[X] Ace of Cup: Element of water. Represents emotions and love. A symbol of wisdom and spirituality.
I am pleasantly surprised by the combination of franchises for this quest! Kingdom Hearts and the Persona Franchise can get really interesting when combined with other media, so seeing the two together is a definite treat! Thanks for satisfying this craving of mine!
Your name is Minako Arisato, and you are slowly regaining consciousness. You open your eyes and see an unfamiliar ceiling. Where are you? Why aren't you in your room? And this isn't your bed. Your bed is fluffy and colored pink, with a handful of plush dolls can be seen on it. This bed is plain, and the blanket is colored blue, with star and moon patterns on it.
Then, you remember.
There was an incident. You remember being the only survivor. And there was a strange mouse man saving you from those scary black shadowy monsters with that odd-shaped sword of his before he brought you away from there. You remember being blinded by light before you lose your consciousness. Then you had a dream about standing on some kind of platform while listening to a strange voice. Well, you can't really recall all the details, but you are now certain that you are not definitely in your room. That strange mouse man who introduced himself as Mickey (you somehow remember his name, funny that) might have brought you here.
"Oh, you're awake!"
You hear a squeaky voice before you see Mickey's concerned face. His big round ears are twitching as he continues looking at you. You sit up, and he steps back, giving you space.
"Gosh, you're making me worried there. You've been sleepin' for three days," he tells you. Then, he smiles. "Still, I'm glad that you're awake now." For some reasons, you feel comforted by his smile. Despite the fact that he is an anthropomorphic, talking mouse who is noticeably shorter than you, you can feel his genuine concern towards you. You are still shocked from the incident that took the lives of both your parents, and you need all the supports you can get, even if the support comes from a talking, cartoonish mouse like Mickey.
You stare at Mickey's face before you gingerly reach out your hands to his face. You squeeze his cheeks with your hands.
"Whoa! That tickles!" Mickey exclaims.
"S-sowwy..." You mutter an apology.
Mickey just chuckles and says, "Aw, that's alright..." He waves his hand. "Sorry that you have to take my old bed. I made sure to clean it up before putting you here. Well, I guess everything went too fast last time, so I need to properly introduce myself first. My name is Mickey Mouse," he holds out his hand, offering you a handshake.
"M-Minako," you tell him your name. "Minako Arisato." Hesitantly, you shake his hand.
"It's nice to meet'cha, Minako," Mickey says.
You look at your surroundings. You are in some kind of old room. You see no air conditioner, but it feels rather cold here, so you end up covering yourself with the blue blanket that you currently have right now. "Where am I?" You ask Mickey.
"Well, this place is called Mysterious Tower, and this is where my Master lives," Mickey tells you.
World: Mysterious Tower
Day: 3
"Mysterious Tower?" You blink.
Before Mickey can say any further, the door is opened, and someone steps into the room.
That someone is a tall, elderly man clad in blue. He has a rather stern expression on his face, and you instinctively straighten yourself up when he looks at you. He somehow reminds you of your own teacher back at the kindergarten. His mere presence alone seems to demand your respect. And his most distinguishable feature that you can see is his long, glorious gray beard.
"Master Yen Sid..." Mickey speaks to the man respectfully. "She's awake now."
"I see..." He nods as he strokes his long beard. Even his voice sounds authoritative and commanding. "Little one, be at ease. Mickey had already told me about what happened to you." He lowered his head. "To lose your loved ones can never be anything but a painful experience, especially in such a young age. I have nothing to offer to you but my deepest condolences..." He removes his hat, revealing his balding head as he bows.
While he still looks intimidating, there is warmth in his voice. Hearing his comforting words, the sadness that you have been keeping inside flows out, and you cry your heart out. You call out for your mother and your father as you sob. You now know that you won't see them again, not now, not ever. Mickey stay by your side, comforting you.
"Don't hold it back..." Mickey speaks softly, rubbing your back. The way he does that reminds you of your own father. He always did that whenever you're upset. "Let it all out. I'm with you."
When you finally stop crying, you look at the blanket that is now stained with your tears and snots, and you can't help but feel embarrassed. Crying can be a very messy business. "I-I'm sorry I ruined your blanket, Mr. Mousey..."
"Aw shucks, that's okay," Mickey tells you reassuringly. "As long as you're feelin' alright, it's all okay." Then, he looks at the bearded man. "Master Yen Sid, what should we do now?"
Master Yen Sid strokes his beard again before he says, "For the time being, little Minako will need a place to stay. There is also an option to bring her back to her homeworld, but due to the circumstances of that world, I cannot, in my clear conscience, leave her in such a world. Thus, the safest option is to leave her under my care here in Mysterious Tower. But..." He looks at Mickey with his stern eyes. "You were the one who found her, Mickey, and by all rights, it has to be your responsibility to take care of her."
"Umm... y-yes, I know..." Mickey stammers, his ears twitching.
Then, Master Yen Sid's expression softens slightly. "Still, I understand if you have your reservation in taking care of the young lady here," he says. "The weight of your crown and your Keyblade have burdened you greatly, and I do not wish to put more weight upon your shoulders by asking you to take care of her."
"N-no, no! I-it's alright, Master Yen Sid!" Mickey protests. "I-I have no problem taking care of Minako! I-I'm sure Minnie will be glad to see her!"
As for you, you stare at Mickey. You are curious about Master Yen Sid's comment about the weight of his crown. Mickey has a crown?
"Umm... d-does Mr. Mousey have a crown?" You ask.
Both Mickey and Master Yen Sid look at you. Then Mickey chuckles sheepishly as he rubs the back of his head. "Haha, I guess I didn't tell ya 'bout it, huh?"
Still stroking his beard, Master Yen Sid explains, "Yes, Mickey here has a crown, though he does not always wear it upon his head. The one who stands before you is King Mickey Mouse of Disney Castle," he holds out his hand at Mickey, who sheepishly smiles when Master Yen Sid introduces him as a king.
"W-well, to be fair, I'm just a King Consort, ya know?" Mickey says.
Curiously, you ask, "Do you have a huge castle?"
"I guess Disney Castle is pretty huge. The last time I was there, the castle was under renovation," Mickey tells you.
"Even so, I'm afraid that you will have to listen about Mickey's Castle some other time, little one," Master Yen Sid tells you. "I have something to discuss with Mickey in private for a moment."
You're feeling a little disappointed.
"Aw, don't worry. We can talk about my castle when we're done, okay?" Mickey reassures you.
Now you're feeling excited.
And so, Mickey and Master Yen Sid step out of the room, leaving you alone.
=====
You are Mickey Mouse, the King of Disney Castle and a Keyblade Master. And you are worried.
"There is no mistaking it..." Master Yen Sid says after you close the door of his study room. "I sense such an unnatural amount of darkness from her. It is a miracle that the darkness does not overwhelm her and consume her heart."
"I-is it bad?" You ask anxiously.
"I am uncertain..." Master Yen Sid admits. "I sense no malevolence from her despite the overwhelming darkness blanketing her heart. It feels like as if the darkness is not overtaking the heart, but rather protecting it."
"How is that possible?" You ask, bewildered. "There is nothing about darkness but rage and hatred."
"Or perhaps we are not as well-versed about the nature of darkness as we all initially thought..." Master Yen Sid says. "When I was younger, my master told me that darkness and light cannot exist without each other. Two opposing elements, darkness and light, have existed alongside each other ever since the dawn of time. Why must darkness be repulsed if light cannot live without it?" He sighs. "So many contradictions, so many questions left unanswered. Both me and Eraqus chose the supposedly correct path of believing in the path of light, rejecting the path of darkness altogether. And now... I'm starting to doubt my own stance and beliefs..."
"Master..." You know that both darkness and light are two constant things. One cannot exist without another. There is one world out there that believes in the balance between both opposing elements and gives the concept a name; Yin and Yang. There is no darkness without light, and there is no light without darkness.
"For the time being, we can only watch her and see what happens," Master Yen Sid says. "She may either live with me in the Mysterious Tower, or with you at the Disney Castle so that we can observe her."
"I think she should be given a choice about this, Master," you suggest.
Master Yen Sid mull over your words before he nods. "Yes, I agree with you, Mickey."
"Thank you, Master."
=====
You are Minako Arisato, and you are alone in the room. There is nothing interesting in the room. Both Mickey and Master Yen Sid are still talking in private. You are unsure what they are talking about.
And then, the door is opened, and both Mickey and Master Yen Sid step into the room.
"Sorry we took so long, Minako," Mickey apologizes. "We're just talkin' about your living arrangement."
Still stroking his beard, Master Yen Sid says, "Little one, you are given two choices. You can either choose to live with me here, and I shall take you as my apprentice, or you can choose to live with Mickey at Disney Castle."
"I can choose where to live?" You ask.
"Yup!" Mickey answers. "Both choices are fine. I'm sure ya can learn about a lot of things here! Being an apprentice of a sorcerer can be fun!"
"If you think that flooding my study room with water via magic is fun, yes... Mickey is right," Master Yen Sid says, nodding.
"Even so, I am certain that you may learn about courtly matters by living at the Disney Castle, little one," Master Yen Sid informs you.
Choose:
[ ] Mysterious Tower
[ ] Disney Castle
"I see..." Master Yen Sid muses. "Very well. Now, please follow me to my study room. There is something that I wish to discuss with you, little one."
You nod before you follow Master Yen Sid, walking out of the room, heading to his study room. Mickey walks alongside you, offering to help you walk, as your body is still pretty weak from your ordeal.
You step into Master Yen Sid's study room. The room is filled with the scent of old tomes. On Master Yen Sid's table, there is a candle shaped like a human skull, which unnerves you a little.
"Now, Minako..." Master Yen Sid takes his seat. "Will you answer my questions?"
You nod as you stand in front of his desk.
"Good," Master Yen Sid smiles slightly. "Do you still feel sad?"
You recall about the incident that costed your parents' lives. You sniffle before you say, "Yes."
"What do you want to do about it?" He asks.
[ ] I don't wish to feel this sadness anymore. It hurts.
[ ] I want to stop people from feeling this sadness. Just me is enough.
[ ] I'll keep this sadness. It'll remind me of what I have lost.
=====
Alright, here's the update. I'm following the original quest for this update, but soon, I'll come up with something new. Hope you guys will enjoy this update, and please make sure to participate and vote for stuff!
Hmmm.... So we're between BbS and 1, huh. Disney Castle means interactions with Donald, Goofy and Mickey, even possibly Ansem the Wise depending on when that took place. If we want to follow the events of One, then this is the best chance we have of doing it. However, there is a chance that we won't have as many chances to practice magic, or obtain a Keyblade as a result.
Alternatively, we could stay at the Tower and study under Master Yen Sid. It is much more likely that we obtain a Keyblade if we do, and even if we don't, we'll still become very proficient with magic. However, consequently, we will have to try that much harder for us to affect the events of One.
Also, for the three choices, it's pretty obvious that they represent our stance on darkness, with the first rejecting it, with the second accepting it, and the third embracing it. Basically, each choice means we can use the power of Darkness to a greater extent, but at a higher chance of loosing ourselves to it if we aren't careful.
[X] I'll keep this sadness. It'll remind me of what I have lost.
We just started our journey, so I think it would be a bit weird if we began it already moving on or accepting our parents' deaths, especially considering P3's themes of struggling with or against death.
Here's the tally if anyone is interested!
Disney Castle: 4
Mysterious Castle: 6
I'll keep this sadness: 5
Just me is enough: 6