s about to ask what he’s doing, but a hot flame ignites from his fingertips and travels to the space above his grip. Once he clasps the end, the fire snuffs out, leaving behind an arrow glowing bright red.

He glares at the heartless; his brown eyes, flickering under the light of his arrow, carry out an un-verbal challenge, “Heartless are not supposed to be fearless, right? So how about it. Come at me! Unless my heart is too big for you to even take!”

It crouched down, slams its palm on the grass and digs the claws deep. Then it hisses with an abnormal echo that darkens the shadows around it.

It continues till dozens of dozens of dark arms shot out from the shadows, each sporting four finger-like claws.

The wielders watch in a mixture of fear and astonishment, how Neoshadows break themselves free from the darkness.

They are similar to the Novashadow in shape, but they’re in size to a normal adult, more than twice as tall as the wielders.

The heartless quickly gathered around the giant, awaiting its command.

And he wondered if feelings could be incited, he doesn’t hold back in his smirk. Too bad. He can figure the answer himself. His expression turns somber as a set of footsteps stop next to him. He doesn’t need to turn to know who it is, “Sul, what do you think you are doing?”

He swings his blade to the side, resting the point on the ground while his right hand is positioned horizontally across his chest. Blue sparks flicker between his fingertips as well as his hand on the handle, “The same as you, Ken,” his grip tightens while the sparks surge to both wrists, “fighting for my life!”

Convincing Sul to run would be a problem, he knows that much, “And leave Sele alone? She can hardly fight in her condition. Listen, I got the Novashadow pissed at me, but not the others.” He waits for a reply but gets nothing, “Sul, I know this is hard for you but-”

He stops as a second set of footsteps stops on his right, “No! I *Pant* am not leaving. It’s true *Pant* I’m tired,” she takes a moment to collect her breath, and straightens her posture the best she can while leaning away from her make-shift cane, “but,” the orb glowed again. Its light bright enough to surround the three in a shimmering aqua blue. The fire in her sky blue eyes returns as she raises the staff above her, “we promised we be a family. A real one! I’m not giving that up!”

Taking that stance as a spell casting, all heartless dashed to strike. The Novashadow was faster, and didn’t care if he crushed one or two under its feet as he became the head of the pack. Also the first claim as many hearts possible before the rest could get a chance.

“Libra!” The light around them shrunk until it enclosed each of them. They began feeling the magic inside of them shift. Ken felt how his decreased, but what remained is enough for one or two big spells. Sul didn’t find his magic change that much, perhaps he has more now but not much difference. Sele’s magic, much like Ken’s, fluctuated greatly, but the only difference is, she doesn’t feel as tired anymore.

By now, the Novashadow is nearly over them, “Monsoon!” She brought her staff down with an audible tap, and a flood burst from the ground and onto the heartless, destroying a few.

The water halted the giant even if it only reached up to its abdomen; the ones it summoned were pushed back when the current hit them.

However, the Novashadow raised a claw up, but Ken already noticed they’re within striking distance, “Magnet.”

His fingers parted from the plummet ever so slightly, but the arrow – changing from bright red to a dark violet – raced through the air with precision as the bow stayed still in his trained hand.

The arrow pierced the heartless between the eyes, flinging its head back as the rest of its body, and the monsoon was pulled upwards by the arrow’s strong gravity, slamming torrents of water that throw it to where all the heartless were carried.

The last wielder raises his sword high and holds it tight with both hands, “Limit Break!” His body became encompassed by an ethereal, flaming white aura . He didn’t waste a second as he cast his finisher, “Magnum Bolt!”

Yellow sparks course around the blade as it glows a bright blue. The glow becomes stronger, but the power its charging is shaking the sword even in his firm grasp, sending random bolts in the air that die only a feet of distance. He clenches his teeth and fights to regain control of his own attack.

Ken has summoned another arrow and pulled the string, “Any time now!” He becomes alarmed as the white glow from his previous arrow begins to fade, but not as much as watching the Novashadow, an arrowhead through its chest and the back of another poking between its eyes, rise to a sitting position.

You got to be kidding me! He kept most of his composure despite the impossible still existing with an arrow pierced a vital point. I hate to admit it, a corner of his lips bend down into a scowl, but he keeps being right even now.

“Iron Shot,” like before, he releases the arrow with a marksman’s skill, but it flashes from red to a solid silver.

It penetrates the heartless’s foot and through the ground as it tried to jump back up, making it collapse to a knee. The light began to dim out, and Gravity Arrow is a small candle in comparison, but before its body faded in the shadows, its unholy hiss echoes throughout the darkness.

Ken did catch a glimpse of the remaining Neoshadows getting up, “SUL!” He pulls the string with another arrow ready, and Sele can only lean on her staff for support, simply struggling to remain on her feet.

Sul struggled for a brief longer until the electricity focused solely around the blade; its glow matching the ethereal aura around his body. NOW! He swings the blade down and unleashes a beam, electricity coursing most of its surface, that expands until trees on ten meters in each side are shattered to dust.

The heartless are no fools, but they only got one step away on the grass soaked deeply with water.

Pain, the feeling they most react to, stuns them in place as the electricity only intensifies.

They writhe in place as light quickly surrounds them; the Novashadow, steel arrow casted aside, is capable to bend its head down to witness its end.

Spikes of lightning escape from Sul’s attack, striking random places far and near within the forest. Magnum Bolt’s destruction reached out an extra city block before stopping. Having reached its limit, its random destruction increased as the beam began to die out.

Its light and the electricity faded completely, and rain dominated sound once more. A long, wide trench, with the absence of the many similar trees that inhabit the forest, is the only proof that something of immense destruction passed through.

The caster hold his sword with trembling hands; his feet gave up on him, so he fell on his rump with his head hanging low. Weapon dissolving under a web of electricity spreading from the hilt of the weapon; its center shining yellow from an orb, revealing the color of the hilt, handle and blade as dark as a Shadow’s skin.

“This time *Pant* that had to get it. *Pant* This time *Pant* this time…” Sul’s voice trailed down into a whisper. Fatigue was winning a war against his stubbornness to remain awake, until his eyes shot open, and his hand clutched his chest, right above the heart.

Ken kept his eyes and ears on alert. Could never be too careful when death can hide in the shadows, but then he heard a ragged breathing from his left.

He took a short glance and wasn’t surprised to see Sul sitting, but he took a second one because he thought he saw something. The sight is more terrifying than the Novashadow surviving with an arrow between the eyes.

His bow and arrow dissipated in a wisp of flame, concentration lost at seeing a dark aura pulsing to life around Sul. His short, quick breaths are only consequential of the main problem.

He rushed over, dropping himself to a knee and grabbed his brother’s shoulder, “Sul! Don’t go to sleep!” No response, other than his eyelids lowering. Ken shook him lightly, not wanting to speed the process by accident, “Listen! Hey listen! LISTEN! You can’t lose control now!” Still no response, “Sele come!”

But she stood there, unable to move in her condition, and forced to watch how the first stages of the metamorphosis. She saw when it started, but her voice gave it out before she could tell Ken. Move. Sul needs you. My little brother needs me. So move. ...Move!

Her muscles send a wave of pain every time she tried to move them. The strain of hours of fighting and running finally becoming too much for her. Regardless, she kept her staff from disappearing, and focused the last of her magic into it.

One more spell…before I also fall asleep. Ken, I’m sorry, but please take care of us, especially Sul. He’s a heavy sleeper, and he doesn’t know it.

The orb lit sea blue once more. It’s a small kindle though, but it brightens as she prepares to cast the spell. Her eyes fluttered between closed and mid-open, until they opted for the former; her head begins to tip down and the light flickering out-

“Sele!” Ken’s sharp voice jolts her awake, drawing some unintended pain as her back straightened.

She winced, but Ken didn’t see that. He hadn’t even turned to see her groggy eyes, but could tell she was falling to sleep as her spell faded.

It rekindled with her now semi-conscious state, but her eyes, still uncooperative, swayed around lazily until something from the branch above caught her attention. She wonders if her mind is playing tricks on her, but the shadow under the branch looks darker than the rest for some reason. Her gaze drifts lower, but at the very corner of her vision, two yellow orbs appear from nothing.

It’s odd for her. She ganders at it for a bit longer out of curiosity; the haze in her tired mind only drawing sense that yellow shouldn’t be seen clearly in the shadows. They aren’t shining or its any type of faint light.

I…have to focus. I…is that moving? The two orbs moved in a set. Part of Sele’s mind warn her its staring at something; the rest is trying to understand how an inanimate object can stare.

She wanted to rub her eyes, but pain shot all throughout her arm, refusing to move the fingers curled around the staff. The pain is what she needs to snap into full awareness, and her world slowed as her instincts kicked in.

She could see the Neoshadow as it dropped over her brothers with claws extended. The spell she worked on isn’t for attack, but with a quick thought it turned into a big chunk of solid energy.

The heartless has its claws ready to sink into both of their heads, but it ignored the water mage on the side, having confirmed the spell is not harmful.

So it didn’t see her eyes wide and focused, nor the magic shot from her staff.

It – a white orb composed of light with flickering gold dust – collides where the heartless’s ribs should be, flinging it against the tree and shattering the bark into its rough image.

Ken, stopping his attempts to keep Sul awake, looks up to the sound of shattered wood, surprised to find a Neoshadow still existing and pressed against the tree by Sele’s magic.

Worry crossed his feature. Before he turned his head, the sphere flickered out first, then the heartless dissipated in a dark mist.

Sele fell to her knees; her staff glowing light blue as the last of her concentration crumbled, but the glow shredded the shadows around her, including the ones surrounding the Neoshadow.

The sight froze him for a second, but the Heartless took the chance to leap forward.

It has a clear path; its prey with no magic to retaliate, and the fire archer is in no position to attack.

DAMMIT! Cursing is all he could do. The fire in his hand wouldn’t expand into his bow in time, and even though she’s next to him, he isn’t fast enough to do anything.

Then a bright light blinded him. He closed his eyes and grunted in irritation, What now?! Another heartless?!

Strangely enough, he hears a puff of smoke in front. He shifts an arm over his eyes dares a small peek. Wherever the light is coming from has almost died down, I didn’t know shadows could use light magic.

When the light faded completely, his vision darkened to the point he could no longer see his arm in front of him. He could wait around half a minute for his eyes to get readjusted, but that would waste valuable time.

“Blue Flare,” true to the name, a blue flame burst in his hand. Illuminating fifty feet all around and casting long thin shadows from the trees before he tossed it up; it stayed hovering in the air. He could have used this before, but they were running from an enemy that normal or heavy attacks hardly had an effect on, and everything outside the light is a wall of impenetrable darkness. At least the thunderstorm provides occasional lighting through the destroyed canopy, a small side Ken doesn’t have to worry about for hiding enemies.

“That was the last of them.”

That’s something Ken would hope, problem is, that wasn’t Ken who said it.

He got up, turned towards the source of the noise and extended his left arm out with his hand in flames.

Once he faced the source, the fire arcs up and down, shaping into the bow and pulling the string when it sparked into existing. The arrow materialized before his fingers made contact, and is producing a small red glow as the fires die out.

The arrowhead is aiming at the center of…the thing’s face. The heartless is unlike anything he’s ever seen before, making him guess it came out of his lab.

Its head is round; ears as well but cartoonishly big. Not to mention those oval eyes that for reasons he can’t comprehend, show concern instead of an empty gaze. Its even got a muzzle of a mouse, including a round nose. Unlike a heartless, its dressed like a sentient being would. A jacket with short sleeves with a reversed zipper and a strap hanging on each side from his shoulders, and pants with a pouch on each leg. The last are those shoes which for Ken, look like they can hide big toes underneath. What a weird fashion, he thinks.

But he isn’t about to let appearances deceive him. “Stay back,” he spat with as much ferocity as possible. With Sul and Sele being easy targets, he will not be able to protect them if the heartless is as strong, or more, than the Novashadow.

That got a reaction from it, which is strange for Ken. It looked surprised for a moment, but brings both hands up as if surrendering-the right he’s holding an odd weapon. A sword with a square hilt around the handle, and the blade in shape of a long cylinder except for the end, resembling that to a crown.

It’s a bizarre shape alright, and that’s saying something from him. Regardless, that still has the aspects of a sword. Ken focused his magic on the arrow; the creature must have sensed it, because it something he didn’t expect. It talked.

“Wait. I’m here to help.” Its voice is a tad acute, yet soft. It almost made Ken lower his bow, almost.

“Very convenient you showed up on the last moment to safe us,” he countered. “When did he hire you, yesterday? I don’t care if you are some elite nanny, but you are not taking them back there.”

To say that the stranger is surprised might be an understatement, shocked is more fitting, but something caught his attention. It turned the mouse’s expression serious, prompting him to lower his hands. “For how long has he been fighting the darkness?”

Ken knows what the creature is talking about. It was a much needed reminder too.

He turns his gaze at Sul, arrow still in aim, but falters at seeing the dark aura grown to a five-inch thick mass. Small wasps of flame start coming off as Sul breathing slowed to a relaxed pace.

He nearly curls a fist on the fletchings of his arrow, and his teeth grind, DAMMIT! Why did I let my guard down!? Those things have been following us for hours! Of course a few had to escape!
That’s a disturbing thought. His head jerked up in realization before turning it left and right for heartless.

“There are no more heartless here. I made sure of it.” His gaze drew back to that mouse – or perhaps rat – thing. The creature spoke in a tranquil tone, as if trying to ease the tension in Ken’s mind.

His hands quivered; the bow is held midway up, but he can’t bring himself to take aim. Said he could help us. He takes a long glance at Sele. She’s still on her knees. Head hanging limply. Her hands firmly in front and supporting her.

He guesses she’s still awake, but being conscious is the best she can do in her state.

“Can you help him?”

He responds with a softer expression, “I will. I promise.”

Promise huh. …I will see.

He keeps a keen an eye on the mouse, especially for that strange weapon. He reaffirms his grip on the bow and the nock of the arrow.

The temptation to pull the string and take aim at the back of the mouse’s head is big. Had the stranger showed the least sign of hostility or resistance, he might have.

When the mouse gets behind Sul, with two feet of distance between them, he lifts his weapon with both hands and aims the end at the boy’s back.

He didn’t flinch when Ken took aim with killing intent in his eyes. “What are you doing?” Anger barely contained in his voice.

“If I don’t do something soon, the darkness will consume him entirely.”

“And you think I don’t know that. But how are you going to help him, by stabbing him on the back?”

This struck the stranger silent for a moment, Once he found his voice, his eyes met the archer’s “Y-You don’t know what a keyblade is?”

Now its Ken’s turn to ponder, “…So that’s how it looks like. I always thought the name was symbolic-”

The air became thicker to breathe as violet sparks surged around the dark aura.

They both turned at the same time to see electrical webs forming around it as a second shell.

Ken helplessly watched the completion of the first stage, knowing what comes next is Sele’s personal nightmare.

A bright light brings a flash of pain to his eyes. He dissipates the arrow and uses the hand for cover.

He can no longer see the mouse because of the light, even though he has a good idea of what he’s doing. As for Sul, the aura shrunk considerably and the sparks ceased instantly.

“What are you doing to him?” His rage abated, unless Sul shows any kind of pain.

“For now, I will lock the darkness inside-”

“Can’t you get rid of it?” He hastily interrupted.

The keyblade wielder didn’t avert his eyes from Sul as the caressing light is emitted from his weapon, “I don’t know how in tune he is with the darkness, but,” his expression turns somber, “that’s his decision to make.”

Behind the shade of his hand, he looks down on the grass, considering what the stranger just said. Then another question comes up, “Hey, what’s your name?”

At this, the mouse smiled; he even directed his gaze at Ken despite an arm being in the way, “I’m Mickey Mouse. A friend.”

Author's Note

My very first crossover. I gotta say, I'm very excited for how things turned out in this chapter. And what comes next (Edit: After the next chapter actually) is something I'm very comfortable in writing: a fight scene. The one you just read is a fight scene, but not one of the long ones I like to write so much.

With that said, I did try to get out of my comfort zone by adding Zecora and Lightning Dust into the story. It's true that, despite having major confrontations, ideas and scenes already in my head, I haven't planned the beginning to end in exact detail. So the direction I can take this story is still up in the air to be honest. ...And I like that. It's a challenge to myself so I can think of new ideas.

So, if you enjoyed how the prologue started, push that thumbs button, it helps out alot. And if the story interested you, keep an eye on the story then.

Until next time, have a good morning/afternoon/night.