Kingdom Hearts 3.6 Chapter 155:

The Sailor, the Sea and the Ram's Horn 8.

"...Much...to tell me? wait! the king's grandfather...he wrote a book about that accursed conch I held for so long! king Torque! this old-!?" suddenly, the king had raised a hand to Orichalcum. "Do not worry...I know of whom this old wizard is. So...Oric arriving in my kingdom WAS no coincidence after all. All the places he visited and all the Connections he has made...they were ALL part of your scheming, weren't they? even our treasured bond...tell us the truth. Daedalus...heir to the World Tree." says king Torque, revealing the true identity...of the man known as Daedalus.

"...Heh, heh. The rabbit's out of the bag is it? very well, very well. I owe that much to all that has happened...but first, why don't I tidy this place up a bit?" with a stab of his walking staff downwards, Daedalus transports the three of them elsewhere and has completely the others' injuries. "My-My-My injuries!" says Oric, as he looks across his Body. "I have even tidied up the plaza outside...no one will ever know of this private incident, king." says Daedalus with an ominous smirk...disquieting to say the least both king Torque and Orichalcum...

Daedalus catches the king up with everything that was explained to Oric thus far in the royal throne room. "...You reverted time whilst at the very same moment, changed everyone's Memories from before they were approaching the library and saw the damage done to it. Though I do not understand. Even though you have told me already...just why are you so keen in Oric? even if he is whom as you say?" says the king, wanting to know more of the concerning circumstances around the incident that occurred.

Oric is greatly unnerved, although wanting to know more...is deeply afraid. For good reason too...as Daedalus says the following words "Do not misunderstand, my liege. I did not change time exactly. I went back into a past that wasn't mine and had then changed the outcome. Because I wasn't there at the time to begin with, I could easily slip myself into that very moment and change the course of it's history. Only I however am beseeched with this power...I cannot explain as to why. Nevertheless, concerning Oric here...he is of the Chi clan. One of the 24 clans that survived the 1st great Keyblade War..." says Daedalus, as he points his walking staff once more to Oric's direction.

"Keyblade War? is this a folly?" says king Torque, not believing the old man's words. "Tis not a folly...your grandfather was a combatant of the war." says Daedalus, greatly shocking the two younger men, especially the king. "WHAT!?" says Torque in an exclaimed manner. "Your grandfather was simply an ordinary young man that got swept up into the war's causing. That is how he learned of the conchs and the special magic they absorb. He had no role, other then the creation of this Regnum Stratera-this so called "Kingdom of Balance". He was more closer then any other ordinary citizen should have been at the time..." says Daedalus, revealing the truth of Torque's grandfather.

"My-My grandfather was..." says Torque, sitting upon his throne in disbelief. "Your grandfather's name was "Soar", am I right? I was the one...whom helped him out of that conflict. It was near the war's end...I gave him a chance to flee and take as many books as he could carry. I figured with that knowledge bestowed upon me in turn to him, would he be able to live a both peaceful and plentiful life after. Never did I imagine would he strive through struggling times such as those and then create a kingdom from the knowledge he acquired from me." says Daedalus.

"...Although it is my father-"Regulus" that is herald as the founder king. It was actually my grandfather Soar that devised the kingdom's foundation to begin with. I see...my grandfather...was a survivor of an unknown war, was he? although he looked happy...to think. He kept this secret from me...all that time." says Torque, wondering how his grandfather must have felt, being a Keyblade War survivor...

"It was kept unknown for good reason. The Worlds that exist outside, beyond the roots of the World Tree did not need to become engulfed into a war that was caused by the inner branch peoples. From another point of view, you could say they were unworthy of joining...your grandfather, Soar may have used that to his advantage...and. Just like his name describes...he Soared to Skies elsewhere. If you think it was cowardly...it was not. I would have done the same thing, if I was not an Originator." says Daedalus again.

"! I don't understand. My grandfather could have only participated if he was an Originator. Is that...not the case? are your words false?" says the king, still having trouble believing Daedalus. "No, my words do not ring hollow. Although not an Originator...there is a reason for how your grandfather was mixed up in our grand mess. He was living just a single border away from the roots...the single border surroundings are counted as being involved, despite only meeting the roots halfway. Although from that alone, he was not drafted as a warrior for either side. Instead...the single borders met a fate, cruller then just death alone: crossfire." says Daedalus...

"!? Oh...oh no." says the king with utter dread. "! King Torque!?" says Oric, greatly worried for his friend. "The single border peoples were not allowed to either draft themselves as soldiers...nor escape. Their Hearts were to be used...as substance to feed either side's hunger for both battle and destruction destroying. The friends and the families lost of my friends living there...was beyond the count given to us through message of war status." says Daedalus...tightly clutching his walking staff.

"G-Grandfather..." Torque hides his tears, unable to share them with Orichalcum. "My king..." says Oric. "Your grandfather must have written a book that although referenced the war did not speak of the war itself. Only crucial items involved...to avoid warfare. The conchs described in Soar's book...they were the tools used by both warring sides to travel towards other domains, under the great World Tree known as Yggdrasil. With Keyblades in hand, they slaughtered opposing forces...regardless if they had the will to fight or nil." says Daedalus, continuing to speak...of the 1st Keyblade War.

"Your grandfather was the only one to survive. The only one I could find...I gave him one of those conchs to escape. Afterwards, he must have destroyed it and spoke of the horrors of using them. That's why...you treated Orichalcum with such hesitance upon remembering your grandfather's words and then discovering the truth for yourself, although misjudged..." says Daedalus, revealing exactly how the incident played itself out from the source of it.

"...I was SUCH A FOOL! please...forgive me Oric. For...everything..." says king Torque, showing his tears to Oric now. "My king..." says Oric once more. "Do not falter, Orichalcum. Your part is a Key role in all this...what follows next is the story...of your life's beginning. I spoke of the 24 clans and their chosen ones...but. What I should have said accurately are the surviving bloodlines of the Hearts that stood both first and firm. Even if they were descended from the Tsu-Ki and the Daeluses or not." says Daedalus, starting to crunch down on the subject at hand...

"The Originators were mainly the Tsu-Ki and the Daeluses. Mainly the ones whom went to war with one another. One side was technologically gifted whilst the other was not. And yet...both sides were equal in battle prowess. A losing war was not fought on the side of the Daeluses despite being less gifted. That is because for the side that started the war, they were more so in number. "Alpha", "Nu", "Gamma", "Omicron", "Epsilon", "Rho" and "Eta". Seven clans for the Tsu-Ki...and then. "Beta", "Xi", "Delta", "Pi", "Zeta", "Sigma", "Tau", "Theta", "Upsilon", "Iota", "Phi", "Kappa" and "Lambda". Thirteen clans for the Daeluses…history from this point forth...might refer to them as "7 Lights and 13 Darknesses"..." says Daedalus, explaining the origin...of the VII Lights and XIII Darknesses, featured in KINGDOM HEARTS III.

"The clans of the numbers-1, 13, 3, 15, 5, 17 and 7 belonged to the Tsu-Ki. Those numbers were their Emblems, so to speak in one manner. The other numbers belonged to the Daeluses. The numbers of 2, 14, 4, 16, 6, 18, 19, 8, 20, 9, 21, 10 and 11. All of the numbers including the aforementioned ones being respective to the names in counterpart to them." says Daedalus, as Orichalcum replies "...What do the numbers mean?" says Oric.

"The names belong to a language, described to us in thought by the grace of the World Tree's mysterious powers. As for the numbers...we believed that they might be a Key code of some kind. That is my mission...to find out Orichalcum. About the numbers...and the ones to whom they receive themselves onto through bloodline. There were still 4 numbers remaining...12, 24, 23...and of course. 22..." says Daedalus, speaking of the last four numbers...

"Of course? you sound like...the 22nd number is important." says Orichalcum, picking up on the old man's tone of voice. "...It is. The remaining clans with the numbers of 12, 24, 23 and 22 were called the Recusants. Beings who resented the concept of war itself and would rather reside within shadows...then the fires of a war-scape. They were peace lovers, they shunned all types of warfare. They begged the other clans to uphold to a ceasefire...and were ultimately shunned for such a proposal. Hence the title of Recusant...looking back on it now, it's kind of...funny. All of these Odds and Evens...and yet still. On the behalf of the Evens...war still breaks loose. Understand, young man?" says Daedalus.

He made a point on the fact of "Evens"-"Balance". Regnum Stratera being the Kingdom of "Balance" that Oric currently resides in. Though recognising the pun...Oric does not find it the least bit funny in regards to the topics being discussed. Since the Daeluses were led by the Beta clan that was an Even number...one would think.

"To mock them with shame and insult, these clans were called Recusants and were adorned with "Crowns of Guilt" for believing in something hopeful. They were to be "Kings and Queens of the Shame that befell them. Forever grieving for their decisions to not take part. Whilst others were forced to do so, knowing fully the terrible consequence". What that means exactly is the four Recusant clans, although participants were allowed exit from the war should they have chosen that course of action. In the end they did...again, Orichalcum. This further means...for the single border peoples and the four Recusant clans...the formers greatly hated the latter clans for the opportunity of escapement." says Daedalus lastly, revealing the horrifying truth.

He had revealed towards Oric, believed to be a descendent of one of the four clans that voted for peace and then escaped afterwards. Doomed the single border peoples to their fates...the peoples that king Torque's grandfather was descended from. To put simply...this should make Orichalcum a most hated enemy of Torque's, following the revelation...

Oric went pale as pale colours could be. What would be Torque's verdict...after all that has happened?

To be Continued.