Dive Into The Heart: Jin Takada's Awakening (Test and Reference Awakening)

Jin Takada was once more falling asleep. It was another usual, boring day for him, but alas he never minded as per usual. His eyes, very baggy and shaky from a long day that although boring, was well spent in his mind, it was always good to have a normal day with a normal dream and the like. His eyes slowly drifting into a state where if he had even tried to open them, it would fail, even though he was still nice and awake, yet to fully pass out, leaving him to just his thoughts.

He always found days like this, the same old boring routine, was perfectly fine in light of everything going on, but he did want something more fun. Something that could be considered new and fresh in his lifestyle. Sure, struggle was a constant in his life that he never wanted to give up, but it wasn't enough anymore. But soon his thoughts were broken away by the sweet embrace of slumber, with a dream to boot. Though, this dream wasn't exactly a normal dream as one would see it, it was like a lucid dream of some sort that he couldn't control the surroundings of but could instead still move and interact with.

Slowly, the mans feet would touch down on a large circular platform that looked to be nothing more than a void. A void for miles upon miles in all directions aside from down, which was just the platform itself. However, who knew if below the platform was just more and more void to look down into. However, considering he got to this place via falling asleep, the man could only assume that it was a dream state nonetheless, and had nothing to be afraid of. But, he was a little worried as to why he couldn't change anything, but still had concurrent control over his thought and actions. It was a little freaky but he had to keep believing it was nothing more than a dream considering the void that was around him was physically impossible by all standards, right?

The man just shook his head fiercely, wondering what exactly this dream meant for it to be controlled but still lucid in terms of him acting on his own will. It had to be some sort of sign of something like that right? Or maybe it was just some silly mind trick his brain was playing on him while he was passed out. Which was honestly a pretty probable answer amidst all of this. Jin Takada would then just stare out over the vast void, wondering curiously on all these thoughts flowing through his mind as he would stand there. It was only then that he decided to actually pay attention to the platform he was on, looking around it with watchful eyes.

Jin would slowly shiver. What was this... he felt words, almost as if they were coming from his heart rather than in his ears or mind. Not a single sound was heard for the man but he still understood each word as it pierced through him.

He felt like he couldn't talk himself however, but he knew exactly what he wanted before it was all said and done. He would slowly make his way over to the shield, and slowly hold it in his hands. He knew fully well he wanted the courage to protect the two girls he had grown to care about. But most importantly he wanted the courage to throw his life on the line if that is what it meant.

Still, he couldn't speak, it was almost as if all ability to say words out loud had been taken from him, but still his thoughts were clearly projected that this was what he desired.

"Is courage really so important?" The voice asked in a tone that was questioning, not mocking. It however spoke once more when it realized his choice. "Your bravery is one that is respectable, your heart holds together a bond that you must protect."

A cloud of pure dark appears before him, swirling and hissing. He could have never normally known, but the idea that it was a doorway fell deeply into his mind as the voice spoke once more.

"Do not fear the darkness, it must not be allowed to control you...Please, step through it." The voice urged him in such a tone that he could have surely been aware that it was okay for some reason...

What would meet him once he decided to step through was...Twilight Town. That old familiar place, his home...There were three people standing before him, he somehow would know that they each had a question, each to be answered one at a time. They all spoke up one after the other, giving him time to process between each question.

"What is it you most want in life?" The young boy among the three asked.

"What is your greatest fear?" The tall adult man asked.

"What is most important to you?" The young woman asked.

All three asking very odd, yet valid questions...Was this a test? It would seem so, but it was all so surreal.

Without a hint of hesitation in his mind or his heart, Jin would take his step into the darkness, not wanting to hesitate a moment longer as he knew he had to do it... he had to take this time and chance to go through it now or this would all be for nothing.

Once on the other side, he met three people. He didn't really know nay of them but he knew he had to talk to all three of them, that all three of them were prepared for him. Once more, he needed to do this or all of it would be for not.

He finally felt the ability to talk flowing through him once more, and after thinking over his answers he would respond. "What I want most in life... is the power to make my friends grow... even if I can't be there with them. To have the power to make them successful..." he would say lightly to himself, before shaking his head. "My greatest fear... is that I lose all of my friends to something that was caused by me.... to be the fault of losing someone I care for.." he continued before he clenched his fist and smirked. "And if you couldn't tell... the things that are most important to me... are the friends I have made throughout my life, the ones I care about and love more than anything... their growth and happiness is what is most important to me..." was all he would say to them.

Each noted what he said, responding accordingly.

"Bettering your friends so they can protect themselves...That's a noble goal." He was a young boy, but his words sounded mature, wise, like they didn't belong to him...

The grown man spoke up soon after the boy finished.

"Losing your friends, is that really so terrifying?" The man spoke with curiosity, he was not mocking Jin, nor even trying to judge him, it was all out of curiosity and nothing more...Perhaps even said to be a question for himself to find out.

Lastly, the woman spoke when the man's words finished.

"Your friends are a precious treasure to you...Such a selfless choice." The woman reassuringly stated, her words were nuturing and kind, as if she could be everyone's mother, she spoke as if she were proud of his choice.

With all three soon falling silent, the world around him faded into darkness, the platform from before coming back.

There are those that desire to corrupt the light, you must fearlessly leap into combat to face them...Do not fear, the light inside your own heart will guide you.

With thise words finished, three shadows appeared on the floor, his mind was given a strange instinct...One that told him to focus on these. They suddenly grew out of the floor, taking on a basic, blobby form. Their yellow eyes glaring back at him. His shield became a sword of some kind...In the shape of a key. It was clear those shadows were hostile, that they needed to be stopped.

Understanding that his answers weren't denied or accepted, just understood by the strange world he was in himself, he would slowly feel a chill flow through his back, however he wouldn't be afraid, he just had instincts flowing through him as he felt the words go through him more.

The light inside of his heart would guide him? He wouldn't be questioning it out of being confused or anything, just making sure that he himself understood the words put into him. He understood instantly that he was needing to combat the creatures that were rising up, he didn't know what they were or what they would do if he didn't, but once his shield would take the form of a key, he would instantly hold it in a combat ready stance.

-Enter Combat-

Starting Battle Statistics: Basic Human
Potential: 500
Willpower: 500
Stamina: 3/3
Mana: 3/3
Passive Support Ability: [AB] Time-out: Allows you to perform two defensive or Offensive actions in the same turn.

Without a second thought, the man would rush towards the group of three shadows, he was prepared for this for now, he knew he needed to prove himself. Thus, using the key, would put all out speed behind his rush, trying to attack one of the shadows with the blade using speed behind it. Whether or not the skill had actually connected or did anything, he would simply turn and try to use an execution slash on another nearby shadow

Battle:
VS Heartless 1: [SK Level 1] Flash Slash: Putting speed behind his attack, Jin rushes an enemy and attempts to slash his keyblade at them. - 175 Potential

VS Heartless 2: [SK Level 1] Dull Edge: Using his Katana blade, Jin tries to use an execution slice at an opponent using a bit of his physical prowess. - 175 Potential

3/3 Stamina - 2 Level 1 Skills = 1/3 Stamina Remaining
3/3 Mana - 0 Spells = 3/3 Mana Remaining

Heartless 1, 2, and 3 stats: 750 Potential - 250 Willpower

-Heartless 1 takes the damage as it foolishly tries to attack! 75 willpower left!-

-Heartless 2 takes damage in much of the same manner as 1! 75 willpower left!-

-Heartless 3 attempts to Use [level 1] claw swipe for 262 potential!-
The heartless left unattacked took his chance to dive at Jin, his claws sweeping once he was in range, this was his chance!

Heartless 1: 2/3 stamina

Heartless 2: 2/3 stamina

Heartless 3: 2/3 stamina

The battle was heated, the creatures bringing a lot of trouble for the man, but he seemed to be neck and neck with them, no one side having a major advantage at the moment. But there was no lack of confidence for Jin, perhaps the being overseeing this was reassuring him mentally, maybe it was his own natural confidence, regardless, this was one fight where there was no true fear. No true doubt, only fierce combat between the two sides.

Feeling the attack cut through his body, Jin would slowly stumble a bit, being offset by its sheer power. He had never had to fight something like this before, but he needed to take that chance to finish the other two off, and make the battle itself more on a fair ground.

He knew he could win this battle, somewhere in his heart he believed that he had the power to stop these creatures all on his own. Thus he would take up the key once more and hold it above his head. He didn't know why he was doing this but before he knew it, pure mana that he didn't even know existed seeped into the key and he brought his arms down as a torrent slash of fire would go towards the first heartless. Without hesitation, he would bring it upwards and charge more mana into it to bring out a torrent of ice at the second heartless.

Battle:
Jin Takada takes the claw swipe for 262 damage.
Willpower: 500 x 250% = 1250 - 262 = 988 Willpower hp left

VS Heartless 1: [SP Level 1] Fire: With mana flowing into Jin's katana, he releases a ranged slash of fire [Fire Based] - 175 Potential

VS Heartless 2: [SP Level 1] Moon Edge: With mana flowing into Jin's katana, he releases a ranged slash of ice [Ice Based] - 175 Potential

1/3 Stamina - 0 Skills = 2/3 Stamina Remaining
3/3 Mana - 2 Level 1 Spells = 1/3 Mana Remaining

The display Jin puts on appeared to be more than enough to dispatch the pitiful shadows, the two who had been damaged both burst into nothing, the shade left behind floating into the either, now only one remained.

-Heartless 1 has been destroyed!-

-Heartless 2 has been destroyed!-

-Heartless 3 uses another Level 1 claw swipe for 262 potential yet again!-
The third heartless relentless, it strikes out as if in a frenzy.

Heartless 3: 1/3 Stamina, 3/3 Mana

Seeing the two heartless disappear, Jin would crack a small smirk across his face. He was truly cutting down the opposition, it started with three entire enemies and now he was down to only one... with that, he would turn and look towards the last Heartless who would then claw him one more, Jin wincing a bit as he felt the attack pierce into him a little bit as he would stumble around enough to be offset.

He however knew that then was the time to rebuttal... as he got prepared to attack once more. Of course, the young man didn't actually know how to battle like this but everything was coming to him, like he went from a Struggle-Player and Kendo-Fighter all the way to a true warrior of this type of combat, however, with a cracked smirk of his face, Jin would run forward and make two precision execution slashes to try to destroy the beast.

---

VS Heartless 3: [SK Level 1] Dull Edge (x2): Using his Katana blade, Jin tries to use an execution slice at an opponent using a bit of his physical prowess. - 175 Potential + 175 Potential = 350 Potential

2/3 Stamina - 2 Level 1 Skills = 0/3 Stamina Remaining
1/3 Mana - 0 Spells = 2/3 Mana Remaining

Jin, despite believing himself inexperienced had won, the third heartless in it's mindless efforts to strike him down, was itself struck down, it's body turning into black smoke and floating away into the void above.

-Heartless 3 has been destroyed!-

All fell silent on the platform...It seemed as though nothing was left, as though it had all ended. But then...Darkness flowed in from all around the void, it created a massive shadow on the floor in front of him, and suddenly a gargantuan being rose from the darkness. A being whose torso had a large heart-shaped hole in it.

It loomed over him, it was clear this one was greater than the three he defeated.

-Darkside has appeared! 1000 potential/400 Willpower-

The voice spoke once more, seeking to fill him with hope even against these odds. "You will face great darkness, those that seek to consume the light. However your light is greater, you have the power to defeat even giants." The words were comforting, even if in any other time or place he would have no reason to believe it.

Jin would slowly just sit within the quietness, letting out an inaudible sigh of relief as he would slowly pull up his jacket hood over his head, trying to see if all of this could end already as his muscles would slowly begin to tense up, the man looking to the ground before sort of twitching in response to the large being that would form out of the void and just become a large version of what he had just had to destroy, but with some changes to its true bodily looks.

He honestly didn't know if he could fight this too, but he would listen to the voice with a great determination as he would flip the keyblade into a reverse holding position, so the key was pointing behind him as he looked up to the beast with his hood still covering him. "No matter how much darkness tries consume me or my light... I will continue to fight for my light..." the man would say to him self before rushing towards the beast, sending two quick slashes towards anything that he could hit, hoping that he was strong enough and fast enough to harm it for now, not actually looking to kill it just yet and more just starting off the fight.

"Because the ones I want to protect... they are my light!" he would yell out, bringing the key closer for that strike that he was aiming for. His words were guided by truth.. he wanted to protect Riyya and Yuuki... no matter what happened he would give his life and his power for them, even if one day it never seemed so, his goal would always be the same. At the end of the day they were the ones he felt brought him happiness... they brought light to his life and that was why he had to fight for them if not himself, no matter what he did.

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VS Darkside: [ML Untrained] Quick Slash (x2): A quick but normal cut motion with a Katana. - 25 Potential + 25 Potential = 50 Potential

0/3 Stamina - 0 Skills = 1/3 Stamina Remaining
2/3 Mana - 0 Spells = 3/3 Mana Remaining

The attacks, they were well aimed, perfectly executed, and it showed, they made the Darkside pull it's hand back. Though it was seemingly quite capable after all of that, and used it's opening to strike! It swiped it's massive hands across the floor, then punching straight at him. It seemed fully prepared to kill him if it had the chance, it was feral despite it all, but seemed stronger than the ones before.

-Darkside took all 50 of the damage! 350 Willpower remaining!-

-Darkside is using [SK1] Dark Punch for 350 Potential!-

Jins eyes would slowly go wide, seeing as the large beast more or less stopped caring about the mans attacks moments before bashing him across the platform, Jin rolling multiple times as he rolled across the floor, struggling for a moment after taking such strong hits.

"Damn you... I wont let you win that easily." the man would say, slowly scuffling up to his feet as he would lurch over, pulling his hood off to look at the beast that he was going to take care of as soon as he could. "I'm going to take you down, and you can't do anything to stop me!" he'd shout out, raising the keyblade and channeling a very dark energy through it, Jin swinging it twice in quick succession as both swings of it started to fly towards the Darkside at the exact same time.

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Jin Takada takes the Dark Punch for 350 damage.
Willpower: 988 - 350 = 638 Willpower hp left

VS Darkside: [SP Level 1]  Vorpal Cannon(x2): With mana flowing into Jin's katana, he releases a ranged slash of darkness - 175 + 175 = 350 Potential

1/3 Stamina - 0 Skills = 2/3 Stamina Remaining
3/3 Mana - 2 Level 1 Spells = 1/3 Mana Remaining

The Darkside was prepared to throw another devastating punch, however, this left it wide open for Jin's next attacks. The two blasts strike Darkside, causing the beast to lose the last of it's strength. With that, it toppled over...But with the last of it's strength, it's arms planted into the glass floor, darkness spread across it and grabbed hold of Jin's feet, the grip of these shadows were strong...They began to pull him down into the floor, they seemed almost impossible to resist. Soon he would be consumed...But the voice spoke again.

"You will face great odds, the darkness is relentless...However, you hold light in your heart, with it you will always be able to fight back. One day the door will open..." These words called out as the darkness continued to pull at him, latching higher and higher onto his legs...A light shone above, signifying that he would overcome even this, that he was a warrior of light... And perhaps one day, he would understand the words spoken.

Jin would lightly smirk, staring at the toppling over monstrosity before he would start getting consumed by its expulsion of darkness. He would struggle and struggle... but try as he might there was no way for him to get out of it. The words however soothed him, as he would just clench his fists and look towards the light shining above, before letting himself get taken... for now.

But there was nothing that could stop the light he held within his heart... he just needed time... something he had a lot of, these days.

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Finished