Fandom Kingdom Hearts: Fade Into Light

[ReaperMelia]

Keyblade Wielder,
Over the years, you've proven your skills as a defender of the peace through your missions and training. As you know, the Keyblade Coalition goes to great lengths to prepare its students for any emergencies that may arise and ensure the myriad worlds are safe. While we've only faced smaller threats over the last few decades, a storm seems to be brewing on the horizon. I'm sure you've heard rumors of the Luminaries, a group of extremists fighting to upset the balance between light and dark in the belief that darkness will only bring harm. The Coalition knows that what truly matters is the way in which one uses their powers, not from where those powers are derived. We have been investigating this situation, but we believe a more thorough approach is necessary.

You have been selected to travel the worlds with a team of your fellow wielders to uncover the truth of the Luminaries and put an end to their rampage throughout the worlds. I understand that this may seem like a daunting task, but we have carefully taken note of your experience and talents in order to come to the conclusion that you are more than capable of handling this threat. This is no ordinary mission; it will also serve as your Mark of Mastery exam. I have full confidence that you will succeed and restore balance to the worlds. Please meet me in the Great Hall tomorrow at noon so we can discuss the details of this exam with the others who have been assigned to this mission.

Master Katrina

Land of Departure

Dawn Caelum
A letter regarding a Keyblade student's Mark of Mastery exam would normally be a source of excitement for the receiver. For Dawn, however, it was more of a source of anxiety than anything else. Was she really cut out for this? Sure, she had grown a lot the last few years, but she still didn't feel like she was master material. The letter had led to a restless night wondering if they had accidentally sent it to the wrong person or if she wouldn't be able to live up to the expectations placed on her. Of course, there was one thing that led her to decide she had to go through with this anyway... the mystery of the Luminaries. She had done all the research she could on the rumors regarding this mysterious organization, desperately hoping they would lead her to her sister... Maybe this test was an opportunity to finally reunite with Allitt. There was only one way to find out.

Before leaving her apartment, she took a moment to make sure she had everything she needed. Potions? Check. Ingredients in case she needed to brew any more? Check. Gummiphone? Check. Once everything had been triple-checked in her bag, she hurried out the door. While the Land of Departure had been a rather solitary world housing just Master Eraqus and his three students in the past, the decision to make it the new headquarters for the Coalition led to some additions to its space. The twin spires the castle was chained to now served as the foundation for homes, stores, and additional facilities. A roadway gradually spiraled down each spire, and these buildings were built right alongside the solid stone structures themselves. Dawn ran her way down the winding path, eventually reaching one of the new walkways connecting the spires to the castle. The wind whipped her hair around as she dashed along the walkway. She still had plenty of time, but Dawn was the type to try to arrive early just in case something happened to slow her down.

Once she arrived in the forecourt, Dawn gazed up at the massive castle before her. Its architecture had remained untouched since the world's restoration, but one half of the castle had been repainted black and gray. The original white and gold colors mixed with the black and gray in the center, symbolizing the newfound unity between light and dark wielders. She rushed inside and began making her way to the Great Hall. While the castle seemed like a twisted labyrinth when she first arrived at this world, she had grown accustomed to its odd layout over the years and knew it like the back of her hand at this point. She made her way through the winding halls, eventually reaching the large door that opened into the Great Hall.

While the room had once been the location of the Mark of Mastery exam that ended in Master Aqua's promotion, it was now commonly used as an assembly room for the Coalition. Its large size made it easy for wielders and their allies to gather and discuss important matters. While the three thrones still remained, a large conference table surrounded by chairs was now situated in the center of the room. Dawn admittedly felt a bit unnerved by being in such a large space all by herself. She had never seen the room so... empty. She paused for a moment to catch her breath; all that running had been a little unnecessary given how early she was. Dawn then strolled over to the table and claimed a chair, placing her bag up on the table in front of her before taking a seat. The anxiety was starting to settle back in now that she was here... What would this mission entail? Did the masters learn anything about her sister's whereabouts? Was her sister really with the Luminaries? The wait for answers was excruciating, but waiting was all she could do.

 

[Shoya]

Ayanami
Interaction: ReaperMelia (Dawn)​

Ayanami was admittingly confused by her task at first. I mean, they knew her past. She was created to protect light, not fight against it. It's not like she agreed with the Luminaries or agreed with their ideal, but it was still rather conflicting to use her power to fight light. In her brain, she could only think of it one way. She had to fight light to protect it. After all, the bigger the light, the bigger the shadow. Maintaining a balance ensured there would be no extremes, thus keeping everyone safe.

Maybe this is why they assigned me this task?

There was also the matter of her new companions. It admittingly worried her. Up until now she had managed to do her training and tasks with minimal communication with humans, but now she was forced to join a group? It gave her anxiety. Was she really worthy of such an important task? Standing alongside humans, real people, to defend the balance? Still, she packed the few things she had, being just her gummiphone and an emergency potion. She walks out, rehearsing to herself what she would do when arriving. With this being her mark of mastery exam, she had to focus. Facing fears is not only part of being a keyblade master, but also a sentinel.

I was created for this...

As she approaches the massive door to the great hall, stops for a brief moment, arguing with herself over what she should do. Should she be casual? Should she introduce herself as a tool for defending the balance? She takes a deep breath and opens the door, sliding through. With her armor and stature, it was difficult for her to really be quiet, but she did her best. To her relief, there was seemingly only one other person there so far.

Excellent, this means anyone who comes after me has to introduce themselves to me, or not at all. Interaction with large groups of humans is at a minimum.

Ayanami approaches Dawn, beginning to stretch out her hand before hesitating. Would it be weird for her to shake her hand? Having been assimilated alongside other keyblade wielders, her appearance was more human than she would be in her home world, being able to mimic things like breathing, but it was still rather simple to tell she wasn't a human. Especially from the texture of her hand, which was hard and very much plastic-y. Well, she had already extended the arm, there was no point in retreating.

"Greetings, I am Ayanami. I can assure you that even if I'm not human like you, I will be reliable to you and the rest of the group to the best of my abilities. Let me know if you need help!" She says, smiling at Dawn.

Wow, she wears glasses! That's so human! She thinks to herself, admiring her qualities as a human. Glasses always reminded her of Ana, the nerdy human she played with.

 

[NeverBetter]

(Apologies for the tardiness of this post, been.. busy. Sticking to Jazz for now, figure Ria will probably come later as a sorta NPC-ish character like her technically would)

Jazz Bellz ​

"Mark of Mastery...?" The words felt heavy on the young scion of the Bellz family's lips. It had only been a short eight years since she began her studies. What's more, her grasp of the more technical and magical domains left.. quite a bit to be desired, if her report cards were any indication. That alone would be cause for concern, but what's more.. The idea of graduation from the academy, of being told she could no longer live in the Land of Departure, it terrified her. She had grown accustomed to making friends, making choices, doing things as she pleased. However, when the time came, she would be made to return home.

To "protect her world from the darkness" or whatever her instructors would say, she would return home, and be her world's guardian. But that also meant a return to life as it was. Her father breathing down her neck. Making decisions for her. Becoming enraged when she could not perform the way he wanted her to, in any given task. The irony, a master of a great and terrible weapon, yet not master of her own destiny.

The words "Mark of Mastery" echoed in her head, like a rubber ball thrown hard in a small room, every inch of her mind echoed with those words and the consequences of that reality. Should she throw? Fail intentionally? How much time would that buy her? Months? Maybe a year? Yet, the task at hand would be a hard one to fail at. One of her two best friends in the whole world went missing. Radicalized by the fanatic "Luminary" cult. To fail at this, it would mean failure to save her best friend from whatever mess she got caught up in. Looking within, knowing that each choice left her with naught but distaste, she chose the greater of two evils to tackle: even if Allitt and her never got to meet again, Jazz couldn't leave her to the wayside.

A half hour later after having read the note for the hundredth time, she had packed her things. A few other changes of clothes, some cheat sheets on subjects like what the world order was, potions, so on. Despite her beast-like strength, the bag felt heavier on her shoulders than she thought possible. Reluctantly, she shut the door to her dorm and headed deeper into town. Picking up goods on the way, like additional healing supplies like Tents, and as well her favorite local goods. By the time she had finished her shopping, she had run entirely out of the Munny she had prior been saving up to buy a computer and junk food. New, latest model Gummiphone being a top priority; she had been ignoring upgrading hers for some time. As she walked to the Assembly Chamber, she set up the device. She'd seen the sights plenty of times, giant pillaring castle-like building, labyrinthian layout.. But she needed to set up everything. She didn't want to be the last one there, or the least prepared.

By the time she arrived.. No one was there. It was only then that she had realized the meeting time was noon the next morning. In her panic, she went at midnight. Hoping to not be late.. Or better yet, let her talk herself out of going, she had decided to post up in the broom closet near by for the night. Come the morning, she woke up, realizing she only had a short amount of time before the event was to take place. She scrambled from the closet to the nearest bathroom, cleaned herself up, and hurried back over to the Assembly Chamber. Somehow, despite being what she thought was nearly late, she had arrived when only Dawn and one other person she had never met were the only ones within. Sighing with relief, she took a seat next to Dawn, unaware of what her and the other person were talking about, if anything had been said at all. A terse "Morning." was all that escaped her lips as she sat, pitching the seat back while fishing some bread she had bought the night before out to eat for a quick breakfast.

 

[hurrystarfish]

(Finally got the burst of inspiration I needed to type this up! Hope it's okay! ^^)

- riza -​

Riza's mind had been fixed onto that letter like glue since it had bee received, acting as that day's torment and treasure. Her blue eyes had danced across the black lines until they became nothing but visual goo to her, or as if she was trying to recite some sort of dramatic poem, and even now it was still stashed safely amongst the small collections of item she could carry in her hat, as if she needed to carry the proof of what was being asked of herself and her fellow Keyblade Wielders in order to ensure the reality of it persisted. Her body was ripe with jitters as she walked, and her mind continually recited the key points as described by the letter.

'Right. Luminaries, extremists who think Light is the only way and that Darkness is always evil. Upsetting balance. Needs investigation. No ordinary mission. This is your Mark of Mastery exam.'

Those words didn't even need to be written down more than once, as they were still bouncing around her mind's ears. This was going to be their Mark of Mastery - everyone's Mark of Mastery, and she was part of that...! A shiver ran down her back, one of equal anxiety and elation, as Riza remembered the fact that her idols had a very similar beginning (or at least, Terra and Aqua had a start like this one) to this, with Terra's mission acting as a chance to redeem himself after failing to pass his initial test. Though admittedly, their adventure hadn't ended especially well, so she hoped that omen didn't carry through, and if it had to do - such trials and struggles helped build character, you could argue - then she really hoped it wasn't to the same extreme...! It gave her goosebumps, just thinking about it altogether, and as such Riza was walking with quick, clicking steps down the corridor and towards the assembly hall.

Perhaps she even had a shot at making some friends...! After all, before now she had mostly just spoken with her fellow trainees on loose, casual terms, enough that she doubted most would remember interacting with her in the first place. As Riza came before the doors, she adjusted her witch-styled hat to ensure it was perfectly straight, lifting the brim so it didn't cover her bespectacled face too badly, before taking in an exaggerated huff of air for courage, ultimately letting out a more settled and quiet one back out.

She knew, of course, that even behind the lustre of adventure, this wasn't something to be taken lightly. These people were dangerous, the Luminaries; and truthfully, she struggled to wrap her head around why they had to be so...extreme. After all, Riku and Terra were some of the most well-known Keyblade Wielders amongst the heroes that had saved the worlds, and both had a strong link to the darkness - Riku in particular had come to find balance with it, taking strength from it while retaining an immunity to the side-effects. Balance was the key thing, and now that it had been found, this lot were just ready to throw a wrench in it just like that!? No! She couldn't allow that!

It was that feeling of indignation towards their future opponents that pushed her through the assembly doors, as she peered around. One, two, three people. Riza greeted, slightly louder and shakier than intended, "M-morning...!" before finding a seat at the table, sitting one chair and one side over from Dawn and Jazz. If she sat too far off to the side, then it'd seem like she was purposefully blowing them off, and she didn't want that obviously, but if she sat too close beside them it'd probably come off as weird and she didn't want that either and-

She was overthinking it again...noticing that Ayanami and Dawn appeared to be in conversation, her eyes fell on Jazz, the only one who seemed to be quiet, appearing almost tense. She debated a few seconds, whether to say anything; and more specifically how to say it, without being awkward or invasive, eventually managing a soft, "...A lot on your mind...?" so it didn't draw too much attention.

 

[mysteryxio]

REW​

Rew looked over the letter again. He was kinda surprised that he was chosen to go through such a life altering event. He knew that he’d eventually have to attempt his Mark of Mastery he just didn’t think that he’d go through it after turning 18 only a few days ago. Not just that, when you compared him to other wielders here, he didn’t have his keyblade as long as they did. When he walked into his room and noticed the letter, he didn’t think much of it, assuming that it was a birthday card one of his friends had dropped off. He went about the rest of his day doing what he usually did: exploring the Land of Departure, reading books in places he wasn’t allowed to go to like the roof of a nearby building and running away from the people who chased him for doing that, meeting up with his friends and eating ice cream, training, and even getting some pictures of wielders doing cool magic. Magic, he hoped to learn. Now he didn’t know if he’d get the chance to with the Mark of Mastery happening.

When he opened the letter that night, he nearly fell out of his bed. At first he was excited over being chosen then thought more about what this meant. He wasn’t afraid of going through the exam, nor was he afraid of going home. He didn’t leave his family on good terms sure however he still wanted to see them again, and now that he had magic he was excited to show them, even though it might be a challenge for them to accept. He was more worried about his own skill and being able to keep up, not to mention that he’d be taking on other wielders who were probably far stronger than him. He didn’t mind losing however this wasn’t like a game. He shook his head then moved to the window.

After getting here Rew’s reaction was like that of a child’s being put into their favorite video game. He wanted to see all of the Land of Departure and talk to all kinds of people and hear about their magic and the adventures they went on and the world they were from. In fact, he would often receive an earful from others saying he needed to train, that he could explore after he finished training, not climb the buildings and focus on the task at hand. He did manage to do all those things however he couldn’t stop wanting to explore. He was only here for a few years and it still felt like he’d only seen a fraction of this place. He made a promise to himself to one day return here and finish seeing all he could, a reminder for himself if he ever began to feel that he was giving up. He then got excited again, thinking about going to all the worlds he’d get to travel to. Then realizing he’d have to get up early for the supplies he would need.

Rew had packed what he thought he’d need, gummi phone, a few random bobbles that he thought would be helpful or fun on the trip, and his journal. Ever since he got here, each day was like an event to him. Whether mundane or a great feat, he wrote all of it. To him, each day was important, an adventure in a world of magic, a world he’d never thought he’d get the chance to be part of. After making a few extra purchases he headed toward the meeting.

Rew only had been in the room a few times before. He was still taken in by all the splendor of it, even amongst the rooms in the castle this one was still amazing to him. He was amazed by the ordinary sometimes however he knew the importance of this room. The events that took place here. Thinking about it a little, there was a poetic sense for the meeting to happen here. He walked over to the table, waving at those he was going to be working with. Before going to the table he walked over to the thrones and grabbed a picture of them, half tempted to sit on one however deciding against it. He walked back to the table and took a seat putting his bag in front of him and double checking he had what he needed.

 

[kindredspirits]

---

A scattered dream that’s like a far off memory . . .​

---

  Alex sat up abruptly in her bed, her chest heaving as she gasped for air that just never quite seemed to reach her lungs. Every part of her skin was covered in sweat as her eyes frantically scanned the dark recesses of her new room. Even with her various glow-in-the-dark furniture, it felt suffocatingly dark in this new place, and though she knew they weren’t there, she could twisting shapes of movement in the darkest corners. For a moment despite it only being a nightmare bleeding into her waking hours, she felt like a teenager again. That solitary moment where she watched the darkness grow aggressive and strike her down after a long battle she was wholly unprepared for. The brunette turned to the window beside her bed and pushed it open, nearly throwing herself out of it with how forcibly she went to rest her upper body on the sill.​

  The cool night air and the inkiness of the sky at night illuminated with stars making it all the more apparent she was not in Twilight Town anymore. Forcing herself to breathe more deeply and exhale slowly in soft, elongated sighs, Alex began to calm her racing heart. Her rigid posture relaxing just enough for her to rest her arms on the window sill and then her body as leaned against it. Her hands kept hanging out of the window, free to feel the breeze outside without touching anything. Closing her eyes, she let out one final sigh before straightening up in a slow sluggish motion. Now that the ringing in her ears had died down, she could stare blankly at her bare hands she kept outside where they couldn’t feel anything. “Right… I passed out before I could put my rings back on after my shower.” Her tone was completely deadpan down to the chuckle she had made before she lowered her head to rest her forehead on the stone sill, groaning loudly. Her fingers flexing like they were about to claw at the air itself if she could before relaxing once more.​

  ”Stupid Lea…” The brunette mumbled under her breath, sliding incrementally lower until she was forced to flip to be on her back on her bed. Hands held out toward the ceiling and her scrunched up expression visible to the night sky. “He made me do all the heavy lifting so I’d sleep through the night and I ended up giving myself nightmares…” Despite airing her grievances out into the cool night air with the many glittering stars in the sky to be her confidants, there wasn’t a hint of real anger in her voice. Her dark blue eyes glared up at the ceiling she and the old red head master of hers had spent the better half of the afternoon sticking glow in the dark stars to. The stars having been a gift from Yen Sid for her move to the Land of Depature while the rest of her things were replicas of old furniture her family had kept in storage. “To help with the homesickness,” her mother had said and though she hadn’t quite believed her at the time, Alex found herself staring over at the things with a fondness she didn’t understand why she had.​

  ​

  Shaking her head, she hopped up onto her feet and went to the bathroom to put her silver rings back on. “I guess it isn’t too early to be up, I can get some training in before the meeting.”​

​

---

I want to line the pieces up . . ​

---

  ”Oh nonononononononononononononnnooooooo…” She chanted under her breath while bolting from her room, fresh from the shower with her gummiphone in hand showcasing how close she was cutting it to the meeting time. Her belt with her potions pouch and handmade munny pouch getting displaced with every rushed step she took. She didn’t even have time to braid her long hair, so it would not surprise her if she may have whacked a few unsuspecting people with it while she was speeding through the hallways taking sharp turns and probably a bit too many risky maneuvers for her mother’s taste even if her fancy footwork kept her from bumping into people or tripping. Plus the wind was helping dry her hair. ”Sorry— Excuse me— Pardon me—“​

​

  Condolences after condolences were given to every other student who got a little too close to her path where they passed just barely brushing each other or there was a near collision. She didn’t have time to think about the letter or what it entailed in this mad rush to not be late, but that wasn’t the case earlier when she had been training by herself on the castle grounds until well after dawn. The time had gone by so fast without her noticing since she had been so lost in her head. Thinking about what little she knew of the Luminaries that she had learned while visiting worlds with Lea. Seeing a small bit of the effect they had if only in subtle forms during her travels. The whispers and gossip, sometimes there were people who would look at both her and her master with some wariness that she didn’t put much stock into other than them being strangers to someone’s homeland rather than them being wary of Lea‘s ability to use Dark Corridors. ​

​

  Would people think of her differently if they knew she had lost her heart before? Or would just being from a world at the center of the Realms of Light and Dark be enough to be considered dangerous? Those questions, and questions like those ran through her mind for hours without answer. More so because she couldn’t include her own, that the whole war had started based on an imbalance of the forces. There could not be one without the other, and to tip the scale in either extreme would only allow for another tragic set of circumstances to happen once more. History would repeat, a conclusion she found herself believing more and more lately the longer she thought about it but didn’t dare say out loud. As if that would make it less likely, and she didn’t want to make it any more credible to herself.​

​

  Her boots squeaked against the floor as she skidded to a halt in the doorway. One of her gloved hands gripping the doorframe as she bent at the waist, panting slightly from her run. Raising one finger up, unaware that she still a little bit of time before the meeting started, she wheezed out a few words. “Gimme a sec—“ Leaning back to right herself and allow her shoulders to roll back and let her take a big ol’ breath of air before immediately letting out, “Phew—“ All words died on her tongue as she stared at the mostly empty room, save for a few people, and her expression shifted from relief to flushed embarrassment to a bashfully shy in the span of a minute. She bowed her head lowly and gave a very quiet, “Sorry for the ruckus.” She chuckled awkwardly, her hand coming to rub her neck while she inched her way into the room and choose a seat not too close or too far from any one person. ​

​

  ”Man… A sea-salt ice cream is not gonna make up for this…” Alex mumbled under her breath, taking this moment to start the semi-lengthy task of braiding her hair since she had the time.​

---

Yours and mine . ​

---

 

[RikuXIII]

{Alye: Land of Departure}
On one of the chains that tethered the castle to the tall peaks flanking it, Alye sat. She twirled her parasol absently as she looked over the letter again. The promise of masterhood and the teasing of danger had the Heartless girl's interest well and truly. Either one would have ensured her compliance for the mission, both were just about irresistible. But such a juicy carrot would undoubtably come with a big stick, likely with nails in it. There was also something...else. She couldn't quite name it, but there was something about how this letter made her feel. Expectation? Resignment? Apprehension? She wasn't sure yet what it was, but all the same it buzzed at the edge of her thoughts like a relentless bug. She hoped it's nature and source would reveal itself before it gave her a head ache.
Folding the letter carefully, Alye placed it in her pack before tightening its clasps for travel. Shouldering the pack, she stood up and gave the view one final longing look. While very bright during the day, this had become her favorite spot to think since she was allowed to room the castle free. She hadn't left the Land of Departure since she arrived here. It felt more like home than what memories she had been able to recover of her homeworld of Eos. While she was sure she'd be back, that buzzing made her unsure. But whatever doubts hounded her, she could not let them hold her back.
With speed and grace, the Keyblade Apprentice ran up the chain to the castle. A quick dash along the wall got her to a window and inside. Sprinting through halls she knew by heart by now, Alye entered the great hall to see more students assembled.
"Well well well, looks like some usual suspects are all here." Alye greeted as she skidded to a stop in the hall, somehow managing to end in a casual lean against the wall. "This must be serious indeed for so many heroes."
The Heartless Keyblade Wielder eyed each of her fellow students with her glowing red eyes, her carefully crafted smile betraying none of a slowly growing misapprehension she was feeling.

 

[NEO:Xamtweth]

---

The Land of Departure​

---

Dorm Rooms : Harmony
"Gummiphone? Check. Clothes? Check. Potions? Plenty. Munny Pouch? Check." Harmony stated as she ran down the items she needed for her journey ahead. Ever since she received the letter, Harmony has been beaming with excitement of obtaining recognition for her skills through the Mark of Mastery and the idea of traveling to other worlds on her own accord. Alongside with the excitement comes anxiety of the journey ahead. Harmony ruminated about dangers ahead pertaining to the Luminaries and their extremist agendas. Drawn to the window overlooking the mountains, she mentally left the world as she pondered about the idea of returning to Shibuya. I still need to return to Shibuya with him. I haven't forgotten what the WildKat Owner told me. Shaking her head back into orbit, she remembered to equip her accesory charms before packing everything up and bolting out of her dorm room

Harmony followed the halls down to find a person's room slightly cracked open. "Gaku! Are you awake? We need to leave now, or we're going to be late!" She yelled out as she knocked on the door. The door cracked open revealing an empty dorm room with a messy desk of instruments, a tidy bed and a dirty laundry pile. "For goodness sakes, I hope he did not pack dirty laundry with him." She lamented while viewing his room. Did he get an early head start? I thought I could catch him and we'd walk to the Great Hall together! Leaving Gaku's dorm room, she stopped by the Great Hall only to find the hall empty at the time. Harmony pondered for a bit before heading outside to find Gaku.

Training Courts : Gaku
Down the mountain lies a training court for Keyblade Wielders to practice their combat training. In the middle of the court, Gaku stood in a combat stance while wearing a headset visor simulating virtual combat enemies. The orange haired wielder yelled out as he swung his keyblade against the virtual enemies erasing them from digital existence. Two virtual Large Body Heartless appeared on the court and started their charge towards the wielder. Gaku leaps over the charging bodies and blasts the two behind their backs with Ruinga, a neutral non-elemental magic that explodes into an aura sphere destroying the virtual Heartless. Next, a virtual Samurai Nobody spawned in as Gaku got put into defense as the Samurai Nobody struck him first. Gaku shoved the virtual Nobody off and kicksteped back to make space between the two fighters. The Samurai entered its Duel Stance while Gaku does the same. Gaku stood in place for an intensive moment while waiting for an oppurtune moment to strike it down.

"GAKU!" The Keyblade Wielder quickly hesitated his strike and let his guard down allowing the virtual Samurai Nobody to strike him down. Gaku begrudgidly got up from the ground and quickly turned off the virtual headset to find the source of the yelling sound. He turned around to find a woman standing crossarmed rather annoyed. "I've been looking for you everywhere! It's 11:45am, and we're going to be late for the Mark of Mastery Meeting!" Gaku looked at his Gummiphone showing 11:46am before pocketing it. "Learn to read the room Harmony. Sheesh. I was in middle of training against a Samurai" Gaku said as he put the headset into the Training Court equipment chest. "You've trained enough already. We need to go NOW!" Harmony retorted before grabbing Gaku's hand and pulling him along as they started running towards the Great Hall.

Great Hall : Gaku & Harmony
While trekking the pathways up the mountain to the Coalition, Gaku recalled in his head the Mark of Mastery letter. The Luminaries. How strong are their members and their numbers? What caused them to believe their extremist motives? Gaku then pondered. In addition, the letter mentions of bringing balance to worlds. Would that mean exploring multiple worlds? Maybe I can finally get back to Shibuya and find that guy. . . Gaku gritted his teeth as he pictured the young man that sent him away to the Keyblade Coalition without elaboration or context. I need to find this man if I going to find my parents again.

As Gaku and Harmony reached to the foyer of the Great Hall, They stopped for a minute to catch their breaths. "Alright! Made it nearly in time Gaku!" Harmony said. She walked up to the door before her own thoughts began to paralyze her. Am I ready for this? Am I worthy of the Mark of Master? There's no turning back from here. Why am I so nervous!? Harmony thought. Gaku noticed her paralysis and attempted to pull her out of it. "Oi. . . We got this far and if we want to get our objectives done, we need to earn the mark. I know you're confident of your abilities, the Mark of Mastery will be cake to you. right?" Harmony gave Gaku an affirmed nod before opening the door into the Great Hall. The duo entered the Great Hall with Gaku giving a slight two-finger wave before finding a wall to lean on and listen to his music while Harmony walked down the Hall meeting up with the Wielders. "Hi everyone! I hope we're not too late for anything!"

 

[Soul-Eater Evans]

Masato Hamada
Masato stood outside the towering fortress of the Land of Departure. A gentle breeze ruffled his already messy black hair, a few strands brushing across his face. This was it. All those years of training simulations and nightly patrols, finally being put to good use. The chance to make a difference in the real world, without that cumbersome feeling of everyone watching over his shoulder. Yet... a part of him felt a gnawing feeling at his gut, ill-prepared at the trials that would await. He pulled out the slightly crumbled letter, puffy fabric from his jacket rustling in the process.

"I mean, if they think I should be here..." He muttered quietly to himself, eyes darting over it once more as if to ensure it was really addressed for him. "I wanna help, but if someone else is more qualified, then..." He swallowed hard, trying to push those thoughts aside. Could he really live up to Hiro's iconic legacy? His dad had saved countless lives on the field, the number steadily rising with each patent Hamada Corp passed. That familiar cloud of insecurity crept into his heart, the nagging self doubt that felt like it could overwhelm him. If he couldn't even surpass him, did he even have a right to inherit everything? It's... not like I ever asked for it, anyway.

After taking a deep breath, he grit his teeth in determination. Masato refused to falter, not when his journey had barely even begun. Marching forward into the main building, he didn't spare a second glance at the lush greenery and porcelain fountains that stretched out before him. Nothing could hold back his single-minded determination. Shoulders squared, he marched onward into the radiant hallways as he tried not to get lost. Elegant architecture greeted him, intricate patterns carved into antiquated woodwork. While San Fransokyo had a unique blend of Eastern and Western aesthetic, this was something else entirely. Almost like stumbling into the pages of a comic book dad used to read me...

Passing through hallways of stained glass, he arrived at the large double doors where the meeting would take place. He paused, hand stopping stopping an inch away from the ornate golden handles. A fresh wave of insecurity washed over him, his gaze dropping to the marble floor. "What am I even doing here...?" He muttered, chest heaving slightly. Even with how far he came, he still couldn't shake off the feeling of being an imposter playing make-believe.

A memory flickered across Masato's mind, still as vivid as it was when it etched into his heart. His father, weary and battered, returning home from a particularly arduous mission with the Big Hero 6. Masato had anxiously watched the live broadcast with great-aunt Cass, breathing a sigh of relief as Hiro returned in the early morning. Despite the bruises on his skin and charred suit that fell apart with each step, Hiro never looked more alive. More heroic, as he pulled Masato into that warm, triumphant embrace. Memories of the gentle smile helped calm Masato's heart, igniting that same unbreakable determination.

He'd make his family proud, and protect that smile.

Masato strode forward into the large hall, observing the other wielders who were seated around the large table. The fact that he was slightly tardy to the ordeal didn't weigh down on him at all as he approached a vacant chair. "Glad to meet you all. I'm Masato, let me know if I can help." The words came out automatically, a response drilled into his head from years of assisting his father's company. He offered a sheepish smile before fishing into his pocket for a dense protein bar. Digging into the familiar peanut butter and chocolate taste seemed to relax him, almost like this was just another first day at a vocational academy. He let out a relaxed sigh, reclining into his seat as he gazed around the room in earnest. For the first time since arriving, Masato felt the weight of expectations and responsibilities slipping from his shoulders. Maybe he'd find his niche here after all.


Alderose Eveland

Alderose emerged from the swirling portal, landing gracefully on the cobblestone that led toward the grand castle of the Land of Departure. She took a moment to smooth her elegant black dress, accentuated by a frilly white collar that encircled her neck. "Ah~ The crisp air is quite invigorating after that stuffy haunted mansion." She remarked with a playful tone, tucking messy strands of raven hair behind her ear.

With one hand clutching her umbrella, she reached into her satchel for a Bakewell tart. The buttery pastry with raspberry filling was the perfect indulgence to unwind after vanquishing that pesky gingerbread menace earlier. Strolling up the stairs into the embellished halls, she let out a playful hum in between dainty bites of her confection. Her eyes trailed toward the great hall, the meeting ground of renowned keyblade masters and new trainees. A tinge of excitement washed over her at the thought of meeting new people. "It has been quite some time since my last sojourn into foreign land." She murmured dreamily. "At least I had the foresight to change into something much more comfortable for the outing." She glanced down at her lace-trimmed dress, black combat boots clacking a solid staccato rhythm in her path to the grand double doors.

The years of twisted alleyways and shadowed corners of London made Alderose no stranger to peculiarities. Cursed spirits, rogue cults, the occasional haunted artifact, all in the service of the Queen herself as a Watchdog. Yet those encounters with the paranormal paled in comparison to the exhilaration she felt in this moment. Here in the Land of Departure, she'd have the chance to meet new friends and learn how to cultivate more of the ancient weapon that had proved her trusty ally in her investigations. "I can scarcely await to see who has assembled." She exclaimed in melodic sing-song voice, practically busting open the doors with bravado.

Alderose strode into the great hall, steps filled with poise and curiosity. Her gaze trailed the room, sweeping over the assembled keyblade wielders. The center of the room had a large table, most seats already occupied. A playful smirk tugged at her lips as she watched a particular dark haired boy take a hearty bite of an unfamiliar pastry. Alderose made a mental note to inquire about it after the meeting as she claimed an empty seat, always a patron of new cuisine. "Apologies for the tardiness, I was entrapped with a certain ordeal back in London." She beamed, dusting the last of the tart's crumbs from her fingers. "But I simply couldn't miss the promise of a new adventure!"

 

[NeverBetter]

"...A lot on your mind...?"

(I figure since we're only waiting on one other person at this point, that I'd throw a response now, hope that's okay!)

Jazz Bellz ​

"Guess you could say that. Want some bread?" Her voice was rough sounding as she tore off a chunk of her loaf, offering it with a simple reach of her arm, a small jolt of her hand indicating her patience was already run thin. It's clear she hadn't slept well the night before, given the bags under her eyes, and the faint smell of lemon-scented cleaners wafted in the air. Though she was clearly none-the-wiser and even if she knew, it was likely she wouldn't care. A low murmur escaped her lips. "I really hope they serve some coffee.. I didn't get my normal espresso this morning.." As she grumbled, the bread sat offered to Riza. It was clearly baked maybe just a few hours ago at most. Though long since cooled, it let off the signature perfume of fresh bread, the inside looked tender and fluffy, while the outside was a deep, crisp brown, and clearly had been butter basted right before being sold. Even without jams or jellies or other fixings, it would be a satisfying morsel, even if it was only enough to tide one over till a more proper meal was available.

 

[hurrystarfish]

(I figure since we're only waiting on one other person at this point, that I'd throw a response now, hope that's okay!)

Jazz Bellz ​

"Guess you could say that. Want some bread?" Her voice was rough sounding as she tore off a chunk of her loaf, offering it with a simple reach of her arm, a small jolt of her hand indicating her patience was already run thin. It's clear she hadn't slept well the night before, given the bags under her eyes, and the faint smell of lemon-scented cleaners wafted in the air. Though she was clearly none-the-wiser and even if she knew, it was likely she wouldn't care. A low murmur escaped her lips. "I really hope they serve some coffee.. I didn't get my normal espresso this morning.." As she grumbled, the bread sat offered to Riza. It was clearly baked maybe just a few hours ago at most. Though long since cooled, it let off the signature perfume of fresh bread, the inside looked tender and fluffy, while the outside was a deep, crisp brown, and clearly had been butter basted right before being sold. Even without jams or jellies or other fixings, it would be a satisfying morsel, even if it was only enough to tide one over till a more proper meal was available.

- riza -​

Riza wasn't dumb enough to not notice the rough edges around Jazz's voice, and she made the choice not to push or question any further, figuring she wasn't up for talking about it at the moment. And that was fine...! She wished she was one of those people who had a knack for conversation and putting people at ease with just a single sentence, but she wasn't built in such a way. Her heroes were built that way - Ventus, Terra and Aqua, they all had their knacks in that regard.

"A-ah, sure?" she accepted the bit of bread that was offered hastily as she spotted the jolt, the jolt she coded in her head as 'hurry up'.

It did occur to her in that moment she hadn't grabbed anything to eat herself either on her way here, a fact she was alerted to by the distinctive grumble of her stomach at the mere sight of the chunk of bread, clearly baked fairly recently so the other girl was thinking more forward than she was.

Agh! Given what the subject of today's meeting was, that wasn't a good start for her!

"Thanks," she nodded her head, her witch hat slouching a little and obscuring her face, one of her hands reaching up to adjust it.

Hoping having a bite to eat would quicken her mind for what came ahead, the bit of bread she was given was quickly gone, her tastebuds more than satisfied with it. Once this was settled and they were preparing for what came after, she would store some food in her 'hatbox', along with the usual store of panaceas and potions. The anticipation was certainly building high in her chest though, like building blocks stacked on top of each other unevenly, about to topple over, a tingle that was bright and excited but also dark and uncertain dancing around there - something emphasised as she observed the others joining the table, realising quickly that almost everyone was here...

 

[ReaperMelia]

Dawn Caelum
As she expected, it didn't take long for the first of Dawn's fellow Keyblade trainees to arrive. What she didn't expect was for the woman to be so imposing. Ayanami practically towered over the seated woman, and her bright armor seemed to suggest a seasoned history of combat. Was she actually a master Dawn hadn't met yet? Someone else assisting with the exam? It was a little difficult to believe someone who looked so experienced would be taking the test. However, the more casual greeting gave Dawn the impression that she was indeed a fellow student taking the exam rather than someone in charge of it. She slowly extended her own hand to shake Ayanami's and gave a shy smile back. "Ah, um... I'm Dawn. It's nice to meet you, Ayanami. Let me know if you need any help, too." She gripped the woman's hand and was a bit surprised that it felt like plastic rather than skin, though Ayanami's statement that she wasn't human explained that part at least. Regardless, she seemed friendly and cheery, and that helped put Dawn's nerves at ease.

The next trainee to arrive was a familiar face. Dawn cast a concerned glance at Jazz as she shuffled by and murmured a greeting. She gave her friend a lazy wave, not wanting to interrupt Ayanami, though she couldn't help but wonder what had Jazz looking so nervous. Was she just anxious about the test? The wielder made a mental note to check in on Jazz later.


Shortly after the students had all filtered into the room, a tall woman with brunette hair tied back into a ponytail and piercing green eyes strode into the room and took a seat at the head of the table. Those who lived in the Land of Departure would recognize her as Master Katrina, the recently elected head of the Coalition's main base. It was her job to oversee the training of students and proctor the Mark of Mastery exam, though she hadn't expected her first exam to be such a grandiose ordeal. She also hadn't expected a looming threat to begin encroaching on the worlds during her tenure, so all of it was a very new experience for her. Still, while she had scrambled to prepare this mission, she was careful in selecting its participants. She had faith in everyone present in the hall.

Dawn's head snapped over to follow the master as she entered and took her seat. She made another mental note to continue her conversation with Ayanami once this was over. She wasn't sure if she was feeling excitement or fear bubbling up in her stomach, but regardless, she was eager to hear what the master had to say to everyone.

Katrina gently placed a stack of folders and papers on the table in front of her before examining the students, her eyes flittering about the room to take note of how everyone was holding up. Some seemed calm and confident, but others were visibly anxious. Katrina supposed she couldn't blame anyone who was worried; everything was organized rather quickly, and all of the students were given short notice to come to this meeting. Her eyes dropped down to her folders momentarily as she began to question the decision to start moving so quickly. After all, wouldn't it make more sense to give everyone more time to prepare? She exhaled a quiet breath as she shut her eyes. Perhaps that would have been easier, but no. There was no time to waste, and she certainly couldn't get caught up in any regrets now. She had made her decision, and she trusted the students to be up to the task. She needed to look confident to ensure they would all feel prepared. It was far too late to show any hesitation.

Her eyes shot back up to the students as she rose her voice. "Thank you all for arriving on such short notice. I know it may not have been ideal, but we can't afford to delay our preparations. Assuming you all read my letter, you're aware of this group that calls itself the Luminaries. We've heard rumblings for a while now that there was an organization lurking in the shadows, building its strength to wage war against the darkness and those who wield its power. While the Coalition has done its best to look into these rumors, tracking down these so-called defenders of the light has been difficult without any proper leads. That being said, our scouts have finally managed to uncover some information, and we've learned that they intend to strike very soon."

The Keyblade master cleared her throat before continuing. "While our scouts are still dispersed across the worlds to learn more, it's clear that we can't afford to wait. We need to act. We need our strongest, brightest students to pick up the torch held by the generations before them and fight before it's too late. And those students are gathered here in this room. Your mission is to search the worlds our scouts heard may have been visited by the Luminaries, conduct a more thorough investigation, and confront the organization's members when you find them. We have two gummi ships prepared, so you'll split into two groups. Both groups will reconvene to share their findings, resupply, and reorganize if necessary. The balance of light and dark is in your hands, and I know you can all do this." She gave the students a rare smile before taking a deep breath. "Any questions?"

 

[mysteryxio]

REW
​

Hearing those words made it more real for Rew. We need our strongest, brightest students to pick up the torch held by the generations before them and fight before it's too late. There was no mistaking it...he was meant to be here.

When others began to file in, Rew had nodded or waved to each of them before going back to his bag, though he didn't really recognize any of them. Given how a few of them looked he was sure he would've. A woman with hair so long it nearly went to the floor, a girl who looked more like a heartless than a human, a pair who seemed like they knew each other beforehand, a man around his age in a puffy jacket followed by a cheerful sounding woman who spoke of a place call "London" (he made a mental note to ask about that later on). Even after going through his bag he was sure that he had somehow left something behind in his room. It was one of those nagging feelings that he was sure would reappear long after he'd left, though he decided to, for now, repack his bag and deal with it later.

When the door opened again, Rew knew that it was a master that entered. He didn't interact with Master Katrina as much as the other masters here, though he did want to. The conversations they had were more in passing and he wasn't sure she would even recognize him. He stood then waited for her to be seated before sitting back down, one of the things his own master had taught him. He listened to Master Katrina give them more details about what their group was meant to do. When she was done he spoke up. "Do we have anyway of recognizing a Luminarie like through some sort of sigil or marking?" He stopped waiting for an answer before asking again. "Do we have any specifics about what they plan on doing?" Again he waited though a dark thought entered his head, one he didn't want to ask however he had to. It was better knowing than not. "Are our own worlds directly in danger?"

 

[Soul-Eater Evans]

Alderose Eveland

As she listened to Master Katrina's outline of the dire situation, Alderose's whimsical air tempered into a steely resolve. While her investigations of London's supernatural underbelly had seasoned her for the task of reconnaissance, this seemed to carry far more urgency than any eldritch cult that had crossed her path. "These Luminaries certainly don't sound the delightful sort, do they?" She mused aloud, fingers drumming idly against the polished table.

Alderose's expression shifted to one of contemplation. A group dedicated to eliminating darkness? She had to admit it sounded noble on principle, although such an extreme ideology always bred more conflict than it solved. She furrowed her brow, recalling the countless devastation such single-mindedness had wrought upon London's underground. Checks and balances existed for a reason. With a resigned sigh, she straightened herself on her chair.

"This unchecked anomaly shall not stand." She proclaimed, melodic cadence underscored by her own conviction. "Order must be restored." Alderose met her master's request for inquiries with an appreciative nod, tucking a stray lock behind her ear. "What knowledge may be gleaned about their numbers and capabilities? I would loathe for any of us to underestimate their zeal. It echoes the fervor I've borne witness to amidst London's darkest circles." She punctuated her thoughts with a slight shake of her head, realizing she had become rather tense from the topic. For a moment, the noblewoman offered Master Katrina a reassuring smile, yet the slight crease at her brow hinted at lingering doubts. "But I digress. We shall no doubt shed light on their secrets in due time."

Masato Hamada

Masato listened intently, leaning forward in his seat throughout Master Katrina's orientation. His eyes narrowed at the mention of the Luminaries, a shadowy group steeped in mystery that claimed to serve the light. That beat of irony wasn't lost on him. While his mind traced back to older comic books about misguided heroes and their attempt to combat evil, this group seemed far more sinister in practice.

So they were really out there. And if the scouts were spread thin enough as is, who knows what kind of force they'd be dealing with. Despite the task feeling abstract in scale, he couldn't brush off the feeling of excitement that beat as his chest. This was really it. Not just some training sim, but an actual threat that required multiple heroes. Masato forced himself to let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding in. Master Katrina seemed to have faith in their abilities, expecting them to rise up to the challenge. For once, it was time to take that leap of faith.

As Master Katrina inquired about any questions, Masato raised his hand with an eager glint to his eyes. "So, about the teams," He began, "Are we gonna draw from straws or something?" He offered a sheepish grin, the memory of class projects fresh on his mind. "I don't mind how we divvy things up though. Whatever gets us the best results, I'm in." Masato rubbed the back of his neck, gaze flickering around the room to gauge the others' reactions. He wouldn't blame them if they felt anxious. But they were about to become a team now, one driven by a shared purpose. He wanted to help shoulder that burden in any way he could.

The question from a raven-haired boy about their own worlds being endangered elicited a low, introspective hum from Masato. Admittedly, heading back to San Fransokyo so soon would be quite the anticlimactic homecoming. He knew better than to blatantly ask for the line-up of worlds to scout, yet a pang of concern washed over him. Would their worlds remain unscathed in their absence? The last thing he wanted was for his family to be in danger. His fingers trailed to the Baymax-shaped zipper of his jacket in a mindless fidgeting rhythm.

 

[Shoya]

Ayanami​

"Thank you." Ayanami responds, but before she gets the chance to continue the conversation, more and more people begin entering. She did not expect the party to be as big as it was, as each person arrived giving brief greetings. She attempted to keep track of the greetings at first but as more people came in she retreated to the back of the room, taking a seat the furthest back she could. At times like this, Ayanami cursed her large stature. Still, it didn't take much before Master Katrina made her entrance, welcoming all the keyblade wielders, as well as giving the mission description.

We have to travel across worlds? Hmm...

She knew there would be magic to make her fit more into these worlds, but a part of her wondered if she would stand out. Either way, the idea of being split into two groups intrigued her. No matter what group she was in, she would do her best to defend them. In her world, she always played the role of protector, whether it was protecting the light or her fellow toys. Her duty in this mission was clear. Protect the group and assist in any way she can. Having this new resolve, she felt for more confident than ever.

When the question of their homeworlds being endangered was brought up, she couldn't help but tense up a bit. The idea of anything happening to Ana was certainly terrifying. However, with the time she had spent here and the resolve she had when she decided to pursue being a keyblade wielder, she felt fine. Ana was a strong, big human now, and Ayanami trusted her.

 

[RikuXIII]

{Alye: Land of Departure}
Alye stayed on the periphery as more students came in, each adding a little more weight to her concern. So many students promised the rank of master, perhaps the masters were planning on casualties to not have to worry about so many new masters at once.
"Stop it." Alye mentally admonished herself.
These dark thoughts often sped through her mind from somewhere deep within the heartless woman, assuming the worse of herself and those around her. It was something she learned to push away before she spent too much time on them. Whatever this was, she had to trust the masters knew what they were doing. She was ready for whatever was going to be thrown at her. Some of the other students seemed to be nervous, but that didn't mean they weren't ready too.
"Look on the bright side..." Alye murmured to herself, a little mantra for warding off the negative thoughts.
Shortly after the last student arrived, the briefing began. Master Katrina laid out the situation, getting an unblinking stare from Alye. Again, a pang of something unidentified shot through the keyblade wielder, but she tried to ignore it. She would have time to try to unpack it later. She waited a moment as some of the other students took advantage of the call for questions. A few questions asked taking care of some of the ones that were bubbling in her head, so no need to double up on things. The talk of homeworlds caused the images of her own world of Eos popped into her mind's eye. The idea of this dimly remembered world being in danger caused her heart to beat faster. Any Luminary that touched Eos would burn.
"Do we already have a list of worlds the Luminaries have suspected operations on?" Alye asked her customary smile back to hide what she was feeling.

 

[NeverBetter]

Jazz Bellz ​

Jazz hadn't much of a relationship with Master Katrina: outside of her exams, she never trained with or talked to her. Given how many exams she's failed while being administered by Katrina, she was nervous. 'Of all people, me..? I mean yeah I'm good in a fight, but she's failed me on every exam I've taken under her... Why me?' her mind racing. Doubt crept in, tearing her mind asunder. Was she picking her for some other reason? Perhaps her home world was a target.. or because of who one of the seekers was, she could have a connection. A weak point to exploit?. Her natural inattentiveness caught up with her as the others asked good questions, but her mind failed to latch onto them. She held herself gently, trying to steady the nerves. Red eyes glittering with doubt, she looked up at Katrina.

"W-..." she trailed off, trying to cough up her question. "What makes us as a group qualified? I don't know about the others.. But I myself am a weak C student.. Barely passing... How is it that say, I qualify..?"

Her words hung heavy, like cigar smoke oozing from her lips. In her head, she wondered why she was being so meek. Her heart was so heavy. Even though she knew she needed to go, she couldn't help but hope that bringing up her poor grades might excuse her from this test in some way. She awaited an answer from the master, but would not raise her eyes to meet the master's gaze, expecting the usual scowl of disappointment that dressed Katrina's lips around her.

 

[NEO:Xamtweth]

The Land of Departure​

---

Great Hall : Gaku & Harmony

The sounds of drum and bass rattled Gaku's headphones as he observed the growing roster within The Great Hall. He turned the volume down as Master Katrina entered the Great Hall. Outside of classes, Gaku has little to no relationship with Master Katrina. Occassionally, he gets on her and a few other teachers' nerves such as not responding when told, snoozing during classes, or not participate in group assignments. He'd rather focus on his techniques and honing his battling skills than participate in trivial academy exersices. However, given the immense importance of the meeting and with the Mark of Mastery on the line, Gaku would be given Master Katrina her full attention during the meeting. Harmony sat down and sighed in relief. "Thank goodness we're not late." She said to herself out loud. Harmony's relationship with Master Katrina contrasts quite differently from Gaku as Master Katrina considers Harmony to be one of her bright students even going as far as getting a personalized training regime from Keyblade Master.

The Shibuya Duet listened to Master Katrina's mission briefing before she opened the room to questions about the mission. One by one, the other students began asking their questions such as their sigil, the world list, their qualifications, etc. Gaku chose not to ask questions that would be repeated as he waits in anticipation for the answers to the questions. Interestingly, Harmony spoke out of curiousity. "Do we know if the Luminaries have a new common enemy type unique to them or will they be controlling Heartless, Nobodies, etc?"

 

[ReaperMelia]

Master Katrina
The Keyblade master glanced around the room at the trainees as her speech began to sink in and they asked their questions. Thankfully, most of them seemed determined and prepared to confront the Luminaries head on. She gave a quiet sigh of relief and thought over the questions as they came in. She was glad that they were all so interested in learning what they could about their mission; it showed their conviction and affirmed her decision to assign each one of them to this quest.

Her eyes drifted over to Rew as he asked an onslaught of questions. All good ones, though she sensed a hint of concern behind the last question. Still, his formal attitude made it clear the young man took this mission very seriously, so she had no reason to interpret this concern as a lack of confidence. Besides, she knew that his bravery and wit would be boons for himself and his teammates. She paused for a brief moment to mull it over before responding. "According to our scouts, the ones they suspect to be Luminaries all wear a pin over their heart-- an orange orb ablaze with the light they intend to use to purify the worlds. That seems to be the only consistency. Some conceal their identity with cloaks while others are reportedly more open with showing their faces. Regardless, you'll be able to recognize them from that pin." She took a breath before moving on to his next two questions. "All we know is that they intend to purge the darkness. Their methods and exact plans are still unknown to us. That also makes it difficult for us to tell how your home worlds will be affected, but it seems that they intend to eventually crush the darkness in all worlds. Some may face more immediate risk, but all will be 'purified' eventually if the Luminaries aren't stopped."

Her gaze then trailed over to Alderose. The young woman's sharp mind and steely resolve had clearly been tempered by her experience training in London, and that was exactly why Katrina wanted her on board. She met Alderose's smile with a curt nod before answering. "We aren't entirely sure about their numbers yet, but our scouts currently estimate their main forces are about as large as the group you all comprise. As for their capabilities, we aren't sure since we haven't directly confronted them yet. However, some of our allies from other worlds have fought shadowy beings who match the description of the Luminaries, and none of them could match up in terms of strength. Luckily, it seems that the Luminaries weren't quite ready to act yet. They fled before causing too much harm. Still... keep your guards up. We don't know if they're ready to take action now or exactly how strong they are."

The next to ask a question was Masato, who chimed in with the energy and eagerness she had anticipated from what she'd read of him in his reports. That energy would be vital in keeping the team's morale up. "There are 11 of you, so that would even out to a team of five and a team of six. If anyone has someone specific they would like to team up with, that's fine with me. Beyond that, you can decide between yourselves or leave it up to me. And as I said before, we've made plans for you to all reconvene and reorganize if necessary."

Next up was Alye. While she knew that the older masters had their concerns about bringing a Heartless into the Coalition and sending her on this specific mission, Katrina knew that the woman's strength and conviction matched that of the others, heart or no heart. And besides, who better to send on a quest to confront those who use the light for evil purposes than a being of the darkness who fights for justice? "We know of a few worlds, and once our teams are decided, we'll determine who will visit which worlds first. Hopefully, you'll learn of any other worlds they intend to visit soon. If not, we have other options we can investigate to hopefully learn more."

Jazz asked the next question. Katrina had known the woman to be fiery and stubborn, so she was a bit taken aback by how quiet and fearful she seemed. Of all the trainees to express doubt about this mission, Jazz was one of the last she expected. Still, it did nothing to shake the master's confidence in Jazz's capabilities. "I've looked over all of your performance reports in tests and training exercises and examined your fighting styles. From all of my research, I know you're all strong enough for this quest and that you will all complement each other nicely. You're all the best of our trainees, so you all have nothing to fear." She gave Jazz a warm smile to try to soothe her nerves. She still wasn't entirely sure what was causing her distress, but whatever it was, she knew it wasn't warranted.

The final question came from Harmony. Katrina had more personal experience training Harmony than most of the other students in the room, and her talents and versatility made her an easy choice for this mission. She had wanted to ensure her personal biases wouldn't influence the mission roster, but she knew first-hand that Harmony was ready for the task at hand and that she'd work well with anyone she ended up working alongside. "We aren't sure if they're correlated, but our scouts have reported increased Nobody sightings in the worlds the Luminaries seem to have visited. We don't know anything beyond that, but prepare for Nobody encounters at the very least. Even if they aren't connected, odds are that you'll come across more of them than usual."

With the questions answered, she took a deep breath. "With questions out of the way, I think it's about time that you all formed your teams. As I said earlier, I'll let you start that process yourselves. I'll step in and make any necessary assignments if we don't have full teams when you're all done."


Dawn Caelum
With Master Katrina's briefing completed, Dawn glanced around the room. She wasn't exactly familiar with many of the others present, nor was she admittedly the type to jump to start forming one team. Of course, there was one person here she knew...

Her eyes lingered on Jazz. She trusted her friend with her life, and she wanted to do what she could to help her ease up since she still seemed tense. But she had to think strategically. She didn't want to bring it up during the meeting, but she still couldn't shake the thought that the Luminaries must be the group that her sister ran off to join. This was their chance to find her. Of course, if they wanted to ensure her safety, the smartest move would be to split up...

A pang of guilt struck her heart like a cold dagger as she thought about her plan. Dawn knew Jazz would probably ask to team up with her... Even with that plan, she feared Jazz would be hurt if she rejected an offer to team up. Still, they both swore to save Allitt. It might hurt to split up, but she couldn't think of any other way to guarantee that Allitt would be spared if the other group encountered her... assuming she was part of this organization in the first place. She heaved a sigh and began glancing around the room, trying to see if there was anyone else she could join forces with. She'd just have to do her best to ensure she wouldn't be a burden.

 

[hurrystarfish]

- riza - ​

As soon as the master entered, that familiar of excited tingling rang out in Riza's chest like a chiming bell, even though Katrina wasn't the first Master she'd seen here - given she had trained under another one here. She had seen most at least once, even if only in passing, given her time here. But they always came with that veil of mystique, of utter, unshakeable strength, of resolve that seemed to match that of myths and legends, and it made Riza remain vigilant of herself, sitting straight and attempting to not look too nervous, removing her hat and letting it rest in her lap so that her eyes were visible behind her glasses, not wanting to give the impression of disrespect, or worse that a mistake had been made in asking for her to be one of the people sat here. Admittedly, Riza wasn't unaware enough to assume that she was the only anxious one in here; on the contrary, there was far more evidence suggesting the numbers of those who weren't nervous was far smaller than the other way round. But she wanted to hold it together in front of someone who commanded such respect, who carried such strength without seemingly having to even think about it...the same as every master at the Land of Departure, including her own.

For now, she decided to sit silently and observe, both to take in as much information from what the master was explaining to them all as possible, and so she could start to learn about her fellow Keyblade Wielders. As Katrina spoke of the Luminaries, a chill ran down her back, the image of a shadowy group of self-righteous attackers looming over everyone forming in her mind; though she knew that probably wasn't the most realistic way of considering it, it was the one she jumped to, first and foremost, and all the same her mouth formed a thin frown of severity and consideration, as the reality of their circumstances were set before them. The idea of people being so staunchly opposed to the Darkness in this day and age solely on what it was, it was ironic to her, given how one of the Keyblade Wielders who brought peace at the start of all this, Riku, had came to balance it, it being his boon in the end rather than his bane too, and Terra was another whose heart was a just one, regardless of what he used.

She observed Alderose's determined, hopeful declarations, the refined conviction of her words sticking out to her. How such people were able to carry themselves so certainly, she wished she could understand and replicate in her own demeanour, she swore. The question posed by her was just as valid as Rew's, whose own mention of their own worlds being in danger set her at a state of unease, her parents flashing in her mind - knowing what they were all up against was vital if they were to handle them appropriately, while Masato seemed to observe for a while too, up until the matter of teams came up.

Internally, she noted down every answer to the questions like notes in a book - as she would end up writing this down eventually, along with anything else they found out throughout their mission.

An orange orb ablaze, a pin over their heart. Some conceal their identity, others don't.

Methods and exact plans are unknown. Troublesome, but something to know when on the mission - find out everything that can be found out about their methods and plans.

All worlds are ultimately at risk, as all intend to be purified if the enemy is left unchecked. Maybe worlds with more darkness, or more links to it are more at risk than those without it...?

Shadowy beings, who match the descriptions of the Luminaries.

Team of five, team of six.

Increased Nobody sightings in worlds they've visited...

And most of all, it was obvious Master Katrina, and arguably by proxy the Masters who worked alongside her, believed in all of them wholeheartedly, and something about that felt like an offering of courage, placed in their palms. At the very least, it felt like a light in her palm she could hold onto, and hold onto it she would.

Now...who to team up with...she noticed Dawn and Jazz appeared to be already acquainted with one another, so they could be two out of five or six. Ayanami had spoken to Dawn earlier, so she might have chosen to get to know more about Dawn by being on the same team, or looked to the newer individuals that had entered afterwards...Riza thought to herself; Who am I most useful to?

Her skillset was fairly simple in her own eyes, but she supposed there were merits to that; she could carry items in her hat, like potions and panaceas, which would be useful in situations where magic was unavailable or impractical to use, and she also considered herself a decently strong mage. So perhaps she could team up with more physical combatants, to help balance out their team?

A few struck her as fitting into the latter box - Gaku, Rew. potentially Jazz or Ayanami...she would observe a touch longer, as ultimately if some of the others knew one another and would rather pair up, she didn't want to take up a spot that could be theirs. Slipping her witch hat back on her head, as if to slip that courage into her chest, into her heart, she took a deep breath.

A team of five, and a team of six.

 

[NeverBetter]

(writing on mobile right now, formatting will be gross)
Jazz listened to each answer intently as she waited for her own. She read Master Katrina's lips with that statement, fixated on any detail that would show doubt or concern as to her feelings on the subject, but could not find a crack in her normal overwhelming confidence. There was a reason she was a master after all. Resigned to her fate, Jazz looked inwards at the statement. "I suppose I have some of the higher combat scores in the academy... perhaps she just needs a meat head, and I qualify for that position handily." She sighed, gazing across the room.

"If I am going.. if my school days are over.. I have to save Allitt, no matter what." Mm

She was certain that Allitt had run off with the Luminaries. She had seen a shadowy figure hand Allitt a pin of a similar make, and had been following the scout reports since her disappearance while Dawn looked through records and other more scholarly records as Jazz had always struggled with the dry stuff, while Dawn excelled with data and reports. She hadn't any proof yet.. but her hunch had been slowly proven more and more correct.. now it was just up to finding her with that pin and shattering it into a million pieces.

She knew one thing for sure. She couldn't go with Dawn. They'd have a better chance of spotting her by splitting up. She could be at any of those worlds, and anywhere within any of them. She gazed around the room. Riza seemed a good fit for her team, they already had some kind of relationship. But who else..? The heartless girl, the toy, the mage, the super hero, the posh girl, the girl veiled in twilight... The options were wide. She eyed them all.

"Perhaps those who are good thinkers... I would trust the heartless girl's strength... most conventional weapons can't even scratch a Heartless unless wielded by a particularly strong person, so Dawn would be safe with her... The posh girl, from a world not too dissimilar to her own, seemed well educated and smart..."

She went on in her head, considering their presumed strengths and weaknesses. She could not decide entirely, outside of Riza and Dawn, whom she would want to work with. She didn't know the others at all really.

 

[mysteryxio]

REW​

Rew tried to keep his calm, though he felt his fists tighten over hearing the words spoken to the group. Hearing that their worlds would be "purified"...he took a deep breathe then listened to what other information he could get from her. The Coalition had leads which meant there was a direction. Before travelling, be sure to know which direction to take. On of the lessons his teacher had taught him. He had a destination and a direction the journey would be up to them. The pin would also help, when they travelled they could ask if anyone had seen someone wearing it.

An enemy for each of them then, and that's assuming that the numbers were constant too. Though given how darkness was beaten by light with them at a number advantage they might not matter as much. A team of 5 and 6 did make sense though he did think that they'd each be investigating a world on their own. He internally laughed at that idea. Given who it was they were facing, it'd be both dangerous and foolish to do. While he would normally be all for doing that, there were limits to how far he'd go and even some challenges he'd not do. Going alone would likely mean none of them would survive and the Luminaries would win. Even Sora had help and travelled with friends from world to world. The increase in Nobodies had to mean something right? He couldn't think of what so he decided to wait, hoping more info would help him later on. When last question was answered and the topic of teams arose he decided to get their opinions of what each piece of info meant.

Rew leaned back in the chair with his fingers interlocked behind his head. He cast his eyes over the collective again and vaguely recalled seeing some of them before, though he could've be mistaken too. He was confused why the teams weren't chosen for them, however perhaps that was part of the exam, though he decided to not think too much on that. Rew looked toward the ceiling then shut his eyes and rocked back and forth. He didn't want to wait to be picked. A thought drifted into his mind that gave him an idea. If we are guided by our hearts then...He summoned Revealed Wanderer and placed it on the table, taking his bag off of it. Grabbing the hilt he the spun it, watching it go. Light scraping could be heard and he hoped he wouldn't get in trouble if there were a couple a scratches on it. The keyblade slowed the stopped and he walked over to where it pointed. He extended a hand to Jazz. "Hi I'm Rew, feel like being on a team together" he asked with a smile as his keyblade turned to light.

 

[ReaperMelia]

Master Katrina
As she glanced around the room, Katrina noticed that most of the students seemed quiet and perhaps a bit hesitant to form teams. She understood; unless they had worked together previously, they wouldn't know each other's combat capabilities. She figured she'd leave the floor open to any who specifically wanted to work together, and it seemed that Rew reached out to Jazz, but the rest all appeared uncertain. With the general silence, she spoke up. "I'll go ahead and assign teams for everyone who remains undecided." Of course, she'd have to come up with these new teams on the spot... but a few observations helped give her a few pointers at least.

Dawn and Jazz glanced at each other in a way that suggested they both weren't planning to team up with each other. It was a bit of a surprise to the Keyblade master since she knew the two were close friends, though she had a feeling of why they intended to split up. While she hoped their personal feelings wouldn't cloud their judgement too much, she understood their sentiment. After all, Master Sora proved long ago that a heart that strayed from the path of justice could be brought back.

In addition, it was impossible to not notice how close Gaku and Harmony were. Of course, Harmony was one of her own personal students. She knew the girl wouldn't want to be separated from him. That meant there would at least be one team with a couple people who worked well together. As for the rest, she'd simply have to think over their individual talents and compose the most balanced teams she could.

After taking a few moments to think it over, Katrina spoke up. "Team A will be Jazz, Rew, Riza, Gaku, Harmony, and Alderose. Team B will be Alexandra, Ayanami, Alye, Masato, and Dawn." She looked at each trainee as she said their name. "I can give you a little time to get to know each other if you'd like, but we'll need to get to the hangars soon so you can depart. I'll let you know where each team will be heading once we're there. If there aren't any further questions-"

Before Master Katrina could finish her sentence, distant screams pierced through the tranquil atmosphere. Katrina jumped up to her feet and glanced at the door. "What was that?!" She scowled before turning back to the students. "Everyone stay put. I need to go investigate."

She strode to the door, but before she could reach it, a younger trainee threw it open and barged in. She frantically gulped down air before addressing Katrina. "Master Katrina, there are Nobodies all over the castle and the courtyard!"

Katrina's face turned pale for a brief moment, but she took a deep breath as her Keyblade materialized in her hand. "You stick close to me." She spoke softly to the girl before turning to face the students. "Change of plans. You've got your team assignments, so split up and clear out the enemies. Team A, make your way outside to the courtyard. Team B, head further up into the castle. Find out who's behind this and stop them! I trust you to take care of this matter." She kept a level voice, hoping the students would remain calm. "I'll meet up with you all after!" On that note, she hurried out with the girl to try to find any other stray students who needed help.

Dawn Caelum
A heavy silence fell over the room as the Keyblade master left. Dawn felt almost suffocated as she tried to piece everything together in the panic. Nobodies? Here? There shouldn't have been any world more prepared for an invasion. How did they get here in the first place? Master Katrina's words came to mind... the appearance of a Luminary often coincided with a rise in Nobody sightings... Were they striking now?

She shook her head. If the Luminaries really were here, they'd need to act fast. And even if they weren't, this threat still had to be stopped. She glanced around the table at her new teammates. Outside of the greeting she exchanged with Ayanami earlier, she didn't know any of them. Still, Master Katrina must have thought they'd work well as a team if she put them together. She'd have to put their faith in them... And also hope that maybe one of them was enough of a natural leader to keep everyone organized.

She sprung up out of her seat and summoned her Keyblade "Let's get ready, team! I, um... have a few potions that could help us out if anyone needs them! Healing potions, mana potions, potions that can make you stronger or tougher..." The offer hung in the air. She hoped someone would properly rally everyone, but she had to give it her best shot at least. She also shot a quick glance at Jazz and mouthed "Be careful" to her, not wanting to leave without offering some support to her friend. Dawn then returned her gaze to her new allies, waiting to see what they all had to say.

 

[Shoya]

Ayanami​

Ayanami was relieved to hear she would technically be on the smaller team. Not just that, but one of her four teammates was someone she had technically already met, reducing odds of an awkward introduction. She took a moment to look at the other teammates, Alexandra, Alye, and Masato. Particularly, her attention was drawn to Alye, who oozed darkness at a simple glance. Would she make Alye uncomfortable as a sentinel of light? She wasn't naive enough to have misconceptions against keyblade wielders who use darkness to their advantage, but she couldn't help but notice she was the only one who didn't involve it in some way. She immediately feels her self separation from the group.

At Dawn's mention of potions, Ayanami slowly raises her voice. "I came rather ill prepared for a group mission, I only have a handful of potions I can use. Don't worry though! I won't hesitate to use them if the moment calls for it." She says, before clearing her voice. "I'll stay in the frontline. Physical combat is my domain and the couple spells I know are meant to help me get to them and fulfill my win condition for a conflict." Stating her strengths for the team, she waits for other responses. Maybe with this, we'll be able to optimize a team formation and strategy for fighting anything.

 

[NEO:Xamtweth]

---

The Land of Departure​

---

Great Hall: Gaku & Harmony

The Shibuya Duet listened to Master Katrina's answers to the questions the students sounded off earlier. Gaku mentally noted the Luminary's hypothetical orange pin located on their persons while Harmony jotted notes in her book of everything her Master has said about the Luminaries and their enemy fodder. The idea of Luminaries controlling Nobodies crossed their minds as they have little experience encountering these erratic creatures during their Coalition Missions. Harmony recalled the creatures as a difficult bunch able to tank hits and striking their opponent when off guard. Harmony pondered if she could keep her stamina up while fighting Nobodies. Her eyes wandered over to Gaku's still structure as she notices the young man in deep thought. I know he can hear Master Katrina, but sometimes I can't tell if he's paying attention. Gaku catches Harmony watching him, so he nods his head towards Katrina's direction as she yells out the team members for each team causing Harmony to jolt back to paying attention to Katrina with a slight blush on her cheeks. Whoopsies, I guess I'm the one not paying attention here.

Distant screams fill the air as Gaku faced the direction of the sound coming from the corridors while the screams send a shiver down Harmony's spine. The group gets informed on the situation outside of their current meeting that the castle and courtyard is overrun by Nobodies. After Master Katrina leaves the two new groups objectives, Harmony summoned her Keyblade as she musters up an attempt to rally her team. "Alright Team A! I'll keep this short. I'm Harmony and that headphone guy over there is Gaku." She stated as she gestures her hand over to Gaku as he crossed his arms. "I'm primarily a healer. If you need any heals, send me a shoutout and I'll come help you out!" Harmony exclaimed. Gaku leaves his spot as he strode over to window to view the courtyard overrun with Nobodies. "Looks like we got our work cut out for us." Gaku calmly said. Nothing that I can't handle. Those pests just require extra bit of whacking.