-----(Amir)-----
Island 9, also known simply as the Heart Forge.
When I first read about this island, I thought the name was given because the entire city came from the Kingdom Hearts universe, but I was wrong.
The name represents two things. The first is its ability to forge weapons that specifically fit the wielder, a weapon tied directly to their soul, or heart. The second, I will come back to later.
The one thing that distinguishes this island from the others is that it is just a forge. As in, the entire thing is a forge capable of pumping out weapon after weapon with ease, and those weapons are not low quality either. Trust me, I checked.
Even a weapon from the simpler forges of the island is strong enough to split a table in half without any power being put behind it. I'm guessing the reason it was produced in the first level forges was due to its lack of magic.
And isn't that just terrifying? A regular, ordinary, good old sword cutting through a table like it was tofu, without a single enchantment.
When I saw that, the only thing I could think was…
What in the flying fuck? How the…
Yeah, it was not my greatest moment, but I believe it was definitely warranted. I do not know what materials these weapons are made from, so maybe labeling them as ordinary swords is a lie, but I don't think even the Excaliburs were capable of that, and if they are, then I have never seen it showcased.
I continued walking toward the edge of the Central Island, weaving between the buildings as Larxene and Marluxia followed behind me, their usual silence making the walk far more tense.
Exhaling, I allowed myself to fall back into thought.
In reality, all I know about the island comes from books. During my three months of training in the simulation grounds, I visited every island except two, simply due to a lack of interest. Those two were Island 9 and Island 11. The first was the one I was heading to now, and the second was currently useless.
The islands are also fairly spaced out, so the only things visible from the closer islands to the Heart Forge were the iconic white marble and an orange red liquid, which I assumed to be molten steel, flowing outward.
I continued forward for a few more minutes before finally reaching the edge of Central Island. The same endless ocean that I had grown used to seeing each time I woke up stretched endlessly ahead, hiding everything beneath its depths. The only thing visible was my destination. The view had not changed at all, still the same white stone accented by scorching orange.
Why is there no steam?
I shook my head, trying to reorganize my thoughts, something I had been doing a lot lately, before focusing once more.
I willed a path to appear and watched as a golden symbol formed in the air before me. An anvil and hammer appeared, with the number IX floating above them, a safeguard meant to ensure that only those deemed trustworthy could enter.
I reached forward and placed my hand on the symbol, feeling it scan me before it vanished, replaced by a massive golden illusory bridge.
This bridge was the only way to reach the other islands. Despite appearing close enough to fly to, the dimension itself expanded space to such a degree that reaching them directly would require light speed. The bridge acted as a substitute, doing the opposite by cutting space itself, making each step equal to thousands.
I looked toward the island once more and continued forward, a modicum of tension and a lifetime's worth of excitement bursting in my chest.
-----(Switch)-----
I could not believe my eyes, and I could not even trust my own skin.
A sun.
And not the artificial one hanging high in the sky, no.
A literal sun came into view as I drew closer to the Heart Forge. Heat waves radiated from it, making my skin burn.
The second reason it is called the Heart Forge is because....
'At its center, lies a core that beats like a heart, ushering creations meant for destruction.'
That book had been far more straightforward than I thought. It was not an exaggeration at all, but the pure, unfiltered truth.
Before me stood what looked like a palace crafted from both Roman and Indian architecture. Molten steel flowed out from the front gate and several surrounding towers, giving it a demonic air that should not have fit a place like Scala ad Caelum, yet somehow did. But the crowning piece was unmistakable.
A sun, a miniature one, beating rhythmically behind some form of transparent glass. A ray of pure heat shot outward, pointing toward a plaza that became clearer as I continued walking.
I climbed the stairs, the other two still following behind me as if nothing was out of the ordinary, their eyes fixed on the plaza.
It took only seconds to reach it, and when we did, I realized that the concentrated heat, which I no longer felt thanks to some kind of barrier surrounding our bodies, was focused on a target shaped mechanism connected by pipes to a massive cauldron. Inside it melted what looked like one of the meteorites from the Gummi Ship minigame in KH3.
Ah… so that is the material being used. Some form of meteoric iron, or at least, that's what I assume it's called.
I took a moment to absorb everything before turning to Larxene and asking the question I knew would lead to something grand.
"How do I activate it?"
She stepped forward and placed her hand on a book resting atop a lectern positioned directly in front of the massive window, so close to the core that the book itself if it was normal would probably be ashes by now. The pages of the book began to flip and it soon landed on a page where a sketch resemble her signature weapons, Foudre, was drawn.
She motioned to me first, toward herself, then toward the stand. I followed her lead, placing my hand on the book as its pages flipped rapidly before stopping on a blank one.
Lines began forming on the page as a weapon took shape, and moments later, it was complete.
I recognized it immediately.
Ends of the Earth.
The Keyblade wielded by the Lingering Will, or Terra, depending on how one looked at it. A Keyblade known not only for its raw power, but also its sheer versatility.
I was ecstatic. I wanted to scream in joy.
But something felt wrong.
This was Terra's blade, not mine.
How could a weapon meant to be tied only to me belong to another?
The moment that thought finished forming, the lines shifted once more. The bright blue handle darkened into deep purple. The bronze that gave the blade its iconic earthen look shifted into dazzling silver. Finally, the golden lines that once marked its form vanished, replaced by cracks running along the blade, colored the same pink as my hair.
As if satisfied, the book slammed shut with a loud thump, followed by the sound of turning gears echoing throughout the forge.
The entire structure came alive, gears, pumps, and mechanical parts moving in unison as magic symbols lit up all around us.
The combined light of the symbols and the glowing molten steel intensified rapidly until a flash of white overwhelmed my vision, forcing a groan from my throat.
I rubbed my eyes a bit too roughly and slowly opened them, letting the white spots fade.
When my vision returned, I saw it.
The same blade drawn on the pages now floated before me.
The world seemed to vanish as my gaze traced along the weapon that would accompany me for the rest of my life.
I slowly raised my hand and wrapped my fingers around the hilt. Strength and mana surged through my body like a tsunami, making my former self feel like nothing more than an ant.
This is insane. This is…
"Perfect. I cannot keep calling you by your old name, so now you need a new one."
I lifted my head, my thoughts racing, until my eyes landed on a lone cloud drifting across the sky.
The sky. That's it.
"Your true name will represent myself and my ambition, the one my heart calls out to. Your name will be…"
…
…
Fractured Skies."
{A/N: Hey guys, came back from hiatus as you guys can see. I'm really sorry if the chapter wasn't of as high quality as before but I'm a bit rusty. I'll try and get back to stander as soon as possible. Thank you all for the waiting and the support and see y'all next time.}