A/N: For this chapter, I decided to take a quick glimpse into the characters' backstories, as well as finally address a little something that's mentioned in the description.

I also decided to go a little deeper into how the Keyblade works in this story.

Real Life

Skyknight slew Heartless left and right in the arena. For the passed couple days, the group of six had been using the Coliseum for either sparring or taking on Arena Challenges in preparation for the upcoming tournament. Soon, they had found a challenge that had a keyhole mark. This means it's a challenge only Keybearers can take on. The prize was a mystery item that the group was really curious about, and Sky himself was excited to get. And with the challenge's difficulty level, he also thought it a good opportunity to test himself.

It was a ten wave onslaught. So far he's been slaying Shadows, Soldiers, and four varieties of what the community had come to call the Magic Bells, due to both their bell-like appearances and the use of magic usually based on their color. The four varieties in question were the fire spitting Red Nocturne, the ice blasted Blue Rhapsody, the lightning striking Yellow Opera, and the healing supporter Green Requiem.

While Sky was plowing through Heartless, the others were watching from the spectator seats.

"My bro is certainly doing well on his own," said Roxas.

"Yeah. Sky may not have been a beta tester, but he's a fast learner," replied Landdusk.

"True that. Even when he struggles on a game at first, he always manages to figure out how to play. Once he starts playing, he never gives up until he beats it. And you definitely made sure he could hold his own."

"Oh, please. You give me too much credit. I only showed him the ropes. It was his determination and quick thinking that allowed him to keep up."

Soon, Skyknight made it to the Final Wave. He waited in anticipation until only one opponent appeared. It was a Heartless about the same size as him clad in blue armor with green highlights and blue swords for arms. Sky was tempted to laugh at such a non-treatening sized heartless for a final opponent, but then he saw the surprisingly high about of HP it had.

"Careful Sky!" he heard Land shouting from the stands. "That Zip Slasher is a fast and tough! Stay sharp!"

True to Land's word, the Zip Slasher charged at Sky with impressive speed. It swung one of its blade at him, only to be blocked by his shield. It then swung its other blade, which was block by his Keyblade. They were locked for a moment before the Heartless kick the player in the stomach, sending him rolling on the ground. Getting up to his knees, Sky looked up to see the Zip Slasher leaping into and diving toward him with the tip of its sword. The boy quickly used Shield Bash to knock it off balance, and allowing him to get a few strikes in. But there was more HP where that came from.

The Heartless managed to get up and starting swinging at the Keybearer, who promptly defended each strike. However it manage to swipe him in the leg, tripping him up, followed by another swipe to his torso, sending him backward.

The others flinched at the sight. "Man!" said Tsuchikage. "That's gotta smart!"

Suigetsu nodded. "It's a good thing your safe from death in these Arena Challenges."

Sky then charged at the Zip Slasher and swung his Keyblade downward. The Heartless blocked with both of its swords. They were locked again until the Keybearer suddenly hopped up and Shield Bashed it right in the face. The Heartless staggered back and Sky quickly swiped its legs, tripping it onto the ground, then followed up with a few stabs in the chest. Then the Zip Slasher kicked the boy off it, and leapt to its feet before performing a spinning attack, swiping him, and a twin forward stab, knocking him back. Sky's HP hit the red zone, and his Defender activated.

"Come on, Sky!" Seaprincess shouted from the stands. "You can do it!"

Skyknight stood up as the Zip Slasher dashes at him again. The heartless slashed at Sky again, but the Player Shield Bashes it away, with much harder force thanks to his Defender buff. Sky then strikes his opponent twice, before falling back again. He continued his parry-and-counterattack strategy, and was beginning to memorize its patterns. We was able to whittle its health quite a bit while only losing a couple more HP himself.

Soon, the Heartless's HP was low enough that Sky felt confident that he could finish him off with this new attack he picked up while competing in Challenges. First he once again Shield Bashed it off balance, but this time he twisted his waist as both his Kingdom Key Keyblade and his Smasher shield glowed brightly. "Guardian Spin!" He then twirled rapidly as he leapt into the Zip Slasher, grinding the last of its HP until it bursted into darkness.

Challenge Completed

Sky took a deep breath, before raising his Keyblade in excitement.

"Woohoo!" shouted Roxas. "Way to go, Bro!"

Later, the group met at the dining area of the Inn in Thebes they were all staying at.

"Well, don't leave us in suspense," said Sui. "What was the special prize?"

"Check this out!" Sky held out his hand and his Keyblade appear... except it didn't look like the generic skeleton key it did before. It's handle and guard was made of ancient pillars, its shaft and teeth were made of clouds, heck the shaft also had the name Hercules inscribed on the sides, and it had the crest of the Olympus gods as a keychain token. "My Kingdom Key is now Olympia!"

"So you finally got your first new Keychain," said Land. "Congratulations."

"Yep! This one is more on the physical strength side, so it hits a lot harder now."

"Man, I really wish I had a Keyblade," said Roxas. "With how cool that one looks, imagine what other Keyblades look like."

"I know!"

"So, I've been meaning to ask," said Sea, "what exactly are these Keyblades anyways? I've seen one on the cover of the Guide Book, but it doesn't really say anything about them other than they're rare."

"According to the game's lore," answered Roxas, "Keyblades are legendary weapons that can only be wielded by chosen ones. It is said that they are capable of locking and unlocking any kind of lock. Other than that, not much else is really known about them, even to us beta testers."

"To most beta testers," Land interjected. "I, however, happen to know more."

"Really?" asked Sui. "Do tell."

"Keyblades are not only powerful, but also very versatile. They also work a little differently than your standard weapons. First of all, the Keyblade is more of an ability than a storable item."

Sky then took off a glove and showed everyone the glowing white keyhole-shaped mark on his palm. "See this? This is the mark of a Keybearer. Only those with this mark on their hand can even hold a Keyblade. If anyone else tries to hold one, it automatically returns to its owner. And as you've all seen, I can summon and dismiss it at will without having to go to my inventory. In fact, it doesn't go to the standard inventory at all, because there's a special menu section that allows me to monitor the experience I've gotten with it, unlock exclusive abilities, as well as change its keychain."

Land continued. "Keyblades offer great strength, speed, and defensive capabilities. Not to mention, they make great conduits for casting magic spells. Further more, just holding a Keyblade boosts every one of the users base stats by five-to-ten points, enhancing their strengths while also covering their weaknesses. They're basically the best jack-of-all-trades weapons in the game, but also the rarest to obtain. It's a miracle that Sky manage to get one right when he linked in. I still can't believe he got his hands on a hidden special pack that already has a Keyblade downloaded onto his avatar."

"So how's one normally suppose to obtain a Keyblade anyway?" asked Tsuchi.

"Well, that's the kicker. First of all, Keyblades are supposed to be unobtainable until the clearing of the Floor 20, since Floor 21 is where the Mystical Tower, the place the Keyblades are obtained, is located. However, that Tower is literally unreachable by normal means. In order to get there, you need a special item, and the only way to get said item is to be invited by the NPC master of the tower himself."

"Say what?! You're saying that not only do we have to wait until we're a fifth of the way through this game, but the game itself has to invite you to get a Keyblade?"

"I'm afraid so. Apparently the game is programmed with some complicated algorithm to decide which players get a chance to become Keybearers. And to top it off, an invited player has to pass a secret trial to get it, which they're only given one chance. Failure is absolute."

"So it's luck-based for anyone to even get it?"

"Pretty much. I'm not sure what exactly the requirements for getting invited are. I imagine that Sky will be invited to the Mystical Tower the moment Floor 20 is cleared due to already having a Keyblade. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if by the time we get there he'll have met the requirements for taking the Mark of Mastery Exam, which is how you earn the title, Keyblade Master, which in turn doubles the boosts you get for wielding a Keyblade."

"Man," Sky said as he rubbed the back of his head in disappointment. "And here I was thinking it'd be great for all six of us to have a Keyblade, but with the game itself deciding who even has a chance, it seems kinda slim."

Roxas then looks to Land. "You know, you seem to know quite a lot about how this game works. Even more than most beta testers."

The silver-head couldn't help but smirk. "Well, it helps to have a dad who's a game designer who happened to be on the same team that worked on this game."

Everyone except Sky was taken aback by that statement. Sui spoke up, "You're dad helped work on KHO?"

"Yes. And before you ask, no I don't believe he knew what Ansem was gonna do to us. If he did, he would've petitioned to have the project shut down before it could launch. But yeah, I always played the games that he helped work on, not only to show my support for him, but to give him my input on what works and what doesn't. Sometimes when he knows how excited I am of a particular game he's working on, he would let me in on a few of the best aspects of the game. He doesn't tell me everything though. He's helped to make some great games, average games, and, much to his dismay, a few stinkers as well, but he always does his best to appeal to the right types of gamers, be it casual or hardcore. I like to think that having an expert gamer like myself for a son helps him to be a better game designer. He was the reason I got to be a beta tester for this game."

Tsuchi chuckled. "Well, credit where it's due. You're dad helped make a pretty fun game to play, despite the whole die-in-game-die-in-real-life bullshit Ansem threw in. And it's good to know someone who probably has the best knowledge of the game available and helping out."

"Yeah, I am actually one of the biggest sources for the Guide Books the ex beta testers hand out. Going back to the writers to help them update it whenever something I know about becomes available, or I learn something I didn't know about before, like when I learned about Sea's gold Heart Meter, I didn't give any names but I requested other players to be on the lookout for any clues to what it could mean. All in all, I am grateful that my dad told me as much as he did."

"Man," said Roxas. "I bet he's furious right now. Furious at what the game he helped make is doing to thousands of gamers, especially his own son."

Land sighed. "No kidding. No doubt lawsuits will be coming by the dozen when this is over, assuming they haven't happened already. I imagine he must be really worried about me though. I can only hope that his faith in my gaming skills will put his mind at ease."

Skyknight sighed. "At least neither of your parents are emotional wrecks."

"Indeed," said Roxas. "Our mom tends to get very emotional. She had a big enough break down after she found out her first born son is a violent sociopath. Now her two other sons' minds are trapped in a virtual world, and there's a good chance they could both die. I can only imagine what she must be going through now."

"And it's already been over a month now. And we only just cleared the first of a hundred floors. Who knows how long she'll have to go through this. I hope our dad is keeping her sane. He's always trying to help solve our problems."

Tsuchikage then grumbles. "At least you guys have parents that love you. I really wish my mother didn't die of illness. And more importantly that didn't have such a terrible father. It's a good thing he's far out of my life now, I wouldn't be surprised if he just removed my Nerve Gear Rig disregarding the warning that doing so would kill me."

"Well it beats not knowing them at all," said Suigetsu somberly. "My parents flat out left me on the doorstep of an orphanage shortly after I was born. And I lived in that orphanage all my life, only just recently getting my own apartment. Apparently nobody wanted to adopt a dull, boring girl."

"Hey," Tsuchi interjected as he put his hand on Sui's shoulder, "you weren't dull or boring to me. Not when I came in, not when we moved to the same apartment, and not now."

Sui giggled. "Thanks Terra."

"Uh, Terra?" said a confused Seaprincess.

Sui then blushed in embarrassment. "Oh! Sorry, I wasn't suppose to say that!"

Tsuchi waved his hand. "Ah don't worry about it. We're all friends here, right? I see no harm in her knowing my real name."

Sea started fiddling with her hands in nervousness. Real name?

Sky watched Sea and thought for a moment. He realized that she was completely new in this group. True Land only barely knew Tsuchi and Sui, but Sea didn't really know anyone in this group at all. She must've been feeling really awkward watching everyone else talk to each other like this. Soon Skyknight spoke up. "Hey, he's right. Okay then Sea, my real name is Sora! Sora Zephyr!"

"Sora?" replied Sea.

Land groaned. "Sora, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to help the new girl feel like she's actually part of the group. I'm tired seeing her look so left out. Come on, Riku!"

"Ugh, you just had to say it?" Landdusk shook his head. "I swear you're too nice for your own good. But whatever. I'm Riku Gaia."

Roxas chuckled. "Cut my bro a break. You know he just doesn't like seeing people lonely. Anyways, my real name's Ventus Zephyr."

Tsuchikage shrugged. "As you already heard, I'm Terra. Terra Taurus."

Suigetsu giggled, "Aqua Blue, or so everyone calls me in real life."

"Um..." Sea said nervously. "N-Nice to meet you all."

"Well, what about you?" asked Sky. "What's your real name?"

Sea started twiddling her thumbs. "M-My...r-real name? U-Um..." She started to sweat a little. W-What am I supposed to say?! How am I suppose tell them?

After a minute, Sky grew concerned. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. "Um... hey you don't have to tell us if you don't want to. I-I mean... if your uncomfortable telling us, we understand. We're not gonna judge."

Sea looked down sadly. "I'm s-sorry, I just..."

"Hey, uh, I'm the one who should apologize for springing this on you out of the blue like this. I just thought that..."

"I-I know. And... I appreciate what you're trying to do... I really do." Sea looked really depressed. "I'm...just not ready." She then stood up. "I think... I'll just turn in for the night." And with that, she left the lounge, and head to her room.

Land then gave Sky a deadpan stare. "Smooth, Sora. We've only known her a few days. Did you really expect her just give us her private information just because we gave her ours?"

The Keybearer scratched his head as he look down. "I was... just trying to help her. I didn't want her to feel like a total stranger."

Roxas breathed out a chuckle. "Well, maybe asking for personal stuff so soon wasn't the best approach, Bro."

"I know," Sky sighed. "I didn't mean to make her uncomfortable."

Sui stared in the direction Sea left. "I'm not sure that was quite it. She looked to me like...something else was bothering her."

"I saw it too," said Tsuchi. "Just now she kinda reminded me of you when I first met you, Aqua."

"Yeah."

Seaprincess stepped into her and Suigetsu's room. The group decided to share bedrooms to cut costs of the Inn.

She sat on her bed with a sullen expression, thinking about the conversation they just had. It wasn't that she didn't want to tell them her past, far from it actually. But how was one suppose talk about their past when they don't even know it themself. And how would they react if she told them that. Would they think she's weird? Would they ridicule her? Would they kick her out of the party? She didn't want to think so, after all Skyknight just seemed too nice to any of that. But still, it didn't alleviate her fears. She sighed as she fell backward into her bed, and just stared at the ceiling in thought.

Soon her roommate came in. Sui sat in her own bed as she looked at Sea. "Hey, Sea." She got no response from her. After a few seconds, she then asked, "Are you alright? I'm sorry if we made you feel uncomfortable back there."

The red-head finally sat up. "It's okay. I know you guys didn't mean by it. I...I really do appreciate that Sky wants to include me in the group. It's just... so overwhelming. I...I never really thought I'd belong anywhere, with anyone."

"Well, you definitely found a good pair to party up with. I mean, not only did you get an ex beta tester who's own dad worked on the game, but also a player lucky enough to get a Keyblade early. You're a pretty lucky girl, Sea. Not too mention Sky is a pretty nice guy."

Sea looked down. "How does he do it?" she asked, making the blue-nette turn her head in confusion. "How does he accept me...so easily? The first time I tried to party with someone, I was turned down polite. Another time I was turned down harshly. And yet another time I was flat out ridiculed for being a complete newb at games in general. I had given up trying to party with anyone."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah. I decided to just focus on getting stronger and better at this game. Then I hear about a meeting concerning the Floor Boss and decided to attend to see if I could help. They talk about teaming up into multiple parties, and...well I wasn't confident that I was getting a party. And then this boy just came out nowhere and asked me to be in his party just like that, no asking about my skills, nothing. And then later, he just gave me a friend request without a second thought. And then just earlier, he just...goes as far as telling me his real name just to make me more part of the group. Skyknight continues to amaze me with how willing he is to accept me, despite not really knowing me at all. I just...can't figure out why."

Sui thinks for a moment. "Well, I don't know him all that well personally, but Roxas has told me that Sky is the kind of guy who just wants to help people. He sees someone getting bullied, he'd step in and defend them, even if he got beat up for it. Not that I blame him, considering the bullying he and Roxas had to endure at the hands of their own oldest brother. And if he sees someone sad, he'd do whatever he could to try and make them feel better. And he never asks for anything in return. And they say chivalry is dead."

The red-head couldn't help but giggle. "If only the first players I met were as generous as him."

The blue-nette then switched from sitting on her own bed, to sitting on Sea's bed with her. "When we met a few days ago, I had an inkling that you were alone in this world. Until you met Sky and Land, you had no friends. And earlier you reminded me of myself. Until I met Tsuchi, I was always alone in the orphanage. No one wanted me, and the other kids would always tease me. I was afraid to open up to anyone, afraid of what they'd think of me. But, Tsuchi didn't give up on me. And thanks to him I was able to be myself. I trust him with my life." She then put her hand on Sea's shoulder. "I think Sky sees the same loneliness I do when I look at you. That's why he's trying so hard to help you. He really does want to be your friend." She then put her hand on her roommate's shoulder. "Look, you don't have to tell us anything yet if you don't want to. We're all willing to wait. I just wanted to let you know that you can trust us. Whatever's bothering you, we're not gonna judge you."

Sea was touched by those words. She was really starting to understand her new friends, especially Sky. She was feeling the weight lifting off of her shoulders, and her courage rising. Until she couldn't hold it back anymore.

"It's not that I don't want to tell you guys about my real life. It's just...I literally have nothing to tell."

"You lost your memory!" shouted Skyknight.

After telling Suigetsu, Seaprincess decided to tell the others, so she invited everyone to her room before they decided to go to bed.

Sea looked down as she continued. "I woke up in this world with no idea where I was, nor how I got here. I have vague images of picking up the Dream Rod and giving up the Dream Sword, but everything before that is a complete blank. I tried asking around but people thought I was weird. It wasn't until Ansem made that announcement that I understood where we were, and what was at stake here. I couldn't get anyone to let me join their party and I couldn't take watching the suicides that had occurred around me. I grabbed a Guide Book to learn as much as I could on how to play, and worked as hard as I could to get stronger and better. I always hoped that my memory would come back to me soon, but...it's been more than a month now, and...nothing." She closed her eyes. "I don't know if I have any family in the real world, or what kind of life I had. I don't even know...my real name."

Sky felt really bad for Sea. He never would've guess that Sea was going through something like this. "Sea...I'm so sorry. I...really hit a sore spot earlier, didn't I?"

"It's okay. You couldn't have known."

Tsuchikage scratched his head. "Is it even possible for someone to get amnesia in this world?"

Roxas crossed his arms in thought. "It shouldn't be possible. Any kind of trauma to our avatar bodies shouldn't affect us our real world brains like this."

"So then how could this have happened?" asked Sui.

Landdusk rubbed his chin in thought. "I'm wondering if...maybe she picked up a faulty Nerve Gear Rig."

"Faulty Nerve Gear Rig?" asked Sea.

"You said you lost your memory before Ansem's announcement, which means it happened on launch day, when every player first logged in. What if... when you logged in there was a slight malfunction in the microwave transmitters, and it...did something to her brain. Not enough to kill her, otherwise she wouldn't be here, but... I don't know maybe enough to cause her memory loss."

"That sounds like a long shot," Roxas said.

Land sighed. "I know. But it's literally the only explanation I can think of."

Sea looked at everyone. "I'm sorry about this, for not saying anything. I...I was worried that...that you wouldn't want me around after hearing about my memory loss. I was already rejected several times, I...I didn't wanna risk a another one, especially after I was accepted without having to ask. I just...couldn't bear it."

The Keybearer walked over and sat next to his teammate. "We understand, Sea. But you don't have to worry. This doesn't change anything. Memory or no memory, you're still our friend." He then turned to the others. "Isn't that right, guys?"

"Of course!" said Roxas.

"Absolutely!" said Sui.

"Why would we hold something like this against you?" asked Tsuchi.

"I don't see a reason to reject you at all," said Land.

"You see," said Sky. "We're all here for you."

It was that moment that tears started falling from Sea's eyes. "Thank you...everyone." She started wiping her tears. "I just... wish I could remember my real life."

"Stuck in this virtual world, you're not likely to find anything here to jog your memory," said Land.

"I know."

"Don't worry," said Sky as he put a hand on the red-head's shoulder. "I'm sure something will come to you eventually. And we'll do whatever we can to help you figure it out. That's a promise!"

Sea stared at Sky before smiling. "I really glad I found such good friends." She got a thumbs up in response.

Soon Tsuchikage then stretched. "Well, we're not gonna figure anything out if we don't get some shuteye."

"I agree." said Roxas.

The boys were about to exit the room when Sea stopped them. "Um, Land. You said you helped with the Guide Book?" The silver-head nodded. "Well, if it wasn't for that book, I don't know if I would've been able survive this game. So, thank you."

Landdusk smirked. "Don't mention it."

"And Sky, I really can't thank you enough for asking me to join your party. Now I don't have to be alone anymore."

Skyknight gave her a big grin. "No problem, Sea!"

The red-head then bowed. "Goodnight, you guys."

"Goodnight!" And with that, the boys left.

Sea then turned to her roommate. "And thank you, Sui, for your encouragement."

Sui smiled. "Anytime, Sea. And if you ever need to talk girl-to-girl, you can always come find me."

"I'll hold you to that."

"Now then, we should get some sleep ourselves." The blue-nette then used her menu to switch her apparel from her mage gear to her sleepwear. "You and I may not be competing in the tournament, but that doesn't mean we should slack off on our own training."

The red-head giggled as she switched to her own sleepwear. "Alright then, Goodnight!"

"Goodnight!" With that Suigetsu turned of the lamp and went to bed.

Seaprincess went over to the window, gazing at the heart-shaped moon in the sky. Although her memory loss still bothered her, she was very thankful to have such wonderful friends who accept her in spite of that. She knew she was going to have to work hard to keep up with them and protect them just as she knew they would protect her. She closed the curtains and got into her bed.

However, before she could fall asleep, a Notification popped up in her vision. It was a Private Message. Curious as to who would possibly be sending one to her of all people she opened it and read the contents:

"Do not despair. The truth will come to you in time. There are many trials ahead for you and your friends, and you must stay strong. I believe you all are capable of getting through this nightmare.

Keep your friends close, and never give up hope.

~DiZ"

A/N: And that's it for this chapter.

I'm more than likely gonna go into more detail on each of their backgrounds later on. I hope I did well addressing Seaprincess's memory loss.

I also hope I did a good job explaining how Keyblades works in this game. I'm no expert in game design, but I tried to make them special while also trying not to make them too overpowered. Let me no if you think I did alright with that.

Next chapter we'll be going into the tournament.