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Within Daybreak Town there was a large castle complete with a clock tower. Behind this clock was a laboratory occupied by a woman cloaked in black. Her entire face and body were obscured, but she still waited. It seemed that she was waiting for someone in particular. On her desk were six copies of book one of them belonging to her, and the rest. Well, she sent out a message to have one of her students join her. A girl by the name of Masa. She'd continue to wait for this girl, and while she did... she continued working. "I suppose I really might disappear from this world..." she said to herself. Her hands furiously scribbling away on some random piece of paper.
Masa walked swiftly down the hallway as she adjusted her clothing, for just a moment ago she was doing her daily training. Normally she was a person to keep on schedule, but being summoned was something she could never ignore. She set the white hood upon her scarlet hair, and her white and gold unicorn mask over her golden eyes. She slowed to a stop in front of a large door. She made some final adjustments, before knocking on the door for permission to enter and place herself in front of her master
A few moments into her writing it seemed that the Master was meant to be joined by another. A singsong voice would come from the woman as she gave answer to the knock on her door. She even rose from her seat actually moving to open the door. The deviousness of this woman appearing in a brief moment as she spoke to the door. "I wonder... who could be knocking on my door?" she asked as she pulled it open standing in a small crack within the doorway. "Oh, it's you Masa~ To what do I owe the pleasure of a visit with you today?" she questioned as if she had no idea what this young woman was doing here. This was a said in a very convincing tone, it was as if the Master had completely forgotten that this young woman was supposed to be here.
Though her face couldn't be seen, she seemed to furrow her brow in curiosity about the singing coming from the other side of the door. Before her thoughts could trend further she head a voice followed by the opening of the door to see her master through the crack. At the sight of her master she bowed her head out of respect, she always greeted those of equal or stronger status in such a way so for the young girl this was normal.
"Master...you called for me." she replied, glancing at the person shrouded in black with some concern, it wasn't to be seen.
The Master found this girl's slight servitude to be somehow amusing. But the woman hidden in black didn't seem to want to say anything about it. No, in fact she wasn't even phased by this young woman's shock. The words, that she'd been summoned by the woman made her jump back, allowing the door to open a bit wider as she held an arm up in front of her person to demonstrate her surprise that she'd been the one to summon the girl wearing the unicorn mask. "Did I? Oh well... I don't want anything." she said reaching forward to slam the door in the young girl's face. After the thud was heard she'd wait a total of three seconds before opening it up again. "I'm kidding. Come in... I finally figured out what I need from you. And I have something for you... well technically a couple of somethings." she said moving away from the now open door to let the girl enter without any further teasing.
She watched her masters bizarre actions before having the door slam in her face. She could only be puzzled for a brief moment, before the door reopened, this time it'd seem her master was done toying with her. Though she'd served under her for quite sometime, the only thing she knew about her master is that she was unpredictable and outlandish. She let out a small sigh as she followed The Master into her office. As she walked she continued to listen as she was spoken to.
She perked up at the trail of her masters last sentence, "It would be an offer I'll be glad to accept." She stopped in the middle of the room to wait for a response.
"That's weird, you totally shouldn't accept before you know what it is." the Master spoke these words as she took her seat back in her chair then kicked up her feet, leaving the chair balancing on its back two legs. She seemed to have something she needed to discuss with the girl in the mask, and she'd get to it in due time. "To be honest... I could disappear. Fade into nothingness... without any notice." she said. These words were completely neutral from cloaked woman. Of course, she knew this would probably be shocking information for the scarlet haired young woman, she also knew for a fact that the girl could take it as a joke. "And when that happens you'll need this." she said. But there was much more to be discussed than that. Soon the cloaked woman held out her right hand in front of her materializing a Keyblade in a flash of light. This Keyblade was different; a white color pattern with a unicorn at its guard, a black handle, surrounded by cloud designs. It has Terra's Mark near its tip, and spiky teeth featuring a dark blue crescent. Its chain and trinket both share the star-like flower motif of its blade, and its trinket holds a Gazing Eye. "Take this. Go ahead, it won't bite. Quite the opposite most times~" she mentioned with a bit of a chuckle, as she waited for the girl to accept this inheritance.
The scarlet-haired child would choose not to give a reaction to the first bit her Master spoke, more so to keep from walking into another trick. Yet she could help but speak when the Master spoke of fading, though Masa knew better than to believe something so foolish. The young girl giggled, "You're the strongest of all...", she paused before finishing her sentence this time her tone was softer than before, "And even if you were to disappear, I'm sure all of us as a whole would notice." The stun from her Master's previous sentence was completely worn off before she was presented with a peculiar Keyblade. She locked eyes with it as if it were calling out to her.
Masa walked over to the Master, and hesitated a moment before grasping it in her hand. She held it up to get a better view of her gift. She couldn't even say words of thanks with how astonished she was at receiving such a valuable gift. She regained herself then spoke properly, "Master...I love it and I'm grateful but is this okay?" She didn't question this out of disrespect but out of slight disbelief. She gazed at the Keyblade for a moment before lowering her hand to her side. She turned her attention the Master once more, "Master?"
"Well, I mean... if you're gonna stroke my ego, I shouldn't stop you~" the Master chimed. She, realized that this girl and likely most of the others would think her the strongest of them and this was true. But in this moment there was still more to say. "Oh? Planning ahead to the just in case part? That's nice, it's good... it's kind of your job now anyways~" said the woman behind the cloak. "That's just like you Masa... hmm.. but we can't call you that now that you're officially a Master. Just like me...." she said as the girl looked over her gift, which was the crowning achievement of her day. Moving right along the girl seemed to wonder if she should accept the gift and the Master simply drew back both her hands in mock disbelief. "What? Of course you can accept it, if you didn't... then I'd have to keep it... I dun wanna." she said wiping away fake tears. "Though... I should be fair." the woman said as she allowed the weight of the chair to shift so that she'd fall forward and soon shift to her feet with no warning. "That Keyblade comes with a few perks and responsibilities." she mentioned as she began pacing.
"The responsibilities first, they're a bit annoying... you're a Master now... so you get a new name... let's call you... Ira. Yea... Master Ira. And Master Ira, it will be your responsibility to build a Union under the name of your Keyblade there, Unicornis. You also have to take this book." she said walking by her desk and picking up a copy which had a color motif which matched the girl's mask and had on the cover an interesting picture of multiple layered things and a unicorn insignia. "We'll call that , the Book of Prophecies. And you now have a copy. It tells the future... you can use it to help you better lead your union. It will tell you the future events of this place..." she said seemingly amused by the information. "Oh, and if I disappear. You'll be in charge of the others. So you gotta remember what's important. Keep the balance. No affiliations or alliances between different unions okay, you have to keep the power balanced. Think of it as a game which leads to friendly competition... but never co-operative, as far as unions are concerned. I am going to tell the others this too, but it's a necessity." she said the importance of that final point couldn't be stressed. "May your heart be your guiding key." she said with a bow to her newly crowned master. "Oh... any questions about all that stuff... it was kind of a lot I know. If you have none, you can totally just go, test out your new Keyblade, or read that book... I know you wanna."
Masa picked up the book listening to her Maters words. Other than the teasing she knew trying to argue would be pointless. She understood the word of the Master, after all she had been training for this day, yet she never thought of this. She flashed the Keybalde away, while gripping the book tightly to her chest she bowed. Though she was tempted to look through the book she giggled and replied before bowing again then departing, "As tempting as that is, I'd rather grow accustom to this Keyblade, after all a blade is worth more on the battlefield." and with this she took her leave, closing the door behind her.
As she walked she heard her Masters voice echo in her head as she play the words over and over again. She glanced down at the book in her hand one last time before making her way back to tell every one in her train group, her soon to be new union. The Unicornis.
It seemed the girl understood her place in life. Of course, the Master expected this, because the Master expected everything. Even so, she was happy apparently to see the girl take to her new role so well. Even so, she turned as the girl left, apparently to go and use her new Keyblade and begin building her Union. Now, the Master needed to call another. A blue haired man muscular and rather large. His motif that of a bear and coincidentally enough it was the next book in her stack. So a summons was sent out for a young man named, Akira and the Master would go back to her work, as she waited for this one to arrive as well. "It's a bit shameful, doing all this. But still... kinda fun." she said mostly to herself as the other girl had already left her presence.
Some time later, a great hulk of an adult male came wandering into the Master of Masters' study within the clock tower. His long blue locks cascaded over a coat which this man simply had draped over his bare torso, revealing an array of tribal tattoos along his form. As he stepped into the Master's study without any form of hesitance or announcement of his presence beforehand, he began stroking his goatee, wondering what these summons could have been for. "Master. You summoned me?" he asked. For one reason or another, this man showed no signs of wearing the robes and mask previously given to him, and simply approached the Master of Masters as a pedestrian of sorts.
"Oh?" the woman spun around in her chair as her next appointment entered the room without so much as announcing himself. Of course, the Master, expected this, and the playful woman couldn't help but comment on this. "No knocking for you, huh? No worries if the Master was indecent. I could have been exposed, Akira!~" she chided. Whether or not this was serious couldn't be said immediately. It seemed the woman was somewhat furious as she stood, and walked before this blue haired man. And then rather suddenly brought into laughter. "You grew a goatee, Akira?~ Well, I suppose I've seen worse, that's a nice piece of man-patch you got there. Are ya' aiming to impress, some special lady?" she finally asked. Of course this had nothing at all to do with what the woman wanted, but it was a conversation to be had. "Also your clothes and mask, are they at the cleaners?" She knew she'd given him robes just like the ones she'd given the others. As well as a mask, which he should now be wearing, after all, if he didn't do this... how would he be able to take his new title and role.
"... Master. What exactly would have been exposed on you? None of us even know what you look like," the man, apparently named Akira, stated. The habitual stroking of his goatee came to a halt when it was addressed by the Master, and though he intended to respond to her query, he was forced to pause again when she mentioned his robes and mask. "I err... no. Master, I've always had this. As for the clothes... I ripped them. They were too tight, and the mask didn't seem right without the rest. Sorry."
"That isn't exactly true." the Master said at the mention that no one knew what she looked like. There was at least one who knew, or would know what she looked like but that was another matter entirely. As she finally stood from her chair she began walking casually through her laboratory, checking on a couple of experiments which should be about ready by the time of her later afternoon arrangements. Of course, when it was stated that he already had the 'man-patch' she'd so recently brought into question she knew the answer about it. "Oh? Is that so... well, I never noticed before." she said of his facial hair incident. Before she had to address the issue with his clothing. His apology made her laugh, and a minor giggle soon erupted into a full on laugh session, complete with the cloaked woman clutching her side. As she imagined the state which would have caused the man to rip his robes. "Hahahahaha~" she started. "That's hilarious... might wanna lay off the workouts for a while." she said of the ripped robes as if they didn't matter. "Or you know... I could have given you your robes in the right size to begin with." she mentioned with a sudden seriousness which could be considered startling.
Still she walked back over to her work bench and picked up the robes for the man with the bear like personality and offered them up in a neatly folded pile. "I really didn't bring you here for these. But since you're here, you might as well have them." she said of the robes which she was going to replace at some point for the young man, so as not to let him suffer her deviousness. "I am going to miss doing stuff like this... when I fade. Or maybe I won't... don't really know what it's like yet." she said in an off-handed manner. Eventually, she'd have to get to why she summon this young man, and she would... in due time.
"... Eh?" he said after a brief pause. It was his understanding that the Master was nothing more than a silhouette to all who met her, including her own six pupils. To know that this was untrue was simply mind-boggling. "Wait, you mean one of us has seen you!? But I wanna!" he said. Soon after, he was gifted with a set of robes in their proper size, prompting him to discard the coat on his shoulders and don the robes instead. The mask of the bear, he pulled from his hip to wear when fitted with the robes to complete the ensemble. "Thanks, but... why didn't my old ones fit if you knew my size?" he inquired. There was a certain wideness gained in this man's eyes when the Master spoke of her possible, probable, but unsure disappearance in an unknown future, but he was honestly more confused than anything about this. "What do you mean fade? Have you been talking to the Moogles? Those guys will put weird stuff in your head, y'know?"
"Yes, one of you has, or will see me. And no it won't be you." she said with all the loving inclination of a true Master. "Also, you can want to do a lot of things... but it doesn't mean you can or should." said the woman about seeing her face at any point during this interaction or in the future. Of course, there was also the question of why his clothes didn't fit the first time, if she knew what his size was. A chuckle came from the woman. "I wanted you to rip them and then have to explain to me why you weren't wearing them. I had to be sure." she said... which was probably very strange. Moving right along, it seemed that this young man was also curious about what she said about fading, it made her twist her chair before she fell back into it. "Ah... well. One day I might just disappear. Ya' know... vanish without a trace. Nothing to be done about it... " she said with no real explanation as to how or why such a thing would happen. "But it's not all bad, if that happens, you'll need this..." she mentioned opening her hand in front of her and calling a Keyblade to it. Its handle is grayish-brown, much like the edge of the blade and the etching of a bear within its dark teal guard. The large blade on this Keyblade resembles the opening of a bear-like creature's mouth, and Terra's Mark can be seen along the side of the blade. Its Keychain consists of three red gems, and its token is a bulky talisman with a Gazing Eye inside. "Though... ya' gotta be nice if ya' get it. It comes with a task... well technically a couple of tasks." She mentioned this and then immediately continued for the coming questions. "You'll have to start the Ursus Union. Ya' know, gather yourself some like minded individuals, protect the balance and whatnot. No doing anything rash, like making unnecessary alliances with the other unions I am gonna have form. Ya' gotta be competative, but not co-operative. It's the only way to protect the balance. Also... you personally... you'll have to support your new leader, if I disappear. It's Masa... well... she's Master Ira now. If you accept... you'll be... Master Aced and I'll give you a book that will tell ya' the future. What'cha think?"
"Then who..." he began, only to let the thought fade. He was quite sure that, if the Master was being secretive about her appearance in any way, then she also wouldn't be revealing the name of the one person who knew. He had no clue why the woman wanted to fish out his admittance of tearing the undersized robes, but now that he had fitting ones, he didn't much care either. The Keyblade summoned by the Master had quite a bit of appeal as well, being one of an even heavier model than his, which he was sure had already been the largest to date. Such a thing fit perfectly into his preference, though it was still a bit surprising to discover that this was actually his new weapon. "That doesn't sound very likely, but..." No matter the chances of the Master's disappearance, he took the Keyblade in hand. This was done only for him to immediately hear the requirements that came with it, involving the creation of a Union separate from the others, and the supporting of a potential new leader in the form of a 16-year old girl. "Masa? Leader? Wouldn't someone like Sion make more sense? I mean, he's done so much already."
It seemed this young man was fine not questioning his robes any further and doubted the likelihood of the Master disappearing at all. She couldn't be so sure of this herself, but at the very least, she'd properly kept the young man before her from questioning her appearance any further. But she was met with a bit of resistance, if only to her choice in leader. To the Master's credit, she saw this one coming a mile away, and kicked her feet up onto her desk as she began to explain, crossing them at the ankles as her first syllables were uttered. "Look, I know all that Sion's done, and that's great. Really, I of all people can appreciate his work. But that kind of work and drive, don't necessarily make for good leadership. He could fall way too far into his research or studies to ever get anything done. And while, I am all for expansions of techniques I don't think he'd want to be tied to such a thing. I have a different role in mind for him, one I think he will prefer." she said of one of her more stellar students. "Besides, the young Master Ira, has plenty of qualities which will make her a good leader. She's spirited, thoughtful... and respectful. Something leaders have to be... to hear out everyone's opinion and make just decisions." she said with a knowing smile hidden in the shadows of her robe. She went about the next part of her explanation while allowing her arms to cross over her chest. "But... little Master Ira will need help, because though she is strong, her will to act is sometimes clouded by her respectful nature. She's young... and thus a bit inexperienced, but the best way to get that is on the job. She'll need someone like you to help push her forward from time to time... and keep her on the right track." mentioned the Master. "And who knows... if she falls too far to be picked back up... you may be required to step up and take her place. Which is of course, your true role as her supporter." the devious woman mentioned with the slightest hint of foreboding in her voice. "If you are even in doubt about it... may your heart be your guiding key, Master Aced." she added sitting back once more but extending one arm to offer the book she'd picked up... complete with a bear motif on the front and matching the robes this man had so recently donned. "Questions? Comments? Constructive criticisms... inconsolable lamenting over my impending doom?"
"Hmm. I guess that all makes sense. Then again, who am I to judge anyway?" the male asked in rhetoric. Having provided his opinion, and received the Master's in response, he understood the woman's will at the very least. All that remained was the understanding of his own role, which came with an additional kink that he wasn't quite fond of as a possibility. On the other hand, he felt he could fulfill this role somehow, so he took this book that apparently allowed one to know of the future. "I will do what I can, Master. And, no... I have no questions, nor do I think you'll be suffering any sort of doom. Farewell," he said, taking his leave of the Master's study thereafter.
"Aww, I really thought I'd get him with that one." she said as the newly crowned Master Aced left her presence. It would be then that a small noise would be heard, but she wouldn't acknowledge it. Instead she'd begin writing a new page in the middle of her own Book of Prophocies and while she waited, another of her apprentices would arrive. This one, was much more respectful than the one who'd been here previously. She had white hair hidden under a hood. She was wearing a white leopard mask and a pale yellow hooded cloak over a yellowish-tan robe, shirt, and sash, each with dark grey embroidering. Her shirt is worn beneath her cloak, is fastened by the sash, and has long sleeves that extend slightly past her wrists. The tassels on the front of the cloak are light blue in coloration. She'd knock on the door swiftly a couple of times. waiting to be acknowledged. "Come on in, Temperance~" the Master would speak causing this young woman to enter. This young woman would enter the room, and begin walking towards her Master as the woman furiously scribbled in the book. "What are you writing?" she asked as she peeked over the cloaked woman's shoulder. She had an innate curiosity about books and as such she wanted to see what was being written. This would cause the Master to turn around and playfully swat at the girl. "Uh-uh... no peeking~" she said while leaving a copy of the book open on a page she then ripped out much to the girl's dismay. "But Master? Why?" she asked. Seemingly stunned by the display. "Oh... well... that is for you. I have a copy of that book for you too... but... it doesn't have this page. This page is special. Still wanna read it?" she asked of the girl. Her green eyes, nearly glowed with excitement beneath the mask. "Of course..." she mentioned, which would cause the cloaked woman to hand it over. This would cause the girl, to immediately begin reading the page, scanning it for important information and what she read there she found... utterly disturbing. "Master? Is this really true? We are going to have someone among us... betray all of us?" she said. Such information about future events was quite dangerous indeed and she didn't know why the Master had bothered sharing it with her. "Of course it's true. I have a book here for you, called the Book of Prophecies. I've been handing it out to all of my pupils, without this page of course... but I gave it to you... because I have a special task for you." she offered young woman, while leaving her to dangle in suspense.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in town, a girl with raven tresses and dressed a bit like a deranged green feathered savage was walking about the streets. She didn't seem to have any particular aim written into her face. A face dotted with a single beauty mark under her left eye. There was something different about this girl, something which seemed a bit ominous, though she wasn't particularly powerful in any way. She was wandering a bit aimlessly but here, that seemed to be fine.
The black-haired lass walking around Daybreak Town was a strange sight to behold indeed. Nearby, there was a male figure clad in the same form of black coat worn by the Master of Masters, though there was the obvious presence of long, dark brown locks protruding from beneath the hood. This male sat upon the edge of a fountain in the middle of town, seeming to have nothing in particular catch his eye. Such was the case until the passing girl appeared, prompting him to raise his head and look in her direction for reasons unknown. 'Hmm...'
"Master, it isn't fair to leave me in this state." the young woman mentioned as she tried to hold back her potential excitement and wait for the coming explanation. The cloaked woman seemed to be a bit in a huff thereafter, finding it annoying that she'd been properly unable to get under the white haired young woman's skin. "Ah, I see. Just gonna not take my bait, hm? Gonna leave me to explain myself? That's kinda messed up Temperance... but... it's also the reason you were chosen for this task specifically." said the woman as she took great pause and reached outward with her empty right hand. In doing so she'd cause the appearance of a Keyblade, with a blue handle. It looked as if it was made for lightning based attacks and included a leopard head at its guard and a gazing eye attached to its Keychain. She held the glowing blade in the small girl's direction with her hand open. "Take it, it's yours and you'll need it." she said the girl eye it suspiciously, but she would not turn down a gift from her master. "Look, at some point in the future, there will be talks of treachery among the Unions. You'll be making one of those too, Leopardos if you hadn't noticed your own theme there." she said. "But I digress." she said as the girl inspected the Keyblade she'd taken. "You'll need to independently search for the person who is your traitor, and interpret the meaning of this book. That is your role, apart from running your Union and maintaining the balance. I am sure you'll be quite in love with the Book of Prophecies for quite a while. But remember, among your peers, you need to trust only yourself, as you obviously won't be the traitor. You're way too level headed for that. And remember to avoid alliances it will cause the entire system of balance to crumble. Okay?" she said to the girl who nodded her understanding of this situation. "I understand Master. I will do my best to look into this book. And I see by this page, that you might disappear, I hope that part isn't true. But if it is... I hope you find your way back." she mentioned as she banished her most recently acquired Keyblade and held the book tucked under one arm giving a bow. The Master, was amazed by this girl's astuteness and obviously this was why she was chosen for the task she'd been given. "Master Gula, that's your new name by the way. The one for your leadership, can't have everyone calling ya' by your good name. May your heart be your guiding key." said the Master as she finished up. "Yes, farewell Master." she said. Then the young woman then left a bit excitedly with the book and the Lost Page in hand. This would move the Master right along to the summoning of her next target, or rather another of her apprentices by the name of Hiro.
Meanwhile the girl crossed the main square and found a man sitting on the fountain there. She couldn't see him, his face was obscured by a dark cloak the likes of which she'd never seen before, but, that really wasn't her concern. No, what she saw, was tufts of long brown hair escaping the monotony of the darkness surrounding this young man's face. And it took only a moment for her purple eyes to begin searching for something in that darkness. Alas, she couldn't peer any further into it... 'Huh?' she mentally questioned. She could almost assume this man was staring back at her through the darkness, but... that couldn't be right? As such she simply kept up her pace, soon averting her gaze wondering about this single moment of contact.
Several moments after the raven-haired girl passed the hooded figure, she would find herself in the very same predicament. That same male figure would be sat before her again, looking in her direction the same way he had been before. In fact, she may or may not have noticed in this moment that the scenery was the same as well. Even though she had bypassed him at the fountain, her path would have somehow led back to the same location, whether she moved in a circular pattern or not...
It was during this period of time that another of the Master of Masters' apprentices approached the study. This one was male, clad in robes of both light and dark shades of blue, and with a blue snake mask upon his visage. He approached the door to the Master's study, which was ever so slightly open at his point of arrival. He hazarded a peek inside, making no moves to enter just yet, but not exactly knocking, either. "Hello? Master?"
The onyx haired young woman would soon enough find herself in a bit of a loop. She knew she'd looked at the cloaked figured, and that she'd walked on past, after not being able to discern anything but brown hair from the darkness of his visage. Even so, she knew something was off about what had just happened to her, but she couldn't quite place the sensation. She would look a bit confused, but still, get lost right in the darkness of the hood he wore. "What... was that?" she questioned outside of her head. But this time, she'd come to a stop in her walking, directly in front of this young man. Whatever had transpired here, she assumed it was his doing...
"Well, not exactly the most assertive entrance I've had today, but definitely not the most timid either." the Master said to the inquisitive greeting at her door. "Well, don't just stand outside, you're not going to get anything done out there." she said to the young man outside of her room. His name was Hiro and he wore the mask of the snake per the Master having given it to him in a time of meeting prior to this one. A smile crossed the woman's face as she turned to face him, her eyes darting over to one of her glowing test tubes in a few seconds a smile on her face. "I'm just gonna lay this on ya', I'm probably going to fade from existence soon. Nothing to be done about it by the way... you shouldn't worry." she said. "But when I'm gone... there will be no one to watch over the others... so I'll need you to do that for me." she said sounding pretty happy about it. She extended her hand, calling to her person, a long Keyblade of an outlandish look. "You're a master now too, Hiro, and as such you gotta take this task... and a this Keyblade, 'cause... graduation gift. Oh and the name Invi, Master Invi, sounds really cool. Kinda mysterious." said the woman happily apparently. Seeming to have completely forgotten that she'd basically just told this young man that she was going to die sometime soon.
It seemed this individual had realized what had occurred to her, at least in some sense of the thought. While true, her current experience was the fault of the young man before her, it was interesting that she had caught wind of the strangeness in any way. When he looked up at this girl more directly, the lower half of his face escaped the shadow of the black coat's hood, showcasing the smirk he wore. "What could you possibly mean?"
"Oh... Apologies, Master. I didn't want to barge in, but the door was already open," said the young Master named Hiro as he entered, as per the woman's request. His attention was soon brought to a glowing test tube when his Master's head turned in the direction of the item, and though he had no clue what it was for, he was colored a bit curious. More importantly, though, was the task being given to him at this very moment. "I'm sorry... you want me... to watch everyone? Because you're going to just up and vanish? And you're offering me a Keyblade and a new name? How exactly is that supposed to... oh," he concluded. It took some time, but Hiro, or rather, Invi, managed to catch up to speed on things in the end. "This isn't just a me thing, is it? You want me and others to do this sort of thing. Like... an organization or something like that, right?"
The raven haired young woman was standing before the young man at the fountain, finally able to catch just a piece of his visage that wasn't his hair. But the smirk he had on his visible lower face, combined with his question was something that she didn't expect. Such a reaction was rather confusing for the lass, because she could feel almost certain of what she was thinking, even if her mind felt a bit muddled by the movement of time around her. It wasn't a conscious thought, it simply felt like something she'd done before. "I... don't know. I... just feel like I did this before... but it didn't turn out this way. It's strange." she said as if she was severely confused. "Sorry, I know that sounded weird." the girl finished up. She didn't really know what to say to the cloaked figure, but she knew somehow that they were similar perhaps.
Meanwhile the Master was busy discussing future arrangements with a man she'd recently renamed Invi. "No need to apologize. It was left that way on purpose, I wanted to see what you'd do." the Master said. Such was her playful and ever so slightly mischievous way. The following apology was for his understanding of the situation. Of course, this woman knew that was coming as well, along with the young man's ability to reason out why this situation existed. Soon enough the woman was turning, clapping her hands together around the handle of the Keyblade the young man had yet to take. "Bravo, Master Invi. I knew you'd be able to figure it out." she said and her voice seemed so cheerful it was almost wrong. "Yes, I have already given or am going to give the rest of my direct apprentices tasks while you all become Masters this day. Don't worry though I know you'll be able to complete your task well. I want you to observe the events taking place... but that doesn't mean you should just hold on to whatever you learn. Whatever you do... you should be fair in how you present the information, both to the other Masters and to yourself." she said offering the Keyblade once more. "Oh and I got a book for you that will tell you the future, call it the Book of Prophecies. You guys are all getting a copy, to help you build your unions, yours will be Anguis. Go and find you some like minded Keyblade wielders to join it, but remember, that you can't align yourself with any of the other Masters. Your presences to retain balance have to be friendly competative, but never co-operative. It will disrupt the balance..." mentioned the Master. "And if you find yourself in doubt Master Invi... May your heart be your guiding key."
"Deja vu is strange that way, isn't it?" the young man asked rhetorically. Of course, he knew exactly what happened to the girl, but he wished to bait out the full reaction from her before admitting to anything. "Maybe you did do this before. Maybe you'll do it again, or maybe you haven't done it yet. I like your Keyblade, by the way," he said, in spite of never meeting this girl or seeing the alleged Keyblade she wielded.
"Oh... alright. I hope my reaction was to your liking, then..." was the retort of the silver-haired male. With the second offering of the Anguis Keyblade, the man who would now apparently be known as Invi stepped forward to claim it. He held it in his left hand, and it somehow felt right; more so than the Keyblade he had been provided with originally. With this, also came confirmation of his quick theory, and even more regarding the Book of Prophecies as it were. "Book of Prophecies? Do we really need to know the future?" he asked, only to go more in depth when given the stipulation that these Unions be kept totally separate. "And... we have balance now, don't we? Wouldn't keeping these Unions divided for competition just create an imbalance in the long run?"
"I suppose." the girl stated a gloved and feathered hand coming over her face as she tried to reason through what had happened. This was a very strange sensation and she wasn't sure why it existed in the first place. She surmised that it wasn't uncommon to have a random feeling that you'd already done something, even so she couldn't help but feel like she was being lead down a particular path. Still the words of this young man made the girl's eyes widen to the point of shock. She'd never encountered him before this moment, what could he possibly know of her Keyblade. "My... Keyblade?" she questioned resisting the urge to make it appear. Most people weren't fond of the look her Keyblade had, they found it foreboding. "No one likes my Keyblade... and I've never seen you before, so it isn't possible that you've seen it." she said a bit stunned. "You... you're the reason I felt deja vu..." the girl reasoned. But it made her curious about whether this boy would actually like her Keyblade or not if he actually saw it. There was a moment in this where she felt a tiny bit like challenging the man before her, perhaps it was a tiny bit dark, perhaps she wanted to see if he would really accept his 'liking' of her Keyblade. As such she held out her right hand and when she did, pinkish energy seemed to push until she materialized her Keyblade, a black thorny thing with a glowing heart near its teeth. She held it there seeming to want to watch his reaction to this thing that was basically the embodiment of her heart.
"It was at the very least to my expectations. Nothing to worry about~" the Master relayed about the boy's entrance. Moving right along, it seemed that Master Invi was among the more clever of individuals. Questioning their need to know the future. "There are some important bits in there, you all might need. If you don't have them... worse things happen." mentioned the Master about the nature of knowing the future. "It's also a way to maintain the balance. You all have access to the same information, the only difference made will be what you do with it." she said spinning around in her chair after the Keyblade was accepted. The young man know the leader of the Anguis Union seemed to be curious about why keeping the unions separate was necessary to keep the balance. "Because, right now there are 7 of us... and keeping the balance is easy, everyone balances around me. But when I am gone, that won't be the case... and when it's not the case... you all stirring up power of your unions, and combining them, could cause the hunger for more power. Then... the balance falls apart and War happens." said the Master. Her voice was simply matter of fact. "So, keep them separate, have competition, but no co-operation, co-operation leads to consolidation and when that happens one of you might do something you shouldn't. It has to be accounted for, which is why... you're needed to watch everyone with a fair eye, in my absence. To help balance everyone out. You see?" she asked as her experiment in the corner seemed to be reaching a fever pitch.
The young man's smirk stretched wider when this girl spoke of never meeting him, and vice versa. "Sure you have. We've met three times now, Kairos," he stated. The girl quickly came to the conclusion that the deja vu sensation she had was his doing, which was an accurate assumption to make. But then, she fed directly into the cycle, just as she had done already... or would do again and for the first time. "Plenty of people like your Keyblade. You've met them... or will," he commented. Without further ado, he rose from his seat on the fountain, holding out his right hand to produce a glowing blue light which gave way to his Keyblade. This Keyblade possessed an ethereal glow about it, and a clock face at its tip. His grin grew toothier as he lunged forward, lashing out at the girl with his Keyblade. If she chose to block this strike with her own weapon, she would strangely find herself standing in the very same position she had been originally, first seeing this man in his position at the fountain.
"... Yes, Master. I understand," Invi said to voice his sense of clarity over the need for this Book of Prophecies. He could also clearly follow the woman's logic behind the separation of Unions, though he saw the potential for it falling apart even with her plan. Then again, with these roles falling into order, perhaps the Master had set in place some contingency plan of sorts. Such would be expected of the prestigious, albeit strange woman. "I will observe to the best of my ability. To be honest, I've kind of been doing that anyway."
"You know my name?" the girl seemed stunned. She could swear she'd never spoken to this young man before in her life. This entire scenario was just getting stranger and stranger by the moment. There was more to this than she understood and perhaps there was a reason for that which she would come to understand at a later time. Even so, she'd brought forth her Keyblade to show him, that which he had already seen, and hadn't seen... but in doing so, she caused him to do the same. She looked upon his Keyblade and found it strange. As he attacked she commented, "It really is you... I like your Keyblade too." she said, finding his toothy grin a bit unnerving. Not that it really mattered, because as she went to block the coming strike, she'd soon find herself...
The Master was still chatting up the new Master Invi who seemed to have caught on to her ultimate plan. A grin crossed the hooded woman's face as she finally went to check on her experiment, which turned out to be, a small cat with a strange symbol on its back trapped inside a tube. "You don't have to just observe, Master Invi. Remember, having a bunch of information is completely useless, if you never do anything with it." she said with a knowing nod of that black hooded head. "If you are ever in doubt, May your heart be your guiding key." she said, both as a bit of advice and a way to dismiss the young man as she tapped on the glass of the jar and waited for the arrival of her next apprentice. A pink haired girl by the name of Kousagi had also been summoned and by the time she arrived she'd simply open the Master's door taking a look at the small cat in the jar and being stunned by it. "Oooh!! Master... you made a little creature. It's super cute... can I have it?" she asked seeming to care about keeping the small creature. This would only cause laughter from the master, while... another situation seemed to be playing out elsewhere in town.
Walking by the fountain again, staring at a strange young man whose brown hair was sticking out around the corners of a dark hood. This time, she felt even more like she'd done it before. Her initial curiosity and the feeling of deja vu led her to do something strange this time when she stopped before the young man. She'd extend her hand in greeting and offer something strange. "I... think I've done this before." she said shaking away the sensation of having the same interaction multiple times, she went with something different. "Hi, I'm Kairos." she said as she stared into the blackness of his hood.
"Understood. Thank you, Master," said Invi. With a bow, he held his Keyblade at his left side, and the Book of Prophecies against his chest with his right arm. Taking the woman's final words as his dismissal, he rose from his bow only to turn and leave the Master's study.
In the middle of town, the hooded man watched the approach of this girl named Kairos, who seemed to be having a very peculiar experience at the time. Here they were, in their very first moment of meeting again(?) with the girl introducing herself. Smiling, the cloaked figure raised his right hand to meet hers. "Nice to meet you, Kairos. My name is Sion," he said, behaving as if nothing was amiss.
The little girl in her fox mask and pink robes seemed to be very excited, and the Master couldn't help but be amused by her desire to have this little creature. "Oh, this little guy, he's a Chirithy. I am making them for all of you, and they'll bond with you Keyblade Wielders and be your companions. They are pretty neat~" said the Master as she danced around breaking the glass to release the small guy inside. "And this one is for you, but everyone else will have them too." she said. The girl, seemed to be excited. "Aww thank you Master." she said as she picked up the small cat creature and hugged it. Seeming to be content to walk off with it. "Oi! I didn't call you here just to give you that... I have to leave something with you too." she said seeming to cause confusion in the girl. "What? More stuff? Really?" it seemed the girl was quite fond of gifts but very kind and likely pure hearted as a result. "Yes, but the other gifts come with responsibilities. One of the biggest... and the next bit of info is pretty heavy so you might wanna sit down." she said. The girl seemed to take this random seriousness from her master with the utmost caution. "Master, is everything okay?" she asked seemingly very distressed. "Someday... I'm going to fade, and when I do... the balance between the rest of you will need to be kept." said the Master. "So have this." she said standing in front of the girl and opening her right hand, causing a light burst which would create a Keyblade which was frilly and rainbow covered the small girl immediately reached out to take it, finding its weight to be amazing and perfect. "Alright, now you're going to run a union, Master Ava." she said the girl looked confused. "Oh, I changed your names too. Your other friends have their assignments, and you have this one, but there is a little extra for you." she said seeming to peak the girl's interest. "What do you mean?" she said. As she banished this new Keyblade the Master walked around finding a book complete with a fox motif on the front. "You're now Master Ava, the leader of the Vulpes Union, but that doesn't really matter, because the unions will fail. I am telling you this, because you're the backup for the future. Collect yourself some keyblade wielders of promise. Train them in a secret location and when the inevitable happens, when you have no other choice. Send them off to other worlds, to preserve the light and protect the balance. Don't concern yourself with alliances or co-operation, this will lead to a power vacuum." she said as the girl looked at the book. Immediately there was discontent. "But, Master... I don't think I should do that sort of thing... it doesn't seem like it will work out. And why prepare for the worst, can't you just stop this inevitable thing instead?" she questioned. "Stopping the inevitable, doesn't seem like a good idea... you can't worry about things you know will happen, you can only try and do something about those you can't. Though if you plan to try you should remember what I said about cooperation, because that will be the thing that makes the spiral downward happen. And don't worry, you're the only one who can do this job, my little collector~" the Master mentioned in a singsong voice. The young girl was set at ease by this. "Use the book, find what you need... and gather your little Dandelions that they might be carried by the breeze. And if you are ever in doubt that what you do is right, May your heart be your guiding key." she mentioned which was her way of dismissing the girl. She stood then... having never been addressed by her name. "If it is what you wish Master, I will follow your teachings and maintain the balance. I hope you don't disappear though... we need you." the girl said. "Farewell." the girl said, and with that all of the extra books had disappeared from the Master's desk, but... she had one more apprentice and he was soon to arrive as well.
Meanwhile in the town square at the fountain the girl named Kairos was meeting a man for what was simultaneously the first and third time. Her heart, felt strange, like she knew this situation but she didn't at the same time. Instead of dwelling too much upon it, she took the young man's name and his extended hand which met her own. "I don't know what is happening right now... but I feel like we're friends. Sion." the girl mentioned. This was a strange instance but she supposed there were weirder things than the feeling of knowing someone you were meeting for the first time.
"Do you? That's interesting, since we've never met before," the young man stated. He seemed to have legitimately never met this girl, despite this being their third interaction over the past few minutes. Or perhaps, this was actually the first. As he released his hold on her hand, he continued his response to her notions of friendship. "If you'd like to be friends, though, I'd be perfectly alright with that. Maybe you could even help me out. I have something I need to do, but first..." Once again, or rather, for the first time, Sion called forth his clock-themed glowing Keyblade. "This might sound strange, but this Keyblade of mine has the ability to rewind time. If you could just... tap your Keyblade against it, I think I can rewind time around us. I might mess up, though. I could end up just sending you back, or just myself back... or maybe even send both of us in opposite directions. But..."
Kairos looked astounded when the young man before her claimed they'd never met before. She could almost swear this wasn't true, she felt deep down that she knew this young man and she couldn't quite figure out why this was. Then there was the matter of him, bringing forth his Keyblade, an interesting mashup of a clockwork theme, which he claimed had the ability to manipulate time around them. He wanted to test this and Kairos didn't have anything else to do. "Well, my Keyblade is quite... strange. But if you think it will help." she held out her right hand creating a black thorn Keyblade with a heart caught in its teeth. It was bathed in a pink light but it still seemed just a bit ominous. "Just a tap... right?" she asked in confirmation of what she needed to do to help the boy with his experiment. As such she'd cause their Keyblades to clash once more to an unknown effect. Given the gravity of this situation, one might consider that it would be a bad thing to play around with time in such a way, but... Kairos felt like it was something she should do.
"That's fine. Mine is a bit strange too," he replied. He wasn't sure about others, but he knew his Keyblade's ability belonged to a strange classification, in its ability to alter the physical state of things around it in a certain way. When he saw this strange Keyblade of Kairos', his eyes widened. He rather quickly made an assumption about this. "Oh! Yours affects hearts, too?" he asked. "This should be interesting then. I think you'll be able to keep a full memory of what's happening if you try." With that, Kairos' Keyblade tapped against his, triggering its ability with the action. "Whoops!" he said as a barrier engulfed the two, then began closing in on Sion alone. He disappeared in that moment, seeming to have been the only one affected by this rewind.
At that precise moment, though, Sion appeared within the Master's study via means that seemed to be teleportation. He would be found suddenly sitting at the edge of the woman's desk with his Keyblade in hand. 'Hmm. I sent just her back that time. And right in time to meet with the Master,' he thought. Now that he thought about it, he knew how to make his Keyblade work to such an extent at all times, creating an entirely new personal development for the young man. His Keyblade had always been able to affect time, but never feats such as this until now. "Good evening, Master. You... have summoned me already, right?"
In this clash, at the end, Sion disappeared. And in this moment, Kairos completely understood what had occurred between them. In their earlier meetings for her, she'd been the one sent back in time alone, and then they'd been sent back together to properly greet each other and start the events which would lead to this conversation. "Yes. It does affect hearts. These are... supposed to be rare. If you have one too, no wonder it feels strange." she mentioned as their clash took place. The ability of this young man's Keyblade was indeed amazing. And as she stood now alone she was a bit confused, looking down at her Keyblade in her hand. 'That is an amazing ability, but mine... doesn't do anything nearly that friendly.' the girl thought as she banished her own Keyblade and thought to walk away.
Meanwhile this time, Sion found himself in the Master's Study directly atop the woman's desk. She looked up from her seat as if she wasn't surprised and looked first to his Keyblade and then to him. "Been playing around with time again, haven't ya' Sion?" she asked in a way which was strictly rhetorical. "Good thing I've already gotten rid of all of the books or this would be a really interesting mess." the Master mentioned as she stood up from her seat and looked to the young man now on her desk. "But yes, I definitely already summoned you. I'm going to fade from this world Sion..." she mentioned as if she was discussing the weather while staring out of the window.
"Just a bit," he said while looking at his Keyblade. "I realized today that I can rewind time around me. I played around with it while I worked out the kinks." Apparently, the Master thought... or rather, knew that she would be disappearing at some point. Sion was more surprised by the fact that she spoke as if this was a given than the idea of it happening. If she knew, then there had to be a reason. "Alright. Why, and where to?"
"Well as long as you are having fun." the Master said of the boy's apparent activities for the day. Moving right along, this young man didn't seem particularly depressed about her potentially disappearing from this world. The questions he asked thereafter made the woman scoff. "Really? No crying? Mourning my potential doom? Gosh you kids really..." she paused deciding not to pursue that line of thought. "Whatever, I don't actually know the answer to either of those questions. It's just a thing that is going to happen, or rather it is more likely than it's not. I mean... I might not disappear, but I might. But before it happens, I need all of you to do what you gotta do to keep the world going and balanced." she mentioned. As she began speaking, she began pacing her office, where the boy still presumably stood on her desk. "The other five of my apprentices have already been here today. They've been given the Book of Prophecy and new names, new Keyblades more suited to them and roles... to play for when I am gone. Most haven't begun reading yet, but when they do... they will realize something I am going to share with you now~"