Hello there everyone, and good evening to you! Let me introduce you to my latest story, titled “The Keyblade War Chapter III: Beauty Of Apocalypse!” For those of you who have been following the Keyblade War Saga since 2011, let me inform you that this is the final chapter in the Keyblade War trilogy, and as such, I’m going to finish this epic saga with a bang!  Also, for newcomers who have recently gotten into my stories or are perhaps taking a look at this here story I’m going to post, I want to let you know that the other two installments of the Keyblade War Saga are here on this site!  But, to save the trouble of having to look everywhere to find them, I’ll link them here for you!

 

The Keyblade War Chapter I

http://kh13.com/forum/topic/18439-the-keyblade-war-chapter-1/

 

The Keyblade War Chapter II: Chaotic Twilight

http://kh13.com/forum/topic/69214-the-keyblade-war-chapter-ii-chaotic-twilight/

 

Or, if you’d rather just dive into this story without reading the other two, then I’ll provide a small summary of what’s happened so far!

 

Synopsis

(Start Song Here)

  It has been a long road for the Keyblade Wielders, the guardians of the balance between light and darkness.  They have overcome many ordeals, and have suffered many losses and been witness to selfless sacrifices.  Everything that has transpired has led to this.  It all started when a mysterious new threat had emerged in the worlds, and the Keyblade Wielders were tasked with finding out what the threat was, since war seemed to be looming close.  What our heroes found were the Unborn, a strange new breed of enemies that, along with the Heartless, were wreaking havoc upon the worlds. The Keyblade Wielders got to the bottom of things, and after discovering the people responsible for the crisis in the worlds, our heroes spurred into action and attempted to stop the threat!

 

  Many difficult ordeals were placed upon the Keyblade Wielders, and they bore witness to new allies, betrayals, destruction and death!  After battling the Unborn and Dark Orion’s organization alongside these new friends, in addition to gaining the Nobodies and Unversed as allies as well, our heroes were able to fend back the forces of darkness, and so preventing further harm to the worlds.  But, the war was not over…no, it had just merely begun!

 

  Three years later, after a long period of peace, a new threat emerged to threaten the worlds anew.  To prevent anything bad from happening, our heroes split into groups of three and went about exploring different worlds, hoping to stop whatever threat was awaiting before it had a chance to plant its roots.  Dawn, who sensed something terrible was going to happen, and having wanted to meet Riku since the battle with Dark Orion, was able to escape the fortress she lived in, with the help of her friend Valgard.  Soon, after, she was finally able to meet Riku, and she tagged along with Kairi and Mickey on their journey.  Along the way, Sora, Donald and Goofy were captured by the enemy, while Trish, Ventus and Kyle were beset by Jexana, a woman hell bent on having Ventus as her own!  Meanwhile, Xion, Dexeres and Vanitas were hot on Sora, Donald and Goofy’s trail, hoping to find them as soon as possible!

 

  Through separate paths our heroes united, and then they bore witness to the one person behind everything: Xylek, the man who was a mere ‘underling’ for Dark Orion, had actually been the puppet master of this whole crusade the entire time!  After a grueling and tiring battle, our heroes were able to defeat Xylek once and for all, but the battle was not without its toll.  Roxas, Terra and Aqua ended up sacrificing their lives to ensure that the worlds would not perish, and Kyle entered a coma, no one knowing when he would awaken.  Trish and Ventus remained under Jexana’s care, and Riku had been fatally wounded, and the worlds were shaken asunder by Xylek’s madness.  But, if all these sacrifices had been able to stop his plans, then the hurt would have been easier to bear…but, it was not to be.

 

  Even though Xylek is no more, his plans have already been set in motion, and now, Keyblade Wielders from all corners of the universe, and other universes are now gathering to fight for their own reasons, coming together to usher a new Keyblade War!  Our heroes were not able to stop this from happening.  They were powerless to do anything about it.  Now, all they can do is cling to any sliver of hope they have, for the war that is to come shall be catastrophic, and it could mean the end of everything…the beginning of the end…

(End Song Here)

 

Prologue: The Death Of Hope

(Start Song Here)

  The sky was darkening.  Everyone in Disney Town, who were a safe distance away, were looking upwards, as small dots appeared in the sky, seeming to head towards their direction!  Queen Minnie instantly felt a shiver down her spine…she knew that this was an ill omen.  She looked towards Daisy, Chip and Dale, and the few other citizens who survived from the chaos that had decimated their homes, and she couldn’t help but feel despair.  She stood there, powerless, unable to do anything to comfort them.  She was too scared…she didn’t know what to do now.  She clasped her hands together as a tear rolled down her cheek, and through soft, whispered sobs, she started to pray.

 

  “Oh Mickey…wherever you are, please be safe!  I fear something terrible is about to happen!” she said to herself softly, and then she felt a hand on her shoulder, and when she glanced back, it was Daisy, who was standing by her side.

 

  “Minnie, we have to get our people to safety.  I’m pretty sure that whatever those things in the sky are can’t be anything good!” she urged as she glanced back at everyone.  The Queen sighed.

 

  “B-but what can we do, Daisy?  I’m scared…I-I don’t know what to tell everyone!  What should we tell them?” she asked in distress.  Daisy gave a compassionate and sad expression and she slightly tensed.

 

  “We’ll tell them that it’ll all be okay…we need to give our people hope!  As long as King Mickey and the others are alive, things will turn out okay!” Daisy answered, and Minnie smiled momentarily, but then her smile faded into a frown.

 

  “Daisy…I need you to get everyone to safety…” the Queen said, and Daisy raised her eyebrow.

 

  “Wait…what about you?” she asked, worrying at what the Queen’s answer would be.  Suddenly, Cid came running towards them, panting and sweating, as though he had been running for miles.  The Queen then turned around to face him.

 

  “Your Majesty, the airship is ready!  I finished all the modifications as fast as I could!  We’re ready to leave!” he said in between huffs, and the Queen nodded.

 

  “Good…now take everyone, and get as far away from here as you can!  Find somewhere safe for everyone!” the Queen commanded, and Cid nodded sadly.

 

  “Yes, your Majesty…now come on everyone, let’s go, follow me!” Cid urged as he ran towards the airship, and everyone else followed suit, until only Daisy remained.  Tears were forming in her eyes.

 

  “You’re not coming with us…are you?” she asked, and the Queen, walking towards her and holding her hands, nodded sadly.

 

  “No, I am not.  Daisy, you need to take care of everyone in my stead!  I’ll try to hold off whatever those things are!  I need to do this…for our people.” she said with ironclad determination.  Daisy huffed and tapped her foot.

 

  “N-No, I can’t accept this!  I won’t leave without you!” she said, pleading for the Queen to come.  But the Queen simply hugged her lifelong friend, trying to hold her tears, and then she pulled away, holding her hands.

 

  “My dearest friend Daisy, you don’t know how much I’ve cherished our friendship together for all these years!  We’ve been on so many adventures together, and we’ve been through good times and bad times!  Throughout the years, I’ve cherished all the moments we’ve been able to spend time together!  There’s nothing I value more than our friendship!  That’s why I’m asking you to please lead our people!  I know this will be hard road for you, but with time, you’ll be able to manage things without me…but please don’t try to stop me.  My heart is commanding me to do this, and I will not waver.  Please, as my lifelong friend, fulfill my request!” the Queen pleaded, trying persistently hard to hold back her tears.  Daisy remained silent for a few moments, and then she nodded slowly, also holding back her tears, and with a look of determination on her face.

 

  “I’ll do my best, Minnie…” was all she could manage to say, and with that, she turned away and ran towards the airship along with everyone else, and Minnie, who turned around to look at the direction of Disney Castle, shed tears anew.

 

  “Farewell…my dearest friend…” she whispered, and as soon as the airship had departed, Minnie closed her eyes and then prepared herself for what was to come.

(End Song Here)

---

 

(Start Song Here)

  At that same moment, in the sky, Jexana was looking down on Disney castle from her airship, and Ventus quietly stood beside her, lifeless and stoic.  She had quite the amused smirk on her face.  She knew that the worlds were now at their breaking point, and destroying what was left of King Mickey and Queen Minnie’s world would be the first step in bringing down opposition.  While contently viewing what lay below, Emmxett suddenly appeared from inside the airship, alongside two soldiers.  He walked towards Jexana and then stood by her side, gazing outwards to the ever expanding sky, and then gazing down at Disney Castle.  He noticed that everything looked barren and destroyed.  He then looked at Jexana.

 

  “It would seem that everyone has left this world.” he commented.  Jexana, whom turned around and then touched Ventus’s face, only kept smirking.

 

  “Yes, the pests went flying away…all except one!” she said as she pointed towards a hill that was a short distance away from the castle.  Emmxett squinted his eyes, and then he saw Queen Minnie, who was simply standing there.  He felt quite amused.

 

  “Huh, so the Queen decided to stay?  I wonder what good that’ll do?  She won’t be able to take out our airship fleet!  What does she aim to do?” he asked, and Jexana chuckled and then hugged Ventus and glanced back to where Minnie was.

 

  “The fool’s making a diversion.  She thinks that by staying behind, she’ll be able to buy enough time for her friends to escape.  An admirable effort, I must say, but it’s all in vain.  Even if they get far, we’ll still catch up to them.” she answered calmly.  Emmxett then crossed his arms.

 

  “So, shall I deploy the ground troops and scour this world for anything of value?” he asked, but Jexana shook her head.

 

  “No, there’s no need.  We’ll destroy this place with an air strike.  That little Queen won’t survive.” she answered with confidence.

 

  “Right.  Then we’ll proceed with the air strike!  Men, let’s move out!” Emmxett commanded.

 

  “Sir!” the soldiers shouted as they heeded Emmxett’s command, and with that, they headed back inside the airship.

 

  “You will die for nothing, little Queen!” Jexana burst out as she laughed joyfully.  Ventus slightly moved his arms to hold Jexana close.

 

  “Is there anything I can do…my love?” he asked slowly, but Jexana shook her head and made a satisfying smile.

 

  “No, my dearest, there’s no need for you to do anything.  All you have to do is stay by my side!” she answered as she happily kissed his lips, and then she looked down upon the ruins of Disney Castle, clearly enjoying herself.

---

 

  Down below, the Queen was already prepared for the inevitable. If she had to be sacrificed in order to ensure the survival of all her loved ones, she’d gladly give away her life.  But, that didn’t mean she was going to down without a fight!  As she closed her eyes, the Queen concentrated her energy, and seconds later, giant pillars of light surrounded her in the form of a pentagon, and then, when she opened her eyes, she sent forth one of the pillars, and when it was near the fleet of airships, she waved her hand, causing the pillar to burst in a fantastic explosion!  At first, she thought she hadn’t done any damage, but when she looked closely, she saw that three airships had fallen to their destruction!  She smiled and felt confident, and she looked up at the sky.  But, soon after, the lead airship came down until it reached the Queen, and from the airship’s deck, Jexana leapt down, landing gracefully on the ground, and then Ventus proceeded to follow suit.  The Queen opened her eyes in shock as she saw Ventus.  Why was he with the enemy?  That’s what she thought, but then she noticed his eyes were pale, and at that point, she assumed he was under a spell.  Jexana clapped her hands slowly and she looked in the direction where the three airships had fallen, and then she turned her attention to the Queen again.

 

  “I have to say, I’m quite impressed!  I didn’t imagine you would be able to take down ships of my fleet!” she remarked, and the Queen smirked, standing at the ready for her next attack.

 

  “Well, I’m glad to have made an impression on you!  Anything less would be an insult.” the Queen replied.  Jexana scoffed and then she summoned forth dark snakes from the ground, and the snakes weaved into her arms, and then one of the snake’s heads curled up in Jexana’s right hand, and she pointed it at the Queen.

 

  “You really have some nerve, trying to oppose me!  Some nerve, indeed!” Jexana growled, but the Queen ignored her comment as she continued to gaze at Ventus.  Jexana, catching up on what was going on, smirked and bore a mocking expression.

 

  “Ah, I bet you’re wondering what happened to your former friend, correct?  Well, to put a long story short, I liberated him from himself.  Now he belongs to me!” she said, her face beaming with pride.  The Queen simply laughed and crossed her arms.

 

  “That little trick of yours won’t last for long!  I know Ventus, and right now, I know that he’s struggling to be free of you!  He will break free!” the Queen proclaimed defiantly, and at that, Jexana snapped and wrapped the Queen up with her dark snakes, and then she slapped the Queen’s face.

 

  “How dare you!?” Jexana growled, but then she soon regained her composure and cleared her throat.

 

  “It doesn’t matter what you say…you are already doomed.” she said, and with a snap of her fingers, all the airships in the sky started raining down endless explosive barrels, and when they struck the ground, Disney Town and what was left of Disney Castle turned to ashes.  The Queen, who had been determined one moment, was now bursting in tears the next.  Jexana destroyed the remaining pillars of light the Queen had summoned, and then she laughed as she saw the Queen suffering.

 

  “You monster…” the Queen whispered, as she bowed her head, defeated, unable to move.  Jexana then knelt down to see eye to eye with the Queen, and then she rubbed her head.

 

  “Ah, and where is the Queen who was outright defying me just mere seconds ago?  Did she already cower away!?” Jexana mocked with utmost cruelty, and the Queen continued to cry.

 

  “How could you do this….how could you!?  You’ve destroyed the homes of countless people, and now they may never be able to return here!  How is it that you can do this without feeling the slightest bit of remorse!?” the Queen asked, demanding to know.

 

  “The simple reason for it all is that I simply can.  That’s all there is to it.  Worry not, little Queen.  You did admirably.  But even with your efforts, your home was still destroyed.  But don’t worry…you won’t have to live with this pain…not anymore.” Jexana whispered as she smirked.

---

 

  Meanwhile, in the Lanes Between, a solitary airship flies through.  It’s not as big as Jexana’s airships, but it’s not that small either.  Rather, the airship looks like it’s built to be extremely agile.  As the airship continues its calm and steady trek through the Lanes Between, a moogle comes out onto the deck, tired and wanting nothing more than to sit down and relax. The moogle has two pon pons, one colored blue, and the other colored red, and also has a heart shaped charm around its neck.  The moogle sighs and holds onto its charm, and it closes its eyes, ready to sleep.  But, soon after, a teenage boy comes out to the deck as well.  The boy is decked out in pirate attire, and he’s tanned skinned with short, black hair.  He has an eye patch over his left eye and a scar on his left cheek, and he has a hook for a left hand.  The boy looks at the moogle and stands firm.

 

  “Oi, who told you to take a nap?  We’ve got work to do!” he said to the moogle.  Distressed, said moogle flapped its wings weakly and whined.

 

  “Aw, but we’ve been at this for days now, kupo!  Can’t we take a short break?” the moogle pleaded, but the boy shook his head.

 

  “There are no breaks now…we can’t afford to take breaks.” the boy said grimly, and with no other words being uttered, the moogle quietly goes into position and continues to do what it was tasked to do.  Soon after, the boy followed suit.  Suddenly, a star went out.  The moogle gasped.

 

  “Oh no!  Is that what I think it is, kupo?” the moogle asked the boy in distress.  The boy looked intently in the direction where the star had gone out, and he sighed and then looked at the moogle and nooded.

 

  “Yes.  A world has fallen to darkness, never to return…” the boy said grimly.

(End Song Here)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The universe is now on the brink of bearing witness to the greatest Keyblade War that has ever taken place!  With King Mickey and Queen Minnie’s world completely destroyed, Jexana continues on her road of conquest!  And with Keyblade Wielders coming from all universes, what fate will befall the worlds?  Will our heroes be able to put a stop to this?  Everything is uncertain, but now, the journey towards the final battle shall begin in Chapter One: “A Road Long Traveled.”

 

Well then everyone, I hope that you all enjoyed this prologue!  Haha, I think it’s the most dramatic prologue I’ve made for any of my stories to date, and that’s saying something!  So then, I hope that all of you stick around, as I’ll be posting chapters regularly!  Let me know what you all think of the story, and well, until next time, stay tuned for the next chapter!  I hope you all enjoy my story!

 

Special thanks to KHLegendIII for the inclusion of the two new characters that appeared at the end of the Prologue! (Don’t spoil their names, KHLegendIII!)

Edited July 14, 201510 yr by The Transcendent Key

FINALLY!

At last, the great story I have been waiting for returns. AWESOME! Grrrrrrgggghhh!!! Why that little! I can't wait until someone, preferably Mickey, teaches Jexana a few manners and reminds her of her place the hard way. Oh Ventus, when will your heart decide to break free?

Wow, what a way to start the story back up; I can't believe all that just happened.

To KHLegendIII, yes, finally!  The story is here!

 

To KingdomHearts3, haha, I'm glad you're so happy that I began my story!  And lol, as for Jexana, let's see what's in store for her!

 

To Keyblade101, yep, I figured I'd make a dramatic prologue, since a lot has happened, after all!

 

So then, good evening everyone, I hope that you’re all doing okay, and thank you for your comments!  So then, here’s the first chapter of the story, which I hope you all enjoy!  So then, without further ado, here we go!

 

Chapter One: A Road Long Traveled

 

  The air is humid and still.  Everything that stretches on for miles and miles is desolate and lifeless.  The empty landscape brings about an eerie calm, much like a calm before a storm.  There are no trees, no water, no signs of life whatsoever.  The only things that dot the landscape are small mountains and tiny rocks scattered about.  Walking ahead of everyone, Dawn stands upon a small hillside, surveying the area.  She, along with her friends, have been treading this barren place for quite some time now.  Almost an entire month had passed since their final battle with Xylek, and even though the Keyblade Wielders had been able to stop him, his plans had already taken root.  And so, with the words Dawn had uttered right after the final battle, everyone agreed to keep pushing onward and put an end to this war, then, and only then, would they return to their homes.  But words were sometimes easier to say than actually doing the deed.  Dawn sighed and then went down towards the others, who were tired, practically exhausted from their long trip.

 

  “Well guys, let’s rest here for the time being.  There don’t seem to be any enemies around, so we should assume it’s safe enough to rest.” she explained, and the others, relieved to hear this, sat down.  Dawn then went towards Riku, who had been carried all this time by Dexeres and Vanitas.  Riku’s wounds hadn’t healed completely, for most of his body remained burnt.

 

  “Hey, how are you feeling?” she asked him, and he slowly opened his eyes, smiling at seeing her face.  He winced a bit from the pain but was able to sit up.

 

  “I’m feeling a bit better.  The wounds still sting, but I’ll manage soon enough!” he answered, and Dawn smiled and touched his face.

 

  “That’s good to hear, my love.” she said to him, and then she looked at the others.  Sora, Donald and Goofy didn’t look like their usual, happy selves.  Rather, they seemed distant and grim.  She then looked at Kairi, who was staring off into the distance.

 

  “Everyone’s so…quiet.  But, I don’t blame them.  We went through a lot recently, so I’m not surprised by this.  But still, it’s a bit…unsettling.” Dawn said to Riku, and he nodded in agreement.

 

  “Yeah…it hasn’t been easy.  But as long as we all stick together, we’ll be okay.” he said reassuringly, and at that, Dawn smiled.

 

  “You’re right.” she said in agreement, and then she relaxed slightly, looking up at the sky.

 

(Start Song Here)

  Vanitas and Dexeres had both decided to keep watch on their surroundings, since enemies could come attacking at any moment.  The both of them had been rather quiet, for really, no words were able to soothe anyone at this point.  Instead, they did the best that they could do in silence.  Mickey checked on everyone to make sure that they were all okay, and then he noticed that Xion was sitting a little far off from the rest of the group.  Concerned, he went towards her, to see if he could cheer her up.  Not knowing what to say, he simply sat beside her and remained by her side for a while.  He was about to say something, but then he regretted it.  Xion didn’t even look at him.  She had her knees close to her chest, and she had her head hidden in her arms.  The battle had taken a horrific toll on her.  The fact that she had to see Roxas die before her eyes was something that affected her deeply.  At first, she hadn’t shown it, but as time passed, she became more distant and silent.  Mickey knew that this wasn’t something words could mend easily, but he knew that he had to try.

 

  “Xion…how are you holding up?” he asked.  But no answer came to him.  He then stood up and faced her, slowly lifting her head up and making her look at his face.

 

  “Don’t keep your feelings bottled up, Xion!  Why, gosh, that’s just not healthy at all!” he exclaimed, but Xion quickly looked away.

 

  “I’m sorry…I haven’t been myself lately…” she whispered, and Mickey rubbed his head and tried his best to offer a comforting smile.

 

  “Aw, no need to apologize, Xion!  I know that what you’re going through is very hard!  This battle took a heavy toll on all of us, and I know that you’re still coping with the loss of Roxas, but I’m sure he wouldn’t want you to be suffering like this!” he said, and then a brief silence followed.  Xion then stood up and looked at the sky.

 

  “I know…but what else am I supposed to do?  I just feel so lost, so afraid…and now with a new Keyblade War looming close, I just don’t know what to do anymore.  I know that I have to fight, and I know that I have to accept that Roxas is dead…but I just can’t get my heart to accept that…” she said, clenching her fists.  Mickey stood by her side and held her hand.

 

  “No one said it would be easy.  But little by little, you’ll be able to make it, you’ll see!  And besides, you’ll always have Roxas in your heart!  He’ll always be with you when you feel at your loneliest!  Gosh, I bet he’s watching over us right now!  We should try our best to keep on moving, and make sure to live for the memory of our fallen friends!” he said, and at that, Xion knelt down and hugged him, and she started to cry intensely.  Mickey hugged back and held her close.

 

  “It’ll be okay Xion…it’ll be okay…” he reassured, but truthfully, in his heart, he was also scarred by everything.  But he had to keep a positive attitude, to make sure that his friends wouldn’t fall under the cracks of sadness and despair.  He had to do this for them!  Suddenly, Gilgamesh came running fast.  He had walked away from the group, exploring the barren wasteland, but now he had come running back.  Mickey looked at Gilgamesh curiously.

(End Song Here)

 

  “Gosh, Gilgamesh, what’s going on?  You look like you’ve been chased by ghosts!” the little mouse said, and Gilgamesh, taking a deep breath, put his arms on his hips.

 

  “Sorry to alarm you, little friend, but I came upon a discovery!  Call everyone to me!” he urged, and Mickey did just that.  After a few seconds, everyone gathered around to listen to what Gilgamesh had to say.

 

  “What is it, Gilgamesh?  What did you find?” Vanitas asked, with arms crossed.  Gilgamesh then pointed over two small mountains that were a considerable distance away.

 

  “As I was exploring this vast wasteland, I came upon those two small mountains!  Curious as to what was on top of said mountains, I climbed upwards, and when I did, I saw many Unborn and Heartless gathered together!  They were awfully still, almost as if waiting for something to happen!  And behind the swarms of foes, there was what seemed to be an ancient gate!  They must probably be guarding it!  If so, we should investigate immediately!” Gilgamesh declared after he finished his explanation.  The others looked at each other, and Dawn stepped forward ahead of them and nodded.

 

  “Thank you for the information, Gilgamesh.  Everyone, we will head to those two mountains and see just what these Unborn and Heartless are being so protective of!” she said, and everyone nodded.

 

  And so, everyone started the long trek towards the location Gilgamesh had indicated to them.  During the whole time, they were silent.  Dawn was beginning to worry that this somber silence was silently tearing everyone apart!  She couldn’t bear to let that happen!  She had gotten so attached to everyone, and she didn’t want to see the people she cared about suffer!  But, at the same time, she understood everyone’s feelings.  After all, with everything that’s happened, who wouldn’t feel this way?  But in her mind, she knew that this silence was just not right!  She looked over to Riku, who was being carried again by Dexeres and Vanitas.  She then glanced over at the others.  Dawn then walked up to Gilgamesh and walked beside him.  She looked at him, trying so gauge how he was feeling about this whole situation.  It was difficult to tell what he was feelings, since he always bore his mask.  But he also seemed awfully quiet.  Gilgamesh, noticing Dawn looking at him, cleared his throat, and Dawn stuttered for a bit before looking away.

 

  “Oh, I-I’m sorry, I-I just…” Dawn started to say, but Gilgamesh stopped her.

 

  “Oh, I know what you are wondering, young lass!  You are asking yourself how I am dealing with this whole situation, correct?” he asked, and Dawn nodded silently.  Gilgamesh remained silent for a few seconds before speaking again.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Well, to tell you the truth, my young friend, I feel quite taken aback by all this.  Usually, I don’t really care for what happens to the world, since my main concern has always been the discovery of powerful and new weapons and worthy opponents to fight!  But, in the time that I’ve been with all of you, I’ve truly come to admire the beauties that the worlds contain, and the value of friendship.  Obviously, these recent events have taken a heavy toll on everyone, so right now, our team morale isn’t exactly at its peak right now.  But, I will say this…even though we have gone through hell and back, so to speak, I know we’ll all be able to pull through this, and eventually, we shall all be able to come to terms with the losses we’ve bore witness to.  And for all our sakes…I hope that the time of coming to terms arrives fairly soon…” he said, in deep thought.  Dawn nodded and sighed.

 

  “I agree…with the Keyblade War coming, we need to regain our focus and do our best to stop this war from destroying everything!  But what can we do now?” she asked.

 

  “Hope.  All we can do at this point is hope.” Gilgamesh replied, and they both sighed.

(End Song Here)

 

  After a while, everyone arrived to the two small mountains, and after a short climb, they peeked their heads to see if the Unborn and Heartless were still there.  And as bad luck would have it, they still remained.  There were a considerable amount of them gathered or scattered about, and they all seemed patient and waiting.  Even though all of these were small fry, Dawn knew that only a few were going to fight, since the rest were either too tired or too spaced out.  She then signaled for Vanitas, Dexeres, Mickey and Gilgamesh to come near her, and then they gathered around her.  Dawn thought that these four, along with herself, would be able to take our their foes waiting below.

 

  “Alright guys, we need to take these pests out.  Are you all ready to fight?” she asked.

 

  “Of course, we are ready!” Dexeres answered.

 

  “Oh yeah, I’ve been itching for a fight!” Vanitas proclaimed.

 

  “You got it, Dawn!” Mickey said as he nodded.

 

  “Ready to battle, as always!” Gilgamesh said with pride.

 

  “Right, then let’s go!” Dawn shouted, and with that, they went towards the swarms of foes.

 

(Start Song Here)

  The Unborn and Heartless reacted rather quickly, and at first, they proved to be quite the troublesome opponents to take down, but as Dawn, Vanitas, Dexeres, Mickey and Gilgamesh kept on fighting, they were eventually able to reduce their numbers.  Vanitas dashed around the battlefield, summoning his Unversed to help level out the playing field, while he himself delivered fatal strikes and potent spells.  Dexeres provided ranged support, as he summoned the power of twilight and summoned forth a bow, and then he fired arrows with lightning fast precision!  He then summoned Nobodies to help out in the battle.  Mickey cast pearls of light all around him, and then he closed his eyes and summoned a staff of light, holding it with his free hand, and then he launched the pearls of light in rapid succession, making said pearls of light ricochet around the battlefield, taking out dozens of foes at once! Gilgamesh hacked away at the opposition with a lance, and he didn’t bother to summon his other weapons, seeing that he was taking out the small fries easily.  Dawn darted and performed a summersault as she cast a Thundaga spell on the ground, causing a wide radius of electrical energy to zap out the swarms of foes!

 

  “Good…this is good.  We’re all working together, and it’s working perfectly fine!” Dawn thought to herself as she saw everyone focused on the battle.  Then, she went towards two particularly big Heartless that looked like stone golems, and she climbed up one of them and stabbed her Keyblade into its left eye, causing it to shriek in pain.

 

  “Gilgamesh, over here!” Dawn shouted, and Gilgamesh nodded, folding his arms back and bracing up his legs.  Just when the other golem Heartless was about to strike Dawn, Gilgamesh gave out a full hearted laugh.

 

  “Rocket Punch!” he shouted, as his hands propelled forward and detonated on impact, making the golem Heartless explode!  Dawn jumped out of the way just in time, and then, she headed towards the remaining Heartless and Unborn.

 

  “Take this!” Dexeres shouted, as he shot out a singular twilit arrow into the sky, the arrow then splitting into dozens of arrows, then raining down upon the hapless swarm of foes.  In mere seconds, what remained of the enemy was gone.

(End Song Here)

 

  “Pfft, show off…” Vanitas scoffed, and Dexeres laughed.

 

  “Impressed, much?” Dexeres asked teasingly, and Vanitas rolled his eyes and laughed.

 

  “Good, we took out all opposition here.  Is everyone okay?” Dawn asked as she walked towards her friends.

 

  “All good, young lass!” Gilgamesh replied, and Dawn nodded, but then she noticed that Mickey wasn’t with them.  When she turned around, she saw him standing a few feet away from them, deep in thought, and from the look on his face, deep in pain.  She approached him and knelt beside him.

 

  “Mickey…are you okay?” she asked, and Mickey then looked at her and shook his head.

 

  “No…I’m not okay, Dawn…I feel like something really terrible has happened!  Something too terrible to imagine!  I-I think something’s happened to Minnie!” he exclaimed.  At that, Dawn felt her heart drop.  Minnie?  Dawn couldn’t even begin to think what would happen if Mickey’s bad feeling turned out to be true!  But, wanting to comfort Mickey, she place her hand on his shoulder.

 

  “It’ll be okay.  The Queen is strong, so she’s hard to take down.  We have to have faith!” Dawn reassured, and Mickey sighed and nodded.

 

  “You’re right, Dawn!  But still…I just can’t help but worry…” Mickey replied.

 

  “And it’s okay to worry.  But I’m sure the Queen is okay!” Dawn said, but in her heart, she wasn’t entirely true on that statement.  And so, everyone regrouped, and then they headed towards the ancient looking gate that the Unborn and Heartless had apparently been guarding.  They all stood in front of the gate, examining it and wondering where it would lead, if it lead anywhere at all.

 

  “Where could this gate possibly lead to?” Dexeres asked.  Everyone remained silent, and then Dawn stepped forward.

 

  “Well, we won’t know until we open it, right?” she asked, and with that, she headed towards the gate in an attempt to open it.  Kairi quickly tugged at Dawn’s shoulder and shook her head.

 

  “We don’t know what’s on the other side…” she expressed grimly.

 

  “Well, we’re going to find that out in a few seconds!” Dawn replied, and with that, she put her hand on the handle of the gate, and then she slowly pulled on it.  As she pulled, she noticed the detailed design the gate had.  It was colored gold and gray, and the door was stylized in a sort of gothic design. It was at least ten feet tall, but the gate was lighter than it looked.  As she finished opening up the gate, nothing could be seen beyond it except for pitch black.  Everyone looked at each other uneasily, but Dawn stood in front of all of them.

 

  “Everyone, I know that right now we aren’t at our peak, but we need to see where this door leads!  If we’re going to stop the impending Keyblade War, we have to start someplace that isn’t in this empty wasteland!  We have to do this, because only we can stop the doom that threatens everything!” she said, and everyone remained silent.  Then, Sora stood forward.

 

  “She’s right, everyone…come on guys, let’s go!” he said, and Donald and Goofy and the rest nodded.

 

  “I’ll go first, just to make sure it’s safe!” Dawn said, and with that, she headed inside the gate, and at first, nothing happened.  Just as she was about to let the others know that everything was okay, a sudden, strong gust of wind blew at Dawn, and made her fall into the pitch blackness that the inside of the gate offered.  As she fell, she could hear the others calling out to her, but before she knew it, she was knocked out cold!

 

(Start Song Here)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuDSyNQVuJg

  “The Forger…”

 

  “What?”

 

  “The Forger…”

 

  “What is this?  Am I dreaming?”

 

  “Seek the Forger…the Forger shall guide you…”

 

  “I…I don’t understand….hello?  Hello!?”

 

  And all of a sudden, Dawn woke up with a gasp.  As her eyes adjusted to the environment around her, she wondered what had happened to her.  Why did she have such a strange dream?  Who was the Forger?  She sighed and then she winced in pain as she rubbed the back of her head.  She then stood up and looked at the ceiling…or at least  it was a ceiling.  It looked more like the bottom of a well. She wondered to herself if this is where the gate had lead her to.  It then only took a mere amount of seconds for Dawn to realize that she was alone!  Alarmed, she summoned her Keyblade, and now she was worried.  Where could everybody have gone?  As she looked around, she noticed that the only other way to get out was forward.  She proceeded down a strange hallway, with increasingly shrinking doors.  She scratched her head at this and felt confused by it all.  Then, she heard the sound of a clock ticking.  When she darted her head towards the source of the clock, she saw a white rabbit, dressed all fancy-like with a red coat, and a pocket watch.  The rabbit eyed her from afar, and then he pointed at his clock and then dashed away.

 

  “Hey, wait, come back!  I need to know where I am!” Dawn shouted, as she followed the white rabbit.

(End Song here)

------------------------------------------

 

Our heroes are battered and scarred by the events that transpired in their last battle, and it seems that it is proving difficult for them to regain their focus.  Will they be able to regain themselves again, or will they let their despair ruin them forever?  Where has Dawn arrived to?  And where is everyone? Stay tuned for Chapter Two: “Not Exactly A Wonderland.”

 

Well, that’s all for today, folks!  I hope that the chapter was to your liking!!!  So then, based on a certain white rabbit that appeared near the end, I’m pretty sure you all know which world Dawn has arrived to, eh?   Haha, well, I promise you all, things will continue to get more interesting!  So then, please be sure to comment on your thoughts of tonight’s chapter, and as always, stay tuned for the next one!

Nice job.

Awesome! Give me more now! Oh Mickey, you should be worried. In fact, you should have been at the castle. The Forger? I have heard of a Foretellers, but not a Forger. Hmmm..

Edited July 19, 201510 yr by KingdomHearts3

Good luck in the next one.

Edited July 19, 201510 yr by KHLegendIII

To KHLegendIII, thanks!

 

To KingdomHearts3, thanks, haha, and yeah, who is the Forger?

 

Haha, I just love it when you all comment on my story, it makes me so happy!  So then, good evening, everyone!  I hope that you’re all doing okay!  Here is the next chapter, which I hope you’ll all enjoy!  Without further ado, let’s begin!

 

Chapter Two: Not Exactly A Wonderland

 

  After a long while, Dawn started to run out of energy.  She had restlessly been following the white rabbit around, but then he vanished, and so she stopped running and took a moment to take some deep breathes.  When she thoroughly analyzed her surroundings, she noticed that she was in quite the bizarre place.  The room she was in was asymmetrical, and there were all sorts of strange things scattered about.  There were upside down candles, and weird looking flowers, and there was a fireplace and a giant water valve, and some furniture here and there, and some books, too!  She was distracted by all she saw, and then her eyes fell upon a round table, and in said round table, there were two small bottles.  She looked at them curiously, but didn’t look at the labels intently. Then, she turned around and saw a small door, and what looked to be a snoring doorknob!  Dawn thought of opening the door, but she didn’t want to wake up the doorknob.  She then looked around for any other doorway that she could find.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Drink from the bottle!” a voice said.  Dawn looked around for a moment and then looked down at the doorknob.

 

  “The bottle?” she asked.

 

  “Yes!  If you want to get through this door, you need to be small! Drinking from that bottle over there on the table shall make you shrink!” the doorknob answered, quite irritated.

 

  “Huh…a shrinking potion, huh?” Dawn wondered to herself, and then she held one of the bottles up and noticed the label showed an object shrinking.  Knowing this to be the right bottle, she gulped down a sip, and in a few seconds, she shrunk!  She was taken aback by this and in awe.

 

  “Wait…this has to be Wonderland!  This is one of the worlds that Sora visited on his first journey!” she whispered to herself, and the doorknob heard a bit of what she said.

 

  “Ah, so you already know about Wonderland, then?” he asked, and Dawn nodded then cleared her throat.

 

  “Yes!  Well, I mean, I was told about this place before, but I had never been here!  I’m from…somewhere else!” she said, hoping the doorknob wouldn’t ask any questions.

 

  “Where you’re from, I don’t care…I just want to take my nap!  What does a doorknob have to do to get some proper rest?” he exclaimed irritatingly.  Dawn was about to say something when suddenly, the doorknob yawned, and that’s when Dawn took the opportunity to point her Keyblade at the lock, unlocking the door.  Then she turned the doorknob and opened the door.

 

  “Thanks for opening up!” she said, but the doorknob was already snoring.  She rolled her eyes and chuckled to herself, and then she went past the door, and found herself in a giant garden.  But truth be told, she had just drunk a shrinking potion, so in her normal size, the garden would have been of average size.

(End Song Here)

 

  And so, Dawn started walking through a narrow path in between the grass, always keeping her ears alert and her eyes even more so.  She had her Keyblade in hand, ready to strike at whatever would come at her.  She noticed that this garden, while beautiful, seemed desolate and sad.  Then she looked up at the sky, and noticed that it was dark and grim, almost as if darkness had taken over this world completely!  She then continued walking, making her way through some very thick bushes, and after encountering a few butterflies and ants, she came upon an opening.  At first, she couldn’t see anything since the blinding light from the horizon temporarily clouded her vision.  But, when her vision readjusted, she saw that the garden transitioned into a harsh and perilous landscape.  Trees with dry and burnt branches were scattered about, and no grass could be seen.  Everywhere she looked, all she could see was rocks, ashes and murky water.  This wasn’t exactly that much of a Wonderland like she had thought it would be.  She contemplated going back the way she came, but she needed to find her friends, so she kept pushing forward!  Then Riku came into her mind.  She then worried if something had happened to him!  But then she dismissed the thought.  He was with the others, so she was sure he’d be okay.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Ah ha!” a voice suddenly said.  Dawn quickly assumed her battle pose.

 

  “Who was that!?  Show yourself!” she demanded, and then a mischievous laugh was heard.

 

  “I said, show yourself!”she demanded anew, and then, she felt someone poke her back, and when she turned around, she saw a floating head, and then she screamed.  The floating head turned out to be one of a cat, and it simply grinned with great mischief.

 

  “Now, now, no need to scream!  Why don’t you relax and have some tea?” it asked as the rest of its body appeared all of a sudden.

 

  “What?  You aren’t making sense…anyways, how are you doing that?” Dawn asked, as she was partly disgusted, but partly speechless and amazed by what she was seeing.

 

  “Sense?  Why would you want things to make sense?  If you try thinking about that, you’ll only get tense!” the cat said as it floated around freely.  Dawn shook her head and sighed.

 

  “Look, I don’t have time for your riddles.  I’m looking for my friends!  Have you seen anyone with a weapon like this pass by?” she asked as she showed the cat her Keyblade.  The cat looked at the Keyblade with googly eyes, and then it reattached its head.

 

  “Oh, maybe I’ve seen more, maybe I haven’t!  They could be here…or there…or everywhere!” the cat said gleefully, and then it disappeared just as suddenly as it had appeared.

 

  “Wait!” Dawn exclaimed, but the cat didn’t answer.  She sighed in distress and looked around, not knowing where to go.

 

  “And now what…?” she asked herself, and then, with no other option, she just kept trudging forward, hoping she’d find her friends soon enough.

(End Song Here)

---

 

(Start Song Here)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKyfF3h1sVY

  “So, is she the one?” a female voice asked.

 

  “Yes, she is the one.  Your target.  You are to follow her swiftly and silently, and make sure you keep a close watch on her activities, and of course, keep an eye out for her friends as well.” said Emmxett, who had been watching Dawn from atop a giant, dry lily pad tree.

 

  “Right.  I’ll keep a close eye on her!” the woman said.  She was cloaked, and her face, concealed. She had her arms crossed, and she watched as Dawn continued to walk away.

 

  “Good.  If we want the Keyblade War to go off without a hitch, we need to make sure that we keep these busy bees out of our way.” he remarked, and the woman nodded.

 

  “Right.  We can’t afford to have them stop the war from happening.  Although, even if they tried, it wouldn’t make that much of a difference.” she said, and Emmxett smirked and put his hand on the woman’s shoulders.

 

  “Indeed.  We have the upper hand here.  Anyways, I’m off.  Let me know if anything happens.” he said.

 

  “Will do.” the woman replied, as she saw Emmxett create a portal of darkness and then cross through it and disappear.  Soon after, the woman concealed herself in the shadows, unnoticeable to anyone or anything.

(End Song Here)

---

 

  As Dawn continued to walk, she saw that Wonderland was in a serious state of decay.  She came upon what seemed to be a castle, but it was in ruins.  Nature had taken its course and covered the ruins in moss and vines.  What could have caused something like this to happen?  That’s what Dawn thought to herself.  After walking through the ruins, she came upon a forest, or at least, what remained of said forest.  Like the garden she had come upon before, this forest was desolate, burnt and lifeless.  Just what could have caused such a calamity?  Could it have been Xylek?  Just then, her thoughts were cut short, as she heard someone approaching.  She quickly hid behind an enormous boulder, ready to set up an ambush.  Then, she saw red hair, and that’s when she knew that it was Kairi!  Relieved, she headed over to Kairi and hugged her, happy that she had finally found someone in this grim place!  Kairi hugged back in surprise.

 

  “Dawn!” she exclaimed.

 

  “Kairi!  I’m so glad to see you!  Where are the others?” Dawn asked, and at that, Kairi’s face become grim.

 

  “Wait, you mean they’re not with you?” she asked, and then both of them gave each other a worried glance.  Before either of them said another word, numerous Unborn and Heartless appeared all of a sudden, and Kairi and Dawn prepared for battle.

 

  “Great, now we have to deal with these!” Kairi protested.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “We have to take them out as quickly as we can, we have to find our friends!” Dawn said, and at that, she and Kairi both nodded, and they darted off towards their foes.

 

  Dawn quickly stabbed her Keyblade on the ground, causing spikes of earth to rise from the ground and hit many of their foes at once, and then, a new type of Unborn that looked like a mixture between an Unversed Flood and a Neoshadow leapt up high, almost striking Dawn, but luckily, Kairi saved her at the last minute with a Magnega spell. Taking advantage of this window of opportunity, Dawn headed towards where their foes were gathering, and then she and Kairi both proceeded to slash away at all the enemies caught within the Magnega spell.  Then, Dawn cast Zero Graviza, causing more of their enemies to fall under their own weight, being crushed by the power of gravity!  And just when Dawn and Kairi thought that all the swarms of foes were done for, more appeared almost instantly, and some of them were taller than the average foe.  One of the Unborn wielded a double edged sword and wore a cloak, while another looked like a card soldier, except that the armor of said Unborn was colored black, and it bore red eyes.  Then, more card soldier looking Unborn appeared and surrounded the two Keyblade Wielders.  They stood back to back, feeling cornered.

 

  “It seems that new types of Unborn are rapidly appearing…and with the already powerful forces they have, plus the might of the Heartless hordes…we appear to be outmatched…” Kairi said as she looked to all sides, seeing their enemies surround them.  But Dawn refused to give up.

 

  “No, we can’t let it end here!  We need to take these pests out and keep looking for our friends!” she said, and Kairi nodded.

 

  “You’re right…now let’s do this!” she said, and so, the both of them cast a protective barrier around them, and instantly, they started to charge their energies, mounting up a powerful spell.

 

  Kairi was deep in concentration, pouring all of her power into the spell that was being created.  She thought of Sora, and she thought of everyone else, and she knew that with Dawn, she had to find them.  With that in mind, her concentration only increased, and her hair started to flow upwards from the flow of energy being expelled from her body.  Dawn was also deep in concentration, and she kept thinking about Riku and the others, praying that they’d be okay.  She could feel her Keyblade get heavier, which indicated that the spell she was creating with Kairi was getting stronger!  In just a few more seconds, both of them opened their eyes, and they were ready to unleash their spell.

 

  “Might of searing light, come forth and pierce the darkness!!!” they both shouted in unison, and with that, the clouds in the sky started to swirl, and a giant insignia ornamented the sky, and soon afterward, gigantic streams of lighting started to pour from the insignia, and then a giant thunderbolt pierced down from the heavens, making all nearby foes vanish instantly!  Both Keyblade Wielders felt relieved that they had won this battle, but the spell had taken a bit of a toll on them.

(End Song Here)

 

  “Well, it looks like our spell worked…but with our current condition, it was a bit reckless to try that, wouldn’t you agree?” Kairi asked as she panted.  Dawn nodded slowly.

 

  “No kidding.  I feel beat…anyways, we need to press on.  Our friends have to be around here somewhere!” she said, and with that, both of them continued forward, walking through the ruins of Wonderland.  They remained silent for a while.

 

  The more they walked through Wonderland, the more lifeless they found it.  It was truly a miserable sight.  Both Keyblade Wielders felt sad at seeing the horrid state this world was in, and they wondered what happened to its inhabitants.  As they kept walking, they found no signs of their friends, and there were no more Unborn or Heartless in the area either.  For the moment, everything seemed to be eerily calm.  Kairi then sighed aloud, and Dawn wondered why.  Walking a bit more closely to Kairi, Dawn peeked her head over at her.

 

  “Is something wrong?” she asked.

 

  “This place…it used to be so much more.  It used to be filled with life and wonder, and now look at what this place has become.” Kairi answered as she kept looking straight.

 

  “I can only imagine…” Dawn said.

 

  “In this world, there resided a Princess Of Heart named Alice.  I remember that many years ago, Maleficent had gathered her, along with myself, and the other Princesses Of Heart, to try to open a door to Kingdom Hearts.  It seems only like yesterday that it happened.” Kairi said as she reminisced those events.

 

  “I see…and this Alice, do you think she survived whatever calamity befell this world?” Dawn asked, but Kairi shook her head.

 

  “I’m not sure.  I can’t say for certain, but if she did survive, I’m sure she made it to somewhere safe.” she said.  Dawn sighed.

 

  “Well, let’s hope so.  And let’s hope our friends are okay, I hope that we find them soon, otherwise, I’ll go insane…” she remarked, and then they heard a distant chuckle.  Instantly, they summoned their Keyblades anew.

 

  “And what’s wrong with being insane?  In fact, I think being insane is healthy, at least once in a while!” a voice said.  Kairi felt that the voice wasn’t hostile, so she signaled Dawn that there was no threat, and they unsummoned their Keyblades.

 

  “Who are you?  And what do you mean by what you said?” Kairi asked aloud, and then, suddenly, out of the mist, a peculiar, tall looking man with bright, puffy orange hair and a stylish hat and suit walked toward them with quite the bright smile on his face.

 

  “Oh, I’m sorry, let me introduce myself!  I’m Mr. Hatter!  Mad Hatter, if you prefer!  I couldn’t help but overhear you two lovely damsels talking, and so I decided to come by and chat with you!  And let me tell you, being insane can be most helpful sometimes.  When everything else seems like a blur, not having sanity can sometimes be the best answer.  Well, at least, that’s what I think, anyway!” the Mad Hatter said, and then he gleefully laughed maniacally, and then he eyed both of the Keyblade Wielders closely.  Kairi and Dawn exchanged glances at each other, but before they could ask what the Mad Hatter was doing, he clapped his hands together and wiped his forehead, as if he was wiping sweat off, and he sighed of relief.

 

  “Oh, good, you aren’t with the Red Queen!  Goodness, it would have been dreadful if you were of her ilk!” he said.  Kairi tilted her head.

 

  “The Red Queen?” she asked, and at that, the Mad Hatter looked at her with a puzzled face.

 

  “Goodness, you two really are sane!  You don’t know who the Red Queen is?” he asked, and both Kairi and Dawn shook their heads.

 

  “Well, I should either say congratulations on not knowing about her, or where in Wonderland are you from!?” he proclaimed, and at that, Dawn giggled a bit.

 

  “Well, we aren’t exactly from around here, so you’ll have to forgive us for that.” Dawn replied, but before the conversation would go any further, sudden, multiple footsteps could be heard in the distance.

 

  “Quick, hide!” the Mad Hatter exclaimed, and with that, they went and ran as fast as they could towards a thick, dried out tree, and they hid behind it, and soon after, they saw card soldiers patrolling the grounds.

 

  “The Red Queen’s soldiers…it looks like they’re looking for Alice…” Hatter whispered, and at that, Kairi raised an eyebrow.

 

  “Wait, did you just say…Alice?” Kairi asked, and at that, Hatter turned around and smiled brightly, but kept his voice in a low whisper.

 

(Start Song Here)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuDSyNQVuJg

  “Ah, so I take it that you know Alice, eh?  Well, you see, she came back here to Wonderland just recently, but she seems to think this is all a sort of dream, you see?  Apparently, she has no memory of her time here when she was a young girl…or maybe she just thinks those memories were part of a dream.  What goes through that girl’s mind, I really don’t know.  But anyways, I found Alice, and I talked to her, and told her about how she had to defeat the Jabberwocky so that the Red Queen’s tyranny would end, but Alice really wasn’t inclined to do such thing.  Kept saying something about this whole place being a figment of her imagination…but anyways, I sent her off to the White Queen, but I don’t know if she made it to her!  I do hope those card soldiers didn’t end up capturing her!” Hatter explained, and Kairi crossed her arms and looked troubled.

 

  “Something wrong?” Dawn asked.

 

  “This doesn’t sound like the Alice I remember…she wouldn’t be denying everything that happened to her here in Wonderland…how strange.  Well, many years have passed since then, so I imagine she must have left Wonderland many years ago.” Kairi deduced, and the Hatter nodded.

 

  “Precisely!  She left as a young lass, and returned as an adult!” he remarked, and they remained silent for a bit.

 

  “Well, I don’t know how we can help, but Kairi and I will do our best to help you and see if we can find Alice!” Dawn suggested, and at that, Hatter gleefully smiled and clasped his hands together.

 

  “Excellent!  Then off to search for Alice we go!” he said.  After a few minutes, the card soldiers had disappeared, and so Kairi, Dawn and Hatter got out of their hiding spot and started to search for Alice.

(End Song Here)

 

  “So, you said that you sent Alice to the White Queen’s castle?  Where is that castle?” Kairi asked, and Hatter stopped for a moment and looked around before answering.

 

  “Ah, it’s right over…there!” he said, pointing towards the north.

 

  “Then let’s get going!” Dawn said, and with that, they started their trek.

 

  They wandered about for a while, and they remained cautious all the while, making sure to keep their eyes out for Unborn, Heartless or Card Soldiers.  Everything around them continued to be eerily quiet, and while Kairi and Dawn were constantly on edge, Hatter seemed to be most pleased, with a  spring on his step!  He breathed in the air and stretched out for a bit at times, and then he would glance back at the Keyblade Wielders and offer a mischievous smile.  They said nothing to each other for a while, and then Kairi started to think about Alice again.  What could have caused her to change so drastically?  Alice was a Princess Of Heart, so she had to take her responsibilities seriously!  Kairi hoped to find Alice as soon as possible and see for herself what was wrong with her.  As they kept walking, Dawn gasped and then she ran straight towards Hatter and stopped in front of him.

 

  “I almost forgot to ask you something!  Before meeting us, did you see anyone else who looked like us? Someone with weapons like ours?” Dawn asked as she showed Hatter her Keyblade.  He nodded almost instantly.

 

  “Oh yes, I do recall seeing a few…although I don’t remember where…but wherever they are, they shouldn’t be that far…” he said, and at that, Kairi and Dawn glanced quickly at each other.

 

  “We have to find them!” Kairi exclaimed.

 

  “Oh, good!  The more company, the merrier!  Let’s find more friends!” Hatter said gleefully, and with that, he lead the way towards where he had last seen the other Keyblade Wielders.  Now Kairi and Dawn had hope that they could find their friends.

---

 

  Meanwhile, in Radiant Garden, Kyle remained asleep.  He had fallen into a coma long before the final battle with Xylek, and as such, he wasn’t able to participate in the battle.  He had lost his parents Ven and Trish to Jexana, that vile woman who destroyed their lives for the sheer joy of it.  Kyle hadn’t been able to wake up, and as much as he struggled, it was to no avail.  He was battling inside himself, facing off against a faceless foe.  Each time he defeated the foe, it would come back ten times stronger, but Kyle wouldn’t give in.  He couldn’t allow himself to be lost to the darkness, not when Ven and Trish needed him!

 

  “Mom…Dad…hang in there…” he whispered softly in his sleep.  A moogle who had been by his side was startled.

 

  “H-he talked, kupo!  I have to tell the others at once, kupo!” the moogle said, as it went outside to tell the other moogles that Kyle had just spoken.

 

  “Mom…Dad…” Kyle kept muttering to himself in his sleep, and after a few minutes, he suddenly opened his eyes, and at first, he was blinded by the light.  He had been in the darkness so long that the light he saw blinded him greatly at first.  But then, slowly, his eyes were able to adjust, and when they adjusted completely, he tried sitting up, but his body was as stiff as a log.  Still, he mustered all the strength he could, and eventually, he sat on his bed.  He felt strange.  He looked around him and noticed that he was in his home, and that it was sunny outside.  Some of the rays of the sun were piercing through his bedroom window.  He touched his face and breathed deeply in and then breathed out.

 

  “I’m awake…”

---

 

Kyle has finally awakened after a long and intense battle within himself! The other Keyblade Wielders seem to be in Wonderland, according to what the Mad Hatter said, and it seems that Alice is very different from the Alice that Kairi had known before.  Will they be able to get to their friends on time?  Will they find Alice, or will they find trouble instead?  Stay tuned for Chapter Three: “The Red Queen’s Castle.”

 

Okay everyone, that was the chapter, I hope that you all found it to your enjoyment!   Haha, this story is just going to keep on getting even more awesome, trust me, I can assure you that!   So yeah, I have a few worlds I have planned to appear in this story, and you’ll all see which worlds they are in time.  And well, I hope that I can be able to continue to make you all enjoy my story even more!  As always, please be sure to comment on what you thought of tonight’s chapter, and until next time, stay tuned for the next one!

Edited July 21, 201510 yr by The Transcendent Key

Yes!

*chuckles to himself* Too good! It's not Wonderland, it's Underland! Kyle's awake! Thank goodness! Now, how will he be caught up to speed?

Great two chapters! I was a bit confused with what was going on in Wonderland until I realized it was Tim Burton's version. And Kyle's awake.  :smile:  Maybe the Moogles should be the ones to tell him what's going on.

To Tom13, haha, I'm glad you liked the chapter!

 

To KingdomHearts3, hehe, yeah, I knew it was Underland, but since the KH characters have always known this world to be Wonderland, that's why I decided to go with that instead of Underland.  And don't worry about Kyle.  If anything, he's ready for whatever stands in his way!

 

To Keyblade101, yes, it is indeed Tim Burton's version, and well, I hope you'll like how I handle the story of this world!  And as for Kyle, you'll see what happens!

 

Good evening, one and all, and as always, thank you very much for your comments!  Now then, here is the next chapter, so I hope you all enjoy!  Read on, my loyal followers!

 

Chapter Three: The Red Queen’s Castle

 

  Vanitas was irritated.  He was in a dungeon, his legs and arms tied, and Dexeres, Mickey and Riku also faced the same predicament, and so they were unable to escape.  After Dawn had fallen through the gate back in the barren wasteland, everyone else had followed suit, but they had somehow lost consciousness.  When they had woken up, they found themselves tied here, and they assumed the others had disappeared to someplace else.  Dexeres, Riku and Mickey remained calm, trying to find a way out of this predicament, but Vanitas was impatient, and when he got impatient, he got angry.  He had tried to summon Unversed, and Dexeres had tried to summon Nobodies so that they could unbind them, but for some reason, they couldn’t summon their allies.  So now they just had to find a different way to be free of their shackles.  Vanitas rolled  his eyes and gave out a heavy sigh.

 

  “Geez, of all the things to happen to us, we just had to get tied up!  Just our luck…” he whispered irritatingly.

 

  “Gosh fellas, I hope the others are doing okay!” Mickey said with concern.

 

  “Don’t worry.  I’m sure they’re somewhere close.  And they’ll be safe.  Well, hopefully they won’t have been captured like us.” Riku said, trying to alleviate Mickey’s concerns.

 

  “Well, one thing’s for sure.  We definitely need to find our friends, and fast.” Dexeres remarked, and everyone nodded, but Vanitas scoffed and laughed.

 

  “Um, hello?  We’ve tried getting free of these stupid shackles, and that hasn’t gotten us nowhere!  What other bright ideas could you possibly have?” Vanitas asked.  Dexeres thought deeply before answering, and then, his eyes flared open as he came up with an idea.

 

  “Wait, I’ve got it!  Earlier, when the guard came to check on us…he had a key ring strapped to his waist!  We just need to make sure he comes back and somehow try to take the keys from them, and that way, we’ll be sure to escape!” Dexeres explained, but Mickey tilted his head.

 

  “But how will we make the guard come back?” the little mouse asked, and that’s when Vanitas allowed himself a smirk.

 

  “Oh…I think I know how to handle this…” he said.  Instantly, he started to rattle his chains and pound on the walls of the dungeon, causing quite a ruckus.  The others weren’t sure this would work, but they did the same.  For the first few minutes they tried this method, nothing happened, but then, after just a bit more, the guard came down, a card soldier with heavier looking armor than your average card soldier.  It donned a heavy looking axe and some brass knuckles in case he needed to provide discipline towards prisoners.  The card soldier put his axe above his shoulder and glared at the prisoners.

 

  “What’s all the ruckus down here!?  The Queen is having a headache, and she’s most displeased!” he proclaimed, and at that, Vanitas spat at the card soldier, instantly making him boil with anger.

 

  “Hey, show some respect!” the card soldier said, and Vanitas simply laughed.

 

  “What are you gonna do, stupid?  Are you going to discipline me?” he taunted, and the card soldier laughed before cracking his knuckles.

 

  “Now that you mention it, that’s exactly what I’ll do!” the card soldier said as he prepared to strike Vanitas with his brass knuckles.

 

  “Now!” Vanitas shouted, and with that, Dexeres did the best he could to at least cast Magnet, causing the card soldier to fling backwards towards the wall, beside Dexeres.  The card soldier was ride beside him, so Dexeres was able to grab hold of the keys, and soon after, he was able to free himself and then proceeded to free the others.  Then, Mickey cast Sleep on the card soldier, causing him to fall asleep instantly.

 

  “Alright guys, let’s go!” Mickey said as he ran towards the entrance where the card soldier had come from.  Dexeres and Vanitas were about to carry Riku, but Riku stretched out his hand.

 

  “No, please, stop!  I don’t want to be a burden to any of you…” he said, as he tried to stand on his own.  Dexeres shook his head.

 

  “You aren’t a burden, now just come on and-“ he started to say, but Riku stopped him short.

 

  “No.  I think I’ve recovered greatly, so I think I’m able to stand on my own.  But I’m not going to slow you guys down, so don’t try to change my mind!” Riku exclaimed.  Dexeres was about to protest when Vanitas raised his hand.

 

  “Dexeres, let the guy be.  He obviously wants to stand on his own two legs.  And he’s right, we can’t carry him forever.  Besides, he’s heavier than he looks!” Vanitas remarked, and Riku glared at him.

 

  “Gee, thanks!” Riku exclaimed, and at that, they all laughed, and then Mickey looked outside to make sure no enemies were in sight.

 

  “Alright fellas, the coast is clear!  If we’re going to get out of here, I suggest we do so now!” he said, and with that, they all proceeded to get out of the dungeon.

---

 

  Meanwhile, away from the dungeon, Dawn, Kairi and the Mad Hatter were continuing their search for the other Keyblade Wielders, and along the way, Hatter had told them about how Wonderland had gotten in the state it was in, and about how the Red Queen ruled with an iron fist.  Her card soldier army had multiplied, and with the Jabberwocky, the creature that Alice was supposed to confront, the Red Queen was practically invincible.  Dawn and Kairi glanced at each other worryingly, and they hoped that their friends would be okay.  Dawn thought heavily of Riku, and she hoped his wounds were healing better.  Kairi thought of Sora, and just thinking about what could happen to him made her worry very much.  And then there was Mickey, Donald, Goofy and everyone else.  Just as the two Keyblade Wielders were deep in their thoughts, Hatter stopped short all of a sudden, and then he pointed towards what seemed to be a very foggy swamp.  Kairi and Dawn looked at Hatter questioningly.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “This is where you last saw them?” Kairi asked, and Hatter nodded cheerfully.

 

  “Why, yes!  And to make it all even better, this swamp is right in the direction of the White Queen’s Castle, so we’re killing two birds with one stone!” he said, and Dawn walked ahead of them, scouring the terrain, although that was proving to be difficult because of the monstrous fog.

 

  “Well, if Hatter said that this is where he last saw them, then they had to have been here somewhere…I’m sure they had to have left something as a signal!  Something to let us know they had been here!” she said as she investigated the nearby trees and the muddy ground.  Kairi went to the far side of the swamp and did some investigating of her own.  Hatter, on the other hand, went directly towards the fog.  Dawn and Kairi quickly went towards him.

 

  “No, not that way, you’ll sink into the swampy water!” Kairi exclaimed, but Hatter laughed.

 

  “Oh, heavens no!  Right after this fog is my home, where I throw tea parties!  Oh, and you two are courteously invited!” he said with a carefree tone.

 

  “But our friends might be in danger!  Doesn’t that mean anything to you!?” Kairi protested.

 

  “But of course!  But, one always thinks better after having a spot of tea!  Wouldn’t you agree, missy?” he asked, his eyes fixed on Dawn.  She noticed Hatter looking at her, and then, after a few seconds, Dawn nodded.

 

  “You know what?  You’re right!” Dawn answered.  Kairi’s jaw dropped.

 

  “What do you mean by that!?” Kairi demanded.

 

  “Let’s just follow Hatter.  There’s just something in my heart that tells me that he’s trustworthy!” Dawn answered, and then Kairi sighed.

 

  “Okay, fine…” she said, and then Hatter clasped his hands joyfully.

 

  “Splendid!  Now, just follow me!” he said, and so they did.

 

  Seconds turned to minutes as the trio headed towards Hatter’s house, and all the while, Kairi and Dawn were wondering how thick this fog was.  After a few more minutes, they came upon his house.  It was at the far north up a little hill, and outside, where they were standing right now, was Hatter’s table, and it had lots of cups and plates, and everything needed for a tea party.  Maniacal laughter could be heard, and then Dawn turned her attention to a nearby hare, who, quite frantically, looked quite insane!  The hare threw a tea cup at Dawn, and she just barely dodged it, and then she looked at Hatter in shock.

 

  “What the heck was that for!?” she exclaimed, but Hatter simply snickered.

 

  “Oh, don’t mind the hare, he’s a bit of a loon…” he said almost in a whisper, and the hare continued laughing maniacally, waving his arms about.  A tiny white mouse was also at the table, and, contrary to the hare, the mouse seemed much more composed and well mannered.  Kairi looked around for any signs of Sora or the others, but no one was in sight.  Then, Hatter waved his hand at the two Keyblade Wielders.

 

  “Now then, have a seat!  Tea will be served shortly!” Hatter said as he prepared some tea.  Dawn and Kairi sat down, and they looked around them, noticing that even though Wonderland was in despair, at least Hatter’s abode had some sort of cheeriness to it.

(End Song Here)

 

  “Sora, Donald, Goofy, everyone…I hope that all of you are okay…” Kairi whispered, and then, all of a sudden, Heartless appeared by the dozens, and almost instantly, the hare yelped and darted under the table, while the tiny mouse drew her sword and stood at the ready to fight.  Hatter slammed his hands on the table and a menacing, almost sinister glare emanated from his eyes.  Clearly, he was mad that his tea party had been interrupted.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Damn the devils, these blooming things must be dealt with!” Hatter exclaimed as he drew his sword, and then Kairi and Dawn summoned their Keyblades.

 

  “Let’s take them out!  Now!” Kairi shouted, and all of them went to battle!

 

  Kairi went ahead of everyone and drew up a quick sigil in midair, and instantly, she summoned ropes of light that tangled the Heartless and ensnared them, and then Dawn came and used Strike Raid to dispose of them.  As more Heartless rose, the tiny mouse stabbed their feet and even climbed up a few of the Heartless and stabbed them in the eyes, rendering them sightless!  Hatter swung his sword like a cane, taking out droves of Heartless as if they were nothing more than rag dolls.  He was merrily humming a tune as he dealt with the Heartless, and then suddenly, multiple tea cups darted through the party and struck more Heartless.  It was the hare, who had come out from hiding and was now fighting vigorously!  Kairi then cast Firaga, while Dawn cast Magnega towards the Firaga spell, causing a miniature, sun-like sphere of fire to form, drawing in and enflaming all the Heartless that were unfortunate enough to be pulled into the spell’s radius.  Everything was going smoothly, until…

 

  “Unborn!” Kairi shouted, as she saw what seemed to be Unborn Jackals coming from the foggy swamp.  Dawn gritted her teeth in frustration.

 

  “These damn things don’t know when to quit…” she whispered, and then she looked at Hatter.

 

  “Hatter, I’m going to need you to come with me!” she said, and Hatter nodded and went to her side, and they both headed towards the coming Unborn.

 

  As Dawn cast Protect on herself and her allies, Hatter came and took off his hat, pulling something from inside it, and when he threw whatever it was to the sky, it transformed into a swarm of fiery birds, and they soon transformed into arrows that pierced many of the Unborn Jackals coming down the hill.  Dawn was most impressed.  Hatter then swung his sword towards a few more Unborn, while Dawn cast Mine Square and Seeker Mine, hoping to keep their enemies at bay for just a moment!  Kairi, the hare and the little white mouse stood back to back to back, as the Heartless surrounded them.  She glanced over her shoulders at her two allies and they, in turn, glanced over at her.

 

  “So…any bright ideas?” she asked, and then the white mouse grinned.

 

  “Oh, I think I have an idea…” she said, as she stabbed the hare’s foot, causing the hare to wail in pain.  His eyes quickly narrowed towards the Heartless, and then, in a frantic and crazed frenzy, he practically dismembered the Heartless faster than you could say mad tea cups!  Kairi was taken aback by this, but she was impressed as well.  The Heartless kept coming, and that’s when Kairi swung her Keyblade in majestic arcs and then locked eyes with her targets.

 

  “I’ve had enough of this!” she shouted, as an instant surge of power emanated from her body, and in a quick, blinding flash, she took out dozens, if not two dozens of Heartless in no time flat.  Then, she leapt high up in the air and slammed down on the ground, causing a wide radius to ripple through the ground, causing the Heartless to disintegrate.  When no more Heartless emerged, they went to help Dawn and Hatter.

 

  When they reached them, more Unborn Jackals emerged and surrounded them, and they were laughing mischievously, for they thought their victory was assured.  But then, the hare jumped up high, tossing five tea cups surrounding the others, and then the little mouse stabbed numerous holes in the ground in the form a circle, and then Hatter pulled up something more from this hat, throwing it up and putting it into the teacups.  Kairi cast Blizzaga and then Dawn cast Zero Graviza, and then, in just mere seconds, a wide radius set of beams coming from the tea cups decimated the Unborn Jackals, and whatever was left of them wouldn’t survive, for after the beams subsided, the Zero Graviza spell came down on them, and then, from the teacups, blue snakes emerged and wrapped around all surrounding opposition, and then, Kairi prepared to cast her next spell.

 

  “Deep Freeze!” she shouted, as all the remaining foes were coated in ice. But they quickly thawed out, and caught the others off guard.  But just before they could counterattack, joyous laughter could be heard in the distance.  It only took Dawn a few seconds to recognize who that laugh belonged to, and she smiled and laughed herself!

 

  “I bet you don’t know what time it is?” Dawn asked at the Unborn Jackals, and they all stopped and looked at each other quizzically.  Then, a shadow emerged from the swamp and came down upon them.

 

  “It’s Gilgamesh Morphing Time!” the legendary swordsman shouted, as he cleaved the Unborn effortlessly with his Zantetsuken blades, making them vanish without a trace.  Kairi and Dawn sighed of relief, the hare laughed maniacally, the white mouse grinned, and Hatter applauded with great happiness.  Gilgamesh beamed with pride.

(End Song Here)

 

  “Ah, it looks like I came just in time!  I’ve found out where our friends are!” he said, and then Kairi and Dawn looked at him with wide eyes.

 

  “Where!?” they asked in unison, and then Gilgamesh turned and pointed towards the south.

 

  “There also seems to be a young woman with blonde hair that is with them!  I think she’s one of the Princesses Of Heart!” he explained, and that’s when Hatter’s eyes opened wide.

 

  “Alice…in the Red Queen’s Castle…” he whispered.

 

  “Alice is there with them!?” Kairi asked.  Gilgamesh nodded.

 

  “Then we have to go!  Come on, everyone!” she said, and they all nodded.  Hatter then went towards the little mouse and the hare.

 

  “Take care of the house for me, will you?” he asked, and they both nodded.

 

  “Of course, now just go!” the white mouse urged him, and with that, Hatter left with Kairi, Dawn and Gilgamesh.

---

 

  In the meantime, Vanitas, Dexeres, Riku and Mickey were cautiously sneaking around, making sure that they wouldn’t get caught again.  They had gotten out of the dungeon they had been imprisoned in, and as they wandered around, they had noticed they were in a castle, but who the castle belonged to remained a mystery to them.  A good suspicion that came over Riku and Mickey’s minds was The Queen Of Hearts, since she was the one who commanded the card soldiers, and since that was the case, they figured that they were in Wonderland.  But everything seemed vastly different than the Wonderland they had known.  They quietly walked around, and they could hear people talking in the upper floors and outside.  It seemed as though there was an event of some sort taking place today.  Walking through a considerably big hallway with large pillars, Dexeres came to a halt and signaled the others to stop as well.

 

  “Guys, I hear something…” he whispered.

 

  “Hide, everyone!” Mickey squeaked, and they quickly hid behind the pillars, and on the far side of the hallway, where it expanded unto four more hallways, many aristocratic looking people were walking with what seemed to be the host of whatever event was taking place in the castle.  Card soldiers were escorting the aristocrats, and then Riku noticed the one walking in front of the crowd to be the Queen Of Hearts, but she looked much different than last time.

 

  “So, I’m guessing she’s the one that owns this castle?” Vanitas asked in a whisper.  Riku nodded.

 

  “Yeah, that’s the Queen Of Hearts, definitely!” he answered, and Mickey tilted his head.

 

  “Gosh, but she looks kinda different…her head’s a bit…bigger…” the mouse replied.

 

  “Halt!” a commanding voice suddenly said, and that’s when everyone stood on edge.  They slowly turned around, and they saw a man who wore a cloak and black garments, and he had a heart shaped eye patch over his left eye.  He had a rapier in hand, pointing it towards the Keyblade Wielders.

 

  “Damn it…” Vanitas cursed under his breath.

 

  “In the name of the Red Queen, I, IIosovic Stayne, the Knave Of Hearts, put you under arrest!” the man proclaimed, and soon after, the Red Queen herself came towards the Keyblade Wielders, along with the crowd of aristocrats.

 

  “Good work, Stayne!  These fools thought they could escape my castle, but they were sorely mistaken!  This just proves how guilty they are!  They are the ones responsible for trying to assassinate me!” she yelled, much to the annoyance of the Keyblade Wielders.  Mickey stood forth.

 

  “Excuse me, Your Majesty, but we aren’t here to kill you!  We came here by accident!” he said, but the Queen would hear none of it.

 

  “Lies, all lies!  Stayne, soldiers, off with their heads!” she shouted, and just as Stayne and the Card Soldiers were about to attack the Keyblade Wielders, Unborn suddenly appeared from every side in the hallways, which sent all the people in the castle fleeing in panic.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Unborn!” Dexeres shouted, as he and his friends summoned their Keyblades.

 

  “What sort of devilry is this!?” Stayne exclaimed, and the Red Queen narrowed her eyes at the Keyblade Wielders.

 

  “It’s them!  They’re responsible for this!” she proclaimed, and then Vanitas rolled his eyes and glared at her.

 

  “Look, lady, these things aren’t with us, you can trust us with that much!  Now shut up and let us deal with this!” he barked out, and the Queen stood shocked.

 

  “H-how dare you address me so!?” she demanded, but the battle had already begun.  Card Soldiers were battling Unborn everywhere, and Stayne was holding his own in combat.

 

  Dexeres ran up the pillars and formed two wide arcs, and when he snapped his fingers, he caused those two arcs to tear open into rifts of twilight, and many Unborn were pulled inwards.  Vanitas dodged many of the Unborn’s attacks, and he swung his Keyblade with all his might, sending wide arcs of darkness heading towards their foes.  Riku, trying his best in his current condition, managed to shoot multiple spheres of darkness at Unborn that were crawling on the ceiling, and then Mickey darted forward and cast Pearl, making the light from said spell disintegrate many of their enemies.  The Card Soldiers helped out as well, using their swords, spears and axes to hold back the enemy.  Even Stayne was helping, as he killed numerous foes in a glorious display of precise swordsmanship.

 

  “What are these creatures!?” he asked infuriatingly.

 

  “Unborn, very powerful beings that can cause quite a mess if left unchecked!” Riku answered.

 

  “Well, they certainly won’t make a mess of things here!” Stayne replied.

 

  And with that, the battle continued.  After a few minutes passed, Unborn Archers clad in red and white armor started shooting deadly poison arrows at the party.  Now things were starting to get a tad bit more difficult.  Vanitas sank into the ground and then darted through the throngs of foes and then emerged right under the archers noses, and he launched numerous Firaga spheres at them, defeating them instantly.  Riku held back as many foes as he could, making sure to defend himself.  His wounds were still hurting, but he was at least able to hold his own, although that wouldn’t last for much longer.  Noticing Riku was in trouble, Mickey ran to his side, and he stood back to back with him.  They both nodded, and then they started swirling around in unison, as they cast spheres of light and darkness, respectively, shredding through the hordes of enemies!  Dexeres then tried to summon Nobodies, but for some reason, he still couldn’t summon them.  He then turned his attention towards Vanitas.

 

  “Vanitas, I can’t summon my Nobodies!  See if you can summon your Unversed!” he shouted out to him.  And indeed, Vanitas tried, but he too, could not summon the Unversed.

 

  “What in blazes is going on?  Why can’t we summon them!?” Vanitas shouted, but Dexeres shook his head.

 

  “I really don’t know!  We’ll have to worry about that later!” he shouted.

 

  Minutes kept passing by, and the amount of Unborn in the hallways only seemed to be increasing, and now, the party was starting to get tired.  Dexeres received a few scratches, and Vanitas was sent flying down the hallway by a particularly giant Unborn wielding a club!  Riku’s wounds were acting up, and Mickey was exhausted. Many Card Soldiers fell, and the remaining ones did their best to stand their ground, and Stayne was also quite resistant.  But still, it was not enough. And then, just when they thought they had lost this battle…

 

  “Thundaga!!!” a voice shouted out a little further ahead.  Suddenly, the entire room burst in an impressive display of thunder, causing the Unborn to electrocute and vanish.  From the other side of the hallway, Dawn, Kairi, Gilgamesh and someone else ran towards them!

(End Song Here)

 

  “Guys, we’ve found you!” Kairi shouted out in relief, and the others were more than relieved to see that the girls were doing alright.  But, their reunion was put to a screeching halt.

 

  “Stop this right now!  All of you!  You are to be under arrest for conspiring against me, the Red Queen!  Stayne, soldiers, arrest them!” she shouted, and before the others could even react, they were already in shackles.  They were all shocked by what had just happened.

 

  “Oh come on, you old hag, really!?  We just helped you defeat the Unborn!!!” Vanitas exclaimed furiously, but the Queen simply scoffed.

 

  “Ah, insulting me now, are you!?  I’ll decide the punishment you’ll all face!” she shouted, and then she proceeded to walk towards her throne room.  The others, dragged by the Card Soldiers and Stayne, followed.

 

  “Well, this was unexpected…” the one with the hat said as he laughed.

 

  “Who is that guy?” Dexeres asked to Kairi.

 

  “Oh, that’s the Mad Hatter.  He came here with us to rescue all of you and Alice.” she answered.

 

  “Alice?  Wait, you mean, Princess Of Heart Alice?” Dexeres asked to make sure he was hearing right.  Kairi nodded in confirmation.

 

  “Huh, well what a predicament we’ve fallen to…” he said, and then suddenly, a Card Soldier hit him.

 

  “Quiet, all of you!” the Card Soldier said.

 

  With no more words being spoken, the Keyblade Wielders were taken through the castle, as they passed through a few hallways and then made their way through some expansive rooms that were all colored red and had red ornaments and such.  The redness was quite…disturbing.  Everyone remained silent, for they knew that even one thing they’d say would be used against them, since the Red Queen was ridiculously short tempered.  Riku wondered why the Queen’s name had changed from the Queen Of Hearts to the Red Queen, but then he dismissed the thought, for other things were weighing on his mind.  Most of his friends were here, but where were Sora, Donald, Goofy and Xion?  That’s what deeply worried him.  A few more minutes passed, and after passing through a lush garden that was adorned to the brim with red flowers, the party finally arrived at the Red Queen’s throne room, and then she sat down on her throne, and a blonde woman was by her side.  At the Queen’s beck and ball, her animal servants came and provided refreshments for her and Stayne, as he approached her and then stood by her throne.  Monkey butlers and were at the ready to accommodate the Queen’s every needs, and a small pig served as her footstool.  She then cleared her throat.

 

  “So then Um, this was what I was talking to you about earlier!  There are always conspirators at the ready, trying to steal away my throne!” she said at the blonde woman.

 

  “Oh, I see, that is most dreadful…” the blonde woman said, while Riku and Kairi quietly looked at her.  After analyzing her face, they both gave each other a glance.  This is Alice, they thought, but why she was with the Red Queen was a mystery.  And why was her name Um?

 

  “Well, dear, this is a most troublesome thing I always have to deal with!” the Queen said, and then she snapped her fingers, and the monkey butlers went away to search for something.

 

  “Anyway, on another matter, I want you to see the twins.  They are most delightful, and they provide quite the amusement for me!” she said, and then, after a few seconds, the monkey butlers came with two, small, literally round twins who were holding hands and had striped black and white shirts and grey overalls.  They narrowed their eyes at Alice for a moment, but then their faces turned to normal.

 

  “Now then, entertain us before I sentence these conspirators!!!  Do it now!!!” the Queen demanded, and so the twins spoke gibberish to each other and then they started to bicker, and then they started to fight, at which point the Queen bellowed with laughter.  Stayne rolled his eyes and the others remained silent.  The Card Soldiers remained stoic and silent as usual.  Suddenly, Hatter cleared his throat and stepped forward.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Your Majesty…may I say that you have an impressive looking head?” he said, as he rubbed his hands together.  The Queen eyed him out suspiciously for a moment, but then she tapped her fingers on her throne.

 

  “Yes…?  And what about it?” she asked.

 

  “Well, you see, I love making hats, and I’m always looking for ways to be creative and unexpected, and when I see your head, I see a globe of possibilities!  Of course, the White Queen may have a small head, but it’s so dull and boring…but you…with you, I can’t even imagine the possibilities!” he said with a suave voice.  The others looked at each other uneasily.

 

  “That’s right, isn’t it?  My head is superior to that of my idiotic sister’s!  Hmm, well, if you are a hat maker, then I want you to make me a hat!” the Queen demanded, but Stayne was about to protest.

 

  “Well, obviously, I’d need to have these removed first…” Hatter said.  Stayne was about to deny such a request, but the Queen shook her head.

 

  “He’s right, he needs freedom of mobility if he’s going to create a hat for my glorious head!  On with it now!” the Queen ordered, and so, Stayne released Hatter, and then he nodded gratefully.

 

  “Excellent!  Now let’s get to work, shall we?” Hatter asked, and the Queen nodded cheerfully.

 

  “Of course!  Stayne, put these conspirators in a well secured cell while this gentleman makes me an assortment of hats!  I shall deal with them later!” she ordered.

 

  “Of course, Your Majesty.” he said with a bow, and then he and the Card Soldiers proceeded to take the others away.

 

  “Come with us, Um, I want you to tell me which hat suits me the best!” the Queen said, and Alice nodded and followed her.

 

  Dawn smirked, but made sure no one would notice it.  Hatter was truly a sly dog.  He had just saved everyone’s throats!  Already she was formulating an escape plan, while she and the others were being taken to their cell.

(End Song Here)

---

 

  Elsewhere, Kyle was standing in the outskirts of Radiant Garden, looking towards the horizon.  The moogles that had taken care of him during his time in a coma had explained to him about the events that had happened, since they had received letters of what happened from Kosaku.  Kyle heard everything the moogles had to say, and after they were done, he decided that he needed to leave immediately.  He couldn’t let another day pass by where Ventus and Trish would still be with Jexana.  The very thought of that irked him, and he wasn’t going to stand idly by. He was going to get them back, no matter the cost!  Before leaving, he had gone to town to stock up on Tents, Potions, Ethers and the like, and he got himself a new set of clothes, and when he tried them out, he noticed that his appearance had changed.  He actually looked a bit more like an adult. He had longer hair and a slightly muscular body.  Even his voice had slightly changed! Why that was, he couldn’t explain, since he had just been in a coma.  It wasn’t like he had been sleeping for years.  He found it very strange.

 

  “Well, I suppose I shouldn’t worry about this for now…right now, Mom and Dad come first and foremost, and so do my friends…” he said to himself as he looked at his hands.

 

  And so, with everything set for his journey, Kyle left Radiant Garden by donning his Keyblade Armor and launching his Keyblade in midair, making it transform into his Keyblade Glider.  He went forth and was already in The Lanes Between.  He had fiery determination, and he was ready to face anything that would stand in his way!  He clenched his right fist and placed it above his chest.

 

  “Mom…Dad…I’ll find you…I promise!” he whispered to himself, and with that, he set off, to worlds unknown.

----------------------------------------

 

Our heroes have been saved from judgment thanks to the Mad Hatter, and now, they have a brief opportunity to come up with an escape plan!  But why is Alice with the Red Queen now, of all people?  Is this all a ruse?  Will our heroes be able to get to the bottom of this?  Find out in Chapter Four: “Escape Plan.”

 

Well then everyone, that was the chapter!  As you can all see, it was quite longer!  I’ll try to see if I can make all the other chapters longer, so that way, the story can flow a bit more!  It might take a little bit more time to post chapters, but I promise that I won’t take too much time!  Anyways, please be sure to comment on your thoughts about tonight’s chapter!  Until next time, stay tuned for the next one!

Wow, nice job!

It's FABULOUS!!!!! Hot darn. Never would I ever imagine the Red Queen and Vanitas go at it. It's like seeing hot and cold trying to exist in the same room; it does not happen. Oh Kyle, I hope you are the spark that frees Ventus from Jexana and I want to see you make her cry uncle.

To KHLegendIII, thanks!

 

To KingdomHearts3, yeah, lol, I wanted to create that moment between the Red Queen and Vanitas, since I knew that it would be funny, since they're both hotheads!  And well, Kyle will try his best to free his parents!

 

As always everyone, thank you so very much for your awesome comments!  Good evening to you all, and I hope that you’re all doing okay!  So then, without delay, there’s the next chapter!  Enjoy yourselves!

 

Chapter Four: Escape Plan

 

  It wasn’t a short while after when Dawn, Kairi and the others had been thrown to their cells, by order of the Red Queen.  They probably had a worse fate in store, so they were grateful that Hatter was able to provide a diversion, so they could be able to come with up an escape plan.  Unfortunately, they weren’t able to hold any group conferences together since two Card Soldiers had taken their post and were standing just a few feet away from their cells.  If they were to think of anything, they’d have to keep it to themselves.  Vanitas was bored out of his mind, as he took a piece of metal he found on the floor to scrape on his cell wall and drew random things.  Dexeres, who was beside him, was deep in thought.  They couldn’t use their Keyblades to get out of their cells, since he was sure this would end up making a mess of things, sending the castle into an uproar.  As long as the Card Soldiers remained, none of the Keyblade Wielders could even think of summoning their Keyblades to escape.

 

  “This reminds me of something from a long time back…” Gilgamesh suddenly said.  Dawn, who was right beside him, tilted her head.

 

  “Of what, if I may ask?” she asked.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Oh, well, it was the time when I first laid eyes on my most legendary of swords, Excalibur!  I was a younger warrior back then, and I had just started my weapons collection, and as I roamed the land to find another perfect specimen to add to my collection, I had been imprisoned by a greedy king!  I was locked in prison for quite a while, and every time the king would come to check on me, I would always admire his marvelous sword!  One day, I proposed a deal to him!  The deal was that we were to participate in a duel, and if I won, I’d get to have his sword, but if he won, he would be allowed to kill me!  And so, he accepted those terms, and when we dueled, ha, I outsmarted him, and while he was quite the fine swordsman, I prevailed in the end and earned Excalibur, which I now proudly possess!” he explained, and Dawn looked at him questioningly.

 

  “And, um…other than the whole being imprisoned part…how does this moment right now remind you of back then?” she asked.

 

  “Well, it reminds me that now we are in the house of royalty!  And as such, royals always put their pride above all else, so I reckon that if you challenged the Red Queen, we could be freed!” he suggested, and Dawn actually considered the idea, but one of the Card Soldiers laughed.

 

  “Ha, the Queen will never accept a match with you in a million years!” the Card Soldier said.

(End Song Here)

 

  “Oh, we’ll see about that…” Gilgamesh whispered mischievously.  Dawn smirked and knew that this would be a good idea.  Then she looked over to Riku, who was on the cell right across from hers.  He was wincing in pain, and Dawn felt horrible seeing him like this.  Riku noticed Dawn’s concerned face, and that’s when he decided to suck up the pain.

 

  “Oh, don’t worry about me, I’m fine!  I’m actually healing quite better than I expected!  I’m at least able to fight, so that’s good…” he said, but Dawn shook her head.

 

  “Are you crazy!? If the Queen hadn’t opened her mouth that moment, I’d have slapped you!  You could’ve gotten hurt!” she exclaimed, and at that, Riku smiled.

 

  “Dawn…I know that you’re worried, but really, I’m fine…I just need a little more time to recover, that’s all…” he said.

 

  “When we get out of here, I’ll finish tending to your wounds!” Dawn said.

 

  “Quiet, both of you!” the other Card Soldier commanded, and they fell silent.  Kairi was in the cell besides Riku’s, and her mind seemed to be somewhere else.  Mickey, who was with her, also seemed to be quite distant.  No doubt he was probably still thinking that something had happened to Minnie and Disney Castle.

---

 

(Start Song Here)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKyfF3h1sVY

  At that same moment, Alice was quickly walking through one of the hallways of the castle, when suddenly, Stayne came from out of the blue and cornered her, holding her close and breathing heavily on her.  She was quite alarmed by this, but Stayne wouldn’t let up.

 

  “You are the most gorgeous creature that I have ever laid eyes on…” he whispered.

 

  “S-stop that!” she protested.

 

  “How is it that you’ve suddenly appeared like this…?  Well, that doesn’t matter…your beauty obviously rivals that of both the White and Red Queens…” he whispered, as he held Alice closer, but she was able to struggle out of his hold, and she backed away.

 

  “Stay away from me!” she exclaimed, as she ran off as fast as she could.  Stayned smirked and rubbed his chin.

 

  “Oh, you will be mine, Um…of that much I can assure you…” he said, as he walked away.

(End Song Here)

 

  After making sure that Stayne wasn’t following her, Alice then resumed to walking, and then she made her way towards the Red Queen, who was in a fancy room, and she was sitting on a chair, while Hatter made hats for her.  Alice could hear comments such as: too big, too small, not big enough, too heavy, and the like.  Hatter was obviously starting to get annoyed, but he managed to maintain his composure, and then, as Alice walked in, the Red Queen stood up. 

 

  “Ah, Um, good, you’re here!” she said.

 

  “Hello, Your Majesty.” she said as she bowed.

 

  “And here I was, just about to look for you!  Well, at least you saved me the trouble!  Now then, come with me!  We’re going to put those nasty conspirators in their places!” the Queen proclaimed boldly, and then Hatter, in a last ditch effort to distract the Queen, brought out another hat, possibly his best one yet.

 

  “Ah, wait, Your Majesty, before you go…wouldn’t you like to try this majestic hat?  It’s the pride of my collection!” he boasted, and the Queen, who hesitated at first, then decided to head towards Hatter, and she chuckled excitedly.

 

  “All right, put it on me!” she said.  Then, Hatter put the hat on the Queen, and then he looked at Alice with relieved eyes, and she, in turn, gave him a relieved glance.

 

  “Those people the Queen has imprisoned…some of them seem familiar…I could have sworn that I’ve met them before…” Alice thought to herself as she tried to recall where it is that she had met them. But then, her thoughts were cut short, as she was brought back to reality by the Queen, who was infuriated.  Hatter was trying to calm her down, but the Queen’s face had literally turned red!  A woman, who was standing by the Queen’s side, looked at Alice with disgust.  Alice then knew she was in trouble.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Is what this woman is saying to me true!?  Was Stayne trying to fancy you!?” the Queen accused, and Alice stuttered for a moment, but then she stood firm.

 

  “Yes, he tried to, but I swear, I didn’t mean for any of it to happen.  He’s the one that came up on me!” she said, defending herself, and then, footsteps were heard coming from the hallway, and a startled Stayne was breathless.

 

  “My Queen, I swear to you, what this woman is saying, it’s all lies!  She was trying to seduce me, to get to you!” he said, and the Queen’s expression only turned worse.

 

  “This is…unacceptable!!!” the Queen shouted furiously, and that’s when everything was at its boiling point.  Alice was doing her best not to break under the pressure.  After all, the Queen didn’t know her true name, so at least she was still safe!  That is, until…

 

  “Alice!!!” a familiar, small voice shouted.  When everyone looked down, it was the little white mouse from Hatter’s house, and when she realized what she had done, she gasped and covered her mouth.  That’s when the Red Queen’s eyes flared up, and now things were getting even worse!  Hatter raised his hands in the air.

 

  “Run!!!” he shouted, and instantly, Alice ran away.  The Queen, her face full with anger, tapped her foot on the floor, and then she raised her hand.

 

  “Capture her, and off with her head!!!” she shouted, and her command was echoed practically throughout the entire castle, and all the Card Soldiers began their pursuit.

(End Song Here)

---

 

  Back in the prison cells, the Red Queen’s voice echoed through, and the Card Soldiers immediately spurred into action.  They didn’t want to anger their Queen any further, so they left the cells unguarded without the slightest bit of hesitation!  And now, Dawn knew that this was their time to act.  As soon as the last Card Soldier left his post, the Keyblade Wielders summoned their Keyblades, and they got out of their cells effortlessly, and then they went upwards and approached the garden where they had been through before.  To the far right, in one of the hallways, they could see a considerable amount of Card Soldiers pursuing none other than Alice!  Kairi knew that Alice needed a chance to escape, so she went towards Dawn and tugged at her arm.

 

  “Dawn, we have to distract the Card Soldiers so Alice can get away!” she said, and Dawn nodded.

 

  “Right!  Come on everyone, let’s go!” she said, and everyone charged towards their foes.  Dawn walked over to Riku and touched his face and then kissed his lips lovingly, and he kissed back.  They then pulled away.

 

  “Are you sure that you’re alright?” she asked, and Riku nodded.

 

  “Dawn, I can do this, don’t worry about it!” he reassured, and after a few seconds, Dawn nodded, and they went towards their friends, as increasing numbers of Card Soldiers surrounded them.  The Red Queen herself stood in front of them, Stayne tagging along as well.  She then pointed at the Keyblade Wielders.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “I knew it!  Accomplices!!!  It’ll be off with all their heads!” she shouted furiously, and the Card Soldiers quickly charged towards them.

 

  Riku and Mickey stood back to back and they formed an impenetrable wall of light and darkness, and in addition, they cast Thundaga on the wall, ensuring that anyone who would attempt to pass would end up being stunned and paralyzed.  A good number of Card Soldiers weren’t able to pass through, but the ones that were already inside the wall were still quite numerous, and some of them stronger looking than others.  Dexeres again tried to summon his Nobodies, but to no avail, and so he resorted to stabbing his Keyblade into the ground, then using his powers of Twilight to form a sigil around him.  After a few seconds, spikes came out of the ground and pierced through numerous Card Soldiers, while the others dodged the spikes.  Vanitas tried summoning his Unversed, but he couldn’t, and he cursed under his breath, questioning himself as to why he couldn’t be able to summon his allies.  But, with no time for thought, he simply leapt back and enveloped himself in a sphere of darkness, multiple shadowy copies of himself emerging every few seconds to strike everywhere, taking out numerous foes.  Kairi made sure to cast Haste, Protect, and Curaga, all the while holding her own against the numerous foes surrounding them.  Gilgamesh laughed gleefully the whole time.

 

  “Ah, how glorious!  It seems we didn’t have to resort to battling the Queen in a duel after all!  All we had to do was wait for a ruckus to occur, and voila, here is where we are now!” he said as he effortlessly dispatched numerous Card Soldiers with his Katanas.

 

  “It would seem so.  But then, this means that the Red Queen didn’t know that the blonde woman was Alice…which means that someone must have accidentally blown her cover!” Dawn suggested, as she repelled the unrelenting foes with Firaga.

 

  “Could it have been the funny looking man with the hat?” Gilgamesh asked, and Dawn quickly shook her head.

 

  “No, I doubt it.  Hatter’s crazy, but he’s not that crazy!  He wouldn’t expose anyone like that!” she quickly answered.

 

  “Well, whatever the case may be, it seems Alice managed to get away!” Gilgamesh said as he pointed out.  And indeed, Dawn noticed that Alice had made her escape.  And now it was high time she and her friends did the same.  With that, she signaled everyone at once.

 

  “Everyone, run!!!” she shouted, and instantly, everyone started running as fast as they could.

 

  “Conspirators!!!  They are conspirators!!!  Get them!!!” the Queen demanded, her voice echoing throughout the hallways.

 

  The Keyblade Wielders were now running all over the castle, trying to find the exit as fast as they could.  They descended the higher floors of the castle and then proceeded to go through a few rooms, a giant pool, a giant dining room, and an expansive courtyard.  The more they continued to run, the more Card Soldiers came, and it seemed that there was an endless horde of them!  But, right now, none of the Keyblade Wielders had the strength to endure a lengthy fight.  Granted, they could hold their own, but with the exhaustion they’ve carried since the battle with Xylek, they couldn’t afford to stand and fight for too long.  And so, they did nothing more than run.  Vanitas launched multiple Firaga spheres and Blizzaga crystals in the hopes of slowing their pursuers down.  And, for the moment, it seemed to work, as numerous Card Soldiers were being incinerated or frozen solid.  The others panicked and tried to free their hapless comrades from their predicament!  Mickey suddenly saw a shining light in the distance.

 

  “Everyone, over there!  I think that’s the exit!” he shouted, and everyone ran faster, until finally, they made it outside, and luckily, the drawbridge was lowered, so they could finally get out of this crazy castle!  But then, suddenly, a cloaked person appeared before them, and they all came to a sudden stop.

 

  “Huh?  Who are you!?” Kairi demanded, and the cloaked person, whose body indicated was a woman, crossed her arms and simply stood there.

 

  “Well, aren’t you the lively bunch?  I can see why my higher ups wanted to keep an eye on you.” the woman remarked casually.  At that, the Keyblade Wielders glanced at each other.

 

  “Higher ups?  What are you talking about?” Dexeres asked.  The woman simply snapped her fingers.

 

  “None of your concern…what matters is that you are taken care of…” she said, and with that, a giant Unborn Heartless hybrid appeared in front of them, and the cloaked woman disappeared into a portal of darkness.  The Keyblade Wielders were overwhelmed for a moment, but then they quickly summoned their Keyblades, and even though they weren’t exactly at full strength, they were still ready for battle!

(End Song Here)

 

  “Guys, let’s take this thing out before the Card Soldiers gain on us!” Vanitas suggested, and everyone nodded.

 

  “Right, let’s do this!” Mickey shouted, and with that, the battle began!

 

(Start Song Here)

  And so, the Unborn Heartless hybrid, who looked like a mixture between a jester and a knight, and who donned armor similar looking to the Card Soldiers, summoned two gigantic swords, and they lit up on fire!  It instantly swung its swords, setting the surrounding area up in flames!  The Keyblade Wielders were almost burnt to crisps, but luckily, Mickey was able to create a barrier that repelled the flames from them.  Kairi then quickly cast Shell on everyone, and they went towards their foe.  Gilgamesh climbed up the right arm of the Unborn Heartless hybrid, and proceeded to slash away at it with his numerous weapons.  Kairi then climbed up on its left arm, and delivered multiple strikes with her Keyblade, then infusing it with elemental magic, and then she leapt off from the left arm and fired a barrage of quick spells, like how Sora would do so in his Wisdom Form! Riku shot multiple spheres of darkness at its feet, trying to make the colossal beast fall, but the darn thing was quite persistent!  Vanitas teleported up to their foe’s head and slashed away at it using his Dark Splicer attack, and he managed to stun the best momentarily.

 

  “Okay guys, we need some quick thinking!  What do we do now!?” Riku shouted.  In the distance, the footsteps of the Card Soldiers could be heard.

 

  “Damn, we’re running out of time!” Dexeres exclaimed.

 

  “Fellas, we could try throwing it into that river down below!” Mickey pointed out, and everyone momentarily looked at the river Mickey mentioned, and they saw that it was tainted with blood, and what seemed to be…the decapitated heads of many poor souls!  Dawn instantly felt sick to her stomach, and then the Unborn Heartless hybrid roared, and everyone regained their focus, and they were barely able to dodge one of the foe’s attacks.

 

  “Everyone, we’re almost out of time!  We need to take this thing out already!” Kairi shouted.

 

  And so, everyone intensified their attacks, doing their best with the time given to them to take down their foe, but their foe wouldn’t give in so easily.  Vanitas attempted to bind the creature’s legs in order to keep it in place, but his attempt was unsuccessful.  Then, Dexeres cast Seeker Mine, and although the spell was able to hit its mark, the creature remained without a scratch.  Riku cast Dark Firaga, and actually made a dent in their foe’s armor, and that’s when Kairi, Dawn, Mickey and Gilgamesh swooped in and delivered as many fatal attacks as they could, and from the looks of it, their onslaught bore results, and for the better, it seemed!  Gilgamesh then threw numerous daggers, and Mickey infused them with the power of light, and then Kairi and Dawn cast explosive Firaga Mines on the daggers, and when the daggers finally reached their foe, it exploded in a fiery blaze of light!

 

  “Did we defeat it!?” Mickey asked.

 

  “We’re about to find out…” Riku said, half cautious.  The footsteps of the Card Soldiers could be heard coming closer.

 

  “Damn it, they’ve almost gained on us!  We have no time left!” Vanitas exclaimed, and then, from the fiery explosion, the Unborn Heartless hybrid came out, considerably damaged, but still able to fight.  The Keyblade Wielders were taken aback by this.

 

  “What!?  We didn’t defeat it!?” Kairi asked in shock.

 

  “It would seem we weren’t able to deliver a fatal enough blow!” Dawn said, as they prepared for the inevitable.  Suddenly, from the sky, a huge sigil materialized, and from that sigil, a beam of light shot down towards the Keyblade Wielders, and just like that, they seemingly vanished.  The Unborn Heartless hybrid, seeing that they were no longer in sight, vanished as well.  When the Red Queen, Stayne and the Card Soldiers finally managed to catch up, they noticed that their prisoners had escaped.  The Red Queen was furious to no end.

(End Song Here)

 

  “I will not tolerate those conspirators running free!  Stayne, you had better find those wretched fiends, even if it is the last thing you ever do!” she said as she grabbed him by his arm.  He bowed his head.

 

  “Of course, Your Majesty…everyone, move out!” he commanded, as he and the Card Soldiers started their search.

---

 

  The Keyblade Wielders suddenly fell to the ground with a thud, and they were in quite a daze.  At first, they couldn’t make out where they were, but only because they were very dizzy.  But after they took a moment to regain themselves, they noticed that they were in a familiar place…The Mysterious Tower!  Everyone proceeded to walk towards the entrance, and they all looked at each other.

 

  “Gosh fellas, it looks like Yen Sid’s magic saved us back there!  We should give him our thanks!” Mickey suggested, and the others nodded.

 

  “Agreed.  Plus, we’ll need a plan on how to deal with the impending Keyblade War, and if there’s anyone who can help, it’s Yen Sid. And besides…we weren’t able to find Sora, Donald, Goofy and Xion, so we need to make haste and rest well so we can be able to look for them as soon as possible!” Dexeres said.  Everyone nodded.

 

  “Right.  Come on, let’s go to Yen Sid!” Kairi said.

 

  And with that, everyone opened the door and went inside.  They climbed up the stairs until they reached the top of the tower, and once there, they went into Yen Sid’s study.  He was standing on the far side of the room, looking out through the window, with his hands behind his back.  He seemed to have his head bowed, as if he was meditating.  Flora, Fauna and Merryweather were huddled up nearby, all of them in hushed conversation.  They sounded terribly worried!  When the Keyblade Wielders reached Yen Sid’s desk, the old wizard turned around and nodded to them in greeting.  His face bore an expression of relief.

 

  “I see that all of you were able to make it here.  I am very relieved that I was able to use my magic in time!” the old wizard said as he sat down on his chair, closed his eyes and stroked his beard.

 

  “Yes, thank you very much for saving us, Yen Sid.  We were in quite the predicament!  If it hadn’t been for your magic, we would’ve certainly been defeated!” Kairi said as she bowed, and everyone followed suit.  Yen Sid remained quiet for a few seconds, and then he opened his eyes.

 

  “Things are dire now….much too dire, I’m afraid.  Sora, Donald, Goofy and Xion are separated from the rest of you, and the enemy is fast approaching, making their move as we speak…we have been caught off guard by Xylek’s machinations…it seems that even now, his actions still beget consequences…” he said with a deep tone of concern in his voice.

 

  “We need to formulate a plan! With things standing as they are now, we can’t afford to waste a single minute!  The entire universe, and countless other universes are at stake here!  If we don’t do something, the Keyblade War will bring nothing but ruin!” Dexeres exclaimed, and everyone remained silent.

 

  “Yes…we must take action, and swiftly…” Yen Sid said as he stood up.

---

 

  Meanwhile, in The Lanes Between, Kyle continues to push forward, determined to find his parents and his friends!  In his right hand, he held something firmly.  He opened his hand momentarily, and then he gazed upon a small, silver, heart shaped locket, and then he opened it and saw a picture of himself with Ventus and Trish.  He then closed the locket and held it tightly to his chest.  This locket was a gift he deeply treasured.  And as such, he needed to see this through.  He needed to find his parents!  Suddenly, Kyle saw something in the distance.  At first glance, it appeared to be a black spot, but then, as he got closer, he noticed that it was a ship!  And not just any ship…but a pirate ship!

 

  “I have to be careful…” he said to himself.  He didn’t want to waste time fighting pirates, so he tried to fly past the pirate ship as fast as he could, but then, the pirate ship started giving chase!

 

  “Damn, not this now!” Kyle said, and with that, he thrust his Keyblade Glider at high speed, doing his best to get as far away from the pirate ship as he could!  But he found the effort useless, since the pirate ship was gaining on him!

 

  “It looks like…I’ll have no other choice than to fight!” Kyle said, and with that, he turned his Keyblade Glider around, and thrust forward towards the pirate ship, ready for battle!

-------------------------------------------------------

 

The Keyblade Wielders were barely able to escape a sticky situation thanks to Yen Sid’s magic, but what course of action will they take now?  Will they be able to come up with a good enough plan?  And how will Kyle’s battle with the pirates turn out?  Stay tuned for the next chapter, as the story shifts perspective to Kyle in Chapter Five: “Sky And Raxon.”

 

Well everyone, that was the chapter!  I’m sorry if it seemed a bit shorter, but I wanted to post this chapter today since I’m not sure if I’d have been able to post it tomorrow, since tomorrow I leave for Chicago with my Mom to visit my brother and nieces!  But worry not, I’ll keep posting chapters, but for the next few weeks, I might take a bit longer, since I’ll be spending time with my family in Chicago.  But I assure you that more chapters will keep rolling in!  Anyways, as always, thank you very much for reading, and please be sure to comment on your thoughts of tonight’s chapter!  And well, until next time, stay tuned for the next one!

It about time!

That was... AMAZING! Phew... Thank goodness Yen Sid stepped in. I wonder if that woman was Jexana. If not, then who is it? Well then, it seems soon Kyle will meet pirate boy and we will learn who he is.

Great two chapters. Vanitas is hilarious and he works so well with the others; your stories are really making me hope that if he does come back in KH3, (which I REALLY hope happens) that he will in some way have a change of heart and joins the good guys, and I'm also so glad that Yen Sid got them out of there in the nick of time.  :smile:

 

And lastly a question: how the heck is Kyle supposed to fight an entire pirate ship?!

 

Can't wait for the next chapter.

It about time!

Haha, indeed.

 

That was... AMAZING! Phew... Thank goodness Yen Sid stepped in. I wonder if that woman was Jexana. If not, then who is it? Well then, it seems soon Kyle will meet pirate boy and we will learn who he is.

Haha, thank you so much!  And as for your statement, the woman who appeared before them was not Jexana, and also, yes, Kyle will definitely confront pirate boy!

 

Great two chapters. Vanitas is hilarious and he works so well with the others; your stories are really making me hope that if he does come back in KH3, (which I REALLY hope happens) that he will in some way have a change of heart and joins the good guys, and I'm also so glad that Yen Sid got them out of there in the nick of time.  :smile:

 

And lastly a question: how the heck is Kyle supposed to fight an entire pirate ship?!

 

Can't wait for the next chapter.

Thanks, man!  Haha, yeah, even though he fights for the side of good, that doesn't mean he has to have a shining personality, ya know? His rudeness is one of his shining qualities! Lol.  But yeah, I really love Vanitas, and I am also one of the many faithfuls that hopes that he will return in Kingdom Hearts III!  And as for Kyle, haha, you'll see what happens in the next chapter!

 

So then everyone, thank you very much for posting your comments on my story, and well, i wanted to leave a little message here for all of you who are following my story.

 

As I stated at the end of Chapter Four, I probably won't be able to upload chapters as often as I do, due to the fact that I'm here in Chicago with my Mom, spending time with my brother and nieces.  Worry not, for the updates will keep on coming, but I might take a bit longer to post new chapters, since my focus for the coming weeks will be on spending time with my family!  I hope that you can all understand!  So then, as always, thank you very much for your comments, and until next time, stay tuned for the next chapter!

Edited July 31, 201510 yr by The Transcendent Key

Good evening everyone, I hope you’ve all been doing okay!  So then, here, without further delay, is the latest chapter of my story!  As  I’ve repeatedly mentioned, I’m sure you already know the reason for my delays in chapter posting!  But, as promised, here’s the next chapter!  Thank you all so very much for your patience and understanding!  I hope you all enjoy it!

 

Chapter Five: Sky And Raxon

 

  Kyle headed directly towards the pirate ship, but when he got close enough, he didn’t see any numerous pirates prepared for battle whatsoever.  Was this some kind of trap?  Kyle suddenly stopped and looked intently at the pirate ship, then flying circles around it, and once again, his sight confirmed that there was no one outside manning the ship!  Kyle found this strange, and instead of attacking the ship, he simply dismounted his Keyblade Glider and then reverted it back to his Keyblade, and he held it in his hand, in case any foe appeared all of a sudden!  He kept his Keyblade Armor on, and he slowly walked along the ship’s deck, making sure to keep his guard up.  Then, when he looked towards the upper deck, he saw only two individuals, although they were being covered in the darkness of the ship’s masts, so he couldn’t see their faces clearly.  When Kyle took a step closer, one of the individuals quickly leapt from the upper deck and fell upon him, with Keyblade in hand!

 

  “A Keyblade Wielder?” Kyle asked aloud as he instinctively blocked the individual’s attack just in time.  The individual, who turned out to be a boy, smirked and flung Kyle to the other side of the ship’s deck.

 

  “Aye, I be a Keyblade Wielder…what’s it to you?” the boy asked.

 

  “Oh, nothing at all.  But, you may be working for the enemy…” Kyle said as he gripped his Keyblade tightly.  The boy clenched his teeth at Kyle.

 

  “Oh, whoever stands in my way is an enemy in my eyes, of that much you can be bloody sure!” the boy proclaimed, and then Kyle raised his eyebrow.

 

  “Is that so?” he taunted.

 

  “Aye, let me show you just what I mean!” the boy barked back, and instantly, both Keyblade Wielders clashed blades, and they began their battle in earnest.

 

(Start Song Here)

  Something about this boy had Kyle on edge, but he didn’t know why.  While the boy seemed aggressive, he also seemed like he wasn’t working with the enemy.  But still, with everything he had learned thanks to the moogles back at Radiant Garden, he knew that things now were bad, and he knew he had to be more careful, considering that the Keyblade War was at hand!  And so, he attacked the boy as quickly and as strategically as he was able, but even though he was going quite on the offensive, the boy seemed to be impervious to harm, considering that not a single one of Kyle’s attacks were making an effect.  The boy kept blocking Kyle’s attacks, and then he kicked him off and almost made him fall off of the ship!  But, since Kyle was agile, he was able to hold on to one of the mast’s ropes, and he was able to swiftly climb back up!  As soon as he made it back to the top, he quickly used Fission Firaga to catch the boy off guard, but the boy dodged the attack quickly and counterattacked with Homing Blizzaga!  But Kyle sliced off the Blizzaga crystal that was following him, and then he disappeared then reappeared behind the boy and pointed his Keyblade at his throat.

 

  “Looks like I win!” Kyle remarked, but the boy quickly improvised and hit him with a headbutt.

 

  “Oh, don’t you be so quick on underestimating me, numbskull!  I’ve got bite!” the boy growled.

 

  “Yes, I think I can see that…” Kyle said as he shook his head, shaking off the pain that came from the boy’s headbutt.  Shortly after, they both clashed blades again.

 

  “I don’t have time for this…I can’t afford any distractions!” Kyle muttered as he fought.

 

  “Focus on the battle at hand, numbskull!” the boy shouted out as he swung his Keyblade aggressively at Kyle.

 

  But even though Kyle was effectively blocking the boy’s attacks, his thoughts were not in battle.  His thoughts were on his parents, and his friends.  He couldn’t bear to think of losing them all…after all the things they had gone through, he didn’t want to lose them!  And every time he thought of his parents, Jexana came into his mind, and it only made him angrier.  He then lashed out at the boy and cornered him on the far side of the deck, and he almost managed to claim victory, when suddenly, the boy quickly slid his legs, knocking Kyle down and then pointing his Keyblade at him.  Kyle was shocked at what had just happened, while the boy simply smirked.

 

  “When your mind is completely somewhere else…you lose sight of what’s around you.  That’s a good way to get yourself easily killed…” the boy said, and Kyle clenched his fists.

 

  “Don’t take this personally, but I won’t let anyone get in my way…” the boy said, and just as he was about to strike Kyle down, a brilliant flash of light took place.

(End Song Here)

 

  “Stop this right now, kupo!” a squeaky voice shouted.

 

  When the light subsided, a tiny moogle was floating in between Kyle and the boy.  He had two pon pons, one colored red, and one colored blue, and he had a heart shaped necklace hanging around his neck!  He had his arms crossed and looked quite furious.  Kyle and the boy didn’t move, and so the moogle looked at both of them and then rolled his eyes and went towards the boy.

 

  “Raxon, that boy isn’t our enemy, kupo!” the moogle said.

 

  “He came into my ship, and he’s in my way!  He is my enemy!” Raxon said, quite irritated.

 

  “Would you stop thinking like that? Not everyone you meet is an enemy, kupo!” the moogle declared, but Raxon clenched his fists and glared at Kyle.

 

  “I don’t have time for this, Sky…get out of my way…” Raxon said menacingly, but Sky wouldn’t budge.

 

  “You won’t be fighting, and that’s final, kupo!” the little moogle said, and after a few seconds, Raxon unsummoned his Keyblade, rolled his eyes and then went below decks, mumbling something to himself.

 

  “My apologies, Raxon can be a bit…stubborn!  Anyways, I’m Sky, nice to meet you, kupo!” Sky said as he bowed apologetically.  Kyle smiled, unsummoned his Keyblade and deactivated his Keyblade Armor.

 

  “It’s okay, no need to apologize.  He was the one being a jerk, after all. And nice to meet you too, my name’s Kyle!  So then, what are you two doing roaming the Lanes Between?” Kyle asked.

 

  “Well, the thing is, we’ve been searching far and wide for some person that did something to Raxon a long time ago, and well, he wants to get revenge on said person.  He hasn’t told me who we’re after, and he doesn’t like to offer details regarding his motives for revenge, but he was nice enough to let me tag along, so I didn’t ask any questions!  After all, I was in quite a nasty place when Raxon found me, so I owe him big time!  He can be very stubborn, but deep inside, he has a heart of gold, kupo!” Sky explained, and Kyle then nodded.

 

  “Hmm, I see.  You know something, Sky?  I think that we may be able to be of help to each other…” Kyle said, and the little moogle tilted his head in curiosity.

---

 

(Start Song Here)

  Meanwhile, at the Mysterious Tower, the Keyblade Wielders had decided to rest up before planning their next move.  After all, they still had to recover their strength from their last battle with Xylek, and now was as good a time as ever to rest.  Everyone was asleep except for Kairi.  She went outside and gazed upon the countless starts, and she sighed as she sat down on the grass and then laid down to continue her stargazing.  She thought about Sora, Donald, Goofy and Xion, and she prayed that they were doing okay.  She then raised her hand, as if trying to catch a star from the sky, and then she sat up on the ground, slightly wincing from some wounds she still carried from the battle with Xylek.  She then put her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, and she felt battered and beaten.  Suddenly, she heard some footsteps, and when she glanced back, she saw it was Yen Sid, who had come outside.

 

  “What a beautiful sky, is it not?” he asked calmly as he offered a soft smile.  Kairi smiled weakly and nodded, rubbing her eyes.

 

  “Yeah…it’s a beautiful sky indeed, and a beautiful night…I just wish I could be able to sleep…but I can’t.” she said grimly.

 

  “I can understand why sleep evades you.  You worry for those you love, and that is normal.  But, you must keep in mind that if you do not rest yourself, your strength will fail you at some point.” he remarked.

 

  “Yes, I know…but as much as I want to sleep, I just can’t do it.  There’s just too much going on right now, and this Keyblade War that’s so close to starting is threatening the very existence of everything…as a Princess Of Heart, and as a Keyblade Wielder…it’s a heavy responsibility to protect the balance of the worlds…” she said as she gazed up at the stars.

 

  “Ah, indeed.  Sometimes, even we, who possess much wisdom and strength, tend to doubt ourselves.  And in truth, that is something that I believe every person, Keyblade Wielder or not, faces every day in their lives.  But it is that doubt that gives us the resolve to work harder for the ones we love.  It is no easy task, but it is not impossible.” Yen Sid said as he too, gazed upon the stars.

 

  “You’re right…it isn’t impossible.  I just have to keep my heart burning strong, no matter the trials!  That’s what I should do…for Sora, and for everyone.  Thank you for your words of wisdom, Master Yen Sid!” Kairi said as she stood up and bowed.

 

  “You are quite welcome, child.  Now go, and get some much needed rest.” Yen Sid said, and with that, Kairi went inside the tower.  He then looked up at the stars and clenched his fists.

 

  “The coming storm is deadly…far more deadly than any of us can possibly imagine…there is no telling what will become of us after this Keyblade War comes to a close…” he thought to himself, and after taking a deep breath, he went inside the tower as well.

(End Song Here)

---

 

  Back at Raxon’s ship, Kyle had proposed to Sky that they work together, so that all three of them could travel the worlds, and while Raxon sought whoever his target was, Kyle could search for his parents and friends.  Sky, of course, agreed that this was a good idea, but he wasn’t so sure that Raxon would be so receptive.  Kyle looked at the little moogle and nodded reassuringly.

 

  “Don’t worry.  I’m sure that after I have a talk with him, he’ll come around!” he said.  Sky simply shrugged.

 

  “I don’t know…but give it your best shot, kupo!” the little moogle said, and with that, both of them went below decks, and once inside, they noticed Raxon looking out a small window, leaning his back against the nearby wall and thinking heavily on something.  Before Kyle would say something, Raxon simply glanced over his shoulder at him and scoffed.

 

  “What the blazes do you want?” he asked rather rudely.

 

  “Look, I was just telling Sky that we could help each other out…the thing is, I’m looking for my parents, and for my friends, and well, I was thinking that I could tag along with you two in your ship!  I could help you with the target you’re looking for, and you could help me find my parents and friends…what do you say?” Kyle said as he outstretched his hand at the reluctant looking pirate.  He looked at Kyle intently, and then he looked out the small window again.

 

  “Thanks, but no thanks…I don’t want people to get in the way of my mission…” Raxon said bluntly, and at that, Kyle looked at Sky, who shrugged.  Just then, Kyle came up with a plan.

 

  “Okay, how about this?  Let’s have a little rematch…you and me, one on one, and if I win, I get to tag along with you…and if I lose…well, I’ll be your prisoner!” Kyle stated flat out.  Sky quickly gasped.

 

  “Are you insane, kupo!?” the little moogle blurted out, but Raxon smirked.  He seemed quite pleased with this proposition.

 

  “Hmm, well, that actually sounds like quite the offer…alright then, I’ll spar with ye!  But I warn ye, I’m not going to lose to the likes of you!” he said with a smirk of confidence.  Kyle simply remained silent and showed no sign of anxiety whatsoever.  With that, they went above decks, and after making sure everything was out of the way, Sky signaled that both Keyblade Wielders could begin their battle.

 

(Start Song Here)

  And so it was that their battle quickly began, and they made sure not to slack off any of their strength.  Both were determined to win, no matter what!  Sky sat back and watched both Keyblade Wielders duke it out!  Raxon was the first to gain an advantage in battle, as he quickly took out small bombs and then threw them at Kyle, and they exploded on impact, stunning Kyle temporarily, but then he was able to bat the other bombs away.  Raxon then used smoke bombs to conceal himself in the rising smoke, and then he darted around Kyle, using the smoke to his advantage to disorient him!  But, Kyle had sharp senses, and he grabbed Raxon by the collar and threw him towards the other side of the deck!  Raxon then drew a quick sigil on the ground and summoned two spheres of flame, using them to create a wall of fire which would not be easy to cross.  But Kyle would not stop, as he simply disappeared then reappeared behind Raxon, striking him with his Keyblade!  Raxon smirked and gave a nod.

 

  “Well, I’ve got to admit…ye be a very skilled boy!” the pirate said, and Kyle then bowed and nodded.

 

  “Why, thank you!  Now then, enough talk!” Kyle remarked.

 

  “Agreed!” Raxon said, and with that, they both clashed blades once again, this time, locked in place, with their feet firmly planted on the ground!

 

  Kyle focused his energy and then unleashed an Aeroga spell, making Raxon lose his footing and fall down on the floor.  As soon as Kyle was ready to strike Raxon, the pirate rolled away and then counterattacked with Blind, and for the moment, Kyle was momentarily blinded, and he stumbled quite a few times and even fell!  But, he kept rising back up, and he tried dodging Raxon’s attacks as best as he could, but in the end, he was struck four times!  Raxon seemed pleased, but Sky was a bit worried!  But suddenly, Kyle was finally able to break free of the spell, and then he cast Bind on Raxon, rendering him immovable, and now was the best time to strike!  With his Keyblade at the ready, Kyle focused his energy, and then a dark purple aura emanated from him, and soon after, he threw small dark spheres of darkness all around Raxon, and then, each sphere turned into a shadow clone of Kyle, and so began what Kyle called the Shadow Zantetsuken!  One by one, the shadow clones attacked, until at last, Kyle was the one who dealt the final blow!  But, even with such a potent attack, Raxon would not go down!

 

  “This is going to be a close one, kupo…” Sky muttered to himself as he shivered in both excitement and anxiety!  Kyle sidestepped and kept his eyes on Raxon at all times.

 

  “I have to say…you are really good with a Keyblade!” Kyle said, and Raxon shrugged, obviously liking the compliment.

 

  “Well, it’s taken a while, but I’ve learned to master this fine blade…and with such mastery, I’ll have the skills to defeat you!” the pirate said, and with that, he instantly lunged towards Kyle, almost at super sonic speed, hitting Kyle’s forehead with the hilt of his Keyblade, and then striking his back!

 

  “Aargh!!!” Kyle shouted in pain.  Clearly, he didn’t see that attack coming!  But even so, he took a deep breath and shook off the pain.

 

  But just as he was about to deliver another attack to Raxon, he noticed that the pirate had suddenly disappeared from sight!  Now, Kyle really needed to keep himself on his toes!  He halted and then closed his eyes, taking in his surroundings, and paying close attention to the sounds all around him. A few seconds passed, and a soft breeze blew by, and then, Kyle leaned back and dodged another of Raxon’s attacks!  Kyle did his best to counterattack, but suddenly, the ship’s ropes reached out for him and tied him up quite tightly, rendering him unable to move!  Then, Raxon appeared on top of one of the masts, and then he lunged downward, enveloping himself in a sphere of blue flame, and then went through Kyle numerous times, causing him excruciating pain!  Kyle tried to shake off the pain, but it was no use!  He could feel his body breaking!  Raxon then backflipped out of the sphere of blue flame, and then he took forth a dagger from his pocket, a ring, and then, he revealed his hook hand!  He closed his eyes and uttered an incantation.

 

  “Aura of the forgotten sirens, heed my call!” he shouted, and instantly, the dagger, ring and hook merged with his Keyblade, and formed a giant cannon that resembled the ones mounted on his ship, only with a more intricate, deadlier design and more bullet slots!  He held out the cannon and pointed it at Kyle and scoffed.

 

  “That the best you can do?  Pathetic…” he said.  Sky immediately came in between the battle.

 

  “Stop this right now!  This has gotten way too out of hand, kupo!” the little moogle burst out, but Raxon pushed him away and pointed his cannon at Kyle, but just when he was about to fire, he could hear a sinister laugh emanating from…Kyle himself!

 

  “Hehehehehe…hahahahaha…well, well, well, if it isn’t little pipsqueak…” Kyle said in his demonic, feral voice.  Raxon seemed to suddenly freeze.

 

  “W-what?  T-that voice…it can’t be!” Raxon exclaimed as he tried to regain his composure.

 

  “Oh, but it is me!  Surely you haven’t forgotten about little old me, right?  Anyways, looks like you’re one hand short of getting the job done, wouldn’t you say so?” Kyle said with a chuckle.  At that, Raxon snapped.

 

  “Shut up, you!” he said as he pointed his cannon at Kyle anew, but before he could even fire, Kyle had already broken free, and he disappeared then reappeared behind Raxon.

 

  “…Boo!” Kyle said, and Raxon instantly glanced over his shoulder in panic, and then, Kyle transformed into his Feral form, and he quickly made short work of Raxon, beating him to a pulp and then slamming him on the far side of the deck!  Sky was horrified by what he was seeing.

 

  “W-what’s wrong with you, kupo!?” Sky demanded, and only after Feral Kyle saw the moogle’s horrified eyes did he revert back into Kyle.

(End Song Here)

 

  “W-what…no, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean for this to happen!” Kyle exclaimed as he headed towards Raxon, who was pretty beaten up.  He was going to help him up, but the pirate was able to stand on his own two feet.

 

  “Huh…so you have the power of the Dark Light…and yet, out of all the deities that could have been housed in you…why did it have to be…him?” Raxon muttered.  At that, Kyle tilted his head.

 

  “Huh?  What do you mean?” Kyle asked.

 

  “It’s nothing…anyways, you won this duel…so a deal is a deal…you can accompany us.  But, if you slow me down for any sort of reason, you will get out of my ship!  Do I make myself clear?” Raxon said as he glared at Kyle.  Kyle only nodded in silence.

 

  “Good…” Raxon said, as he walked away.

 

  “B-but Raxon, didn’t you see what he just did!?  He could be dangerous, kupo!” Sky exclaimed.

 

  “Sky…he’ll be coming with us, end of discussion!” Raxon shouted, and the moogle felt dead silent.  Raxon stood there for a moment, clenched his fists, and then headed below decks.  Sky followed after him, and now only Kyle remained above decks.

 

  “What was that…just a few moments ago…?” he asked himself, quite shaken by what had just happened.  The Dark Light had resonated with him like never before, and apparently, Raxon knew something about this!

 

  He then wondered what the pirate meant when he said that a deity was housed inside him.  What could that possibly mean?  Wasn’t the Dark Light a power Kyle had for his own?  As far as he could remember, this power was his, right?  These were things that Kyle began to question, but, given the circumstances, he didn’t have much time to think, so instead, he just remained above decks, because he felt that if he went below decks, he’d only cause discomfort to Sky and Raxon, and he didn’t want to do that.  He wanted to see if he could get on the right foot with them!  But for that, he’d have to gain their trust.

 

  “I need to do this, and I need to do this as soon as I can…because everything is at stake…and nothing can be left to chance!  Every second I linger, Mom and Dad are bound to head into disaster with Jexana!  And my friends…I pray that they’re safe as well!  I have…no, I need to get to them and help them!  They need me, just as much as I need them!  But, I need to find them fast…otherwise, things might get messy…” Kyle thought to himself as he gazed upon the stars, while the ship moved slowly.  He wondered who was steering the ship, but when he went towards the steer, there was no one there!  Kyle was dazzled by this, and for a moment, he felt panic, but then, he noticed the steer move on its own, almost as if by magic!  He chuckled to himself as he saw this, and remembered that there were still many things in this universe that he still didn’t know about!  He hoped everything would turn out okay.

 

(Start Song Here)

  At that same moment, below decks, Sky paced back and forth nervously, while Raxon was sharpening his hook and stretching himself.  Sky sighed loudly and then crossed his arms.

 

  “I don’t know how you can be so relaxed, kupo…” the little moogle said.

 

  “It’s because situations like these are inevitable in some cases…and as such, we have to be ready for anything, and we ain’t gonna show a bit of fear to that there Keyblade Wielder…” Raxon whispered.

 

  “But you saw what he did!  He has that cursed power!  Isn’t that enough for a warning, kupo?” Sky asked.  At this, Raxon thought deeply, but then shook his head.

 

  “He’s not the first person we’ve come across who has that power, and he won’t be the last…that’s all you need to get into yer head, understood?” Raxon proclaimed, but Sky shook his head.

 

  “But we had to end up ‘disposing’ of the others!  Who’s to say Kyle won’t be another of those cases, kupo?” Sky asked anxiously.  Raxon then stood up and looked at his hook and then swung it from side to side, then summoning his Keyblade and holding it in his hand.

 

  “Then, just like the others that have come before…I’ll end him…” Raxon answered, and at that, Sky remained silent.

 

  “Don’t get me wrong, Kyle seems like an honest person, and he truly does seek his parents and friends as he claims…all we have to do is keep an eye on him, kupo!” the little moogle suggested.

 

  “Aye, that’s right.  We’ll keep a close eye on his every move, and if he attempts at doing something fishy, we’ll be the first ones to find out…because if there’s one thing I won’t tolerate, it’s treasonous scum!  But like you said, Sky, old friend…this Kyle seems like a good person…and yet, for all the good I sense in him, I still can’t figure out why he has the power of the Dark Light…that’s still something of a mystery to me…but it’s one I intend to unravel slowly, but surely.  Hopefully, something will surface out of all this.” Raxon said, and then Sky flew towards a barrel and then sat on it.

 

  “And…the Keyblade War, kupo?” he asked.  Raxon remained silent for a while, and then he unsummoned his Keyblade and sat back down, this time to rest, as he sat on a comfortable stack of hay.

 

  “I’m not concerned with the wars of slimy ingrates and foolish scum…all that I’m after is my revenge…and I’ll see to it that everything goes my way…because we’ve come too far this time!  We’ve come too far to give up now!” Raxon said as he clenched his fists.

 

  “I won’t give up…”

(End Song Here)

---------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Kyle’s Dark Light suddenly got out of control!  Just what happened to him?  And what does the mysterious pirate Raxon and the little moogle Sky know about the Dark Light?  What will be next for our heroes? Stay tuned for Chapter Six: “Into The Lost Empire!”

 

Well everyone, that was the chapter!  I appreciate your patience and support very, very much, and again, I apologize for the long delay, but I hope this chapter was able to make up for it!  As for when the next chapter will be up, I can’t really guarantee a date for now, since I’m still in Chicago, but I promise a new chapter will be up soon!  Anyways, as always, please be sure to comment on your thoughts of tonight’s chapter, and until the next time, stay tuned for the next one!

Oh my...

OH MY GOSH!!!!!!! That was wild! Well, now we know who pirate boy is. How does he know the dark light? Who else apparently also possessed it? Who are the others and what happened to them and why? Why did Kyle in his feral form seem to know Raxon as though he were an old "friend"? AAAAHHHH!!!!! Too many questions to be answered! More or I'll die!

I love this chapter! The fights between Kyle and Raxon were awesome! What do Raxon and Sky know about the Dark Light?? I can't wait for the next chapter!!

 

P.S. For some bizarre reason while reading this chapter I kept imagining Raxon with a Scottish accent.

Oh my...

Haha, indeed!

 

OH MY GOSH!!!!!!! That was wild! Well, now we know who pirate boy is. How does he know the dark light? Who else apparently also possessed it? Who are the others and what happened to them and why? Why did Kyle in his feral form seem to know Raxon as though he were an old "friend"? AAAAHHHH!!!!! Too many questions to be answered! More or I'll die!

Oh yes, many questions indeed!  What could this all mean, eh? Oh, you'll see, in due time...*Laughs maniacally.*

 

I love this chapter! The fights between Kyle and Raxon were awesome! What do Raxon and Sky know about the Dark Light?? I can't wait for the next chapter!!

 

P.S. For some bizarre reason while reading this chapter I kept imagining Raxon with a Scottish accent.

What do they know, indeed?  That's for you to find out!  And lol, really, you imagine him with a Scottish accent? X3

 

As always, thank you very much for your comments, I appreciate them very much!  My apologies for not updating the story sooner, but I promise that you'll all get to see the next chapter soon!  Until then, I'll appreciate your continued patience and support!  Thank you very much!

What do they know, indeed?  That's for you to find out!  And lol, really, you imagine him with a Scottish accent? X3

Yeah, for some reason I hear Raxon speaking with a Scottish accent, and the more I think about it the more I feel that that's the accent he would have.  :smile: