RE: Kingdom Hearts [Prologue: Night of Fate]

Destiny Islands, Sunrise.

The Islands awoke in the early morning hours, greeted by the first etches of the sun’s light upon the tapestry of a distant horizon. As the vibrant rays of yellows, oranges and pinks crept steadily across the calm blue sky and friendly, snow-white clouds, so too did the residents of the fair Islands make arise with the waking of a new day. As was usual on such a world, the task of starting the day was a as tranquil as a storm-free ocean. Early anglers rowed gently out onto the open waters, boats stocked with bait and tackle to take on the catches of the day, which all hoped and some simply knew would be plentiful.

For those upon the dry land, the tasks summed to the preparing of the morning meals, and the preparations for another busy day in the town markets. As soon as the sun was well enough in air for one to consider it ‘daytime,’ the doors and covers the shops and stands would come open, and the streets soon flood with the hustle and bustle, however easy-going it might be, of the Destiny Island day.

=--------------=​

Stirred by the first throws of sunlight through the cracked blinds of her bedroom window, Kaia began to wake herself. Squinting, and raising her arm up to shade her face from the brightness, she silently removed her covers and sat upright at the window-facing side of her bed. Yawning with a alto-pitched ring, she stretched both arms spread-eagle, twisting her hips to either side for a light pop at the joint. Satisfied, she sprung to her feet and crossed the floor, where she drew up the blinds and threw open the casement windows that looked out towards the shoreline a mere mile away; the fishing boats could already be seen in their clusters out on the waters. “Good morning,” she said, softly, and to no one, besides, perhaps, to the coming day itself.

Turning on the fronts of her feet, she moved back towards her bed, where her gaze fell upon a sheet of paper, folded vertically into thirds, laying partially open upon her nightstand. Dreamily, and still likely partially asleep, she snatched it up from the stand. Standing in perfect stillness and near-total silence, she read the letter repeatedly in her head. It had been addressed specifically to her, and had arrive at some point late in the afternoon prior; it was rare for her teacher, Master Esau, to correspond with his students via written letters, so it was somewhat difficult to believe that he had sent it out, leave be the matter to which the letter pertained. Perhaps he simply wished for the letters to also inform the parents of the plans as well? Although why that would matter now was beyond Kaia’s comprehension, she settled with that much as the likely explanation.

Kaia,

The time has come for you and your peers to complete your training under my instruction. As such, I am calling the three of you for what will be your final test. You are to report to my home promptly at 8AM tomorrow morning so that I may brief you all on the task at hand. Bring whatever items you have that you would bring on a journey, as well as your weapons.


Sincerely,
Master Esau​

As she read for about the twentieth time, she finally managed to set into her head that the letter was real, and that her Master had finally deemed her and her friends worthy of concluding with their lessons. “Hopefully that’ll make Mom and Dad happy,” she said, in a whisper under her breath. The thought of her parents over the past five years pressed into her thoughts as she collected what she would need for the coming day. It had been a difficult balance to maintain, but she had stuck to her desire to learn from Esau at the expense of working on her father’s boat and in the shop that her mother ran in the marketplace. In her heart, Kaia believed that with her lessons done, everything would be more stable, back to the way they used to be. Well, she thought, maybe a little bit less.

With a backpack shouldered, and a sword and shield both carefully slung in carrying positions, she carried herself down the hallway and into the kitchen, and readied herself a light breakfast.

“I take it you’re not up this early to help me open the shop then.”

Mouth full of food and a glass of water in her hand, Kaia spun about to face the woman standing in the doorway into the sitting room. Her mother, shoulder length light brown hair with the slightest hint of a orange and cool, gray eyes, was very much the image of an older Kaia, and Kaia, likewise, like a younger version of her mother. The older woman stared at her daughter with a disheartened sort of look, which Kaia, after washing down her food with a gulp of water, returned in a mirroring fashion. “Mom,” she started, only to be cut off by a sharp arm gesture.

“No need,” her mother said. “Your father and I saw the letter last night. We read it after you went to sleep. You know how we feel about these lessons you’ve been getting from that man, but..

“But they’ve been good lessons, Mom!” Kaia interjected. I’ve learned so much. It hasn’t all be tall-tales and theoretical science stuff. He’s taught us about survival and…”

“And you didn’t let me finish, dear,” her mother said, cutting in once more. “We understand what these lessons mean to you. So… we have, heavily so, decided to let today play out as you wish it to. You may go see your teacher. HOWEVER… we are going to have a good, long talk, your father included, about where you’re to go with all of this. You do understand, yes?”

“Of… of course, Mother,” Kaia said, finding it in her strength to give her mother a weak, but hopeful smile and an embrace as she stepped out the door.

​

Out on the front porch, the light of the morning sun came in tow with the warmth that only the fairest of days could bring: a mild breeze tempered and otherwise hot day, and the passing of clouds mitigated to the pounding rays with occasional gift of shade. Cracking a wider smile, Kaia parted briskly towards the town center, all the while keeping a steady eye upon a house upon the hilltop at the other side, where Master Esau resided.

 

From the outset at her front door, Kaia’s venture across the Island proceeded undaunted and undisturbed.

Focused, determined, and above all else excited, she weaved her way through the amassing gathering of islanders along the main street of the village. Occasionally, she would find herself needing to dart from one side to the other, to avoid the questions that would more than likely pursue the awkward glance from an inquisitive shop keep; she, perhaps moreso than her fellow apprentices, was well-acquainted with the other peddlers in the town markets; thus, their tendency to pry into her more personal matters was near, if not on par, with that of her family. With the grace of a gentle wind, and a healthy dose of dexterity, she dodged the interviews and skirted around many of the people she’d have otherwise talked to, avoiding some completely, while frustrating others with her unwillingness to hear them.

At first, she thought it odd that so many people were looking at her so strangely, as it had never been an issue before. Only after the relative calmness of having made it through the local rush had settled upon her did she remember that most of her previous training sessions with Esau had commenced much earlier than today’s engagement. Often, she’d have already been at the Master’s house, or out on the beach or in the woods training for at least an hour. Certainly, then, she concluded, that the sight of “young Kaia, the fisherman’s daughter,” adorned in warrior’s leather and brandishing a shield and sword must have looked very much out of the ordinary; though the apprentices of Esau were known by name, the extent of their training had remained, somehow, a well-kept secret.

Well, I guess that cat will be out of the bag. Hopefully the others aren’t getting a bad rap for this too.

Yet, by the time she reached her destination, her fears and worries about hers and her friends’ reputations had evaporated. The sense of purpose and the feelings of elation had all but overwhelmed any sense of doubt she may have carried. Gazing upward, towards the abode upon the hilltop before her, she found a new form of resolve flushing over her. She took one step forward, placing herself directly upon the point before the flat ground inclined. Without a tell or signal, she sprinted up the hill, and hopped over the two steps that rose up to the landing of the Master’s front porch.

Winded a bit by her own burst of impatient energy, she slowed her pace and caught her breath as she crossed the deck towards the front door. In a more normal speed, she brought her right hand up, and began a motion to knock upon the window… only to stop just short of the destination.

“No.” She retracted her hand, and backed away from the door. Turning back towards the direction from which she had come, she watched the road at the bottom of the hill. She had been first to arrive; but not by a wide margin; from Esau’s front porch, she could clearly see Sol and Luna making their own way towards the house. “Yes,” she said, taking a single step forward, standing still at the center of the deck, smiling. “It feels right to.”

 

“Hey Sol!” Kaia returned Sol’s greeting with a wide, pleasant grin. “And Luna! Hey there!” she said, waving at the other girl as she ran up the hill behind Sol. “Yeah. Once I woke up this morning, I couldn’t think of being anywhere other than here… I suppose it would be obvious what I was thinking though.” She started trailing off slightly, wandering towards the seaside end of the deck, looking out towards the ocean, and the smaller island in the distance.

“Just to think. We used to play out there; sometimes, we fought out there. Once Esau came along, we started learning and training out there too.” She turned back to her friends, as though coming out of a momentary trance. “I was just thinking, how when we started under Master Esau, there were like, a dozen or more of us; all the lectures, all of the stories, huddled shoulder-to-shoulder in his sitting room. But the three of us, for better or worse, well, we saw it through, right? I just figured, the three of us have made it this far together. So we might as well stick together now.

“Sooooo.” Grinning wider, she spun around and looked at the door. “Now that all three of us are here, it feels right to go in.” She walked to the door, staying certain that the other two would be behind her. As per usual with Esau’s house, she knocked on the door as a mere formality. After three, resonating raps upon the oak, she steadily opened the door, and entered the foyer. “Master Esau?” she spoke into the house.