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

To KHLegendIII, yeah, Tsumugi seems to be in trouble, eh?

 

To KingdomHearts3, thanks for the compliments!  And yeah, Jexana isn't dumb, and thus she already knew of Tsumugi's betrayal, and that puts Tsumugi in a very tough spot!  Let's see what happens, eh?

 

Good evening everyone, I hope that you’re all doing okay!  So then, here’s another chapter of my story!  I hope that you all enjoy it!  Also, tomorrow we'll finally be on the month of May!  It just so happens that it is my birth month, and not only that, but Captain America: Civil War comes out this month as well, so I’m super mega stoked for this film!  I’ve been awaiting it for such a long time now, and in just a matter of days, I’ll finally be able to see the film with my best friends/soul brothers!  Gahhh, I can’t wait!  But anyways, enough about me, read on, and enjoy the chapter!

 

Chapter Thirty Four: Battling Yzma

 

(Start Song Here)

  Sora and Riku had been running for quite a bit, trying to beat the heavy rain that was falling down upon them!  As they went up a slightly steep hill, they noticed that there were people running around in panic!  When Sora and Riku reached the top of the hill, they saw that there were numerous Nightmares prowling the grounds, preying on the innocent people that were running away in panic!  Sora and Riku quickly summoned their Keyblades and prepared for battle!

 

  “Geez, we never get a break, do we?” Sora asked aloud.  Riku smirked.

 

  “It’s one of the downsides of this job, but it’s not all that bad!” he commented.  Sora laughed.

 

  “Yeah, well, I want to get ride of these Nightmares before I catch a cold, so let’s get to it!” he said enthusiastically!  Riku nodded.

 

  “Right, let’s go!” he said, and with that, the two of them propelled themselves from each other, and they started to dart around the area, which just so happened to have two giant walls of stone on either side, and a straight path that undoubtedly led to the entrance of Kuzco’s palace!  Sora and Riku darted from the ground to the walls, and then they propelled themselves from the walls and delivered fast and precise attacks that decimated the Nightmares fairly quickly!  But no sooner than they had defeated the Nightmares, more came to take their place!  These were Cera Terrors  and Tatsu Seeds, and they went charging at full speed towards the two Keyblade Wielders!  The Cera Terrors, of which there were at least six, were charging towards the Keyblade Wielders full throttle, ready to impale them with their horns!  The Tatsu Seeds, which were about ten, took a back view of the action, and supported their horned friends with ranged attacks!

 

  “I’ll take care of those dinos!” Sora said, as he quickly leapt on towards one of the Nightmare Cera Terrors, bouncing from one of them to the other, and he proceeded to slam two or three of them against one another!  The Cerra Terrors charge was interrupted, as they were now scattered and trying to deal with Sora!  Riku looked at the Tatsu Seeds, who were setting their sights on Sora, and he quickly braced his feet!

 

  “Oh no you don’t!” he said, and with that, he flung his Keyblade, performing Strike Raid, and managed to take down the first five Tatsu Seeds!  The remaining five managed to fire their projectile spells, and they were just about to hit a distracted Sora, when Riku came in the way and deflected them all with a Barrier Shield!  Just in the knick of time!  Sora glanced back and noticed, and he smiled.

 

  “Thanks for the backup, Riku!” Sora said cheerfully.  Riku nodded.

 

  “I’ve got your back, Sora!” he said, and the two of them kept on battling!

 

  Within a few seconds, Sora managed to disorient the Cera Terrors completely, as they were now striking each other!  He took this opportunity to jump right in the middle of their fight and perform Circle Raid!  As soon as he did, the Cera Terros were decimated in just seconds!  Which only left the Tatsu Seeds, which were now desperately trying to escape!  Sora fired off a few Firaga spells at them, but they were too far out of range!  Riku started to run quickly and propelled himself from one of the stone walls!

 

  “I got this, Sora!” he commented, as he zipped through the air and then twirled and smashed his way down towards the Tatsu Seeds, and they disintegrated immediately!  When they disappeared, no new Nightmares came to take their place, which meant the area here was clear! Sora ran towards him and nodded.

(End Song Here)

 

  “We did a good job!” Sora said as he smiled.  “Now come on, let’s get to the palace!  We’re just a little further away!” Sora pointed, as he saw in the distance what looked to be a giant, golden head.  But he couldn’t make sure if that’s what he saw, due to the rain creating a foggy mist that was difficult to see through!

 

  “Yeah, come on, let’s go!” Riku said, as they both continued to run towards the palace!

 

  After a few minutes, they finally arrived at the entrance of the palace, and they took a moment to admire the gigantic piece of architecture the nestled itself comfortably in between a rocky, mountainous area!  Sora was right when he said that there was a giand golden head, for that seemed to be the palace’s style.  It was a bit strange, yet it somehow amazed him!  With no time to keep sightseeing, Sora and Riku made their way up the set of stairs, and as they entered the inside of the palace, they saw Kuzco and Pacha!  Kuzco seemed to have noticed them, for he waved his hoof at them enthusiastically!

 

  “Hey, over here you guys!” the llama shouted!  Sora and Riku quickly ran towards them.

 

  “Oh, I’m so glad that you two are okay!  We were worried that you had gotten hurt by those creatures!” Pacha said as he hugged Sora and Riku.

 

  “Heh, they weren’t anything we couldn’t handle!  We’re just glad that you two made it here! So, did you find a way to reverse Kuzco back into a human?” Sora asked. 

 

  “That’s what we’re about to find out!  Come on, follow me!” Kuzco said, as they walked up a set of stairs leading to what seemed to be a sort of…dead end?  At the end of this staircase, only a wall stood before them.  Sora and Riku looked around to see if there was any hidden switch they missed on their way up, but it was Pacha who found a hidden lever a little to the right of the wall!  When he pulled the lever, a hole opened below them, and they fell through the hole into what seemed to be a sort of rollercoaster ride! 

 

  “Huh?  What the heck is this!?” Riku asked, bewildered!  Sora just smiled and went with the flow!

 

  “I dunno, but this sure does seem exciting!” he said. 

 

  “Hang on, guys!” Pacha shouted, as they were automatically strapped into their chairs, and the rollercoaster went down at blazing fast speeds, plummeting them downward in an almost endless spiral!

 

  “Urgh…I think I’m gonna be sick!” Riku muffled out, as he was covering his mouth, for he felt as though he was going to throw up at any moment!  Sora seemed immune, however, for he had an excited face all the time!  Kuzco and Pacha were shouting their lungs out as the rollercoaster kept spiraling down, until it finally came to an abrupt halt!  Kuzco and Pacha went flying out, and they were apparently fitted into what seemed to be…a scientist’s warddrobe?  They quickly took off these uniforms and proceeded forward!  Sora shout out of the rollercoaster and landed like it was nothing! Riku, on the other hand, almost stumbled and fell to the floor, if not for him having held on to the wall as soon as he landed to the ground!  He looked a bit dizzy, and he definitely looked like he was gonna throw up!  Sora was about to help him walk, but he waved his had dismissively.  He quickly regained himself, and then he looked at Sora with an unamused expression.

 

  “I’m never going in a rollercoaster…again!” he stated bluntly.  Sora couldn’t help but let out a laugh!

 

  “Geez, laught it up, why don’t ya?” Riku groaned.

 

  “I can’t help it, you looked so funny!” Sora snorted, and Riku couldn’t help but laugh himself! Then they heard Pacha calling out to them, and they looked at his direction.

 

  “Hey guys, come over here!  I think we’ve found something!” he said, and Sora and Riku approached them.  They came upon what seemed to be a large table filled with notes, empty bottles and what looked to be glassware with chemicals inside!  Kuzco looked at the chemicals with disgust and slight fear, and he looked at the other a bit nervously!

 

  “Well, looks like the old hag really wanted to kill me after all!  This creepy, grim laboratory’s the proof of it…” the llama mumbled, feeling annoyed, and at the same time, nervous.  Sora and Riku glanced at each other, and then they saw Pacha walking towards what seemed to be a shelf!

 

  “Guys, look, I’ve found a shelf full of vials!” Pacha mentioned, and Sora, Riku and Kuzco took notice, and the llama immediately looked at the symbols on the vials!

 

  “This is it!  These are the potions that Yzma has stored up in here! There’s potions for everything! She used one of these potions to turn me into a llama!” Kuzco said, as his eyes searched for the human potion vial!  “But wait, where’s the one that’ll change me back into my handsome self!?” the poor llama distressed!  Just then, they heard an evil cackle, and all of them immediately turned around to see who it was!  It was none other than…

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Yzma!” Kuzco and Pacha shouted in unison!

 

  “Looking for this, boys!?” she asked, as she showed them the human potion, which she held in her hands!  She had quite the amused expression on her face, and Kuzco and Pacha were definitely caught off guard by this sudden turn of events!

 

  “Now come on, Yzma!  Just give me the potion and I can turn back into my old self…” the llama tried to persuade her, but she simply laughed!

 

  “Ha, fat chance, Kuzco!  I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for years!” she said with a sinister grin!

 

  “Uh, exactly how many years are we talking about?  Because you’re pretty old, ya know!” Kuzco mentioned, and Yzma rolled her eyes in annoyance, igorning the question.

 

  “Oh, Kuzco, I’ve been waiting so long for this chance!  The chance to finally take the throne for my own and become the Empress of this land!  Oh, all the people are so distraught that you’re gone, but they’ll find new hope as they look up to me as their ruler!  All I have to do is cut all loose ends, and nothing can stop me!” she said with an amused expression!

 

  “Well, we aren’t going to let you get away with this, Yzma!” Pacha said with a determined look on his face.

(End Song Here)

 

  “Ah, you think you can stop me?” she asked.  “Well, perhaps this will change your mind…” she said as she started to lift her long dress up to her thigh!  Kuzco and Pacha were panicking, for they felt revolted at the sight of her skinny legs!  Sora and Riku were about to turn their heads away, for it seemed as though she was aiming to show something unpleasant…until it turned out she was just revealing a sharp knife strapped to her thigh!  They all sighed of relief, and Yzma simply smirked and took the knife from her thigh and then proceeded to throw them in their direction!  Luckily, Kuzco was able to dodge the knife, and it fell just a tiny bit away from them!  Now Kuzco tried to get the knife, but then Kronk came and took it in his hands!  Everyone froze, and Sora and Riku summoned their Keyblades! Kronk stood there, with knife in hand, and Yzma had a face that very well meant that her victory was assured!

 

  “Yes, Kronk, you’ve got the knife!  Now kill them all!” she commanded!  Kronk seemed to hesistate, for he was just standing there, holding the knife in his hand as if it were a balancing scale!  He fretted over what to do, and Yzma grew irritated.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Kronk, didn’t you hear me?  Kill them!!!” she commanded yet again!  Kronk then started mumbling to himself, and he seemed as though he was torn about what to do!  Yzma was confused by this, and when she looked at the others, they just shrugged, for they didn’t understand it either.  Yzma sighed and then massaged her temples.

 

  “And here I thought that you could do this one task, Kronk!  But it seems that I can’t rely on you for anything, you overgrown monkey!” she protested!  Kronk was trying to say something, but Yzma didn’t let him speak!

 

  “I’m tired of your uselessness, Kronk, I’m tired of you always being a half measure!  You are despicable!  And you know something else!?  I never liked your brussel sprouts!” she stated!  At that, Kronk’s face froze, and he started to tear up.

 

  “Y-you don’t mean that, Yzma?” he asked.  Yzma scoffed.

 

  “I mean every word of it!” she hissed.  That’s when Kronk’s face changed from a sad, torn face to a determined, defiant face!  He looked up, and then he threw the knife towards the location he intended!  As everyone looked to where the knife flew, they noticed that it flew through a chandelier being held by a rope!  The knife cut through said rope, and it started to fall down, until it fell on Yzma! The chandelier crashed into the ground with a sickening thud, and everyone thought that Yzma was done for!  But, luckily for her skinny frame, she wasn’t even harmed! 

 

  “Oh no, that was a doozy…” Kronk muttered.  Yzma rolled her eyes and pulled a nearby lever, which caused Kronk to fall down a hole that opened in the ground!  She then wiped her hands and looked at the others.  “Well then, now that he’s out of the way, I can focus on taking you all down!” she said, with an evil smirk apparent in her face!

(End Song Here)

 

  “How could you do that to him!?  He’s your friend!” Sora shouted!  Yzma scoffed.

 

  “Oh please, Kronk was always just a business associate, nothing more!  Besides, I don’t need him, not when I can do this myself!” she said, as he picked up the knife and attempted to murder Kuzco!  Pacha, Sora and Riku got in the way though, and they caused her to trip, and the knife fell to the floor and slid towards the other end of the lab!  Yzma crashed on the potion shelf, and all the potions, including the one she was holding in her hand, fell down to the floor!  Now they were all mixed up!  And it didn’t help that all the potions bore the exact same color: pink!

 

  “Well, this can’t be good!” Riku said, as they quickly attempted to find the right potion!  But soon, footsteps could be heard, and that’s when Yzma smirked and capitalized on the sudden turn of events!  She walked towards a doorway and opened it, and beyond, palace guards could be seen coming in her direction!

 

  “Guards, guards, come this way! The Emperor’s murderers are here, stop them!” she shouted!

 

  “Oh no, we’re in trouble!” Sora shouted!

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Quick, we have no time to check all the potions now, we’ll have to take all of them and try them out one by one until we find the human potion!” Pacha suggested, and everyone agreed and picked up all the vials, and then they made their way towards a staircase that seemed to lead downward!  They didn’t take a second’s hesitation, and they ran as fast as they could!  They could hear the guards coming closely behind!

 

  “Quick, Pacha, give me a potion!” Kuzco shouted!

 

  “Right!” Pacha replied, as he gave Kuzco a potion, and it turned him into a turtle!

 

  “Okay…this isn’t what I had in mind…” Kuzco said as he struggled to walk!  The others stopped and went back for him, and now the palace guards were inching ever closer!  Pacha picked up Kuzco, and as they ran, they came upon an almost endless abyss, but they saw what lay in the bottom, and it seemed to be a giant water canal leading downward! 

 

  “Alright, let’s hope this one’s it!” Pacha said as he gave Kuzco another potion!  This time, it turned him into a bird!  A very small bird, at that!  Kuzco desperately tried to fly, but Pacha was so heavy that they both fell down towards the water canal!  Sora and Riku quickly followed them by sliding on the sides of the water canal at blazing fast speeds!

 

  “Well, things have gone wild!” Sora mentioned.

 

  “We have to keep up with them and protect them from the palace guards!  We need to make sure Kuzco transforms back into a human!” Riku shouted!  They both nodded, and in a matter of seconds, they had already caught up to Pacha and Kuzco!

 

  “Okay, maybe this one…?” Pacha asked, but Kuzco shook his head angrily.

 

  “No, this time, I’ll choose which potion to drink!” he said, and he gulped one down, and he found himself turning into a giant whale!  There was a moment of silence, and Kuzco rolled his eyes at Pacha.

 

  “Don’t say a word…” he said, and suddenly, they broke through the canal and fell down quite a high ledge!  It led them towards a bigger canal that seemed to be in the lowest part of the palace!  Sora and Riku leapt down towards them until they reached them, and now, they seemed to have reached a dead end!  The guards were now closing in, for they had not given up the chase!

 

  “These guys don’t give up, don’t they?” Riku asked.

 

  “Looks like we’ll have to fight them here…” Sora said, as they both summoned their Keyblades!  The guards were coming closer, but before Sora and Riku confronted them, Pacha ran in front of them!

 

  “Look out, guys!” he said, as he threw almost all the potions at the palace guards!  A giant, pink cloud of smoke formed, and Sora, Riku, Pacha and Kuzco stepped back a ways!  When the smoke cleared, they saw that the guards had turned into different animals!  While the guards were disoriented by their new appearance, Kuzco gulped down another potion, which turned him back into his llama self!

 

  “Yay, I’m a llama again!  Hey, wait a minute!” Kuzco exclaimed!

 

  “No time to waste, let’s get out of here!” Riku shouted, as they all turned around and ran for it!

 

  They ran along the side of the dead end, hoping that there was some hidden path or a staircase that led elsewhere!  But unfortunately, no such path was found yet!  It wasn’t until Kuzco screeched to a halt that everyone stopped and noticed a hole that was a few feet away from them!  It apparently led outside!  But it seemed as though the hole lead downwards into quite a big fall that would easily end in quite a deadly drop!  The transformed guards came running, and everyone got out of the way quickly, therefore making the guard run forward recklessly!  When they realized that they had run right towards the hole, they were helpless to do anything about it, and they fell down!  They had successfully shaken off their pursuers!

(End Song Here)

 

  “Whew, that was a close one!” Kuzco sighed of relief.  Pacha shook his head and pointed behind them.

 

  “I wouldn’t sing victory yet!  We’ll have to jump down this hole!” Pacha said.  Kuzco stressed and had a panicked expression on his face!

 

  “What are you, insane!?” the llama asked! 

 

  “Just trust me on this, okay!?” Pacha exclaimed.

 

  “We’ll jump down first!  We’ll make sure that there’s something to land on!” Riku said.  Sora nodded.

 

  “That’s right!  Well, here we go!” he said, and with that, the two of them jumped down the hole, and the fall lasted for quite a bit!  When a few seconds passed, they finally landed on what seemed to be a platform jutting out of the palace walls!  When they took notice, they saw that it was a whole slab of concrete that stretched out for quite a bit!  They looked up towards Kuzco and Pacha, and gave a thumbs up!

 

  “Come on down!  We’ll make sure you land safely!” Sora shouted!  Within a few seconds, Pacha and Kuzco jumped down, and as Sora had said, he and Riku made sure that they landed safely on the concrete slab!  It was very dangerous though, for they barely fit there!  The ledge was sharp and lead straight down the palace and into the depths of the mountains that cradled the palace!  They all looked at each other and noticed that water was falling off of the hole they just jumped down from!  In the water, the remaining vile spun around, and everyone took notice and attempted to catch it!

 

  “Careful, careful!” Sora shouted, as he tried to reach out for the vial, but slipped right past his fingers!  Riku and Pacha also attempted to catch the vial, but were unable to!  Just as it was about to plummet down towards the depths below, Kuzco was able to catch it with its mouth! 

 

  “Yeah!  I caught it!” he muffled excitedly, and then he handed the vial over to Pacha.  “Well, I guess having a long neck has its benefits!  Anyways, time for me to turn back into a-“

 

  “Not so fast!” a voice said!  Everyone looked around in alert, and before they even knew what happened, Yzma had come down the same hole they had jumped down from, hanging from a rope!  She took the vial from Kuzco and laughed maniacally!  Everyone was caught off guard by this, and Kuzco panicked at what just happened!  Yzma held the vial and smirked as she landed on the other end of the concrete slab, and she swung the vial in her hands.

 

  “Your plan has come to a screeching halt!  Now you’ll never be a human again!” Yzma cackled.  “Now witness the might of the true Empress, me!” she cackled, as she drew another vial from her pocket!  She gulped it down instantly, and a cloud of pink smoke immediately covered everyone’s vision!  Soon, they heard a distorted, maniacal laugh, and they feared that Yzma had probably drunk a potion that turned her into some bestial form!  That is, until they realized…

 

  “Wait, what?  A kitty cat?” Sora asked, tilting his head.  Everyone looked at Yzma, and she looked at herself and at first was speechless.  She then stuttered and seemed to mumble to herself!

 

  “What?  No!  This wasn’t supposed to happen!  This wasn’t what I was supposed to transform into!” she said with a squeaky voice!  That’s when she stopped and realized how different her voice sounded!  “Wait, is this my voice?  Is this my voice?” she asked, bewildered.  Then she shrugged as if it was nothing.  “Oh wait, it doesn’t matter!  I have the potion that’ll turn me back into a human right here!” she said with a smirk as she took out the potion from her fur!

 

  “Oh no!” Kuzco shouted!

 

  “Oh yes!  Victory is finally mine!  Mwahahahaha!!!” Yzma laughed as she was about to save the sweet taste of victory!  Sora and Riku were about to step in, when suddenly, a small, metal window opened right behind her and smashed her into the wall, the potion skyrockecting from her grasp!  The one who had opened the metal window was none other than Kronk!

 

  “Oh, so that’s where this leads!” Kronk said to himself aloud, before closing the window!  Everyone was confused at the certain turn of events, and Yzma got off of the wall and glared at everyone angrily!

 

  “I won’t stand for this!  The throne will be mine!  All mine!!!” she gnarled furiously!  Just then, it seemed as though a dark aura took over here, and within a few seconds, the dark aura coalesced beside her and started to take shape!  Sora and Riku summoned their Keyblades, for they knew this was going to be trouble!  They also noticed that the potion had landed further up on the slabs of concrete jutting out of the palace walls!

 

  “Guys, go get the potion!  Riku and I will deal with whatever Yzma’s cooking up now!” Sora said!  Kuzco and Pacha nodded.

 

  “Good luck, you two!” Pacha said, as both he and Kuzco stood back to back to each other, and then they supported each other on a small gap leading upwards to the concrete slabs, and they started to walk up the gap!  It was a long distance, and it seemed as though Sora and Riku would have to be prepared to defend them while they make their climb, for the aura that had emanated from Yzma formed a giant Nightmare!  It looked like a giant bird, with a colorful green and blue color scheme!  It had flaring yellow eyes, and the Dream Eater emblem was marked upon its forehead!  The bird gave out a mighty caw, and Yzma laughed fullheartedly!

 

(Start Song Here)

  “This is where it all ends for you fools!  You won’t dare to question my right to rule!” she said in her squeaky voice!  With her dark aura, it resonated with the Nightmare and caused it to attack Kuzco and Pacha!  Luckily, Sora and Riku got in the way and blocked the attack with their Keyblades!  Kuzco and Pacha stopped for a moment, and Riku glanced back at them.

 

  “Go, go, keep going!” Riku shouted!  This was going to be a tough fight!  Here, the high ground obviously applied to the Nightmare, for it had wings!  But that’s when an idea came to Riku.

 

  “Sora, that bird!  It’s big enough for us to climb on its wings!  If we want to take it down, we have to climb on top of the wings and deal damage to its head!” Riku explained.  Sora nodded and looked at the bird.

 

  “Right!  But one of us is going to have to stay and fight Yzma, though!  If we leave her alone, she’s definitely going to go after Kuzco and Pacha!” Sora commented.

 

  “Right!  How about I take care of the bird, and you take care of the cat?” Riku asked.  Sora smiled.

 

  “You got it!  Now go, try climbing on the bird’s wings!” Sora shouted!  They both nodded to each other, and then Riku proceeded to run a little further away from Sora, so that the Nightmare would focus its attention on him!  Once far enough away, Riku started to dish out dark orbs and Dark Firaga spells, effectively drawing the Nightmare’s undivided attention!  It cawed fiercely and attempted to snatch Riku away with its talons, but to no avail!  Riku dodged the attack, and then he struck at the talons, causing the Nightmare to screech in pain!

 

  “That’s right, buddy!  Come and get me!” Riku taunted, as he swung his Keyblade and then fired off Aeroga razor blades!  The Nightmare blocked the attack with its wings, and then it started to flap them hard to cause strong gusts of wind, which in turn, made Riku hold on to the wall, for he would have fallen if he hadn’t been more careful!  When the gusts died down, Riku noticed that the Nightmare was attempting to strike at him with its beak!  Riku dodged the attacks, and right before he could strike its head, the Nightmare quickly flew back and cawed angrily!  Riku had an impressed expression on his face!

 

  “Well, looks like you’re smarter than you look!” Riku commented.  The Nightmare cawed defiantly, and then Riku launched more Dark Firaga spells, aiming it at its wings!  The Nightmare dodged the spells, but one of them managed to hit its right wing!  It cawed furiously, and then it dried to lunge towards Riku!  He dodge the attack, which caused the Nightmare to crash into the wall!  Its left wing was within reach, and that’s when Riku propelled himself from the wall and dashed towards the left wing!  One he reached it, he grabbed it tightly, and didn’t intend to let go!  The Nightmare flailed its wing wildly, trying to shake Riku off, bu tit was to no avail!

 

  “I got you now!” Riku shouted, as he started to strike at the Nightmare’s wing, causing it to fly a short distance away from the palace walls!  It sommersaulted in the air a few times and swung itself around and swooped down, all in a desperate attempt to shake Riku off!  Its right wing was damaged more severely than its left, and so, the Nightmare found it couldn’t fly so well!  Riku only capitalized on this!

 

  “You won’t get away from me!” Riku said, as he continued to strike at the Nightmare’s wing!  Meanwhile, Sora tried to keep Yzma away from Kuzco and Pacha!

 

  “Sorry kitty, but you won’t be going anywhere!” Sora mentioned, as he blocked every attempt Yzma made to escape him!  She grew irritated of this, and then she unsheathed her claws, and then she smirked.

 

  “Ooh, it seems that being a kitty has its benefits!” Yzma said as she looked at her sharp claws.  Sora chuckled a bit nervously.

 

  “Oh boy…this isn’t going to be good…” Sora thought to himself.

 

  “Now, out of my way, boy, or you’re going to find yourself on the receiving end of an unpleasant scratching!” Yzma threatened with a growl!  Sora stood his ground and shook his head.

 

  “Not a chance!  Show me what you got!” Sora taunted.  At that, Yzma couldn’t take this annoyance anymore, and she threw herself at him, and she quickly attempted to scratch Sora all over! Sora dodged every attempt Yzma made at harming him, and blocked a few attacks too!  Yzma then pounced on top of his head, and then took hold and messed up his hair, making Sora almost fall down into the depths below!  Luckily, he had solid footing, so he didn’t fall like he would have if there hadn’t been any footing at all!  He yanked Yzma out of his head, and he noticed that she had some strands of his hair gripped in her paws!  Sora rubbed his head and felt a stinging pain!

 

  “Ugh, that’s definitely gonna sting!” Sora exclaimed!  Yzma wasted no time in talking, and she instead started to leap high up, attempting to reach Kuzco and Pacha, who were halfway through the gap, making their way towards the vial!

 

  “Oh no you don’t!” Sora said, and then he cast Magnega, causing Yzma to be yanked from where she was towards the flowing cluster of spheres! She gnarled and meowed annoyingly, frustrated that she was being denied her victory!  She looked at Sora with glaring eyes, and just as she was about to pounce on him, the giant Nightmare bird crashed on her to the wall!  Sora hadn’t realized that his spell had also drawn the giant Nightmare bird!  This actually helped a bit, for it stopped Yzma somewhat! But the impact of the Nightmare’s crash with the wall caused Kuzco and Pacha to fall down quite a considerable distance to where they had to go!  They luckily regained their hold and started to climb up again!  Riku, who was on the Nightmare’s wing, then proceeded to strike its head.  Sora, taking advantage of this situation, struck the Nightmare’s other wing, therefore rendering it unable to escape their onslaught!  Yzma then popped out of the wall and gnarled furiously and then dashed towards Sora, slashing him vigorously, and then heading towards Riku, also managing to scratch him up quite a bit!  Both Sora and Riku winced in pain at their newfound injuries, and Yzma climbed on top of the Nightmare’s head and then fed it a potion!  A giant cloud of pink smoke exploded, and within seconds, the Nightmare bird had transfromed into a giant Nightmare scorpion!  Now it had the advantage of clinging to walls, which now made their battle more difficult!

 

  “Oh…this definitely can’t be good!” Sora stressed.  Kuzco and Pacha looked at the giant Nightmare scorpion, and they almost lost it right then and there!  But Riku and Sora stood their ground, ready to defend them, and that gave them the motivation to keep on going!

 

  “Mwahahahahahaha!!!  You fools don’t stand a chance against me!  I’ll bring you all down!” Yzma proclaimed as he laughed maniacally!  With her command, the giant Nightmare flung its sharp tail at Sora and Riku, who both managed to block the attack!  But, the force of the attack was so much, that the concrete slab that they were standing on gave way, and now they began to fall down!

 

  “Riku, this thing’s tough!  We gotta take care of it now!” Sora shouted!

 

  “Right!  Come on, let’s do this!” Riku said!

 

  With that the two of them broke their fall by running along the wall and then dashing downwards!  When they were just about to reach the bottom of the palace, they landed on boulders, and therefore propelled themselves upward, and they blazed high up at incredible speeds!  Bright purple auras surrounded them as they kept propelling themselves, and then, they saw the Nightmare scorpion climbing up the palace walls!  It was just about to reach Kuzco and Pacha, when Sora and Riku managed to reach its tail and yank it down!  The Nightmare was taken by surprise, and found itself being flipped over and then thrown off the wall!  It began to fall down, and that’s when Sora and Riku knew they had the opening necessary to finish this battle!

 

  “Now!” Riku shouted!

 

  “Right!” Sora nodded in agreement!  Having altitude and momentun in their favor, Sora and Riku flung themselves down, and they almost seemed to look like arrows, as light engulfed them, and they pierced through the Nightmare, effectively ending its existence and causing it to wither away!  Yzma then fell down and meowed loudly as she did so!  Sora and Riku propelled themselves once again from the wall and then landed on a concrete slab jutting out higher up from where they had been!  Once they landed safely, they looked down at the depths below!

(End Song Here)

 

  “Did Yzma…” Sora began to ask.  But Riku shook his head.

 

  “Uh…either she has ridiculously good luck, or I think something in the palace entrance gave her a jumping boost up here!” Riku said as he pointed below!  True enough, Yzma was propelled upward, and she was meowing loudly!  When she reached the top and landed just where the vial was, she realized that she hadn’t died!  Then she saw the vial and grabbed it, much to the dismay of Kuzco and Pacha, who had finally climbed up!  They were now face to face with Yzma, and she laughed maniacally before waving the vial at them!

 

  “Ha, I win!” she mocked them!  Sora quickly reacted though, and he prepared to launch an attack towards Yzma!

 

  “Don’t be so sure!” Sora said, as he performed Warp Raid!  Said attack implied Sora throwing his Keyblade towards its target, and once it hit its target, it would warp them to another location!  Yzma was caught off guard, and that’s when Kuzco reached out and took the vial from her paw! 

 

  “Ha, looks like you don’t win after all!” Kuzco said as he stuck his tongue out!  Before Yzma could reply, she was warped to another location, as Sora’s Warp Raid had worked its magic!  Finally, it was over, and now Kuzco officially had the vial that would return him to his human form!  Everyone relaxed for a moment, realizing that they had achieved victory!  Kuzco looked at everyone and smiled.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Thanks guys…thank you all for risking yourselves for me!  I…I learned a lot in my time as a llama!” Kuzco said.  “You see…before I was turned into a llama, well, I had what you could call a mean streak!  Since I’m royalty, I took to my job as Emperor as if it was playtime!  And as such, I wouldn’t listen to my people’s pleas…I neglected them!  And I was cruel to everyone.  I even threatened to make Pacha move away from his home, so I could build a summer house…I was a selfish person, I had darkness in me, you know?” he explained.  Sora and Riku remained silent, and Pacha just smiled.

 

  “But in my time as a llama, I learned to deal with the other side of life!  I realized that the people that weren’t in my shoes were suffering a lot…they had to work hard to make their dreams come true…to raise their families, to survive!  I learned how my people operate around here, and thanks to Pacha here…he managed to see the good in me, even if I didn’t see it myself.” Kuzco said, looking at Pacha with a smile.  “I’ve changed my ways!  From now on, I’ll be a more dedicated emperor to my people, and I’ll be a kind ruler!  Well, obviously, I have to keep some of my pride intact, eh?  I’m still the most handsome, highly groovy Emperor, the best of the whole world!” he bragged as he laughed.  He then took the vial and looked at it, but before he did, he looked at Pacha.  “You know…I guess that I could make my summer home somehwere else.” he said.  Pacha was touched upon Kuzco’s words, and the two of them hugged each other!  Pacha was crying, for he seemed to not expect this change of heart coming from Kuzco!  Kuzco was patting Pacha’s back, and Sora and Riku glanced at each other and smiled.

 

  “Well, it looks like our work is done here.  I’m glad you were able to find the vial that’ll turn you into a human!” Riku said.  Kuzco took the vial up and smiled.

 

  “Yeah, well, thanks to all of you crazy people, I was able to get it!  You take care, you hear?  You can come back to my kingdom any time you want!  You’re special guests of honor!” Kuzco declared!  Sora laughed and put his arms behind his head.

 

  “Heh, we’ll hold you to that, big guy!  Anyways, see you around!” Sora said, as he and Riku waved goodbye!  They then opened a portal, and Kuzco drank the vial, transforming himself back into a human!

(End Song Here)

 

  When Sora and Riku crossed to the other side of the portal, they came upon the farmlands again!  They also noticed that something dropped by their feet!  Sora knelt down and picked up whatever fell, and then he realized that it was another strange sphere, like the one he had picked up earlier!  He held it up and then looked at Riku!

 

  “Look, it’s another one of these things!” Sora said!  Riku saw the sphere, and saw that it was a faint, pale red!  It had puffy clouds inside, and it seemed like it was vibrating with a pulsing sensation!  Riku closed his eyes, entering himself deep in thought.

 

  “Hmm, this could be another clue…” he said.  But before they could think upon it further, a giant sigil formed in the sky!  The sigil then formed another sigil in its interior, and that’s when they realized that it was this Sleeping World’s Keyhole!  Without having to say anything, Sora and Riku simply nodded, and they raised their arms up, summoning their Keyblades and then proceeding to unlock the Keyhole, as it shined with a radiant, powerful light!  The light grew so bright, that it temporarily blinded them!  When the light died down, they realized that they weren’t in the farmlands anymore!  In fact, they seemed to be floating in midair in a sort of…strange, mysterious place!  Well, if it could even be called a place, that is!  It seemed to be more like a space devoid of anything!  All around, what could be seen was a purple and white mist, and there were very small bits of land dotted around the landscape!  In fact, this setting kind of reminded Sora of the End Of The World from his first journey, back when he confronted Ansem, Seeker Of Darkness!

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Where….are we?” Riku asked.  Sora shrugged.

 

  “I don’t know…this place seems familiar, but at the same time, I know that I haven’t been here before!” he answered.

 

  “Hmm…this must be what the Realm Of Sleep must be like when there aren’t any Sleeping Worlds!  Just an empty, dream-like plane!” Riku commented.  They looked around and saw absolutely nothing.  When Sora looked to his right, though, he swore that he could see a tiny speck on the horizon!  Granted, Sora could just have easily had something on his eye, but he thought with utmost certainty that the little speck wasn’t his imagination!  Apparently, Riku noticed it too, for he was looking in the same direction that Sora was!

 

  “What is that thing?” Riku asked.

 

  “I don’t know!  But I think it’s getting closer!” Sora said.  And indeed, the speck came closer!  Seeing as though this speck was something unknown, Sora and Riku quickly summoned their Keyblades, just to be cautious!  Then, the speck came ever closer, and when they saw what the speck was, they realized that it was a tiny cat!  It had a small pouch in its front, and it wore a cape!  The cat was a grayish color with pale black stripes and blue eyes!  It looked at Sora and Riku, and it then floated towards them!

 

  “Don’t worry, I’m not going to harm you!  I’ve come here to help you!” the little cat said!  At that, Sora and Riku glanced at each other and unsummoned their Keyblades.  They looked at the little cat with utmost curiosity, for they had never seen it before!

 

  “Who are you?” Sora asked.  The little cat floated in the air and then landed on Sora’s head.

 

  “My name is Chirithy!  I’m a Dream Eater, just like the ones you allied yourselves with when you came here to the Realm Of Sleep!” the cat introduced himself!  At that, Sora and Riku’s eyes opened wide!

 

  “Wait, so you’re a Spirit!?” Riku asked.  Chirithy nodded.

 

  “Indeed I am!  I bet you’re wondering where all the other Spirits are, aren’t you?” the little Dream Eater asked.  Sora and Riku nodded.

 

  “Well, they’re here, in the Realm Of Sleep!  But to be more precise, they’re trapped in a Nightmare!  They’ve been trapped for a long time now!  At some point, a powerful Nightmare took hold of the Realm Of Sleep, and to ensure that no Spirits could stop it, it consumed all the Spirits it could!  That’s the way it’s been for quite a while now! Ever since the Nightmare took over, it’s held dominion over the Realm Of Sleep!  But now that you freed the Sleeping World from its slumber, you’ve caught its attention!  It sees you two as a threat to its power.” Chirithy explained.

 

  “They’re trapped?  That’s horrible!  Is there any way we can help free them?” Sora asked.  Chirithy nodded.

 

  “Actually, there is, Sora!  Those two spheres you have in your possession…they’re part of a key that will liberate the Spirits from the Nightmare!” the Dream Eater answered.

 

  “I see.  I knew that these spheres were important!  So, with these, we can free the Spirits?” Riku asked, as he held up the spheres which Sora had handed over to him, and showed them to Chirithy.

 

  “Yes, though there is one that is still missing!” Chirithy answered.  “Right now, you have the Sphere Of Vitality and the Sphere Of Dreams.  You only need to find the Sphere Of Awakening, and you’ll be able to harness the power to defeat the Nightmare entrapping the Spirits!” he added.  Sora and Riku glanced at each other, and then they looked at Chirithy.

 

  “And where do we find this Sphere Of Awakening?” Riku asked.  Chirithy then turned around and started to float away from them!

 

  “Hey, come back!” Sora shouted!  Chirithy turned around and then beckoned them to follow.

 

  “I know where the final sphere is.  I’ll take you there!” Chirithy said. 

 

  “Alright then, will do!” Sora decided.

 

  “Right, then lead the way!” Riku said.

 

  And so, Chirithy started to float away from Sora and Riku, aimlessly going straight, though one couldn’t know for certain if the path was straight, due to everything being a purple and white mist!  There were times when the mist became thick, but Sora and Riku could still see Chirithy in front of them!

 

  “Well, let’s hope that we can finally free the Spirits once we find this Sphere Of Awakening!” Sora said.

 

  “Yeah.  I hope so too!  I don’t think we have too much time left on our hands…” Riku said.

(End Song Here)

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

 

And so, Sora and Riku were able to help out Kuzco and Pacha, and now that they unlocked the Sleeping World’s keyhole, they have stumbled upon Chirithy, who will now guide them towards the Sphere Of Awakening!  Will they be able to find it?  Will they be able to use the power of the spheres to take down the Nightmare keeping the Spirits trapped?  What awaits Sora and Riku?  Find out in Chapter Thirty Five: “A Nightmare To Remember!”

 

Well everyone, that was the chapter, I hope you all enjoyed it!  I also hope you enjoyed Chirithy’s inclusion in this story!  It was actually something that popped into my mind, and I decided I wanted to include Chirithy in the story, and well, now he’s in!  I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!  As always, thank you very much for your patience and support, and as always, please make sure to comment on what you thought of tonight’s chapter!  Until next time, stay tuned for the next one!

Wow, Chirthy appeared!

Nice chapter. Good effort on Sora's and Riku's part to take down Yzma. I find it cool you put in Chirithy and yet at the same time, I am not surprised that you did. In fact, I only read a few words describing him and I knew who you were talking about. Nice addition.

To KHLegendIII, ha, yeah, I knew you'd be surprised by that!

 

To KingdomHearts3, thanks, I'm glad you liked what I did with the chapter!  And yeah, I wanted to add Chirithy into the story, since Sora and Riku are currently in the Realm Of Sleep, ya know?

 

Good evening everyone, I hope that you’re all doing okay!  So then, here’s another chapter of my story!  My sincerest and most deepest apologies for such a long delay, but I’ve been busy these past couple of days, and so I haven’t been able to write all that much!  I hope you’ll all forgive me for the delay!  I hope you all enjoy this chapter!  So then, without further ado, let’s get things rolling along!

 

Chapter Thirty Five: A Nightmare To Remember

 

  And so, Sora and Riku followed Chirithy for what seemed to be hours!  They were just wandering around, it seemed as though they were going straight, but with the thickness of the fog, it wasn’t all too certain if they were going straight at all!  At a certain point, Sora and Riku noticed what seemed to be a crystalline, dark purple path highlighted to the brim with some strange decoration!  At first glance, it would have appeared like the Station Of Awakening, but it looked much more eerie and menacing!  The strange, crystalline path seemed to slowly spiral upwards, as if leading towards someplace!  Chirithy ascended this path, and Sora and Riku decided to follow as well.  As they kept going, they looked down to where they had previously been, and they could only see a dark ocean of mist, lifeless and void!  It seemed to resemble the Realm Of Darkness as well, but it seemed much more gloomy!  Eventually, Sora looked at Chirithy and put his hands behind his head.

 

  “So hey Chirithy, is this what the Realm Of Sleep always looks like when there’s no Sleeping Worlds?” Sora asked out of curiosity.  Chirithy stopped and turned around.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Yes.  When there are no Sleeping Worlds here, the Realm Of Sleep takes on an incorporeal form, and as such, only this lonesome ocean of darkness looms!  When you two liberated the only Sleeping World here, the Realm Of Sleep reverted back to its normal self!  What you see is what this realm really is.” he explained. 

 

  “Oh wow…so all the Spirits live in a place this lonely?  Don’t they get sad?  I mean, there’s nothing here, it’s practically void of anything resembling light or a world!” Sora mentioned. 

 

  “Well, I can only imagine that the Spirits feel sadness when there’s nothing for them…but I don’t think that they suffer such a hopeless situation!  Remember that Spirits consume Nightmares, and therefore, they turn into good dreams!  Said good dreams bring a certain sense of balance into this realm, and from the good dreams the Spirits produce, they actually get to be a part of those dreams.  So in a sense, they don’t despair, because they wander in a happy dream!  At least, that’s what I think of it, anyway.” Chirithy expressed.

 

  “Wow…I didn’t know.” Sora said.  Riku noticed that the path kept spiraling upwards, and then he looked at Chirithy and crossed his arms.

 

  “So, I’m guessing that the Sphere Of Awakening is at the top of where this path leads?” he asked.  Chirithy nodded.

 

  “Indeed, you are correct!  In just about a few minutes, we’ll get to the top…but you will be tested for the Sphere…” he answered.

 

  “Tested?  How?” Riku asked.

 

  “That, I don’t know.  No one’s ever claimed all three Spheres before, so you two would be the first to go after the Sphere Of Awakening!” Chirithy answered.

 

  “Oh wow, really?  That’s awesome!  Well then, come on Riku, we have to get to the top!  Whatever this test is, I’m sure that we’ll pass it with flying colors!  I can feel it!” Sora replied enthusiastically!

 

  “Well, we’re already halfway through, so let’s climb to the top and do this thing!” Riku said.  With that, Chirithy turned around and resumed ascending the spiraling up path.  Sora and Riku followed closely, and everything seemed to be fine for the moment.

 

  But the oddest sensation came over Riku.  He felt as though they were being watched.  He constnatly gazed around and about him, but he didn’t find anything unusual lurking in the ocean of darkness!  But he still couldn’t help but feel paranoid, for whatever he thought was watching them was definitely something of ill omen.  He was already prepared to summon his Keyblade.  Apparently, Sora and Chirithy took no notice of Riku’s bad feeling, so Riku decided to remain quiet about it.  Maybe it was his imagination!

 

  As they ascended, they noticed that the spiraling path started to straighten up, and as it did, Sora and Riku noticed that the clouds of mist here seemed a bit brighter, and the path as a whole had quite an intricate and detailed luminous design!  From what they could see, the remainder of the path went straight.  Chirithy simply remained there, floating in front of Sora and Riku.

 

  “I’m guessing that this long, straight path is the test, huh?” Riku asked. 

 

  “Yes.” Chirithy nodded. 

(End Song Here)

 

(Start Song Here)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9171wkZDsxc

  “Well, let’s do this then!” Sora said, and as he stepped forward and walked a bit away from Riku and Chirithy, a sudden, swirling vortex formed a little further out on the path!  That’s when Riku gritted his teeth and clenched his fists!  His bad feeling was definitely not misplaced, and as the seconds passed, the swirling vortex started to spread, and then, out of the blue, a giant Nightmare emanated from it!  It looked like a giant spider, and its legs were gigantic and spiky!  It had menacing red eyes, and the Dream Eater emblem was emblazoned on its forehead!  The giant Nightmare was colored dark purple, almost as dark as the darkness itself!  It oozed out a terrifying aura, and it seemed as though it was hungry!  It snarled and hissed, and Sora and Riku prepared themselves as they summoned their Keyblades!

 

  “Is this the Nightmare that’s consumed all the Spirits?” Sora asked as he glanced back at Chirithy.  He shook his head.

 

  “No, this isn’t the one!  But it is indeed very strong!  Be on your guard!” Chirithy warned!  Riku went towards Sora and stood by his side.

 

  “Well, that thing certainly doesn’t look friendly…” Riku commented.  Sora laughed.

 

  “Well, that may be, but we’ve tackled worse things before, haven’t we?” he asked.  Riku smirked and nodded.

 

  “You got that right!  We won’t let this Nightmare stop us!” Riku said, and so, they prepared for battle!

 

  As they stood side by side, the giant Nightmare gave out an intimidating hiss, and it lunged toward them, going at fast speeds with its long, spiky legs!  In a matter of seconds, the giant Nightmare was already near Sora and Riku, and it lunged itself towards them, flailing its two frontal legs at them, trying to shake them and cause them to fall down the path!  But Sora and Riku remained steadfast, and they managed to dodge and block the attacks the Nightmare dished out at them!  When it leapt back, Sora launched a Thundaga spell, and Riku ampliefied it with Zero Graviga, therefore causing the Thundaga spell to fall more intensely onto the Nightmare!  It screeched in pain and its legs gave way, and it fell on its stomach!  For the moment, it was paralized!

 

  “Let’s take care of this thing as quickly as we can!” Riku said, as he dived in and started to deliver strong and agile strikes at the Nightmare, causing significant  damage to it!

 

  “Right behind you!” Sora said, and he then came forward and performed Ars Arcanum, managing to harm the Nightmare greatly, causing it to screech and hiss in pain, as its body squirmed, unable to move because of the paralysis!  Sora and Riku were then going to perform a unified attack, but then the Nightmare shot webbing at them, tying them up and causing them to fall down on the floor!  The webbing was strong, and it seemed to ooze with a dark purple color!

 

  “Riku, this is poisoned webbing! We have to break free fast before the poison affects us!” Sora exclaimed!  Riku then concentrated his energy and closed his eyes.

 

  “Come on…we need to get out of this webbing!” Riku thought to himself!  When he opened his eyes, a burst of dark energy surged from his body, liberating him from the webbing!  He immediately went towards Sora and freed him from the webbing as well, but it wasn’t long before the Nightmare was on top of them!  It slashed one of its frontal legs at them, and it managed to scrape Sora’s clothing just a slight bit!  Sora and Riku both drew back, and they observed the Nightmare giving out a growling hiss!  It then started to charge up what seemed to be a ball of purple energy! 

 

  “Whatever that thing’s preparing for, odds are it isn’t good!” Riku said!

 

  “You’re right about that!  But we can find an easy way out of that sticky problema!” Sora said as he smiled, and then he launched a beam of light from his Keyblade, which pierced through the ball of energy, therefore causing it to explode and making the Nightmare tumble down and fall off the path!  Riku and Sora ran to where the foe had previously been, and they saw nothing but the black ocean of darkness laying below! 

 

  “I wouldn’t count that thing out just yet…remember, it’s a spider…” Riku commented.  Just then, a string of webbing shot out of the darkness and adhered itself to the bottom of the path, and Sora nodded.

 

  “Yep…pretty much!” Sora replied, as they then braced themselves for the Nightmare’s return!  All the while, Chirithy watched the battle from a distance, observing how Sora and Riku fought. 

 

  “These two do indeed have great power…no wonder they’re the ones who stopped Xehanort all those years ago…” he thought to himself, as he watched the battle unfold!

 

  The Nightmare came back up, and now, it was letting out a red aura that indicated that it was quite angry!  Sora and Riku braced themselves, but even though they were preparing to fend off the Nightmare’s attacks, it charged at them furiously, striking them with its legs a few times, and then leaping up to fall down on them!  Sora and Riku found themselves temporarily overwhelmed by what was happening!  Sora tried to line in some spells, but he couldn’t, for the Nightmare thwarted his attempts every time!  Riku then tried to summon the power of darkness, but the Nightmare slashed its legs at them before he could finish!  At numerous times, they were close to falling off the path, but they made sure not to.  After all, falling means they’d have to climb up the path all over again!  And given how they didn’t really have too much time to speak of, they couldn’t afford to fall down from the path!  As Sora and Riku alternated strikes and went on the defensive and offensive, they noticed that the Nightmare was only becoming angrier!  Riku glanced over at Sora and gave a frustrated huff.

 

  “Well, any ideas on how we can take this thing down?  I’m open to suggestions!” Riku declared.  Sora tried to think of something as he blocked one of the Nightmare’s legs, and then an idea came to him!

 

  “I’ve got it!  Follow my lead!” Sora said, and Riku nodded.

 

  “Alright, let’s do it then!” Riku said.

 

  And so, Sora waited for the right time to make his move, and once the Nightmare raised one of its frontal legs in order to swoop it down on them, Sora quickly closed the gap by performing Sliding Dash!  With this attack, he was able to get under the Nightmare, and he was near its belly!  He then quickly capitalized on this situation by performing Stun Impact, stunning the Nightmare in the process!  Then, Sora flipped over the Nightmare with a well placed Blitz attack, and now the Nightmare was belly up! 

 

  “Strike now!  The belly’s the weak spot!” Sora shouted! 

 

  “Right!  Here goes!” Riku replied, as he enveloped himself in darkness, charging his energy!  After about three seconds, he performed his Dark Aura attack, striking a total of seven times at the Nightmare’s belly, causing it to screech in pain!  Its legs squirmed as it felt each of Riku’s strikes, and then, Riku cast Dark Firaga, setting the Nightmare ablaze!  It now desperately tried to flip itself back, but the fire was preventing it from doing so!  Now it was greatly weakened!

 

  “Now, finish it now!” Sora shouted!

 

  With that, Sora and Riku combined their strengths, and then they proceeded to perform Zantetsuken simultaneously, therefore delivering fatal damage to the Nightmare!  When they landed on opposite sides of the Nightmare, it managed to right itself, and then it glanced back and forth, noticing that it was pinned!  It then enveloped itself, and it seemed as though it was preparing for something! 

 

  “Huh?  What in the world?” Sora asked.  Then, they heard a soft hiss coming from the Nightmare, and soon, the fire that had enveloped it stopped!  Then, it started to ooze out tiny streams of steam and darkness, and that’s when Riku realized what was happening!

 

  “It’s going to blow up!  Brace yourself!” Riku said to Sora, and they both nodded and planted their feet firmly on the ground, ready to take on the explosion this Nightmare was ready to dish out!

 

  In a matter of seconds, the Nightmare exploded, causing an insanely strong burst of darkness to explode out of it!  Sora and Riku were bracing themselves as best as they could, but they found themselves slipping!  The explosion was quite strong, and soon after, Riku fell off of the path!  He felt as though a strong gust of wind had pierced his stomach and pushed him downwards!  He felt dizzy for a moment, and he could feel himself falling unconscious!  That’s when he felt a slight yank on his shoulder!  He then opened his eyes and looked up, and noticed Sora, who had cast Curaga on him and was now holding on to the ledge, while holding Riku by his arm!  Sora gave off his trademark goofy smile, and Riku gave out a sigh of relief.

(End Song Here)

 

  “Does this mean we won?” Riku asked.  Sora nodded.

 

  “Yep!  We almost took the fall of our lives, but no biggie!  We managed!” Sora answered cheerfully.  The two of them then climbed up and sat on the path, slightly exhausted!  They were relieved that this battle was over, and then, Chirithy floated over to them, and he seemed impressed!

 

  “Well, it seems you two managed to defeat that Nightmare.  Impressive!  Now I see the skills from which Xehanort met his demise!” he said.  Riku looked at Chirithy and stood up.

 

  “So, does this mean we’re closer to the Sphere Of Awakening?” he asked.  Chirithy nodded and pointed forward.

 

  “Just follow this path until the end, and you’ll find the sphere.  It’s not too far, but brace yourselves for anything…” he answered.  Sora stood up and looked at the path stretching out on the horizon, and he raised his fists in determination!

 

  “No problem!  We can do this! Right, Riku?” Sora asked enthusiastically.

 

  “Yeah.  Let’s get this over with. Come on!” Riku said.  And so, he and Sora and Chirithy continued to follow the path.

 

  More than a few minutes passed, and it seemed as though the path would stretch on for miles and miles away!  Riku was beginning to wonder if this path even had an end at all!  But he still kept walking forward, and then he looked at Sora, who was walking by his ride, and then at Chirithy, who was floating and gliding to his left!  The three of them remained quite for some time, but after a while, they began to see that the path slowly raised itself upwards, until it looked like they would have to tread more carefully, for now the path was very steep!  The mist cleared up a bit, and Sora and Riku could see a big, round tower at the top of the path!  It looked like a Station Of Awakening, just like the path resembled the path leading towards said station!  That’s when Riku began to wonder.

 

  “Wait…finding the Sphere Of Awakening…wouldn’t that mean that there’s a Station Of Awakening here in the Realm Of Sleep?  The one we’re heading towards?” Riku thought to himself.  He shook his head at the thought, and instead continued forward!  As they drew closer to the tower, they began to feel a little tired, for the steep ascenscion was taking its toll on them!  Luckily enough though, they were able to make it to the top!  What lay before them was a wide platform, covered in darkness! Sora and Riku looked at Chirithy, who quietly floated beside them!

 

  “So, I take it that this is where the Sphere Of Awakening is?” Riku asked.  Chirithy nodded.

 

  “Yes…but, it’s not going to be easy gaining it…” he said.

 

  “Huh?  Why’s that?  Didn’t we already defeat the Nightmare blocking our way?” Sora asked.

 

  “That might have been the case, but remember, the Nightmare you seek to destroy knows that you’re aiming to destroy it!  It’s going to come to try to stop you two any minute now…” Chirithy said as he looked at them.  Riku scoffed.

 

  “Yeah…figures that it wouldn’t be this easy…” Riku said.  Suddenly, the platform began to shake, and Sora and Riku quickly summoned their Keyblades, ready for a fight!  They then noticed that the path they had been walking on shattered and disappeared, therefore leaving them trapped on the platform! 

 

(Start Song Here)

  “It’s coming!  I can feel its power!” Sora said!  “We better be ready!” he said, and he then used a Megalixir on himself and Riku, rejuvenating their strength almost instantly!  Suddenly, the platform stopped shaking, and now, only an eerie silence loomed!  Chirithy floated back a ways, until he was off of the platform!  He levitated himself so that he could see the battle to unfold from high up in the air!  Sora and Riku took stance, and they were cautious, ready for anything!  In a moment’s notice, a giant portal of darkness opened from out of thin air, and it was quite wide!  From the portal, a giant Nightmare came out, and it looked intimidatingly ferocious!  It was a giant mass of dark energy, with two giant arms and shackles on its hands!  From the shackles, broken chains dangled, and then it finished coming out of the portal!  The bottom part of its body was a complete mist, and it kind of resembled how a genie looked like!  At the center of its body, a giant Dream Eater emblem emblazoned it, and its head was completely shrouded in mist!  Only its red eyes pierced through, and it glared menacingly at Sora and Riku.  It gave out a chilling howl, and Sora and Riku prepared themselves for the fight of their lives!

 

  “Something about this Nightmare…it feels familiar…almost as if I’ve encountered it before!” Riku mentioned.  Sora glanced at him and tilted his head.

 

  “Really?  You encountered a Nightmare like this during our Mark Of Mastery?  That’s odd.  I don’t remember facing one like that!” Sora commented.  Riku shook his head.

 

  “I don’t know…but somehow, I feel like I’ve faced this thing before…but anyways, I’m not going to think about it now.  We need to focus on taking this thing down as fast as we can!  Remember, this Nightmare has the Spirits, so if we take him out, we’ll be able to free the Spirits!” Riku said.  Sora nodded.

 

  “Alright, then let’s get this show on the road!” Sora said, and so they both nodded.  They looked at the Nightmare, as it clenched its fists and its body oozed with an ominous darkness!  Wasting no time, the Nightmare was the first one to make a move, as it delivered quite a swift punch that would have otherwise knocked out Sora and Riku instantly!  The Nightmare’s fist mark remained plastered on the platform they were standing on, a shape of a fist in an otherwise darkened platform!  Sora and Riku then charged forward and started firing off multiple spells, in the hopes that they could disorient it!  It seemed as though this wasn’t working, for the spells didn’t faze the Nightmare at all!  It swiped them away with its left arm, causing them to fall down to the floor, sliding almost towards the edge of the platform!

 

  “Nngh, that hurt!  This thing’s tough!” Sora said. 

 

  “Yeah…but we won’t stop now! Come on!” Riku said, as he charged forward and hurled his Keyblade, performing Strike Raid!  The Nightmare simply caught the Keyblade and flicked it back at Riku, which left him quite surprised!

 

  “What? Impossible!” Riku thought!  But he didn’t let this faze him, for his full focus and attention needed to be in the battle at hand!

 

  The Nightmare was quite agile despite its size, and it seemed to have quite an amazing amount of strength, for every time it attempted to punch Sora and Riku, they could feel the raw energy escaping its fists, almost as if it was a mist!  The Nightmare let out another chilling howl, and now, its head was adorned with a bright, purple flame!  The flame grew bigger as it got angrier, and now, it put its hands on its head, and in a few seconds, its hands were now ablaze as well!  It started to launch fireballs at Sora and Riku, but they were able to deflect the incoming fireballs without any complications!  The Nightmare then raised its right hand and summoned forth a giant, flaming purple sword!  It extended long and wide, and the blade was bigger than it was!  The Nightmare swung its sword at them with all of its might, and even though they tried to block the attack, the sheer power of the blade sent them hurtling towards the precipice!  But luckily, Sora stabbed his Keyblade on the wall of the tower, and then he propelled himself back to the platform!  Riku had almost taken quite the fall, but he simply used Warp Raid and teleported himself to the platform!  Sora and Riku glanced at each other, and they seemed just as nervous!

 

  “Well…this thing’s a bit more powerful than I thought!” Riku commented.

 

  “Well, it is the Nightmare that’s got all the Spirits trapped, so it makes sense!  But don’t worry, we’re not giving up!” Sora replied.  Riku smirked.

 

  “Yeah.  I figured you’d say that.  Well, let’s try something here…” Riku said as he gestured Sora with his hand in the form of a thumbs up!  Sora nodded and knew that that meant, and so, the two of them charged towards the Nightmare!  The Nightmare was ready to block their incoming attack, but the attack never came!  The Nightmare then looked around and noticed that Sora and Riku were gone!  It then started to sniff the air!  It seemed as though it could track their scent!  But while it was doing this, it let down its guard, and that’s when Sora and Riku, who were behind the Nightmare, proceeded to slash away at it with intense strength and speed!  Sora performed Quick Blitz, and Riku performed Rockbreaker, causing rocky spikes to materialized and dig into the Nightmare like blades!  The Nightmare roared in anger, and then, its head grew even more ablaze, and now its arms became stronger!  It then quickly flailed its arms, its dangling chains wrapping up Sora’s leg and causing him to get dangled upside down!

 

  “Whoa!!!  It got me!” Sora exclaimed as he tried to free himself from the chains!

 

  “Sora, I got you!” Riku shouted, as he hurled his Keyblade at the chain, freeing Sora! 

 

  “Riku, look out!” Sora said as he was landing towards the ground!  When Riku looked, he saw that the Nightmare had shot out a series of projectiles that looked like darts, but moved around like insects!  Riku figured these things were bad news, so he dodged as many of them as he could!  But unfortunately, a few of these things managed to reach Riku, and when they did, they exploded upon impact!  They were flying mines!  Riku then cast Reflega, hoping to reflect the flying mines back to the Nightmare!  And luckily enough, the projectiles reverted their course, and now they were heading straight towards the Nightmare!  But with a simple swipe of its hand, the projectiles disappeared!  Sora and Riku cast Curaga on themselves, but even so, they were starting to feel exhausted!

 

  “Okay…this thing is seriously tough!” Sora said.

 

  “And I don’t think it’s even fighting at full strength…” Riku remarked.  Sora opened his eyes wide and his jaw dropped!

 

  “What?  Are you kidding me!?  This thing’s being a pushover!?” Sora exclaimed.  Riku nodded.

 

  “It seems that way…but there’s no time to find out if that’s the case!” Riku said, as the Nightmare swiped its arms at them, but they dodged its arms and backed away, trying to counterattack!  But the Nightmare then fired off a volley of dark energy!  Sora and Riku were barely able to block the dark energy bolts, but luckily, they managed!

 

  But then, that’s when the Nightmare suddenly stopped, and its body now turned into a dark purple color! Sora and Riku remained on guard, because they knew for a fact that this Nightmare was only preparing to deliver its onslaught!  And unfortunately enough, the Nightmare sprouted two, gigantic dragon wings, and its head turned into that of a dragon’s!  Its fits became stronger and grew scales, and its hands were now claws!  The mist of its lower body remained the same, but now, this Nightmare had become even more powerful!  It wasted no time and breathed out an intense, purple flame that engulfed Sora and Riku!  Chirithy, who was watching all of this, seemed surprised!

 

  “This Nightmare seems to be overpowering them…have they met their match?” Chirithy thought to himself.

 

  The Nightmare continued to breath out its intense flame, and after about a minute, the flames ceased, and Sora and Riku were still in place!  Granted, they had been seriously injured, but they were still able to keep on fighting!  They quickly cast Curaga on each other and then they both charged up their energies and fired off a combined beam of light and darkness that shot through the Nightmare!  It roared in pain, and its eyes flared with anger, but the attack didn’t kill it off!  The Nightmare then proceeded to fire off energy beams from its dragon wings, and then it flapped them to create strong gusts of wind!  The gusts of wind pushed back Sora and Riku, and the energy beams managed to hit them, therefore injuring them!

 

  “Gahh, this thing’s too powerful!  It’s going to beat us!” Sora said as he tried to deflect one of the energy beams back at the Nightmare!

 

  “No!  We’re not going to give up just yet!” Riku shouted, even though his body was hurting!  The Nightmare then stopped flapping its wings, and that’s when Sora and Riku fired off a barrage of Firaga, Blizzaga and Thundaga spells!  The spells managed to hit their mark, and they seemed to stagger the Nightmare!  That’s when Riku noticed something!

 

  “Wait…is that?” he thought to himself.

 

  “What is it, Riku?” Sora asked, noticing that Riku was looking intently at the Nightmare!  Riku gave no answer, and he simply cast Magnega!  Then, he looked at Sora and pointed towards the Nightmare’s emblem! 

 

  “Hit that emblem as much as you possibly can!  Do that and you’ll damage it greatly!” Riku said.  Sora nodded!

 

  “Okay, you got it!” Sora replied, and then he leapt back and then leapt up and started to charge up his Keyblade’s energy!  A red ball of energy started to form at its tip, and then, as the seconds passed, it grew in size!  Once it grew to a bigger state, Sora unleashed the power of the energy ball, performing the Ragnarok attack!  The ball split into many streams of red light, and they all managed to hit the emblem as much as possible!  The Nightmare roared in pain, and it seemed as though its body shattered! 

 

  “Perfect!” Riku shouted, as he then propelled himself upwards towards the Nightmare’s emblem, and then, he noticed the opening that had formed because of the Ragnarok attack Sora had just performed!  Riku then put his hand in and yanked out someone who was inside!  Riku flung the person to the floor near Sora, and the person landed with a sickening thud!  The Nightmare then gave out a final roar of pain before enveloping itself in a massive energy ball, and then it exploded into thousands upon thousands of small particles, which fell on the platform!  Riku landed near Sora, and then they looked at the person, who lay on the ground.

(End Song Here)

 

  “This person…was controlling the Nightmare?” Sora asked, a bit confused.  Riku shook his head.

 

  “No Sora…that thing is the Nightmare!” he said.  Sora tilted his head and scratched his cheek.

 

  “Um…what do you mean?” Sora asked.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Take a look for yourself.” Riku said, as the person slowly stood up!

 

  The person wore a black cloak with slight shades of purple near the sleeves and the bottom part of the cloak.  It was a tall person, and when it stood up, the Dream Eater emblem showed on its back!  That’s when Riku confirmed his suspicion!  He had faced this Nightmare before!  It turned around, and its face could not be seen.  All that could be seen were its big, red eyes!

 

  “I knew it…I knew I had faced this Nightmare before!  It was when I was trying to wake you up, Sora!  I encountered this Nightmare and fought it back then!  It seemed as though it managed to survive, even though I had defeated it!  In other words, this is the Nightmare keeping the Spirits trapped!  We need to take this thing down once and for all!”  Riku explained.

 

  “Okay!” Sora replied, and the two of them charged towards the Nightmare!  The Nightmare simply vanished, but before Sora and Riku could try to find out where it had gone, it appeared behind them and delivered two fatally powerful slashes of purple energy!  Sora and Riku dodged them, but were caught off guard momentarily, and then received a volley of punches and kicks from the Nightmare!  It pushed Sora back forcefully, and then it tried to deliver all its strength onto Riku!

 

  “We’ve got a score to settle!” Riku said, as he pushed back against the Nightmare, causing it to momentarily lose its footing!  At that point, Riku swooped his leg towards the right, kicking down the Nightmare!  It fell on the floor with a thud, and then Riku leapt on top of it and attempted to end the battle quickly!  But the Nightmare summoned forth a purple ethereal blade out of thin air and blocked Riku’s Keyblade, then pushing him back with a burst of dark energy!  Riku tumbled on the floor, while the Nightmare kipped up and then proceeded to dash towards Riku, who was still tumbling!  Riku wasn’t able to dodge or block the attack, and so received it at full force!  The Nightmare slashed at Riku’s back ferociously, causing a huge gash to form!  Riku screamed in pain and then felt as though his body had been shot out of a cannon!  When he realized what was happening, he saw that he was falling down from the tower!  He quickly regained himself, and even though his pain was great, he ignored it for the sake of getting back on the platform!  And so, he fell along the wall of the tower, and then he propelled himself upwards at fast speeds!  When he came back up to the platform, he noticed that the Nightmare was now clasing with Sora!

 

  “You’re going down!” Sora shouted as he and the Nightmare were trading blows! Sora was holding his own against the Nightmare, and it seemed as though no matter what the Nightmare tried to do, Sora was already a few steps ahead, managing to keep himself on par to the Nightmare’s strength!

 

  The Nightmare then did a backflip and then summoned forth another ethereal blade!  It then dashed towards Sora, who braced himself for the Nightmare’s attacks, and then, it delivered a flurry of fast attacks with its ethereal blades, causing bursts of energy to materiale every time the ethereal blades clashed with Sora’s Keyblade!  Sora kept blocking until he found an opening, and then he performed Stun Impact, and then performed Collision Magnet, causing the Nightmare to be yanked from the floor and then pummeled down near the edge of the platform!  That’s when Riku was prepared to fire off a Dark Volley, and when the Nightmare noticed what was happening, it attempted to brace itself!  Riku smirked.

 

  “Oh no, you don’t!” Riku said, and then he unleashed his Dark Volley attack, in which he summoned forth multiple dark projectiles and fired them at the Nightmare!  It tried blocking the attack, but it was caught by surprise, as Sora performed Absolute Zero, therefore making the Nightmare vulnerable!  It received the full strength of both Sora and Riku’s attacks, and when the two delivered their final blows, the Nightmare fell down and crashed on the platform floor with a sickening thud!  Riku came towards Sora, and Sora noticed the gash on Riku’s back!

 

  “Riku!  Are you okay!?  You look badly hurt!” Sora exclaimed worriedly!  Riku shook his head, ignoring the pain, even though his back felt like it wa burning!

 

  “It’s nothing…” Riku said, as he looked over to the Nightmare, which lay lifeless on the floor!

 

  “Well…we did it!” Sora said, still worried about Riku’s injury!  “Now we should—“ but Sora’s words were cut short, and when Riku realized what had happened, Sora had fallen down to the floor, an ethereal blade having pierced through his abdomen!  Sora, shocked, coughed out blood, and his eyes were opened wide, as if he hadn’t even seen it coming!  Riku’s eyes then opened wide, and he felt as though a giant weight had been placed on his shoulders!  His heart sank…

 

  “Sora!!!” Riku yelled out!  The Nightmare, which had been laying on the floor, had now stood up, and it was letting out an intense dark aura!  Riku then noticed that the Nightmare had numerous ethereal blades behind it, giving the illusion that the Nightmare had sprouted wings!  The Nightmare then summoned forth a mass of energy that formed into a sort of phantasm!  It hovered behind the Nightmare, and resembled Ansem and his Guardian!  Riku clenched his fists, and now, he didn’t feel pain…he felt anger!

 

  “You’ll pay!!!” Riku shouted, as a powerful burst of darkness overcame him!  Darkness was seeping out of him, and his eyes bore a menacing glare!  The Nightmare seemed unfazed, and it was simply continuing walking towards Riku!  Chirithy was intrigued by what was happening!

 

  “Oh…this looks bad…I wonder what he’ll do now?” he asked himself, as he looked at Riku and the Nightmare staring each other down!

 

  After what seemed to be an eternal silence, the Nightmare and Riku dashed towards each other at the same time, their clash resulting in an insanely strong burst of energy that emitted shockwaves, which managed to stir up the mist that surrounded the darkness!  Riku and the Nightmare clashed with speed and great strength, and for anyone witnessing the battle, they would have probably been blown away!  The Nightmare attempted to assail Riku with its multiple ethereal blades, but Riku cast Reflega, deflecting the ethereal blades towards the Nightmare!  While the Nightmare was trying to dodge its own weapons, Riku capitalized and performed Shadowbreaker, managing to wound the Nightmare with four strikes!  Riku then violently slashed at the Nightmare as many times as he could, but then the Nightmare fired off more of its ethereal blades!  Riku dodged them this time, and he even caught one as it headed toward him, and he clenched his fist and broke it!  The Nightmare seemed to have been surprised, for it stopped for a moment!  That’s when Riku unleashed a beam of darkness that almost covered his entire body!  He put all of his power forth, and thus the Nightmare received the beam of darkness fully!  The ethereal blades behind it had disappeared, and Riku had managed to fatally wound the Nightmare!

 

  But when the darkness had evaporated, the Nightmare, like lightning, struck fast, and it pierced its ethereal blade through Riku’s chest!  Riku, caught by surprise, said and felt nothing now!  Instead, he fell down to the floor beside Sora, and his eyes were open wide in shock! 

(End Song Here)

 

  “It seems they weren’t going to make it after all…” Chirithy thought.  The Nightmare remained there, standing near the bodies of Sora and Riku, and it crossed its arms, confident in its victory!

 

  Riku, who could still move slightly, crawled a bit up, and he put his hand on Sora’s chest.  Sora looked at him, his eyes growing pale…his skin becoming pale as well.  Riku looked at him, and the two of them had tears in their eyes!  Sora gave off his trademark goofy smile, and he struggled to speak!  He put his hand on Riku’s and held it tight.  The tears were rolling down now.

 

  “We did our best…brother.” Sora said, as his eyes grew paler!  Riku, not wanting to believe this was over, tried to deny it, but he could see Sora’s pain.  He could see how he couldn’t even manage to talk anymore.  Riku simply smiled back, and he nodded gently.

 

  “We sure did…” Riku replied.  His eyes grew stuffed with tears, and no more words were uttered between them.  They were ready to accept death.  And true enough, death came to greet them, as their eyes grew completely pale, and their bodies becaome cold…

 

  “So…that’s it then…” Chirithy muttered to himself.  He was ready to vanish now, and he saw that the Nightmare had already opened a portal to take its leave!  But as it was going to step through the portal…something happened!  At that, Chirithy floated closer to see what had just happened!

 

(Start Song Here)

  That’s when he noticed that a small crack of light could be seen from the center of the platform!  As if light had shattered through it!  Chirithy remained observing this, and the Nightmare glanced back, looking at that same light!  Then, in just a short moment, the entire platform, which had been covered in darkness, now shattered instantly, the shards of darkness breaking and disintigrating in midair!  A blinding light came, and Chirithy and the Nightmare averted their eyes from it!  Once the light died down, Chirithy and the Nightmare bore witness to an impressive sight!  Impressive and unbelieavable!  Sora and Riku were floating in midair, their eyes glowing with a fiercely powerful light!  The ethereal blades that had impaled them were no more, and their wounds had been completely healed!  The Nightmare attempted to harm them, but they were immune to all the attacks the Nightmare attempted to dish out!  Sora and Riku floated back to back, and they extended their arms and summoned their Keyblades, and a powerful aura of light surrounded them!  They charged up a powerful beam of light, and then fired it off, making it pierce through the Nightmare instnatly!  That’s when the Nightmare started to dematerialize!  Its cloak was being ripped to shreds, and its power was waning!  It extended its arm out, desperate to survive, but in the end, it vanished, finally defeated!  The Nightmare had ended!  Sora and Riku then landed on the ground, and their eyes turned back to normal!  They were a bit confused as to what happened, for they looked at each other with confusion!

 

  “Huh…?  What just happened?” Riku asked.  His head hurt a little, but then he realized that the wound he had on his back had vanished!  And he noticed his chest wound was also gone, and then he also took notice of Sora, as his wound was gone as well!

 

  “Riku…hadn’t we just died?” Sora asked, a bit nervous.  Chirithy floated down towards them and then gently landed on the ground, walking towards the two Keyblade Wielders.

 

  “It’s true.  You two did die…but it seems as though the power of your hearts…your willingness to keep going, no matter the cost, seemed to have triggered something within the Sphere Of Awakening…it may be that it’s acknowledged you two!” Chirithy explained. 

 

  “The Sphere Of Awakening?  Does this mean we’ve earned it!?” Sora asked excitedly.  Chirithy nodded and pointed upwards at a beam of light that shone out of nowhere!  “See for yourselves.” he said.  Sora and Riku then looked to where Chirithy had pointed, and they noticed the beam of light, and how the Sphere Of Awakening was slowly hovering down!  Then they noticed that the platform they had been standing on wasn’t covered in darkness anymore!  They took a moment to notice what the platform was, and they saw that it indeed resembled a Station Of Awakening!  It had the emblem of Kingdom Hearts adorned on it from top to bottom, and the emblem was surrounded by what seemed to be white clouds, the purest ones anyone could think of!  And at the bottom of the emblem of Kingdom Hearts, the X-Blade’s design could be seen!  It was as mighty and powerful looking as its physical counterpart!  When they looked back up, they noticed that the Sphere had already lowered itself to them!  Riku stepped forward and took the sphere!

(End Song Here)

 

  “Well, I guess we’ve done it!” Sora said as he sighed of relief!  Riku looked at the Sphere and nodded.

 

  “I guess we did.” Riku said as he smiled, and then he noticed the other two spheres coming out to join with the Sphere Of Awakening!  The three spheres hovered forward, and then they spread out to the far corners of the platform!

 

  “What’s going to happen now?” Sora asked Chirithy.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Now, the gateway to the Spirits will be opened…” Chirithy answered.  And true enough, the spheres started to spin around the platform in circles!  They slowly picked up speed, and then they started to pick up more speed, and then even more speed, until they seemed like blurred beams of light!  Then, the three spheres shot out three beams of light that coalesced in the center of the platform, opening a huge portal, light purple in color!  Sora and Riku were amazed by what was happening!

 

  “This is…incredible!” Riku said to himself. 

 

  As the portal opened completely, the three spheres stopped spinning, and then they levitated high up into the air, and then vanished!  Then, an eerie silence followed!

 

  “Are they in there…?” Riku asked.  He was about to step in, when a Meow Wow came pouncing through the portal and straight towards Sora!  The Meow Wow licked Sora happily and rubbed its head against Sora’s chest, and it whimpered and wagged its tail, happy to see him!  Sora let out a laugh, and he hugged the Meow Wow tightly!

(End Song Here)

 

  “Hey buddy, long time no see!  I thought I wouldn’t see you again!  I’m so glad you’re okay!” Sora said!  Then, a Cera Terror came through the portal, and then a Komory Bat, and then a Tatsu Seed, and then a few Sir Kyroo’s!  They all headed towards Sora and Riku, and the happines they felt was a symbol of their gratitude for Sora and Riku, from freeing them from the Nightmare!  A few seconds passed, and now the platform was almost filled to the brim with Spirits, all happy to see Sora and Riku!

 

  “So, it seems you’ve actually gone and done it.  I’m impressed!  You two really are the Keyblade Wielders of legend!  I salute and thank you for freeing the Spirits…” Chirithy said as he bowed his head in gratitude!  Sora smiled.

 

  “No need to thank us!  We just did the right thing!” Sora said.  At that, Chirithy smiled.

 

  “Heh, that’s Sora for you, am I right?” he asked, looking at Riku.  Riku smirked and nodded.

 

  “Yeah, that’s him, you can be sure of that!” Riku said.  “And say…this thing we’re standing on…isn’t it a Station Of Awakening?” he asked.

 

  “Yes and no.  Technically, it is a Station Of Awakening, because it represents the heart of the Realm Of Sleep…but at the same time it isn’t, because it’s just part of the endless dream the Realm Of Sleep perpetually dreams.  It’s a bit confusing, but I hope you understand.” Chirithy explained.  Riku nodded.

 

  “I think I do.  And seeing as though it was covered in darkness, my guess is that we’ve liberated this Station from the darkness it had, am I right?” he asked.

 

  “Indeed.” Chirithy confirmed.

 

  “Well, that’s good.” Riku said, as he turned his attention to Sora and the Spirits.  They were all happy, and that made Riku smile.  “Now that this is done, it’s one less thing to worry about.  Thanks for taking us here, Chirithy.” he said as he turned to face Chirithy. But when he turned around, he noticed that he was gone!  “Huh?  Where did he go?” he asked to himself.  He found it strange how Chirithy just disappeared like that!  Sora came over to him and seemed confused by it as well.

 

  “Hey, wasn’t Chirithy here just a second ago?” Sora asked.

 

  “Yeah, I was just talking to him, but he disappeared!” Riku answered.

 

  “Hmm, that’s odd…” Sora thought.  Their thoughts were cut short, however, for the spirits were vying for their attention, and they turned to face them!  Sora smiled and stood in the center of the Station and looked at the Spirits present.  Riku stood by his side, and they both nodded, knowing that it was time.

 

  “My friends…we need your help!”

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

 

And so, Sora and Riku have liberated the Spirits from the Nightmare that was entrapping them!  Now it seems that things are starting to turn around for the Keyblade Wielders!  Hopefully, the Spirits will agree to aid Sora and Riku!  But now that this is over, how are our other heroes faring?  Will Dexeres be able to reach the location that Tsumugi described to him?  Will our heroes be able to discover the great power that lies in wait?  Is time on their side?  Stay tuned for Chapter Thirty Six: “The Hidden Cave.”

 

So then, that’s that for this chapter!  Whew, what a load off!  I’m sorry for the long delay in this chapter, everyone, but I hope that you enjoyed it!  I hope these chapters have been psyching you up for what’s to come! Hehe, I’m so excited to keep writing this story and concluding it, and I’m sure you’re all just as excited to see how this story ends!  Thank you very much for your patience and support, as always! And well, please make sure to comment on what you thought about tonight’s chapter!  And well, until next time, stay tuned for the next one!

This chapter was fun to read.

Wow, that was a bit nerve wracking. Awesome job though. Can't wait for more.

OH MAN, what awesome chapters! That latest one had me really worried with that fight.

 

P.S. I LOVE Chirithy! I REALLY hope we get to see that adorable little guy in 2.8.  :smile:

To KHLegendIII, thanks, I'm glad you thought the chapter was fun!

 

To KingdomHearts3, haha, sorry if I made ya nervous for the duration of the chapter!  It was quite a tense situation, so I don't blame you for being nervous! Haha, I'm glad you liked it!

 

To Keyblade101, haha, thanks, I'm glad you liked the chapters!  Hehe, I wanted to create quite the tension filled situation with Sora and Riku, and I think it's safe to say that I succeeded!  And omg yes, Chirithy is an adorable little munchkin!  I've no doubt he'll look great in 2.8!

 

Hey there everyone, and good evening!  Boy, it’s been a long time since I’ve posted a chapter, huh? My deepest and most sincerest apologies for that, everyone!  You see, I’ve been quite busy as of late, as last week I made preparations to go to Comic-Con and then I proceeded to go to Comic-Con, which was awesome!  I’ve also been working on a video for my Youtube channel, so that’s another reason I hadn’t been working on the story, so my deepest apologies, everyone!  But here I am with a new chapter, and I hope you all enjoy!

 

Chapter Thirty Six: The Hidden Cave

 

  Meanwhile, Dexeres, along with Xion, Gilgamesh and Vanitas, had headed towards the Lanes Between via a portal of darkness, as they were searching for this mysterious location where the supposed army was being housed in!  According to what Tsumugi had stated in her letter, the army would lend their power to the person who’s heart was strong!  Dexeres knew in his heart that Tsumugi was telling the truth, and he knew that she wasn’t leading them into some kind of trap!  He reassured himself of this, and he felt comforted by the thought that she was trying to help them!  But at the same time, he felt worried that she might be in serious trouble with the enemy!  But he decided to discard his worries for the moment, for he needed to concentrate on the bigger picture! 

 

  “So, how will we know when we find this world?” Xion asked.  Dexeres pondered on the question momentarily, and then he glanced back at her.

 

  “You know…that’s actually a good question!  I really don’t know the answer, though…” he answered, admittedly not knowing when they’d reach their destination!  Vanitas simply shrugged.

 

  “I think we’ll find a pretty obvious sign once we come upon the world this army’s supposed to be in…I’m pretty sure we’ll get some kind of vibe that’ll help us locate them.” he suggested.  Gilgamesh nodded and crossed his arms.

 

  “Our raven haired friend is right!  We shall soon know what we shall come across!  There will be a sign!” the swordsman reassured.  Then, they all fell silent, and felt that no words were needed at the moment.  Dexeres then kept thinking to himself, and his thoughts continually drove towards Tsumugi!

 

  “I hope that you aren’t in any danger…I’ll find you soon, Tsumugi…you’ll be free from Jexana, and you’ll be able to come back to my side…” he thought to himself, as he clenched his fist to his chest. Then he realized his heart beating!  That’s when he remembered the words that Tsumugi had spoken to him when they had seen each other in the Black Pearl!

 

  “That’s right…she said that Nobodies grow hearts over time…so this means…that this is my heart…” he thought to himself, as he continued to feel and hear his heartbeat!  He felt amazed by this, and for the first time, he had goosebumps!  He couldn’t believe that he had a heart!  He thought that any trace of his heart had been cast away with his previous body!  But, according to what Tsumugi had said, that was not the case!  It made him wonder, though…did other Nobdies out there know about this as well?  Or were they all being kept in the dark about having hearts of their own?  It wasn’t long until the portal of darkness started to open upon the other end!  From the exit, a gleam of light could be seen, shimmering slightly!

 

  “That’s our sign!  Come on!” Vanitas said, as he was the first to go out!  Everyone else followed suit and exited the portal of darkness, and then it closed behind them!

 

(Start Song Here)

  It took a minute for them to familiarize themselves with their surroundings, and as they looked around, all they could see was what seemed to be an expansive field of grass!  Behind them, a dark ocean creeped up to them, the waves rippling and splashing on some nearby boulders jutting out of the hillside they were on.  They saw that the ocean stretched on for what seemed to be an endless amount of distance!  When they turned around, their backs to the ocean, they saw that the hill they were on steeped upwards slightly, and there seemed to be a faint path that was made naturally out of earth!  There was no dark or ominous presence about, and there didn’t seem to be any danger lurking around, so they all remained calm and didn’t draw their weapons!  Instead, they walked along the path to see where it would lead them!

 

  Over the course of their trek, they found that everything around them was silent.  It wasn’t eerie, no, it was more of a saddening silence.  Almost tragic, really.  It seemed as though this place had probably been a thriving world, but whatever time did to this place, it left it desolate and barren of any kind of village.  There was no sign of people, which meant that this place was uninhabited!  Vanitas looked around, and all the gloom made him feel uneasy!  He walked towards Dexeres and nudged him by the shoulder.

 

  “So…what do we do when we find the tomb?” he asked.  “It’s not like that girl’s letter came with specific instructions…how will we know what to do?” he asked also.  Dexeres kept walking and thought about Vanitas’ question, and then he glanced at him.

 

  “I’m not really sure…but if Tsumugi’s letter is any indication, then it seems that a person with a strong heart should be able to unlock whatever army the tomb has hidden inside…and I would think that’d be easy, since all of us have strong hearts…but I think that there’s more to it than that…” he thought aloud.

 

  “What makes you think so?” Xion asked, as she had listened to Dexeres speak.

 

  “Well, Tsumugi stated that a person with a strong heart can unlock this tomb and awaken the army inside…but I don’t think it’s that simple.  No…there has to be some kind of layer to this…some kind of major obstacle to overcome.  After all, with a tomb sealed like this, you’d think that something more was required in order to unseal it, you get me?” Dexeres explained.  Vanitas and Xion both nodded.

 

  “Hmm, that is a most interesting thought you have, my friend.  Even I, the great and mighty Gilgamesh, had never heard of this army before, so you can definitely guarantee that I am curious as to how powerful this army is!  I wonder what weapons they have!?” Gilgamesh prattled on excitedly.  Xion rolled her eyes and giggled, and then she elbowed Gilgamesh.

 

  “Hey, easy there, big guy!  Remember that we’re in an urgent hurry here, so we won’t have time to ask this army about their weapons.  That’ll have to wait for another time!” she said.  Gilgamesh twiddled his thumbs and gave out an embarassed chuckle.

 

  “Ah, yes, that’s right!  Our mission is indeed urgent!  Ooh, but I really want to learn about the weapons this army wields!” he said as he clasped his hands on his face!  “Urgh, the excitement is killing me!  But, you are right, Xion!  I need to remain focused on the mission at hand!” he said as he regained himself, now becoming calmer!  Xion giggled, and then she noticed something further up ahead!

 

  “Guys, look up there!” she said, as she pointed ahead!  Everyone stopped to look at what she was pointing at, and they noticed what seemed to be a…lighthouse?

 

  “Hmm, it is on this path, so maybe that’s where the tomb is held?” Dexeres thought aloud.

 

  “Only one way to find out…come on, let’s get moving!  Time’s wasting!” Vanitas said, as he was the first to head towards the lighthouse looking landmark!  The others followed suit, and they hurried along the path, and that’s when they noticed that the grassy green they had been looking at up till now was slowly being replaced by nothing but gray. It seemed as though this part of the path veered into rocky territory!  And eventually enough, the path became much more rocky and rugged, and that’s when they noticed all the massive boulders clumped together!  Now, they faced quite a rocky mountanside!  They all looked at each other momentarily, and Gilgamesh was the first to climb, or rather, leap forward! 

 

  “Well, come on, slowpokes!  Time is of the essence!” the swordsman stated, as he kept jumping, managing to land on small slabs of rock!  With each landing he made, he jumped higher and higher up, until the reached the top!  Now, he simply stood, way above them, and he crossed his arms.

 

  “Well, what are you waiting for!?” he shouted down from above!

 

  “Pfft…show off…” Vanitas muttered to himself.  “You’re not the only one who can impress!” he said, and with that, he ran along the rocky wall effortlessly, and in just a few seconds, he got to the top and stood by Gilgamesh!  Xion and Dexeres glanced at each other and laughed. 

 

  “Boys…why must you always be so competitive?” she asked.  Dexeres shrugged.

 

  “It’s all a matter of pride.  But anyways, ladies first.” he said as he bowed corteously.  Xion bowed back and giggled.

 

  “Why thank you, kind sir!” she said, and then she proceeded to create a Blizzaga platform, which proppelled her upward until the reached the top alongside Gilgamesh and Vanitas!  Now, only Dexeres needed to go up!

 

  “Well…here goes nothing!” he said to himself, and then, he charged his energy, and within a few seconds, he unleashed his stored energy and made it to the top with just one leap!  He landed behind Gilgamesh, Vanitas and Xion, and he smiled.

 

  “That’s how it’s done!” he said.  Vanitas clapped sarcastically and shook his head.

 

  “Way to go, Show Off number 2!  Anyways, come on, we’re getting close to that tower!” he said.  And with that, everyone continued their trek!

 

  As they kept walking, they noticed that the rocky path that had laid before them now was disappearing, and the ground looked much more polished and smooth!  It wasn’t until a few minutes later that they realized that they were right in front of the tower!  It did look like a lighthouse, but up close, it was more of a grim looking tower!  They looked to their left, and they saw the dark sea that stretched outwards!  However, they noticed that there were no waves.  It was certainly ominous, but they kept their minds on the task at hand!  They then stopped in front of the tower’s massive door!

 

  “Okay, let’s unlock this thing, shall we?” Vanitas declared, as he summoned forth his Keyblade and then unlocked the massive door!  The lock clanked, and the door slowly creaked open!  Even from outside, the humidity could be felt coming from inside the tower!

 

  “Remember everyone, this is a tomb, so who knows how long it’s been since people have been here…we need to be on our guard…” Dexeres said. 

 

  “Understood!” Gilgamesh replied!  Vanitas and Xion nodded, and so, Dexeres stepped forward, and he opened the massive door all the way!  It was a bit heavy, but he was able to open it completely!  It was slightly dark inside, but the darkness faded away as soon as Dexeres took the first step inside! As he walked in, small torches lit up to life!  Enchanted torches, no doubt!  He then noticed that there was a spiraling staircase leading downward!  But he also noticed that the staircase lead upwards, to the top of the tower!  He then glanced back at the others.

 

  “What do you think?  Should we head up, or down?” he asked.

 

  “Well, considering that it’s a tomb, I think that down is the obvious choice…” Xion said. 

 

  “Chick’s got a point, bud.  Odds are the top of the tower was more likely a simple post position for a guard to look out to sea or something…so yeah, we don’t need to look out to sea, so down we go!” Vanitas said, agreeing with Xion.  Dexeres nodded.

 

  “Right…then let’s head down…” he said.  Everyone nodded, and they started going down the spiraling staircase!  For quite a while, the only thing that could be heard were the sounds of the torches being lit with every step they took!  It seemed as though this staircase stretched downwards for quite a considerable depth!  Considering that it was a tomb, after all, it made sense!

 

  “Ooh, this reminds me of my many adventures in other dimensions, when I’d traverse dangerous and perilous dungeons to rescue damsels in distress, or find some extremely rare weapon, ripe for the taking!  Ahh, the thrill and excitement of discovering the unknown is always a welcome feeling to me!” Gilgamesh stated happily!  Xion seemed a bit more cautious, however.

 

  “Personally…I’d rather we do this as fast as we can…I don’t do well in deep, dark places…” she said, feeling a bit nervous! 

 

  “Don’t worry guys...we’ll get this done as soon as possible, and we’ll be one step closer to saving the worlds from disaster!” Dexeres said as he glanced back, encouraging them!  He felt as though he was walking on air, and that’s when Vanitas yanked him back, and Dexeres then realized he had almost fallen down a pitch black abyss! 

 

  “Geez, look where you’re going, idiot!  We almost lost you there!” Vanitas said, annoyed! Gilgamesh laughed, and Xion had a startled expression on her face!  Dexeres felt a bit embarassed and he rubbed the back of his head.

 

  “Sorry about that…” he said.  Vanitas rolled his eyes.

 

  “Yeah, yeah, apology accepted!  So, looks like we’ve run out of stairs…” he said, as he pointed towards the abyss!  It’s true, the staircase ended where they were presently!  “So, what now?” he asked.  Gilgamesh then stepped forward and looked down at the pitch black abyss! 

 

  “This is my cue, friends!  I shall leap down into the darkness below, and I shall determine for you how long a fall this abyss is!” the swordsman said.  Dexeres looked at him.

 

  “Are you sure?  Won’t you get hurt?” he asked.  At that, Gilgamesh laughed fullheartedly!

 

  “Ha, you forget, my dear friend!  I am the mighty warrior Gilgamesh, and a fall down into the darkness will not be enough to blot out my radiance!  Stand aside, and I shall determine where this abyss leads to!” the swordsman boasted with pride, and with that, he braced himself and then proceeded to jump down into the abyss, diving headfirst!  Dexeres, Vanitas and Xion remained a bit tense, as they looked into the darkness, hoping that Gilgamesh would say something soon!  But the darkness of the abyss only brought silence, and after a few seconds, they began to worry!

 

  “Guys…” Xion whispered. That’s when a beam of light shot through the darkness and made its way to them!  Then they could hear a faint shout from down below!

 

  “Friends, you must come down here with great care!  There are many rocks that jut out of the walls, so you’ll need to make a soft landing!” the swordsman shouted as loud as he could!  Luckily, the others were able to hear exactly what he said, and so they leapt down into the darkness!  They all cast Aeroga on themselves, and the spell kept them afloat, therefore making their fall slower!  It was pitch black, so they couldn’t see anything, but with the help of Aeroga, they thankfully didn’t slam their way down, and thus, whatever rocks they stumbled upon they just gently pressed against!  A few seconds past, and then they saw a set of torches lit below!  That must be the path that continued!  Gilgamesh was there waiting for them, and the others went to him, and he gave a thumbs up!

 

  “See?  I told you I would be okay!” he said cheerfully.  Dexeres put his hand on the swordsman’s shoulder and smiled.

 

  “I’m glad.  Thanks, Gilgamesh, you’re a great help!” he said.  Gilgamesh bowed down and nodded.

 

  “Of course, I am happy to help!  Now come, let us continue following the torches!” he said. And so, they kept on walking.

 

  For a while, the path they followed only went on straight, with slight curves here and there, but no other path that deviated from the one that they were on.  As they went deeper inside, they felt a bit suffocated, for now the air around them was stuffy and humid.  Xion looked onward, and noticed that the torches still stretched on for quite a bit!  She also noticed that they hadn’t encountered any Heartless or Unborn!  She found that strange.

 

  “Guys…how come we haven’t seen any Heartless or Unborn around here…?” she asked aloud, just curious to see what the others would answer.  Vanitas shrugged.

 

  “Beats me.  Honestly, I’m glad they aren’t around here.  It makes our job easier!” he stated. Then, as they kept moving forward, they finally stumbled upon a giant, bronze gate!  It was as tall as a giant, and it was plain.  Just a giant, bronze gate with no particular design or feature to it!  They all looked at each other, and they felt no ominous presence or powerful aura, so they assumed that this was simply just a gate they had to open!

 

  “My turn!” Xion said, as she summoned her Keyblade and unlocked the giant gate’s keyhole! A giant clank could be heard, and soon, the giant gate slowly opened towards them!  When it did, they noticed something that seemed surreal!  They stepped inside, and they saw what seemed to be a sort of chamber, wide and spacious, with a giant water fountain at its center!  They all stared in awe, and when they went a little further inside, all the torches surrounding the chamber lit up, and now the chamber could be seen in full detail!  It seemed something of great magnificence!

 

  “Well…this is impressive!” Vanitas thought aloud.  Gilgamesh stroked his chin thoughtfully, and looked at the architecture around him.

 

  “Hmm, most interesting!  I take it that this is the tomb that we were looking for!  It certainly does look like a tomb, albeit more decorative and slightly cheerier than most!” the swordsman replied. Xion looked around and noticed what seemed to be a giant statue of a woman, cloaked and wearing a dress with multiple layers of fabric!  Upon closer inspection, Xion noticed that the cloak also sported the face of a fox!  Quite strange, she thought.  She looked to Dexeres and then went towards him.

 

  “Yeah, I think that this is the tomb we’re looking for!  And I think that statue represents the woman who made this tomb…at least, that’s what I think!” Xion expressed.  Dexeres took notice of the statue, and then he looked all around him!  The chamber was indeed wide, and it was colored red and black!  The water fountain had what seemed to be some sort of statue, but of what could not be guessed, for half of the statue had been broken!  Probably work of some tomb raiders who tried to rob the tomb at one point.  Water was still pouring into the fountain though, and when he walked towards it and touched the water, he felt its smoothness!  The water seemed to be pure!  He then noticed something behind the water fountain, and it lay just in front of the statue that Xion had been pointing at!  Looking closely, he noticed that what was in front of her was a sort of tombstone!  It was small, and it was the only one in the chamber!  He tilted his head, a bit confused.

 

  “Just one tombstone for an entire army…?  That seems strange.” Dexeres said, stating his opnion.  The others were just as confused as he was!

 

  “Well, don’t look at me!” Vanitas said.

 

  “Maybe we should look around some more?  There may be something we aren’t looking at!” Gilgamesh suggested.  Xion nodded in agreement.

 

  “Yeah, let’s just look around and see what we can find!” she said.  Dexeres nodded.

 

  “Right, then let’s split up and search the chamber.  We might find something that can help us!” he said.  They all nodded, and so they went to search different parts of the chamber!  Vanitas looked around near the entrance, while Xion examined the fountain, and Gilgamesh looked at the walls and floor.  Dexeres remained where the statue of the woman was, and he kept looking at it, almost as if he was trying to peer into it!  He found something about that statue odd…almost as if…it had some kind of power!  Dexeres discarded the thought, though, and so he looked around the statue and the tombstone, making sure to keep an eye open for anything suspicious looking!

 

  As they kept on looking, they didn’t find anything much, and at one point, they were lost as to what they were supposed to find!  There was no indication of an army being buried here, so it left them a bit confused!  Then, the torches suddenly started to grow their flames!  Everyone took notice, and in alarm, they summoned their Keyblades, and Gilgamesh summoned forth his Excalibur!  The flames grew exponentially, and they were almost engulfing them!  Then, just like that, the flames subsided, and right where they had entered the chamber, a small, pink orb of light floated!  Everyone took notice of this, but they remained with their weapons at hand!

 

  “Careful…that thing may be dangerous…” Xion stated.

 

  “Yeah…come on, let’s check it out!” Dexeres said, as they all walked towards the orb.  When they approached it, they saw that the orb simply remained there, slightly floating in one direction or the other!  Everyone waited to see if it would do something, but it did nothing!

 

  “Well, I guess the orb’s harmless.” Vanitas said as he unsummoned his Keyblade. The others unsummoned their weapons as well, and now they felt a bit more at ease!

 

  “Well, that’s that, I guess.  So what do we do now?” Vanitas asked.

 

  “We keep searching. This chamber has to have something on this army we’re looking for!  This has to be the right tomb!” Dexeres answered.

 

  “You are right.  The tomb is here!” a voice said.  At that, everyone looked around, a bit alarmed, but they didn’t summon their weapons.  The voice didn’t seem hostile.  No, but it wasn’t friendly either.  It was simply a voice.

 

  “Who’s there?” Xion asked.

 

  “I’m right in front of you!” the voice said, and everyone looked at the orb of light!  Dexeres walked towards it and looked at it.

 

  “You?” he asked.  The orb flickered slightly to confirm his question.

 

  “Yes, me.” she answered.

 

  “Who might you be, orb of light?” Gilgamesh asked.

 

  “I am simply a light that watches over this tomb.  You could say that I’m one with it!  I think that’s been the case for a countless amount of years…I never get any visitors.  The only ones who do come are those seeking to rob this tomb, but they never find what they seek.” the orb spoke.

 

  “So, if the tomb is here, then why do we only see one tombstone?” Vanitas asked.  The orb slowly floated past them and went towards the fountain.

 

  “That is something you should find out for yourselves.  You don’t seem like tomb raiders, so I’m guessing you’ve come here to awaken the army buried here, am I right?” the orb asked.  Dexeres nodded.

 

  “Yes…you see, the worlds are being plunged into chaos by a great Keyblade War…we’re trying our best to stop it, but even our efforts are amounting to nothing.  We’re seeking as much help as we can to combat the enemy and drive them back, therefore putting an end to the war!” he explained.  The orb remained silent for a moment.  The others looked on, attentive to whatever it might say.

 

  “So, you seek to end this war, you say?  Interesting.  You seem to be honest people…but I wonder if your hearts are true to your intents…?  If you want the power that lays dormant here, I shall have to test you.” the orb said.  Dexeres nodded.

 

  “Of course.  Anything!” he said.  The orb then glimmered radiantly, and then the torches were snuffed out!  Everyone looked around in alarm, but then they saw the orb of light, high above them, shining down a beam of light on them!  They could feel the orb’s power, and they remained in place, waiting for whatever it was the orb was going to tell them!  Soon enough, a giant, clanking noise could be heard, and behind them, they saw that the gate they had opened closed shut, and giant pillars now blocked said gate!  From the four pillars, four splinters of light sprang forward, and they stood floated before Gilgamesh, Vanitas, Xion and Dexeres!

 

  “What’s this?” Xion asked.

 

  “You say that you want to put an end to this war…but can you be able to do so? Do you have it in your hearts to complete this task?  Do you have faith in yourselves?  With this question in mind…” the orb began to say, and then it blinked twice, and the splinters of light gleamed brightly and then transformed into crystallized versions of Gilgamesh, Vanitas, Xion and Dexeres!  They quickly summoned their weapons, knowing that they were now in a fight!  Their doppelgangers did the same.

 

  “What kind of test is this!?” Vanitas asked.

 

  “One where you show me you have what it takes to face yourselves…” the orb answered.

(End Song Here)

 

  “Right…then let’s show ourselves what we can do!” Dexeres said!  Everyone nodded, and so the battle began!

 

(Start Song Here)

  The Keyblade Wielders and their doppelgangers clashed, and they scattered about the chamber, making their strength known!  Vanitas attempted to take out his double quickly, but the double was quite strong and fast!  Vanitas smirked.  He was facing himself.  He never thought he’d do something like that.  Well, he did fight Ventus that time way back when he tried to merge with him to forge the X-Blade, but that didn’t count in his mind.  Now he was truly facing himself!  And he wasn’t about to lose to himself, so he made sure he’d give it his all to this battle!

 

  “Okay me, let’s do this!” Vanitas shouted out defiantly, and with that, the two clashed at each other with pure power and adrenaline!  Crackling bolts of black and white lightning showered upon the chamber, as the two attacked each other relentlessly!  Vanitas was impressed how his double reflected him so much!  Vanitas them attempted to launch a Firaga ball, but the doppelganger negated the attacked with a Blizzaga crystal!  Vanitas smirked and admited his double was clever!

 

  “Smart move, me!  Smart move, indeed!” Vanitas commented.

 

  On the other side of the chamber, Gilgamesh was joyfully and gleefully facing himself, and he couldn’t be happier!  He had always obsessed over fighting a worthy opponent, but he never realized that he himself was a worthy opponent!  And so, battling himself proved to be quite the treat for him! The two swordsmen clashed violently, and they relentlessly tried to outdo each other, launching missiles and shurikens and throwing knives at each other!  They swithced weapons faster than they could count, and for each time Gilgamesh thought he had the upper hand, his double would switch to another weapon and make him retrace his steps!  Gilgamesh loved this, though, and he wasn’t shy on expressing his love for this battle!

 

  “Yes, yes, yes!!!!  Excellent!  I am intrigued by myself!  I am proving to be quite the worthy opponent!  But I shall outsmart myself, of that much I’m sure!  I’m not going to last forever against myself!” Gilgamesh said, and so, he continued battling himself!

 

  He swtiched from his twin lances to dual katanas, and he attempted a Tornado attack!  While successful, his double simply broke through the attack, and performed a flurry of fast and potent strikes, sending Gilgamesh plummeting down to the floor!  Gilgamesh was surprised by this, but he was no less cheerful!  He shook his head and regained himself, and then he swtiched to his Chocobo daggers!  As he struck his double, he managed to overpower it for quite a bit!  But then the double blocked one strike and summoned forth the Zantetsuken blades!  At that, Gilgamesh gasped.

 

  “Ooh, those are good, other me!!!” Gilgamesh said, as he quickly switched to longswords and blocked his double’s attack!  While strong, Gilgamesh was stronger, and he pushed his double back, and then he performed his Rocket Punch attack, sending numerous fists flying towards it!  The double tried to dodge the attack, but received most of the hits!  It then fell to the floor with a loud thud!

 

  “Excellent!  I am very pleased with how this battle is turning out!” the swordsman gleefully said!  The double stood up quickly, though, and it then cast Thundaga, shocking Gilgamesh momentarily!

 

  “Whoo!!!  You caught me off guard there for a moment, me!  Most impressive!  But that will not happen again!” Gilgamesh said, as he clashed with himself anew!

 

  Near the fountain, Xion was clashing with her double, and the two were firing off a barrage of spells, and then they clashed swiftly!  They were trying to outmaneuver each other, but both were equally skilled!  Xion tried to attempt a Reversal, but her double simply attempted the same, and so Xion was positioned awkwardly in front of her double, her back facing it, and she was almost struck down by it, but luckily, she blocked the attack with her Keyblade!  She then dashed forward and put some distance between herself and her double!  She stopped for a moment to ponder her next move, but she knew she’d have to think fast, for her double was already heading towards her!

 

  “I’ll have to keep improvising!” she thought to herself, and then she dodge rolled out of double’s way, and then she leapt back and performed a technique called Icicle Spear!  The double quickly found itself surrounded by a dozen spears of frozen ice, and before it could try dodging, all the spears hit their mark, leaving the double weakened!  That’s when Xion capitalized and went in for the kill!

 

  “You’re mine!” Xion said, as he attempted to perform Blitz, but the double pushed her back with a strong gust of wind, making Xion sommersault back!  She landed gracefully on the floor, and then she swung her Keyblade.

 

  “I seem to be quite the challenge to myself…I never figured of facing myself like this…no, not at all.” Xion thought to herself as she smiled.  She figured that she still had much to learn in terms of strengthening herself.  Suddenly, thoughts of Roxas came into her mind, and she felt the comfort of his heart, and she only smiled all the more!  “But, I figure that now’s as good a time as any to face myself!” she said, and so, she clashed with her double anew!

 

  The orb of light floated gently back and forth, watching the battle unfold.  It remained silent and ever vigilant, watching the actions of the Keyblade Wielders closely!  It could feel their strength, the determination of their hearts, and it knew that they were nothing to laugh at!  Xion managed to strike at her double with Shadowbreaker, but when she finished the attack, the double retaliated with Dark Raid! The attack caught Xion by surprise, and sent her hurling toward the wall!  She crashed against it with force, but in a few seconds time, she regained herself and pushed herself forward!  She wasn’t going to lose!

 

  She then began launching streaks of lightning, trying to keep her double occupied!  It seemed to be working, as the double was focusing intently on blocking the streaks of lightning that she was launching!  With the distraction in place, Xion started to gather energy from those same lightning streaks, and within a few seconds, she drew a sigil almost as big as herself in thin air, and then, from that sigil, multiple bullets of light fired off, hitting the double with force!  It looked as though the double was about to shatter, but it stood its ground and then repelled the rest of the bullets with a Reflega attack, making some of the light bullets ricochet towards Xion!  She simply put her Keyblade forward and absorbed the bullets, and that, in turn, gave her more energy!

 

  “I’m not an easy target now, am I?” she asked.  The double simply remained silent and lunged forward, attacking with Reflect Raid!  Xion got hit by the attack, and then numerous blades reproduced from the single blade that hit her, and they all attempted to strike at her!  But she quickly enveloped herself in pillars of flame, as she performed the Raging Storm attack!  Xion then pursued her double, as it tried to keep itself as far away from the flames as possible!  Xion as confident in her abilities, and she knew that she’d win!  She had to, for everyone’s sakes!

 

  And that left Dexeres, who was in between the fountain and the statue of the cloaked woman!  His double remained perfectly still, as he was! Dexeres smirked at his double, and he found the fact that he was fighting himself amusing!

 

  “Well, it looks like I’m what stands in the way of unlocking this army’s potential, eh?  Well, it looks like I’m going to have to whip myself up into shape!  I’ll do so gladly!” he said, and his double nodded, almost as if it was confirming his challenge!  After a few seconds, Dexeres and his double began to clash!

 

  They remained on even ground for the first few minutes of their battle, and they reached stalemates quite often!  When Dexeres would attempt to break through, the double would just counterattack, therefore leaving no opening for Dexeres to seize!  But he didn’t let himself get open either, which was giving the double a hard time trying to break through his defenses!  The two of them then fought to the point that their attacks looked like lightning bolts because of how fast they were slashing at each other!  It was quite an impressive sight to see!  But then, Dexeres disappeared then reappeared behind his double, and then he managed to strike it!  The double quickly dashed away and then regained itself, and then headed towards him, ready to attack!

 

  “I knew I wouldn’t go down that easy!  But I wouldn’t have this any other way!” Dexeres said as he felt determined, ready to defeat his double and move onwards!  He wasn’t going to let anything stand in his way, not even himself!

 

  The two continued to clash, and then they both leapt back and started to launch multiple beams of light and darkness at each other, trying to see if any of their attacks would land!  It was all for nothing, though, as each beam of light and darkness they attempted to launch at each other clashed with their respective attacks!  Since this proved futile, the double was the first to stop, and then it headed towards Dexeres with a Sliding Dash attack, making him fall to the ground!  The double was about to pierced through Dexeres’ chest, but he disappeared just in time, and then reappeared behind the double!  But this time, the double was able to block Dexeres, and then it flipped around and kicked him, sending him back a few steps!  Dexeres then attempted to perform Twilight Splicer, but as he performed this attack, the double only adapted to the situation and either dodged or blocked each strike that Dexeres was trying to make!  It was to the point that when the final strike hit, the double blocked it as well!  But then, Dexeres thought fast and cast Seeker Mine!  The double wasn’t ready for that, though, and it received the full force of the mines!  It staggered and fell back, and its face was cracked!

 

  “After everything I’ve been through…after all the things I’ve seen and done…I’m not going to let myself become the obstacle that comes in the way of saving the worlds.  Not a chance!” Dexeres said.  He was about to deliver the final blow, but the double quickly blocked it, and then counterattacked with a violent volley of sharp crystals that managed to injure Dexeres greatly!

 

  “Dexeres!!!” Vanitas shouted, as he took notice!  But Dexeres shook his head.

 

  “Don’t worry about me, focus on your battles!” he said to the others!  The others wanted to help him, but their doubles were giving them a hard time!

 

  Infuriated, Vanitas turned to his double, and then he dashed towards it, held it by the throat and then slammed it against the wall!  Vanitas glared at it and then took off his helmet, so he could look at his double closely and in detail!

 

  “I get what I am…I get it!  I know that I’ve made mistakes!  I’ve lived a troubled life, I know that! For the most part of my life, I did horrible things, and I hurt others just to satisfy the emptiness I felt inside!  But when I became friends with these idiots, I saw that I could make something of myself, that I could make a difference!  That I could use my powers to help the worlds instead of destroy them!  So yeah, I am what I am, and I know what I’ve done!” Vanitas said to his double, as he clenched his hand around its throat!  “I know that I failed to save Ventus…I failed….but at least I gave my all!  And even though I wasn’t the one to save him, at least I’m making up for it by helping my friends get rid of the darkness that’s threatening the worlds!  So I’m not going to doubt myself any longer!  I’m going to keep going onward, and I’m not gonna let my stupidity get the best of me!” Vanitas shouted, and then he started to slash at the double repeatedly, and he attacked so ferociously and with so much anger, that he cracked the double and shattered it into pieces!  Vanitas then saw some of the pieces in his hand, and then he clenched it into a fist, and then threw away the shards.  He then spit on the remains of his double, and he stood there, defiant and victorious!

 

  “This is my life…and I’m going to keep on living it, no matter what!” he declared!

 

  As Vanitas defeated his double, Gilgamesh was still working on defeating his!  The task was not easy, but he knew that it could be done!  He and the double constantly switched weapons and inflicted great damage on each other!  The double had managed to chip away a lot of Gilgamesh’s armor, but Gilgamesh had been able to chip away at the double as well!  The swordsman smirked and he pounded his chest in pride and excitement!

 

  “I have the honor of a true warrior!  I have battled myself to the best of my abilities!  I have proven to be quite the worthy opponent!  But, I must not waste any more time!  One of my friends has already bested himself, and I would look foolish if I took too long to beat myself!  So, I must bit myself adieu!” Gilgamesh said, quite dramatically!  “Alas, I have nothing to say for myself, for I have thoroughly enjoyed the life I have lived!  I have been quite the blessed man, to be able to travel to lands that most people only dream of!  I have bested many brave warriors, and I have amassed quite a collection of weapons!  I am content with myself, so there is no need for this anymore!” the swordsman said, as he switched his Chocobo daggers for Excalibur!  Once with Excalibur in hand, he proceeded to slash clean through his double, and in a moment’s notice, the double cracked and shattered into many pieces!  Gilgamesh then swung his sword pridefully and laughed merrily!

 

  “Ha ha ha, yes!!!  This shall provide for quite a tall tale!” the swordsman boasted!

 

  With Gilgamesh and Vanitas having defeated their doubles, now only Xion and Dexeres needed to finish the job!  Xion was in heated battle against her double, and she was seeing that this battle was proving a lot more difficult than she at first thought it to be!  But she wasn’t about to give up now!  She dodged a steady stream of attacks that her double was dishing out, and she also managed to dodge quite a few projectile spells that the double had launched her way!  When the final spell was about to hit, Xion cast Reflega, and caused the spell to backfire towards the double, causing its left arm to shatter into pieces!  It then got more defensive, and Xion pointed her Keyblade at it!

 

  “I’m not going to let this continue!  I’ve got other more important things to deal with right now!  I need to keep moving forward for myself and for my friends!  I’m not going to let my own darkness deceive and take over me!  I’m going to conquer myself, and that’s my say on things!” Xion said defiantly, as she and her double clashed repeatedly!  They exchanged rapidly fearsome strikes, and they performed all manner of attacks, including Slapshot, Strike Raid, Sliding Dash, Stun Impact, Quick Blitz, and a few others!  But with each attack they dealt to each other, they only managed to reach constant stalemates!  Xion was growing impatient by this, but then she saw an opening that she could seize!  She smirked and left herself wide open!  The double, not hesitating to move in for the kill, moved in to attack!  That’s when Xion instantly performed a Reversal!

 

  “Big mistake!” she said, as she then performed Cross Slash, delivering three fatally strong strikes to her double, causing it to shatter into pieces!  Xion panted for a moment and was about to fall, but knelt on one knee instead, and supported herself with her Keyblade!  She smiled and noticed that she had won this battle!  “Good, it’s done!” she said to herself, and then she turned around and went towards Gilgamesh and Vanitas!  Once together, the three ran towards Dexeres, who was still fighting his double!  They were about to interfere, but Dexeres raised his hand to halt them!

 

  “Stop!  This is my fight!  I have to do this on my own!  You conquered yourselves, so let me conquer myself!” he declared!  The others were hesitant, but in the end, they respected his wishes and remained on standby, watching the battle unfold!

 

  “Just wrap things up quickly so we can get this over with already!” Vanitas shout out!  Dexeres glanced back momentarily and smirked.

 

  “No problem!  Leave it to me!” Dexeres said.  He then turned towards his double, which was waiting for his next move!  The orb of light simply floated in place, observing this battle closely.  It saw that Gilgamesh, Xion and Vanitas had bested themselves, so now it remained to be seen if Dexeres would do the same!

 

  For a few minutes, Dexeres and his double continuously pushed each other back and forth!  Just when one was getting the upper hand, the other came and did something to outstmart each other!  It was a crazy, back and forth battle, and the others were anxious for Dexeres to come out the victor!  It seemed as though the battle would last forever, but then, Dexeres got a sudden burst of speed and power, and then he charged forward towards his double and started attacking it with blazing speeds, leaving streaks of twilight in his wake with each strike he performed!  Dexeres was a flame in the heat of battle!

(End Song Here)

 

  “Let’s end this!” Dexeres said, as he was about to deal the final blow!  But then, his double came and stabbed his blade clean through Dexeres’ abdomen!  Dexeres, in shock, widened his eyes, and he began coughing out blood!  Within a few seconds, he realized that he had recklessly left himself open!  The others, with horror and panic in their eyes, immediately attempted to come to his aid, but the orb of light created a barrier which prevented them from passing! Xion banged on the barrier wall and frowned!

 

  “Hey, what’s the big idea!?  He’s hurt!” Xion exclaimed!  The orb simply flickered and said nothing.  The others looked on, as Dexeres was being staked like a pig!  The double then flung him down to the floor, and Dexeres shouted in pain!  The double removed its weapon from Dexeres’ abdomen, and it simply remained there, standing.  Dexeres looked up at the ceiling, and he felt blood pouring out of him rapidly!  His vision was getting foggy, and he could feel tears forming in his eyes!

 

(Start Song Here)

  “That’s right…” he thought to himself.  “I was laying on the floor like this, when I originally died…before becoming a Nobody…it’s all coming back to me now…” he whispered to himself.  Then, flashes of memory of his past life flashed through his eyes, and his eyes watered up the more he remembered!  “Tsumugi…she was always there for me….we had a troubled life, with sickness, living in poverty…we did all that we could just to get by.” he said as he looked at the ceiling.  “But even with our hard life in the streets, we lived happily together.  She still had a smile on her face, even though we were rotting out in the cold rain…mistreated by the cruelty of humanity…when all else seemed too dark and grim, we turned to each other.  We had no family, because all of our family had died out of starvation or a fatal illness.  It was a hell of a life to live…” he thought.

 

  “But then, one day, someone came to me. A person wearing extravagant armor.  That person saw how we suffered, and he wanted to help us…but he was to go to war, and he couldn’t help us, no matter how much he wanted to.  But…he summoned forth his weapon, a Keyblade, and he told me that he saw potential in me, that he saw that I was capable of doing good things because of my strong heart.” Dexeres reminisced.  “I remember the words as clear as day now…’In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, it’s wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend…no ocean will contain you then.  No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love…” he recited.  “That’s when…I had the power to change the way Tsumugi and I lived.”

 

  “But even with that power…nothing could have prepared me for what would follow.” he stated, his face growing grim.  “Even though we managed to finally be free of our life of poverty…darkness followd our every step.  For having the Keyblade…it’s a gift and a curse.  Only then, I didn’t realize it.  I was too caught up fighting the Heartless, taking them out, doing what I could to protect myself and Tsumugi.  After so much fighting, and so much running…it eventually became too much to handle!  But even so, Tsumugi and I kept on living…and then that fateful day came.” he said as he stopped for a moment.  His tears were rolling down his cheeks, and much of his blood had been lost now!

 

  “We were on a road to another town…and we saw a few families coming up the road.  They were weary and tired…they were living in poverty, just like Tsumugi and I had.  Our first instinct was to help them.  But when we reached to helped them, we were all attacked by Heartless…very powerful ones, at that.  I tried to fight them off as much as I could so the families could get away safely, but in the end, they were all slaughtered in front of me.  And Tsumugi…she died in my arms, trying to protect me from being slain by Heartless!  I was steeped in sorrow…I felt heavy with despair, and before I knew it, I was swallowed by the darkness, and all of us had been cast in shadow.  We had been wiped out of the world…” Dexeres finished.  He then realized that he had actually been talking aloud, and when he glanced at the others, he saw that they were shedding tears for him!  Dexeres slowly stood up, with fatal wound and all, and he clenched his fists.

 

  “Yes…I remember everything now…this is how I came to be a Nobody…and with that fact…” he said, and then he dashed towards his double and beheaded it with his Keyblade, instantly causing it to shatter into countless pieces!  “I won’t let this life be in vain!  Becoming a Nobody gave me another chance at living…to be able to protect the people of the worlds, to ensure they wouldn’t meet my same fate!  That’s why I’m here now!  To ensure that everyone can be saved!  And I will save every single person, including Tsumugi!  I have no doubt of that!  I won’t let anything, not even death, stand in my way!” Dexeres declared in triumph!  The others were speechless, and obviously inspired by Dexeres’ words, and then he realized that he wasn’t bleeding anymore!  When he looked down, his wound was gone!  And now the barrier keeping the others away from Dexeres had been removed!

(End Song Here)

 

  “W-what?  How did…?” he started to ask, but the orb of light gleamed brightly and interrupted him!

 

  “You have passed the test, warriors of the light.  Your hearts prove true to your intent!  The tomb’s seal can now be unlocked, but before that, there is something you should know…” the orb said.

 

  “About what?” Dexeres asked.

 

  “About the power you are about to unlock…”

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

 

And so, after a harrowing ordeal, our heroes have proven their worth to the orb of light overseeing the ancient tomb, and now, they are about to unlock the power of the army within!  But what is it that the orb wishes to speak of regarding said army?  Stay tuned for Chapter Thirty Seven: “In An Age Long Past…”

 

Whew!  What a chapter!  Boy, even I didn’t expect for it to take that turn!   But yeah, that was the chapter everyone, I hope you all enjoyed it, and I hope it was worth the wait for you all! Again, my deepest apologies for posting it so late, but I have been busy lately, so I haven’t been able to write as frequently for my story!  But, I hope this chapter made up for the long wait!  And I hope you’ll stay tuned for more!  Thank you so much for your patience and support, everyone!  As always, please make sure to comment on what you thought of tonight’s chapter, and until next time, stay tuned for the next one!

Good work, it took a while, but it was worth the wait.

Wow, this was cool.

 

Nice treat having Vanitas take his helmet off and recite with regret his past.

 

You know, I have always thought that one should never mess and disturb the dead, especially in Kingdom Hearts. First we see a graveyard of the soldiers of the Keyblade War and now this tomb of an army. Also, these places have been known to possess ancient secrets and power so it isn't surprising that the four of them are being warned of this power they are about to unlock.

 

Awesome work.

Awesome chapter, I loved it! Can't wait to see what happens next. Also Vulpes statue!  :smile:

To KHLegendIII, I'm glad it was worth it for you!

 

To KingdomHearts3, yeah, I just really love Vanitas as a character, and I've taken advantage of developing his character throughout my Keyblade War trilogy, ya know? So yeah, part of his development is acknowledging what he's done, ya know?  So I'm glad you liked it! And yeah, you're right! A warning is a warning, after all! I wonder what will happen?

 

To Keyblade101, thanks, I'm glad you liked it!  Ha, and you noticed the Vulpes statue, eh?  Good for you!

 

Hey there everyone, and good evening!  I hope that you’re all doing okay!  So then, I bring you all another chapter, so I hope you all enjoy!  Our heroes have been deemed worthy to unlock the power of the army that resides in this mysterious tomb, but the orb of light wishes to speak about said army before anything else.  What does the orb have to reveal?  Find out as you read along, my loyal followers!  Enjoy the chapter!

 

Chapter Thirty Seven: In An Age Long Past

 

  The orb of light floated silently around Dexeres, Vanitas, Gilgmaesh and Xion.  It had told them that there was something they should know regarding the army they were about to set free, but the orb hadn’t said anything yet.  It only floated slowly and silently around them.  Dexeres crossed his arms.

 

  “So, what is it that you wish to tell us?” he asked.  The orb of light suddenly flickered a bit, and then it raised itself until it floated at the center of the statue of the cloaked woman!  It remained there for a bit before speaking.

 

  “The army you are about to set free is not any army.  I’m sure that you’ve been told about how powerful this army is…” the orb stated.  Dexeres nodded.

 

  “Yes.  The letter I received states that the enemy was greatly seeking this power.  But we got to it first, so luckily, it won’t fall into the wrong hands.” He answered.  The orb blinked and floated in place.

 

  “Ah, then you have heard mention of the power of this army then…but that only means that you know very little.  I must tell you what this army is, and what it’s capable of…” the orb replied.

 

  “Then please, tell us, what is this army?” Gilgamesh asked.  There was a sudden silence that loomed for a bit, and the others remained silent, not uttering a single word.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “This army ranges back to the first ever Keyblade War…the war that was waged in the Age Of Fairy Tales…” the orb uttered.  At that, the others opened their eyes wide in shock!

 

  “What!?  You’re saying that this army is from that time period!?  But, isn’t their burial ground the Keyblade Graveyard?” Xion asked, surprised by this!  The orb blinked.

 

  “While the Keyblade Graveyard does house an inummerable amount of Keyblades that once belonged to Keyblade Wielders such as yourselves, the army buried here never actually fought in the war…rather, they were kept away from it.” the orb explained.

 

  “So, warriors that never fought in the Keyblade War, huh?  Mind telling us why?” Vanitas asked, interested by the topic.

 

  “Of course, I shall tell you.” the orb answered.  “You see, during the Age Of Fairy Tales, the worlds were united and strong, one world with one sky.  The people of that time lived in harmony, and they loved the light which Kingdom Hearts so generously gave…but, as you know, people started fighting over the light, and that’s when darkness was born…and it was so much that the in-fighting between the people caused a great calamity known as the Keyblade War…” the orb grimly explained.

 

  “Yeah, okay, we know that nugget of history, so we get that.  But where does this army fit in?” Vanitas asked, rudely interrupting!  The orb simply remained floating in place before speaking again.

 

  “Well, I shall get to that, young warrior.” the orb answered.  “Anyways, as I was saying, the Keyblade War wrought great destruction to the world…and it was because of a great misunderstanding between five individuals…Ava, Ira, Aced, Gula and Invi.  They were the Foretellers, leaders of groups called Unions, whose goal was to gather the light from the worlds and ensure that darkness would not have its way.  All of them fought for the same purpose, but had different goals.  But they didn’t see each other as enemies.  Not immediately, anyway.” the orb mentioned.  “But then, rumor started about a traitor among the Foretellers, one whom would bring disaster to the order and peace that prospered back in the day.  And so, that unsettled the Foretellers, and they kept themselves with their guard up.  While they claimed they were on the same page, they each suspsected each other, and as such, great mistrust grew between them…” the orb explained.  The others remained silent, prompting the orb to continue its tale!

 

  “The Foretellers quickly assumed that their sixth companion, who was never deemed a Foreteller and had no Union of his own, was the traitor.  For you see, they were all led by someone known as the Master Of Masters.  This Master gave each of the five Fortellers a tome called the Book Of Prophecies.  This book told them that a great calamity would befall the world, and that darkness would prevail and light would expire.  The only one that didn’t receive a tome was the sixth companion, and as such, the other five suspected him because they thought he was after their tomes…but in the end, it was all a farce…” the orb said, and then it stopped talking for a moment.  Its light dimmed down a bit, almost as if it had lost some of its strength!  The others remained quiet, and after a few seconds, the orb regained itself.

 

  “Yes…it was all a farce indeed.  A lie told in order for us to fight amongst ourselves.  As soon as I realized what was really happening, I knew I had to spring into action!” the orb stated. 

 

  “Wait, what?  Spring into action?  You were there when all that went down?” Dexeres asked.  The orb blinked.

 

  “Yes…for you see, I am Master Ava…” the orb said, and then everyone’s eyes opened wide as they were shocked again by what they just heard!

 

  “What!?  You’re one of the Foretellers!?” Xion exclaimed!  Ava blinked.

 

  “Yes.  Well, to be precise, I was…for now I’m nothing more than an orb of light…the little sliver of existence that remains of myself.” she answered.  “But…more on that for a moment.  I must first finish my tale.  As I said, I had to spring into action, and with that in mind, I made certain that the future of the world would be a brighter one, and so I collected the hearts of many unborn children, their light strong and radiant, and I preserved them in dandelions…and then I sent them off, so that they would be able to one day restore the world to its former glory.  For you see…the Keyblade War did destroy the world!  But you already know that part of the story.” she stated.

 

  “So wait…you’re telling us that the army in this tomb are the dandelions?  But that can’t be right!  If you said that they’re the children who would restore the world, then this can’t be them! Because otherwise, the world wouldn’t have been restored, since they’re here in this tomb!” Vanitas said. Ava blinked.

 

  “You are right to think that.  But you see, when it came to that, it seems that the dandelions split themselves from each other.  A great many of them were born into the darkness of the destroyed world, and with their light, they did manage to bring back the world from the abyss!  Of that there’s no question.  But, the rest of the dandelions remained dormant, and so they made their way to this place, and housed themselves here, deep in the earth.  The dandelions here are hearts that were nurtured all this time…hearts that are filled with light and filled with purpose…the dandelions resting here are a whole generation of Keyblade Wielders!” Ava said.  At that, everyone’s eyes opened wide yet again!

 

  “A whole generation…that is quite impressive!” Gilgamesh thought out loud.

 

  “More than impressive!  With an army like this, the worlds can be guaranteed their safety!” Vanitas said!  Ava blinked.

 

  “While that may be, there is one thing that I should mention.  Yes, the dandelions that were born into the world restored the world, and when they were split off as worlds, those children that restored the world lived in the worlds, and they grew to have full lives.  The dandelions of this tomb, however, never got the chance to do such a thing.  They have grown inside this tomb, yes, but when you summon them, they’ll only help you, and once this war is over, they will vanish and become one with Kingdom Hearts…for their lights have long been sealed away, and now they search for Kingdom Hearts, to merge with it and truly rest in peace…” Ava explained.

 

  “But…that means that they’ll never get to live full lives…they’ll only be brought into this world to fight, and then to die…that’s cruel!” Xion stated!

 

  “That’s the cost for summoning this army, isn’t it?” Dexeres asked grimly. 

 

  “Yes, indeed.” Ava answered.  Dexeres remained silent for a bit, and he looked at the others.  They all had sad expressions on their faces.  They were thinking the same thing he was thinking.  While these Keyblade Wielders would aid them, they’d only die afterwards…never to live a full life like any other living being!  They were at a loss with that to do next.  It pained them to learn the fate of these poor souls, but they needed all the help they could get, given the current situation at hand.  Dexeres breathed in slowly and then walked towards Ava.

 

  “Alright.  We’ll summon forth the army.  What must we do to unlock the seal to the tomb?” Dexeres asked.  Ava blinked and then floated down towards him, and then she shot forth a beam of light that shone on her statue!  Seconds later, a keyhole revealed itself! 

 

  “Unlock that keyhole, and the dandelions will be yours to command!” Ava said.  Dexeres glanced back at his friends, and they all had silent and grim expressions on their faces.  They knew what doing this would cost, and they understood what would happen.  And so, they silently urged Dexeres to unseal the keyhole…and so he did!  He lifted up his arm and summoned forth his Keyblade, and then he pointed it towards the keyhole, a radiant beam of light emanating from his Keyblade shot through and pierced the statue!  A heavy clanking noise could be heard, and within seconds, the whole layout of the chamber started to shift!  The floor started to give way to a deep pit, and the pillars that were blocking the entrance had now been removed!  Ava’s statue remained in place, but the fountain vanished! Everyone was able to regain themselves in midair and landed down below without hurting themselves!

 

  When they landed, they saw that they had fallen quite a considerable amount of feet!  But luckily, none of them had been hurt, so it was all okay!  Dexeres and the others then stood forth and saw what lay before them…a gigantic expanse of dirt, with nothing but dandelions gracing the soil!  They had landed on a patch where the dandelions hadn’t grown, and they were amazed by what they saw!

 

  “This is…overwhelming!  There’s so many dandelions down here!  To think that each of them is a Keyblade Wielder…” Xion spoke.  The others nodded.

 

  “Hard to believe that their hearts and souls were placed in these dandelions…and the fact that they’ve been buried here for who knows how long is just mind boggling!” Vanitas added in, for he was amazed by the sheer number of dandelions dotting the ground!

 

  “This is most interesting!  Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would bear witness to something as bizzare as this!  And I have seen many a bizzare thing in my lifetime!  This is truly something incredible!” Gilgamesh said, for he was staring at the dandelions with wonder and amazement!  Dexeres remained quiet for a bit, and then he stepped forward, his Keyblade in hand.  Ava came down to them a few seconds later, and she remained close by to them.  Dexeres then turned around and looked at Ava.

 

  “So, how do I awaken the army?” he asked.  Ava then floated towards one of the dandelions and remained there.

 

  “Raise your keyblade up high, and speak the words: ‘When darkest the hour is, I summon thee, warriors of light.  Use your will to live, and fight for me, and end the world’s plight!” Ava answered.  Dexeres nodded, and then he glanced over at his friends.  They all stuck by him, and then he looked at all the dandelions.  To think that these were people’s lives…that was something that remained with Dexeres.  Something that he couldn’t stop thinking about.  Ava then floated towards him.

 

  “Please don’t feel any remorse or guilt.  If anything, I should be the one to feel such things.  I condemned these poor souls into this grave…they never got to see the light of day.  I am the sole one responsible for this.  For know this…even when you wish to save the world, the means by which one does so sometimes can never be justified…” she said grimly.  “So please, don’t carry my burden…I am and always will be the one to carry this burden with me, until the end of time…” she said.  Dexeres gave out a deep sigh, and then he raised his keyblade up high, and then he prepared to speak the words that Ava told him.

 

  “When darkest the hour is, I summon thee, warriors of light!  Use your will to live, and fight for me, and end the world’s plight!” Dexeres said, and a few seconds later, a radiant burst of light emanated from Dexeres’ keyblade!  Everyone was caught off guard by this, and so they were surprised at the sudden burst of light!  The light then scattered and started to go from dandelion to dandelion!  With each dandelion the light touched, they slowly levitated into the air, and then, a massive gleam of light overcame the tomb!  The others averted their eyes from the shining light, and when it dissipated, they saw the army of Keyblade Wielders laying before them!  They were probably no older than eighteen!  All of them had determined looks on their faces, and they had a fiery will in their eyes that could not be shaken!  They then all bowed on one knee to salute the one who had summoned them!  Dexeres said nothing, and just unsummoned his Keyblade.  The others didn’t even know what to say!  Ava simply remained silent, for she didn’t need to say anything else!  One of the warriors, a young woman, stood up and placed her hand on her chest and bowed her head.

 

  “You, who have summoned us, I give you my strength, and I pledge to you my power, to aid you in your struggle!  I am Elina, and we are here to serve you till the very end!” she said.  Dexeres just walked towards her and placed his hand on her shoulder.  Apparently, Elina wasn’t expecting this, for she flinced when he touched her, and her composure seemed to give way to slight shyness.  She dared not look at Dexeres, and he could only feel pain and sadness for her.

 

  “She’s just a child…she’s…this is…” he thought to himself.  But no, he couldn’t hesítate now.  He had already summoned forth the army, so all he could do now was go with the flow and bring them over to the others, so that they’d have the upper hand against Jexana!  But still, he felt as though he needed to say something, anything, that would alleviate Elina’s spirit.  He then bowed on one knee, and then the others did the same.  The army of Keyblade Wielders were shocked by this, and they didn’t know what to say!  They were speechless!

 

  “All of you, who heeded my call…I deeply and sincerely thank you.  I could not be more grateful to have you all here!” Dexeres said, holding back tears that were forming in his eyes!  “Together, we will stop the darkness that’s threatening the peace of the worlds, and we will do right by everyone, and we’ll restore the worlds to order!  We’ll keep the darkness at bay, and we’ll triumph over evil!  My friends and I are honored to have you fight alongside us!  We are humbled by your presence!” Dexeres said with utmost sincerity!  Elina started to cry…and then all of the other Keyblade Wielders did as well.

 

  “Even though we’ve only known this tomb as our home, and we’ve never been able to live lives of our own, we’ve always awaited the day when we could be able to help those who want to save the world.  That’s our purpose…that’s why we were turned into dandelions…to serve as the light to restore the worlds…we don’t need your kindness…we don’t need your respect…and yet, you bow down to us like this…I…I don’t know what to say…” she stuttered a bit as she cried.  “Thank you, warrior, for your sincere words!” she said, as she bowed appreciatively!  Dexeres and the others then stood up, and then he looked at them all, and he had a determined look on their faces.

 

  “Brave warriors…rest assured, your light will not be used in vain!  We will repel the darkness, and we will be victorious!” Dexeres proclaimed!

 

  “We shall fight alongside each other, and we’ll face the enemy head on!” Gilgamesh said, his warrior pride getting to him!

 

  “And we’ll make sure that they regret ever messing with the order of things…they’ll regret ever wanting to bring the worlds into chaos!  We’ll make our voices heard!” Vanitas added, a fiery hiss in his voice apparent!

 

  “And we’ll see to it that all the sacrifices our fallen friends have made for us are not in vain.  We’ll keep our fighting spirit alive, burning in our hearts!  We won’t let anything split us apart, and we’ll surpass all odds!  We’ll bring hope back to the worlds, and we’ll take away all the sadness and despair!” Xion said with an admirably determined tone!  All the while, Ava remained floating in place, and she was impressed by how admirably they were speaking!

 

  “These wielders…they aren’t at all like us back then…maybe they are different.  Maybe, they can finally set things right, where we could not…” she whispered to herself.  “They’ve inspired the dandelions…they’ve given them even more willpower to fight….amazing!”

 

  “Now then, let’s go!” Dexeres said, and just then, a giant portal of light opened up!  They wondered where this portal had emanated from, when they noticed that it was Ava who had opened up the portal!  Xion went towards her and reached out to her!

 

  “Ava!” she shouted!  But Ava repelled Xion with a barrier of light, and then, before their very eyes, Ava’s full body spirit emerged from the orb!  She removed her cloak to reveal the face of a fair, red haired woman with sky blue eyes.  Her apperance somewhat resembled Kairi’s, but only because of the hair and eyes.  Ava smiled, a tear rolling down her cheek!

 

  “You’ve all given me hope…the hope that I needed to see with my very own eyes that could prove to me that there was still hope for the worlds!” she said happily!  “Now…I can finally depart this world and rest in peace, and join my brethren in the afterlife…dear wielders…thank you…” she said.  The others then understood.  Her heart had decided.  She wasn’t going to revert from her choice…she was going to sacrifice herself so that they would all make it out!  Dexeres bowed his head, and the others did as well.

 

  “Ava…may you rest in peace.” Dexeres said.  And so, they backed away and then went through the portal, and the army of Keyblade Wielders proceeded to do the same!  After everyone had gone through the portal, it began to close, and as it did, Ava slowly began to dissipate into nothingness. She had a smile on her face, though, and she seemed truly at peace.

 

  “Go on, children.  Go and bring hope back to the hopeless…be the light that shines the darkness…” she said, and with those final words, she departed into the afterlife, her orb now vanishing completely from existence!

(End Song Here)

 

  At that same moment, the portal opened on the other side, and Dexeres and his friends, along with the army of Keyblade Wielders, made their way out and found themselves at the shore, where they had come in the first place!  Everyone looked around, and everything was quite around them.  Dexeres, Xion and Vanitas then summoned their Keyblades and opened up another portal, one which would lead them towards Alaya’s temple!  Before stepping through the portal, Dexeres looked back at the army behind him.  They were all ready to follow him, and they were all determined, with fiery strength in their hearts, noticeable by the way their faces gleamed with a defiant hope!

 

  “Everyone, we’re going to go to our next destination.  It’s there that we’ll prepare ourselves for the inevitable fight against Jexana and her forces of darkness.  We won’t have too much time to rest, so I suggest you build up your strength as much as possible.  The battle to come is going to be a hard one indeed…” he stated.  Elina stepped forth and gave a nod of determination.

 

  “Don’t worry about us.  We’re with you, and your friends!  We’ll stay by your side, and we’ll be ready to weather any storm!  Trust in our ability to get things done!” she said, and all the other Keyblade Wielders nodded and cheered, supporting Elina’s words.  Dexeres smiled, and he said nothing.  Vanitas then walked towards the portal and glanced back at everyone.

 

                “So, what’s it gonna be?  You gonna come, or are you all planning on having a beach party?” Vanitas asked.  The others smiled and then walked through the portal, and before they knew it, they had already arrived at Alaya’s temple!  The army of Keyblade Wielders were amazed by how the temple looked like, and Alaya was standing just near the entrance!  She saw them arrive, and then she came outside to greet them all!

 

  “Ah, welcome, all of you!  You are all the army of which Dexeres spoke of, am I correct?” she asked.  They all nodded in confirmation.

 

  “Very well.  Know, brave warriors, that this temple will be your sanctuary, to prepare you all for the battle which is to come!  I welcome you all with open arms!  Now come inside!” she beckoned, and with that, everyone went inside!  Xion, Vanitas and Gilgamesh were heading inside as well, but Dexeres remained outside.  Vanitas noticed this, and then he stopped.  He then raised his arm and waved his hand at him!

 

  “Hey!  You coming?” he asked.  Dexeres shook his head.

 

  “I’ll be there in a minute!” he said.

 

  “Suit yourself!” Vanitas replied, as he walked inside the temple. After everyone went inside, Alaya walked down the set of stairs of the entrance and then walked towards Dexeres, who was a short distance away from the temple.

 

  “Well, it seems that you were able to locate and summon forth this army indeed.  They are impressive in number!  They will no doubt provide valuable assistance in our fight against Jexana!” she said with confidence.  But then she crossed her arms.  “A question though, if I may…they all look like children…why is this?” she asked.  Dexeres remained silent for a bit before responding, and then he told everything that Ava had told him!  With everything that he said, Alaya’s face showed a wide range of expressions, ranging from impressed to shocked to surprised!  After finishing his story, Alaya stroked her chin in thought.

 

  “Hmm, I see…so these dandelions…they have had a warped existence…it is tragic indeed.  And I see that you were able to communicate with Master Ava.  No doubt that was something marvelous for you to behold.” she said.  Dexeres nodded and looked at the sky.

 

  “Yeah…” was all he could say.  Alaya noticed how distressed he was, and then she put her hand on his shoulder.

 

  “Oh, I meant to tell you!  A few hours after you and the others had departed to find this tomb, I received a newcomer here in the temple.  She has been with us since then.  She has been most helpful to all of us.” she expressed. 

 

  “Ah…that’s good to hear.  I’m glad we’ve got another ally in the fold.” Dexeres said with a hollow tone.  He definitely seemed troubled.  Alaya smiled though, and she started to back away as she noticed the woman she was talking about walking towards them. 

 

  “Ah, here you are!  I will leave you to it, then!” she said.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Thank you, Alaya.” the woman replied.  Dexeres’ eyes opened wide in shock, and then he turned around in an instant!  The newcomer was Tsumugi!  He froze in place, and he didn’t know what to do or what to say!  Tsumugi gave a shy smile and looked down at the ground. 

 

  “Hey…” she said, almost in a whisper.  Dexeres stuttered for a bit before speaking.

 

  “H-hey…” he said, holding back tears!  Alaya smiled as she saw this, and then she went into the temple to leave them with some privacy.  Dexeres still felt a sense of disbelief!  Was this really Tsumugi standing before him?  Was this the woman that he loved?

 

  “Y-you’re free?  You were able to make it here and break free from Jexana’s control?” he asked, half shocked, half overjoyed!  Tsumugi nodded slowly.

 

  “Yes…although, her power still influences me somewhat…but yes, I have managed to free myself from almost all of her power.  I escaped the first chance I got, and I went to the Lanes Between.  I was lost…but thanks to Alaya, I was able to make it here.” she explaind.  “And I see that you got my message! You were able to get to the army before Jexana did.  I’m relieved!  I knew you would be able to accomplish this task!” she said, with a soothing and melodic voice!  Dexeres then couldn’t take it anymore, and then he broke into tears and pulled Tsumugi close to him, and then they embraced each other tightly!  Tsumugi soon began to cry as well, and the two of them held their embrace for quite some time!  After such a long time apart, here they were, finally together!

 

  “Tsumugi…I’ve missed you…I…I’ve been so lost without you!” he said as he cried!  She smiled and then pulled him in for a tender, loving kiss on the lips!  He kissed back with passion, and the two of them held each other there, and they didn’t care about anything else at the moment!  They then pulled away from each other, and held each other’s hands.

 

  “I’m so sorry…for everything…” she spoke.  Dexeres shook his head. 

 

  “No, please don’t apologize.  You were under the control of Jexana, you weren’t being yourself!  But here you are now, and at the very least, you’re almost completely freed from her hold!  You’re here with me now…you don’t have any reason to fear anymore!” he reassured, now with a serious, determined expression on his face.  Tsumugi smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek.

 

  “You don’t know how happy I feel right now…I can’t contain the emotion I’m feeling inside…Sedere.” she said.  Dexeres smiled.

 

  “My true name…well, I mean, at least what you called me.” he replied.  Tsumugi giggled softly.

 

  “Heh, other people would call you Redese.  I remember well.” she said as she put her hands behind her back.  Dexeres looked at her, and he still couldn’t believe that she was here!

 

  “After all this time…here we are…I never thought that I’d see you again…not after everything that happened…” he said, now looking down to the ground.  Tsumugi walked up to him and then lifted his head so he could meet her gaze.  Her eyes penetrated into his, and he felt much more calm, much more soothed!  He felt less heavy, he felt empowered!

 

  “Don’t linger on the past.  We went through much, yes, but the important thing is that we’re here now…life gave us another chance at coming to this world…we have to make the most of this opportunity that we’ve been given!” she stated.  Then, that’s when Dexeres got curious.

 

  “About that…I know that I’m a Nobody…but how did you return?” he asked.  Tsumugi then turned around and looked at the horizon.  The sun was starting to set, and the whole reach of the temple was bathed in a warm, orange glow!  She stood there silently for a bit, and she kept looking on to the horizon. 

 

  “I…I still don’t know how quite to describe it…but I remember when I died in your arms.  After that, all I could see was pitch black!  I was lost in darkness.  I didn’t fight it though, for I knew that this was the darkness that death brought!  So there I was, ready to accept my fate…and then, after who knows how long, I was suddenly brought back from that darkness!  When I opened my eyes, you weren’t anywhere to be seen!  The first thing I did was search for you!  I looked for you far and wide!  Days, weeks, I think it was months that I kept going on my trek.  But for everywhere that I went, everywhere that I asked, no one knew about your whereabouts…and I felt heartbroken.  I thought that maybe something had happened to your body, that the darkness had swallowed it whole!” she explained, putting her hand to her chest, clenching it slightly.  She stopped for a moment, and she swallowed the lump in her throat.  She looked like she was going to cry…she then turned around and looked at Dexeres in the eye.

 

  “But somehow, I could feel that you were still alive!  Something in my heart told me that you weren’t dead!  And with that feeling, I kept moving forward, and I kept searching for you!  Many years passed, and after wandering aimlessly for so long, I found myself in a world called Traverse Town!” she said, now looking up to the sky, losing herself in her memories.  “From what I gathered from the townspeople, this world was a refuge that would appear to those whose home worlds had been lost to the darkness!  Many other strangers also drifted to and from this world, and that’s when I had the hope of finding you!  And then, that’s when I met…her.” she said, but then she stopped for a moment.  She looked down to the ground, and just from her body language, Dexeres could tell that she felt ashamed.

 

  “I don’t know how I could’ve fallen for her spell…I don’t know how I could’ve been so stupid…” she whispered.  Dexeres shook his head and then put both of his hands on her shoulders, to comfort her.

 

  “Please, go on.” he said, urging her to keep telling her story!  She sighed and then nodded.

 

  “It was in one of the inns in the Second District that I met Jexana.  Back then, she was by her lonesome.  We had bumped into each other, and I don’t know why, but I had gotten the urge to talk to her…almost as if she had been a longtime friend that I hadn’t seen in forever!  It was then that we sat down and began to talk.  We told each other of our respective journeys, and how we ended up here. She told me that she had been looking for someone as well!  That she had been searching for a very long time, but had no luck finding the person she was looking for!  And in that sense, I felt a bond form between us.  I will say that her story definitely held true, because she really was looking for someone she had lost…and well, I decided to tag along with her.” she explained, now crossing her arms.

 

  “I see.  Did she have her powers back then?” Dexeres asked.  Tsumugi nodded in confirmation.

 

  “Yes, though at the time, I had no idea…but I remember that at one point, when we left Traverse Town, I could feel as if something was taking hold of my heart!  I didn’t know why I felt that way, but I figured that maybe I was just imagining things, so I ignored this feeling of dread I had on me…but little did I know that what I felt was Jexana’s handiwork…” she said, then looking to the horizon again, now feeling frustrated!

 

  “She took hold of your heart without you even knowing it…” Dexeres whispered.

 

  “Yes, Sedere…and ever since then, I’ve done unspeakable things!  I’ve done too many horrible things to count…commited so many atrocious sins…and the worst part of it all is that I was conscious of what I was doing!” she said, now breaking into tears!  “I had full awareness of what I was doing, and yet with all the struggling, with all the willpower I could muster, I couldn’t stop myself from doing what Jexana would tell me to do!  Sedere…I took people’s lives…I eliminated them from existence…I destroyed worlds…countless lives…that’s something that sticks with you, no matter how long time passes!  It becomes too much to bear!  I’m nothing but a monster!” she said, now covering her face with her hands and kneeling on the ground as she began to sob greatly!  Dexeres could feel the pain she was going through, and then he knelt beside her and held her tightly!  He embraced her in his arms, and he closed his eyes, softly caressing her head and kissing her forehead.

 

  “You aren’t a monster…you weren’t in control of your body…you were being used by someone who gets a sick and twisted sense of amusement out of controlling other people’s hearts!  You may have done all of those things, but you can’t blame yourself for them!  Especially since you fought so hard to resist her hold on you!” he said.  Tsumugi then looked up to him, tears rolling down.

 

  “That’s just the thing!  I fought so hard, and yet, my heart wasn’t strong enough to break free from her hold!  I was weak…and I still am!  Even now, I can feel her darkness still tugging at my heart!” she said with a scared expression on her face!  Dexeres then lifted her head so that her gaze would meet his, and he looked at her with a serious expression.

 

  “Then don’t bear this sorrow alone…let me bear it with you.  Let me help you shoulder the pain, the guilt…the suffering.  Let me help you make your burden easier on you.” he whispered to her.  She then opened her eyes wide.

 

  “But…even after everything I’ve done?  Even after I tried to kill you?” she asked in shock!  Dexeres nodded.

 

  “It doesn’t matter.  No matter how many things you’ve done, no matter how much guilt threatens to consume you, I want to be able to help you bear that hurt…if you’ll let me…” he said, as they gazed at each other and remained locked in each other’s eyes.

 

  “Sedere…I…” she tried to say, but words didn’t need to be spoken.  The two kissed each other lovingly and passionately, and all the years of agony and torment and suffering they had gone through seemed like they were swiped away completely!  They embraced each other tightly, and they felt each other’s heartbeats, strong and true!  They then pulled away, and Dexeres gave a smile.

 

  “So I take that as a yes?” he asked.  Tsumugi blushed slightly.

 

  “Y-yes…since you’re so willing…then I’ll let you help me carry my hurt…” she answered.  And so, the two of them went towards the temple, and they held each other’s hands as they did so.  They felt a renewed resolve about them, and they felt as if they had gained a new power!  A new commitment to seeing things through!  That thought carried on with them, and they now felt all the tension they had between them slip away.

 

  “She’s finally back…she’s here with me…” he thought to himself, as a tear rolled down his cheek!

(End Song Here)

---

 

  Meanwhile, Jexana was in her quarters, and she seemed quite pleased with herself!  She seemed to be looking over some battle plans to relay to the fleet, and for the past few hours, she had been by her lonesome!  It didn’t bother her though, for she was concentrated in her work.  A knock on her door eventually came, and then she looked up and waited for the person to knock again.  When the person knocked again, she looked back to her battle plans.

 

  “Come in!” she said.  A few seconds later, the door slowly creaked open, and Emmxett came inside, and then he closed the door behind him.  He had quite the concerned and grim look on his face.  Jexana noticed this, and so she put aside the battle plans and stood up and then walked towards him.

 

  “You seem to be troubled.  May I ask why?” she asked.  Emmxett remained silent for a bit before answering, but then he sighed, eager to get out with it.

 

  “Well…it’s this plan of yours.  I’m not so sure it’s a good idea.  I was against it from the very start, and yet you decided to go through with it, anyway!  I mean, what are you thinking!?  Tsumugi’s betrayed us, and thanks to her treason, she gave away the secret of the army we were trying to find! My scouts indicate that the Keyblade Wielders already have summoned this army!  That’s one advantage that slipped through our fingers!  And all because of that wretched girl!  What was your gain from this?” he asked, demanding to know an answer.  Jexana smirked and then put her hand on Emmxett’s shoulder.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Ah, my dear friend, you fail to recognize something vital!” she simply stated.  Emmxett was a bit confused, for he didn’t know what this vital thing was.

 

  “Um, beg pardon?” he asked.  Jexana then turned around and walked towards her desk, looking at her battle plans anew.  Her face indicated that she seemed to be very pleased and rather content with the way things were going!

 

  “You see, Emmxett, while it’s true that Tsumugi did betray us and managed to break free of my spell, that’s also an advantage to us…” she said.

 

  “And how is that an advantage?” he asked.  Jexana perked up and raised her finger.

 

  “Ah, glad that you asked that!” she said eagerly!  Emmxett was a little disturbed by how…unconcerned Jexana seemed to take this situation!  But, he remained silent and waited for her to explain things to him.

 

  “Well, you see, even though she’s broken free, a bit of my power still remains inside her, and as such, there’s certain moments where she can…lose control of herself and be able to cause quite the amount of chaos!” she explained.  Emmxett then began to understand where Jexana was going with this!

 

  “Ah, I see…destroying our enemies from within with a timebomb waiting to explode!” he remarked.  Jexana snapped her fingers.

 

  “Precisely!” she replied. 

 

  “Hmm…well, if that’s the plan, then it may work…but how do you know the little power you have left over her is enough?” he asked.  Jexana shrugged.

 

  “Well, that’s a bit of a problem.  Results can be unpredictable, but with things going the way they are now, unpredictability is our best factor…oh, and also, the soldiers told me that Sora and Riku managed to summon forth an army of Spirits from the Realm Of Sleep.” she said as she took to looking at her battle plans again.  Emmxett closed his eyes and sighed.

 

  “And that’s another problem…they’re starting to match up to us…this is starting to get slightly more complicated than I thought it would be.” he commented.  “And from what the scouts have told me, it seems as though Kairi is aiming to tide over Lilith Valkyrie and her Knights Of Yggdrasil to their side…” he said with a sigh.

 

  “Hmm, I still find it impressive how she managed to stop Lilith from destroying Arendelle.  How Kairi managed to persude Lilith and her army to back down, I don’t know…but that’s of no concern to us.” Jexana said, confident that the odds were in her favor!

 

  “Well, either way, things are about to get interesting.  With the way things are now, it’s only a matter of time before the final battle takes place…” Emmxett said, summoning his Kuzuri and then looking at it.

 

  “How right you are, Emmxett.  Almost all the pieces have finally gathered, and when they finally have, the worlds will know true darkness, despair and chaos!  And from the ashes of destruction, the unknown will rise, and we’ll be witness to a new age!  Where things will go differently…” she said, muttering those last words to herself.

 

  “Indeed.  I will be eager to cut down my enemies with Kuzuri, and I’ll make sure that my beloved blade feasts on the blood of all the enemies we shall lay waste to!” Emmxett said encouraginigly.  Then he noticed that Jexana seemed to be out of it, and then he walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

 

  “Hey…are you dealing okay?  With Ventus, I mean?” he asked.  Jexana suddenly snapped out of herself, and she stuttered a bit and looked away.

 

  “I’m…managing…” she answered quietly.  Emmxett then turned around and walked away, and then he opened the door.  Before he went outside, he glanced back at Jexana.  “You’ll be fine.  Be strong.” he said, as he then walked out the door and closed it when he left.

 

  “I know…” she answered quietly.  She then put her hand to her chest, and she felt her heart skip a few beats.  The pain of losing Ventus still stung her like nothing else would, and while the pain it caused was strong, her determination to get him back was much stronger, and she wasn’t going to give up on him yet!  If she she had been able to keep him with her all this time, she knew she could make it happen again!  Her eyes then flared with an unholy determination, and she smirked and shook her head.

 

  “Heh, you think you’ve won, Kyle…you think that Ventus is back to normal, and that he’ll stay with you and that stupid Trish…but you’ll see…all of you will see…that no one messes with me and lives to tell about it!” she said to herself, clenching her fists and feeling a powerful surge of energy sweep over her.  Then she heard a knock on the door.

 

  “Yes?” she asked aloud, and a soldier came in and saluted her.

 

  “The fleet is fully ready, ma’am!  We’re ready to begin the final phase of the operation.  The war has now entered its vital stage!” the soldier reported.  Jexana smirked and clasped her hands together.

 

  “Perfect…”

(End Song Here)

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

 

And so, Dexeres and friends have summoned forth the dandelions, and now, they have one more advantage against Jexana’s forces!  And with Sora and Riku having found the Spirits in the Realm Of Sleep, that only leaves Kairi to deal with Lilith Valkyrie.  Will she be able to convince her to join them?  Or will this be a futile effort?  The war is about to reach its final stage, and with things heating up, the Keyblade Wielders will need all the help they can get!  Stay tuned for Chapter Thirty Eight: “Valkyrie.”

 

Well everyone, that was the chapter!  I hope that you all found it to your enjoyment!  My deepest apologies for taking so long to post it, but I’ve been so busy as of late, and I’ve been working on my Youtube Channel, making drawings for my drawing thread, and keeping up with TV shows, anime and KH news!  But even though the wait was long, I hope this chapter was worth it for all of you!  Well then, as always, thank you very much for your patience and support, and please be sure to comment on what you thought of tonight’s chapter!  Well then, until next time, stay tuned for the next one!

Oh man, the dandelions from X Chi, great. Jexana, I know you're evil and all, but you know that you'll fail in the end, just to let you know.

Clearly, you timed this perfectly with the new HD2.8 trailer and took some aspects from it. Nice job.

 

How fascinating the Dandelions. I assume Ellina was the girl you saw in the trailer and believe is her name. I wouldn't be surprised if you are right. Jexana, you assume that Ventus will return to you and Tsumugi is a time bomb. That kind of arrogance will cost you.

 

Keep up the good work.

MASTER AVA AND THE DANDELIONS FROM X (CHI)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  :biggrin:  :biggrin:  :biggrin:  :biggrin:

 

I love Master Ava! I'm actually in the Vulpes Union in Unchained X.  :smile:

 

Oh, and Jexanna? YOU WILL LOSE!!!

Edited June 12, 20169 yr by Keyblade101

To KHLegendIII, indeed, the dandelions made their way into this story!  Haha, and well, we'll see what happens with Jexana soon enough!

 

To KingdomHearts3, lol, yeah, the funniest thing about this is that the elements in my chapter matched up pretty well with the content of the 2.8 trailer! And actually, Elina was just a random name I picked, not because of one of the characters in the trailer I saw, ya know?  And yeah, Jexana's pretty arrogant, huh?  And thanks, I'm glad you liked the chapter!

 

To Keyblade101, haha, indeed, they are here!!!  Oh, so you're in Vulpes, huh?  I'm in Unicornis! Lol, and everyone seems to hate Jexana so much, huh?

 

Hey there everyone, how’s it going!?  I hope that you’re all doing okay!  So then, here’s another chapter of my story!  For this chapter, we’ll see if Kairi can be able to convince Lilith Valkyrie, commander of the Knights Of Ygdrassil to join forces with them to stop Jexana’s forces from brining further destruction upon the worlds!  Can she be able to convince Lilith?  Or will there be a struggle?  Find out, my loyal followers, as the chapter unfolds before you!  Enjoy!

 

Chapter Thirty Eight: Valkyrie

 

  With Sora and Riku having gone to the Realm Of Sleep and Dexeres and the others to the tomb that housed the dandelions, Kairi was left to go seek Lilith Valkyrie, to see if she could convince her to join their side and put a stop to Jexana once and for all!  She had managed to convince her to stop her invasion of Arendelle, and if anything, that showed Kairi that Lilith was willing to listen to reason!  And so Kairi left on this perilous journey, alongside Dawn and Ethan, who wished to accompany her!  Kairi made no complaint, and allowed them to tag along!  They had already entered through a portal to go seek Lilith and her Knights Of Ygdrassil, but the thing that would prove difficiult would be to actually locate them!  They were moving from world to world, so it was difficult to pinpoint their exact location!  It had already been quite some time since Kairi, Dawn and Ethan had left Alaya’s temple, and the fact that they still hadn’t found any trace of Lilith or her troops stressed them out quite a bit!

 

  “This is proving to be troublesome…no signs of them yet…” Ethan commented, as they went through the other side of the portal and arrived at what seemed to be some industrial site!

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Where could they possibly be?” Dawn asked, as she looked around at the iron walls and constructions that were here and there.  The air was thick with smoke and the scorching smell of burnt ash!  Kairi was looking around, and she was cautious about where she stepped!  She glanced back at the others and signaled them with her hand.

 

  “We have to be careful…we don’t know where we are right now…so we have to keep our eyes open…something about this place doesn’t sit well with me…” Kairi mentioned, as she stepped over a small crack that was on the ground.  Dawn and Ethan followed quietly, and they traversed the industrial site for quite a bit.  It wasn’t until a few minutes later that they came upon what seemed to be a platform!  It was quite a considerably big platform, possibly an overlook, as it gave a clear view of the land before them!  But what lay beyond was a dark precipice, along with dark mountains…it wasn’t a pretty picture at all…

 

  “What sort of world do you suppose we ended up on?” Ethan asked, seriously starting to wonder just where the heck were they!

 

  “I’m not sure…but I can feel a presence here…though I can’t tell if it’s friendly or unfriendly…” Kairi answered.

 

  “Well, if the portal led us here, it must have been for a reason!  Maybe Lilith and her troops are here?” Dawn suggested.  Kairi shook her head.

 

  “No, that’s not right.  They may travel world to world, but I seriously doubt they’d take to this place as their headquarters…they seem more of the kind of people that would have a fortress of some sort…”  Kairi explained.  Dawn and Ethan agreed with Kairi’s words, as they were reasonable.

 

 

  Seeing as though they had nothing more to do in the platform they were in, they decided to head elsewhere.  They noticed a steep hill that led downwards, and there seemed to be something at the bottom!  The three Keyblade Wielders went down this steep hill to investigate, and when they reached the bottom, they saw what appeared to be an abandoned village!  And it looked like it had been abandoned for quite some time!  The houses were in decay, and some of them were outright destroyed! Rubble and debris lay everywhere, and there were some unstable structures looming here and there.  It unsettled the Keyblade Wielders, and even though they had a bad feeling about this, they went through the abandoned village, very cautiously.

 

  “I wonder what happened to this village?” Dawn asked, as she felt a tinge of sadness, seeing all these homes destroyed.  She wondered about all the people that might have lived here once.

 

  “We might not want to focus on that right now…” Ethan remarked.  Dawn looked at him quizzically.

 

  “What do you mean?” she asked.  Ethan then pointed towards the horizon, and in small clearing, around some debris, there seemed to be something moving!  Immediately, the Keyblade Wielders summoned forth their Keyblades and then they quickly hid!  They stealthily moved among the rubble, making sure not to catch any attention from anything that might be nearby!  As they got closer to the clearing, they noticed the thing that was moving!  It was an Unborn!  And it seemed to be quite a rare specimen, too!  It looked like a humanoid, but it had elongated arms with bestially clawed hands and small legs!  It had blazing red eyes, and the center of its body looked as though it was composed of some toxic material!  The Keyblade Wielders looked at each other uneasily, and they silently debated over what they should do.  Not knowing what would happen if this Unborn were to be provoked, Ethan threw a rock at the far side of the clearing, to see if it could get the Unborn’s attention!  When he flung the rock, it hit a small garbage can, and the Unborn quickly perked itself up and remained still, almost as if listening for anything else that might be in the surrounding vicinity!

 

  “We’ve never fought an Unborn like that, right?” Dawn asked in a whisper.  The other two shook their heads.

 

  “No…which is why we have to see what this thing can do.” Kairi answered in a whisper.  They then looked at the Unborn, and then, it braced itself on the ground, and from the center of its body, it spewed out a deadly toxic ray that vaporized the garbage can into nothingness!  Just like that!  The Keyblade Wielders now knew that this wasn’t any ordinary Unborn!  This was one of the tough ones!  Not satisfied with having vaporized the garbage can, the Unborn went towards the site to check and see if there was something else there…something else it could destroy!

 

  “Could this thing have been living here for a long time?” Dawn asked.

 

  “Maybe.  If anything, I think that this Unborn might have been born in this area and been exposed to all that toxic air from the industrial site above…it probably fed off of the toxic waste, which is why it spews out that toxic material…” Ethan deduced.

 

  “So, what do we do?  Do we fight it?” Dawn asked.  Kairi shook her head.

 

  “Not just yet…come on, let’s go!” Kairi said, as she pointed out a small path that veered off from the village.  They followed her into the path, and they quietly walked along it.  When they were far away enough from the village, they began walking normally again, and they unsummoned their Keyblades.

 

  “I wonder what this world is?” Dawn asked.  “It’s in quite a sad state…” she lamented.

 

  “An effect no doubt probably caused by this Keyblade War…” Ethan remarked.

 

  “There’s no doubt about it.  This war is seriously taking its toll, and it’s gone to the point where worlds such as these are now void of any life!  We haven’t come upon a single person here since we arrived!  All that we see here is fire and destruction!  It’s not right…” Kairi said, as she clenched her fists.

 

  “Indeed…which is why we have to make haste!  We have to ensure that no other worlds share this world’s fate!  We need to keep moving forward!” Dawn said.  The others nodded.

 

  “That’s right.  Now we just have to quicken up our pace and see if we can find Lilith as quickly as possible!  Our friends and the worlds are counting on us, and we can’t afford to slow down!” Kairi declared.  “Now come on, let’s get to it!” she said, and so, they kept walking along the path.

 

  After many long minutes, they saw that the path started to curve to the left a little, and it seemed to lead towards a mountainside!  As they kept walking, they noticed that the path did indeed lead toward a mountain!  And it was quite a big mountain at that!  It wasn’t one of the ones that they saw from the platform.  No, this one was located apart from the others.  They saw the path expand, and then they reached what seemed to be a camping site!  They stopped for a moment, for they seemed to have heard something coming from further up ahead!  Kairi signaled Dawn and Ethan, and the two remained still.  Then, Kairi quickly motioned her hand, signaling for them to hide!  And so, hide they did!  They rushed towards a considerably big boulder, and they hid there!

 

  “What is it?” Dawn asked.

 

  “It could be Unborn, or Heartless!” Ethan guessed.  Kairi shook her head.

 

  “No…it’s people…but I get the feeling they aren’t friendly people…” she said, and with that, they cautiously peeked their heads above the boulder, while making sure they’d stay as hidden as possible!  After a few seconds, they saw a few people walking near the tents placed around the camping site!  They were soldiers, from the looks of it, but they didn’t look like Lilith’s troops.  No, these looked like Jexana’s!  They kept watching, keeping their eyes open to see if more soldiers were around!  Eventually, a few dozen soldiers appeared, and they all gathered together.

 

  “So then, have you all surveyed the area?” one of the soldiers asked.  This one seemed to be the commander, judging from his armor and from the way he spoke.  One of the other soldiers nodded.

 

  “Yes sir, we scouted this desolate place!  There’s no one here! It looks like our friends already took care of this place.” the soldier replied as he saluted.  The commander stroked his chin.

 

  “Hmm, I see.  Well then, good job, men!  We’ve already been here for quite some time, so now it’s time that we head back to Jexana and the fleet!” the commander said.  The other soldiers nodded, but then, all of a sudden, and arrow flew through the hot winds and landed on one of the soldiers, causing said soldier to fall to the ground, dead!  The others panicked, and they immediately drew their weapons and raised their shields!  The bowmen and mages were ready as well!  The commander unsheathed his longsword, and then he looked around, trying to pinpoint where the arrow came from!

 

  “Who’s there!?  Show yourselves!  Don’t you dare be cowards and come face us!” the commander shouted!  Silence followed afterwards.  The commander’s men started to grow uneasy, and just before the commander was going to repeat his words, another arrow flew towards one of the soldiers, thus making another one fall!  The others began to panic, and they looked around restlessly, trying to find out who was firing at them!

 

  “Come out, I said!  Don’t you dare hide!” the commander challenged again.  That’s when a young looking man, with messy brown hair and hazel eyes, darted through one of the tents and then pointed his spear at the commander!

 

  “Who said anything about hiding?” the young man asked, quite cocky, as it were!  The other soldiers panicked and attempted to kill the young man, but they were met with a volley of arrows!  Most of the soldiers fell dead to the ground, while the remaining ones tried to take cover to see if they could counterattack!  The young man had the commander in his grip though, and he was more than happy to remain there!  After the volley of arrows ceased, the young man pecked his spear at the commander’s neck.

 

  “Ah, you seem to be a reasonable fellow.  How about you and I talk things out?  I mean, there’s no need for violence, am I right?” he asked.  The remaining soldiers were about to attempt to kill the young man, but the commander raised his hand and shook his head.

 

  “Hold, men!” the commander shouted!  The soldiers then stood down reluctantly, and the young man was rather pleased.

 

  “Ah, there we go!  I knew you were a reasonable man!  So then, let’s talk, you and I.” the young man said, as he sat on the ground and crossed his legs.  His strange behavior puzzled the commander, for the man obviously had some great potential as a warrior, but his personality was off!

 

  “And what exactly is it that you want to talk about?” the commander asked, rather irritated! “Also, you say there’s no need for violence, and yet you’ve killed most of my men!  You’re quite the contradictory man, aren’t you?” the commander asked through gritted teeth.  At that, the young man was not ready to respond, and he smiled and pointed his finger at the commander.

 

  “Ah, you’re a clever man!  True, what I said was contradictory…but I just wanted to make a point.  Anyways, as for what I wanted to talk about…it’s about what you did with some friends of mine…” the young man said, his voice now growing serious.  The commander scoffed.

 

  “Ha, you mean those morons who squealed for their lives as we murdered them?  Ha, don’t make me laugh!  They’re supposed to be warriors like yourself?  How laugable!” the commander mocked, obviously giving his answer.  At that, the young man drew a small knife and chopped off the commander’s right hand, to which the commander responded accordingly with a painful scream!  Kairi, Dawn and Ethan were shocked at what was happening!  Just who was this man?

 

  “Gahhh, how dare you!?!?” the commander bellowed!

 

  “Heh, how dare I?  How dare I!?” the young man exclaimed, as his voice grew even more serious and his face changed expression drastically!  He then grabbed the commander by his collar and pulled him up so they would look at each other face to face!

 

  “Those ‘squealing’ morons were friends of mine!  Very dear friends, as a matter of fact!  And the fact that you got rid of them makes you a target of mine!  You’ve just guaranteed your death sentence, my friend!” the young man stated, as he then drew his knife closely to the commander’s neck! “You picked the wrong people to cross…” the man stated.  At that, the commander laughed weakly.

 

  “Ha, you think you’re so bold, but you’re still too young, kid!  You’ve got nothing, you are nothing!  You claim to be a Knight of Ygdrassil, but all you are is a fool and a moron!  You will all die painful deaths at the hands of Jexana and her fleet!” the commander spoke, with a grin on his face!  The young man was furious at this point, and then he flipped his knife over and bashed the commander’s face with the hilt, hitting him repeatedly!

 

  “That’s…what you get…when you piss…me…off!” the young man said, as he repeatedly bashed on the commander’s face, until his face swelled up!  “Well, it looks like talking things out seems rather dumb at this point…” he said.  The commander then spat his face, and he laughed fullheartedly, despite the excrutiating pain he was going through at the moment!  The young man wiped off the spit from his face, and he chuckled a bit to himself. 

 

  “Ah, so that’s how you want to play, eh?  Alright, fine!” the young man replied, as he then flipped his knife back, and then he stabbed the commander’s head, instantly killing him!  And there he was, dead on the floor!  The other soldiers panicked at the sight, and in blind panic, they were going to try to attack the young man, but then one more volley of arrows came, and the soldiers were history!  The young man withdrew his knife from the commander’s head, and then he sighed, looking up at the clouded sky.  He then looked towards the boulder where Kairi, Dawn and Ethan were hiding!

 

  “I know you’re there…whoever you are.  Come on out!” the young man said.  Kairi, Dawn and Ethan remained quite, hoping that the young man was just talking to another soldier that probably was still alive.

 

  “They’re Knights Of Ygdrassil…” Dawn whispered. Then she felt something behind her, and when she turned around, she saw an arrow that was pointed directly at her!  A tall, hooded man stood before the three, and he had his bow at the ready!

 

  “Get up…” the tall man growled.  And so, the three Keyblade Wielders did as they were told, and they stood up.  The young man then walked over to his tall friend and put his arm on his shoulder.

 

  “Ah, you found these guys, Kaen?  Good job!  I knew those Ronso instincts of yours would never fail!  You never cease to amaze me!” the young man said, quite cheerfully!  He then looked at the Keyblade Wielders, and he bowed in greeting.

 

  “Forgive the uh…hostile greeting, but it’s a greeting nonetheless.  I’m Kasai, and this is my Ronso brother Kaen! We’re Knights of Ygdrassil!  Oh, you’re probably wondering about Kaen.  He’s been my brother since childhood.  Sure, I’m a human and he’s a Ronso, but races don’t matter.  We’ve been together since we were kids, so yeah, we’re brothers.  In case you were wondering about it.” Kasai said. The Keyblade Wielders were a little lost for words.  Was Kasai being friendly, or was he just playing with them?  The Ronso Kaen took off his hood, and his appearance brought to mind a face of a tiger or a lion.  His fur was blue, and he had a silvery mane.  The hood he had was colored green, and he had golden armor underneath his green cloak.  Kasai, on the other hand, had golden armor with some red details here and there.  The armor looked light, and it suited Kasai appropriately.

 

  “So, who are you three?” Kasai asked. 

 

  “I’m Kairi…and these are my friends Dawn and Ethan…” Kairi said cautiously.  Kasai then snapped his fingers.

 

  “Ah, that’s right!  I know who you are!  You’re that Princess Of Heart!  You’re the one who talked to our boss!  I don’t know how you did it, but you talked her out of invading Arendelle!  Quite impressive, if you ask me!  I mean, once she starts something, she never stops.  Heh, she must’ve seen something special in you.” Kasai commented. 

 

  “Um, not to be rude, but, what exactly are you trying to do here?” Dawn asked, cautious of how Kasai behaved.

 

  “What am I trying to do here?  Hmm, well, you don’t seem like you’re with these morons who killed off my friends…so I don’t think you’re an enemy of ours…I guess I’m trying to debate on whether or not I should kill you…” Kasai contemplated.  “Ey, Kaen, what do you think?  Should we kill them?” he asked.  The Ronso rolled his eyes.

 

  “You always want to kill…” he responded.  Kasai laughed.

 

  “Aw, come on, I’m just teasing!” Kasai laughed.  He glanced at the Keyblade Wielders and noticed their discomforted expressions.  He then crossed his arms.  “Anyways, teasing aside, I bet you’re looking for our leader, aren’t you?” he asked.  At that, Kairi softened up a bit, and she stepped forward and nodded.

 

  “Yes, if it were possible, we would appreciate it if you would take us to her!” she politely stated.  Kasai and Kaen glanced at each other momentarily and then nodded.

(End Song Here)

 

  “Okay then princess, since you’re so polite, I’ll let you and your friends come to see Lilith.  But…just make sure not to get carried away and think you’re absolutely welcome.  You see…the thing about us is, well, not all Knights Of Ygdrassil are as social as Kaen and I, so yeah, keep that in mind!” Kasai said casually.  Ethan and Dawn weren’t so sure about this, but Kairi was already walking ahead of them, following Kasai and Kaen to where the soldiers had been killed!  Their bodies had already dissipated into orbs of light and vanished up towards the sky!  At Kasai’s gesture, Kaen put forth both of his hands and summoned a portal of light.

 

  “So, this leads to your base, then?” Kairi asked.

 

  “Actually, a fortress.  But yeah, you get the idea!” Kasai answered.  “Well, come on, let’s go already!” he said cheerfully, and with that, he and Kaen and the Keyblade Wielders stepped through the portal, making their way out of the desolate world they had been in just moments ago!

 

  With Kasai and Kaen being in the front, the Keyblade Wielders were behind them, and Ethan and Dawn were looking at the two Knights Of Ygdrassil with great unease!  Ethan leaned forward to Kairi’s ear while keeping his eyes on the two strangers.

 

  “If something goes wrong, we have to be ready for anything. You heard what Kasai said…these knights aren’t to be taken lightly…” Ethan whispered as a word of caution and advice. 

 

  “We’ll be ready for anything, should they be leading us to a trap…” Dawn commented in a hushed tone.  Kairi looked at the two of them and smiled.

 

  “Don’t worry guys, we don’t have to worry about a thing!  Trust me, I’m sure that this will all turn out okay.  I know that I’ll be able to convince Lilith to join us, I just know it!” Kairi reassured.  Ethan and Dawn weren’t so sure, but if Kairi was certain, then all they could do is have faith that their friend was correct about her assumption!

 

(Start Song Here)

  “We’re here…” Kaen notified, as the portal opened on the other end.  When they stepped through, the Keyblade Wielders noticed that the Knights Of Ygdrassil were indeed based upon quite an impressive looking fortress! It glistened a bright gold, such as the sun that was setting on the mountains behind said fortress!  The fortress expanded upon quite a large amount of land, and then the Keyblade Wielders took notice that the land itself was actually not quite as splendorful as the fortress.  In fact, the land seemed to be in a state of decay…

 

  “Don’t mind the gloomy surroundings, it’s all a work in progress!” Kasai mentioned, noticing the Keyblade Wielders looking at the surrounding area.

 

  “Come…” Kaen said.  And so, the Keyblade Wielders followed Kasai and Kaen through a cobbled stone path that led towards the fortress!  But right now, the entrance was inaccesible, because the only point of entry was a drawbridge!  Kaen shot out a beam of light from his hand, and within a few seconds, the drawbridge started to lower!  When it lowered completely, they all went inside.  Once inside, the drawbridge was raised up again!  Kairi took notice of the ones who had been manning the drawbridge!  They looked like serpents!  Serpents with a humanoid body!  She found this curious.  Then she looked in front of her, where a giant courtyard stood before her and her friends!  There were many supply shops here and there, and there were people of different kinds!  There were people of different species as well!  Some looked like aquatic humanoid life forms, while others resembled feral animals!  There were humans as well, but then Kairi noticed something.  She noticed that the Knights Of Ygdrassil weren’t just human.  These warriors were from all kinds and breeds!  It was something that struck her as interesting!  It impressed her that Lilith could be able to unite so many different species together!

 

  “Hey, keep up, unless you want to be left behind!” Kasai shouted.  Kairi snapped back to reality, and she noticed that she was lagging behind everyone else!  She quickly caught up to them and walked beside Ethan and Dawn.

 

  “This place…it’s amazing!” Kairi said.

 

  “Yeah…but we’re getting our fair share of stray stares…” Ethan whispered, as he discretely pointed at some of the warriors who were staring at them with not so friendly expressions on their faces!  But the Keyblade Wielders remained calm and kept walking.

 

  “Let’s make sure to stick together…” Dawn whispered.  They nodded in unison.

 

  “Agreed.” they said.

 

  And so, as they kept walking, Kairi noticed how this fortress kept expanding!  Not only was it a fortification for soldiers, but there were also settlements!  And she could even notice simple, hardworking people going about their business!  Even with how the surrounding area fell to decay, these people seemed to not mind that fact one bit!  She also noticed that there were many sections dividing the fortress.  No doubt as a counter defense should enemies invade the walls.  There were also about seven or eight lookout towers scattered throughout the whole fortress!  Some of them were small, and others were quite tall!  Then, as they kept walking, they came upon a certain sector of the fortress that wasn’t in quite a stable condition.  They stopped for a moment, for Kasai and Kaen had stopped in front of them.

 

  “Whoa…what happened here?” Dawn asked, looking at the wreckage and debris scattered around!

 

  “Attacked a few months ago…we were unprepared…” Kaen answered.

 

  “You mean to say that this wreckage was product of an ambush?” Ethan asked.  The Ronso nodded.

 

  “Yes…during that time, heavey losses we suffered.” he replied.

 

  “I’m sorry to hear that…” Kairi said.  Kaen remaine silent and simply turned around and looked at the wreckage.  Kasai, meanwhile, seemed to be looking attentively at something!

 

  “Uh…what are you looking at?” Dawn asked.  Kasai raised his hand and gestured to wait.  He then smiled and turned around. 

 

  “Well, Lilith will be with you in just a few moments!  Good luck with whatever you want to talk to her about!  Let’s hope she doesn’t decide to kill you!” he said as he nudged Ethan’s shoulder.  Ethan had a cold face that made Kasai chuckle a bit uneasily.  “Just kidding, of course.  Or maybe I’m not!  Heh, come on Kaen, let’s go!” Kasai said.

 

  “What about report?” the Ronso asked.

 

  “We can worry about that later. Let’s go!” Kasai asked.  The Ronso nodded, and the two of them left the Keyblade Wielders to their lonesome.

 

  “Those two are a strange lot…they seem to be friendly, but at the same time, they feel so hostile…” Dawn said as she looked at them walk away.

 

  “Well, at least we were able to come here without any problems.  Let’s just hope that talking with Lilith will prove just as peaceful…” Ethan commented.

 

  “It will be.  Trust me, we’ve got nothing to worry about!  Let’s just wait for her to come to us, okay?” Kairi said, trying to calm her two friends down.  Ethan looked past Kairi’s shoulder and then crossed his arms.

 

  “Well, looks like she’s here.” Ethan remarked.

 

  As Kairi turned around, she noticed that Lilith indeed was coming their way!  She was in her battle armor, as Kairi had seen her in Arendelle, but said armor was covered to the brim with grease and dirt and dust.  She looked at Kairi and then, as she approached them, she stopped near a pillar and leaned her back against it.  She smirked and looked at the Keyblade Wielders before saying anything.

 

  “Heh, well if it isn’t the ever mighty Princess Of Heart! Welcome to my humble abode!” she said as she bowed mockingly.  “I’m wondering why you’re even here.  I expected that our encounter in Arendelle would be our last!  It seems I was mistaken.” she said, as she put her hand on her head and put her hair to her left side.

 

  “Lilith…I come here with heart in hand to ask you a favor…” Kairi started, but was then interrupted by Lilith, who started to laugh!

 

  “Ha, the great Kairi needs a favor from me!?  Well, isn’t that just something!  And why would I do a favor for you?  Considering that I left what could have been my most treasured spoils of war in Arendelle, you’ve got some serious audacity to come here to ask me a favor!  What nerve!” Lilith exclaimed, while also smirking.  She couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of how things worked!

 

  “This is something of utmost importance, lady, I’d appreciate it if you would listen…” Ethan said with a serious tone.  At that, Lilith walked towards Ethan and looked at him square in the face!  The two held each other’s gaze, and she scoffed.

 

  “As if you know what’s of importance…unless you’re blind, you’ll notice that I’m trying to help my men fix this part of my fortress!  I have to maintain this place in check, so I think that counts as something more important!” Lilith enunciated.

 

  “Lilith…this concerns your fortress very much…if you don’t do this favor for me, this whole place could blow up in your face!” Kairi proclaimed, trying to make a point!  Lilith said nothing for a moment, and then she sighed and looked up at the sky, and then she stared at Kairi with quite a displeased look on her face.

 

  “Look princess, I already told you in Arendelle, everything that my knights and I do is for glory and for the restoration of our home!  I made that very clear!  This war that’s engulfing the worlds is definitely something drastic, that much I know.  I’ve seen war, and I’ve experienced it!  Which is why I would take with invading other worlds, so that we could gather resources that would help us restore our home to its former glory.  Because if you haven’t noticed, even though this fortress is well supplied, the rest of the world outside is in decay!  My idiot father left things this way when he ruled over this world, and now I’m here cleaning up his damned mess!  So forgive me if I try to deny you a favor!” Lilith explained, now quite furious!  It was apparent that she was a very short tempered woman, but both Ethan and Dawn could notice how passionate she was about protecting her home and trying to restore her world.  That was a side of her they didn’t know existed, considering they didn’t know her at all!

 

  “Lilith, please…I beg of you, just listen to me!  After I’m done talking, then you can deny my plea, but just listen for a moment!” Kairi begged, being considerably patient with Lilith’s temper!

 

  “I already know what you’re going to ask.  You’re going to ask me and my men to join you in fighting this Keyblade War.  I already knew that you would be coming here to ask that the moment I saw you here…” she growled.  Kairi remained straight faced, though, as she was unwavering in her determination to convince Lilith to join them!

 

  “Then if you know why I’ve come here, won’t you consider joining us?  Can’t you think about it at least a bit?” she asked.  Lilith shook her head and put her right hand on her hip.  Kairi could tell that Lilith was irritated, but still, she stood her ground, and she was unwilling to take no for an answer!

 

  “Look princess, I like you!  You’ve got guts!  You’re not like any other princess I’ve ever encountered, and you got the guts to do anything to save the worlds.  I applaud and respect you for that, truly I do.” she commented, her face softening up a bit before turning back into an irritated expression.  “But your guts won’t work this time!  I don’t care about what happens to the other worlds!  In fact, once they’re destroyed, there’s nothing that’ll stand between me and my Knights!  We’ll be able to invade and conquer all worlds, and we’ll have an infinite amount of resources to rebuild or world!  So I say that this war is actually doing me a favor!” she expressed.  Ethan gritted his teeth, and Dawn bit her lower lip.  Talking things out didn’t seem to be working at all…

 

  “But Lilith, you don’t understand…this war will take a major toll on all worlds…there won’t be anything left for you and your knights to conquer…because everything will be destroyed!  Can’t you see? Even this fortress will fall!” Kairi exclaimed!  At that, Lilith stepped forward, fury now readily apparent in her face, and she held Kairi by her collar, and she held her tightly!  She even slightly raised her from the ground a bit!  Ethan and Dawn summoned their Keyblades, but Kairi quickly exclaimed for them to not do so.  Reluctantly, they unsummoned their Keyblades.

 

  “You may come here and talk all you want, princess.  But my home will not fall!  Don’t you dare make the mistake of underestimating my home!  Our world may be in decay, but if there’s anything the Knights Of Ygdrassil are recognized for, it’s our will to survive!  We’ve fared against horrible wars and storms…we’ll be able to weather this one…” Lilith said as she growled.  “Now get out before I kill you myself!” she said as she put Kairi down and pushed her back!  Kairi almost fell on her back, but Ethan and Dawn quickly caught her!  Kairi then stood up, straigthened herself up and walked towards Lilith!

 

  “Kairi, what are you doing!?” Dawn asked!

 

  “Please, Lilith, I’m begging you!” Kairi pleaded!  At that, Lilith clenched her fists and then turned around.

 

  “What part of no don’t you understand!?” Lilith exclaimed angrily!  She was about to punch Kairi, when Kasai came in between them and received the punch!  He fell to the ground and flinched in pain!

 

  “Ow!!!  And here I am, always trying to avoid getting punched by you, and look what happens!” Kasai mentioned, as he rubbed his cheek.  Lilith was flabbergasted, and she rolled he reyes and then slapped Kasai right where she had punched him!  That made him shout in pain!

 

  “That’s what you get for meddling in affairs that have nothing to do with you!” Lilith huffed.  Kasai chuckled nervously and rubbed his cheek, which was now getting swollen! 

 

  “I’m so sorry, Kasai!” Kairi said as she bowed apologetically.  Kasai waved his hands dismissively and gave a thumbs up. 

 

  “Nah, don’t apologize.  You didn’t do anything wrong!” he said, and then he turned to Lilith.  “Look boss, I know you don’t want to join the Keyblade Wielders in their fight…but, I do have to admit, helping them will work in our benefit!” he said, trying to smooth things out with Lilith.  Kaen was behind Ethan and then brushed past him, making his way to Kasai’s side.  Lilith crossed her arms.

 

  “What, now you two are considering joining her?” she asked angrily.

 

  “Knights Of Ygdrassil alone, powerful.  Joining with Keyblade Wielders…even more powerful. Strength with friends…” Kaen replied as he nodded.  Lilith rolled her eyes and put her hand on her face.

 

  “Seriously…alright look.  I’ll think about it.” was all she said.  It was enough to make Kairi smile, and Ethan and Dawn were quite impressed by how all of this turned out!

 

  “Thank you for your consideration!” Kairi said as she bowed appreciatively.  Lilith then looked to the horizon, towards the mountains.

 

  “It’s getting late…you’ll stay here for the night.  Since Kasai and Kaen were so kind as to persuade me into thinking about doing your little favor, you’ll have the honor of staying with them!” she said mockingly, as she then took her leave and kept working with the other men.  Kasai laughed nervously as he waved goodbye to Lilith, and Kaen simply shook his head and crossed his arms.

(End Song Here)

 

  “Thank you for this.  We appreciate you talking to Lilith about joining us.” Ethan said.

 

  “Hey, no sweat!  I mean sure, I got whalloped in the face two times, but hey, you guys seem friendly and have good intentions, so I figured that Kaen and I would try to help you!” Kasai replied.  Kairi smiled.

 

  “Thank you.  Both of you!” Kairi said, and the two brothers nodded.

 

  “Getting dark.  Follow us…” the Ronso said, as he and Kasai walked ahead to their home!  Kairi, Ethan and Dawn followed, while trying not to look at any of the knights that were walking around. They felt that al leyes were on them, so they did their best to not look in any direction!  Dawn walked up to Kairi and smiled.

 

  “Well, it looks like we may have more allies to count on!  I’m sure that Lilith will probably be considering to join us, so I say that things are progressing smoothly!” she said. 

 

  “At the very least, things didn’t have to end up in a fight…it would’ve gotten rather messy if we had declared war against these people.  They all look ferociously strong, and just from the stares the other knights give us, I just know they aren’t the friendliest people…” Ethan remarked.

 

  “The important thing is that we’re getting things done!” Kairi replied.  The three nodded.

 

  After a few minutes passed, they finally arrived at Kasai and Kaen’s home.  It was a small, concrete house, but it looked quite comfortable!  It was colored gray, and it had a tiled roof.  There were about six windows that ran along the house, and the doorway was quite large.  Most probably to be able to accomodate Kaen, who was quite tall!  Kasai bowed mockingly and waved his hands at the door.

 

  “I present to you, my friends, our humble home!” he said, aiming to impress!  Kairi and Dawn giggled, but Ethan just kept a straight face.  Kaen was also straight faced, and he rolled his eyes at Kasai’s silly attitude.  Kaen proceeded to open the door, and when they went in, the Keyblade Wielders noticed that the inside of the house was well organized.  The living room was on the right, with three couches and a large, green mat on the floor!  To the left, there was a ladder that led up to what were probably the sleeping quarters!  Beyond the living room, there was a small kitchen, and an empty room.  Kasai extended his hands upwards and gave off an energetic smile!

 

  “Mi casa es su casa!” he proclaimed!

 

  “I’ll cook…” Kaen said, as he walked towards the kitchen.

 

  “We’ll come with you, if you don’t mind!” Kairi said, as she and Dawn looked at the Ronso.  He nodded, and so they went to the kitchen with him.  Now only Kasai and Ethan remained in the living room.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Nice place you’ve got here.  Looks quite cozy.” Ethan said. 

 

  “Yep!  We’re in a rough spot, but we’re doing fine, all things considered.” Kasai commented, now more serious than his just previous, goofy behavior he had displayed just moments ago.  “Oh, and look, about Lilith…I apologize in advance…” he commented.  Ethan tilted his head.

 

  “Apologize?  What for?” he asked.  Kasai gave out a chuckle.

 

  “Well, for her luminously savage personality, of course!” he said, trying to sound funny, but then he grew serious again.  “Look, we Knights Of Ygdrassil only do what we do to survive…there’s nothing more to it.  True, we seek glory in battle, but we also seek to restore our home to the way it used to be.  Lilith’s the most determined of us all to make that happen.  She’s our inspiration…she’s our leader.” he said as he closed his eyes, probably pondering about something regarding Lilith.

 

  “You seem to know her very well.” Ethan said. 

 

  “Yeah, well, Kaen and I have known her since we were small!  You see…we were orphans back then…we didn’t have anyone but each other, you know what I’m saying?” he asked as he looked up at the ceiling.  “Our beds were the grass, our light was the stars, and everything around us was our playground.  We may have been orphans, but we had a happy childhood.  I was the handsome one, as you can clearly make out!  Kaen was the strong one, and Lilith was the smart one.  When we’d get in trouble, we’d always work together as a team to get out of trouble!  Kaen would always try to prevent us from pulling pranks and stuff, but in the end, he tagged along just the same, heh!” he reminisced, smiling as he told Ethan this.  “Yeah…it was a pretty good childhood…”

 

  “But wait, didn’t Lilith say that her father had left this world the way it was? Doesn’t that mean she’s not an orphan?” Ethan asked.  Kasai nodded.

 

  “I’m getting to that!” he said as he waved his hands.  “I’m telling the story!” he exclaimed, and then cleared his throat.  “Anyways, one day, when we were walking along the highroad, a royal caravan passed through.  Oh, you should have seen it, it was the whole shebang!  Royal guards, majestic horses, carriages being bodyguarded like no one’s business, you name it!  And in front of this whole caravan, the king rode, and he rode in stride!  He was a prideful person, but kinda selfish and celf centered, you know what I mean? But anyways, we stumbled upon him, and the guards were gonna go at us, when he ordered them to stop!  He then dismounted himself from his horse, and then he walked straight towards Lilith, who was a little nervous. We were more nervous than her, though!  Heck, we were hiding behind her!  But Lilith stood there, defiant and brave!  And then the king said: ‘My daughter, how I’ve searched for you!’  Those words left us quite in shock, as you can imagine.  And well, Kaen and I knew that at this point, Lilith had reunited with her father, and as such, it’s only natural she’d go with him.  We were sad about it, but we were happy because she had finally found a home…” Kasai explained. 

 

  “I see…” Ethan replied.  Kasai chuckled.

 

  “But that’s the funny part, though!  Sure, Lilith wanted to go with her father, but only on one condition!  She said that if we didn’t come with her, she wouldn’t come either!  Kaen and I were surprised, but at the same time happy!  The king agreed, and so, he took us all in.  My God, we thanked our lucky stars for that day.  I don’t think I had seen Lilith smile so much in my lifetime, you know what I mean?” he asked.  Ethan smiled and remained quite so Kasai could continue his tale.

 

  “But well, things weren’t all sunshine and rainbows for long.  About three years later, the kingdom started to decline.  Even though the king was self centered and selfish and all, at least he had done a good job taking care of the kingdom.  But when these three years passed, he just stopped caring.  Everytime citizens would come to him with their problems, he’d either lock them up or have them executed! It was messed up, really.  Kaen, Lilith and I were shocked by it all, but we just thought that maybe the king was just having a phase or something, I dunno!  But as the years passed by, and as we grew older…we saw that the king became even more cruel to his subjects…not to mention that he started dealing with the criminal underworld and then sent assassins to kill all of his opponents that wanted the throne…he wanted to ensure that he was the only king!  And well, it came to the point that the citizens went into a frenzy and started to talk about revolution.  And well, at first, the king simply made death threats to keep the public cornered…but then…that one spark made it all go crazy…” Kasai mentioned.

 

  “Spark?” Ethan asked.  Kasai nodded.

 

  “Yep.  Lilith led the revolution with full force!  She had become tired of how the king had become so much darker, and how he discredited the lives of others as if they meant nothing.  And well, she decided to take matters into her own hands.  Naturally, Kaen and I sided with her, and well, you can imagine that the king was furious.  And then, all out civil war broke between the kingdom.  It was the revolutionaries versus his Knights Of Ygdrassil!  Good God, it was a bloodbath!  Quite the spectacle, if you ask me!  But anyways, the war lasted for many months, and there were heavy casualties on both sides.  Lilith’s goal was to knock some sense into the king, to make him listen to reason.  And if that didn’t work, well, then killing him would have to be necessary…” Kasai said, his face now grim.

 

  “Wow…” was all Ethan could say, as his face remained shocked with what he was hearing!

 

  “Mmhmm.  Well, and since the king was now blinded by his own darkness, he was going out in an all out frenzy, issuing all out massacres on innocent people…his Knights Of Ygdrassil burned down the villages where the women and children were…and that was definitely messed up!  Lilith couldn’t take it anymore, and during a pivotal point during the war, she slashed her way through the enemy lines, and well, she beheaded the king.  And goodbye tyranny!” Kasai remarked, bringing his whimsical tone back a little before getting all serious again.  “With the king gone, his Knights Of Ygdrassil disbanded, and the cowered into the mountains.  But we hunted them all down.  Kaen and I were good like that, you know what I mean?  But yeah, after the king was dethroned, Lilith proclaimed herself ruler of the kingdom, which was fine with all of us!  She established the new Knights Of Ygdrassil, and she said that our goal would be to gather resources to rebuild our world and seek glory evermore!  And ever since then, that’s been us!  We’ve gone from world to world, taking what we can while taking part in thrilling battles! Lilith’s been good to all of us…she’s been our true leader…” Kasai finished.

 

  “Amazing…I would never have imagined…so this is why she is the way she is.  She’s doing her best to rebuild this world from the horrors the king had brought!” Ethan said.

 

  “Yep!” Kasai replied!  He then sniffed the air and clasped his hands together!  “Ooh, looks like all that talking made the time go by quickly, cuz I smell dinner’s at the ready!  Come on, let’s go eat with Kaen and the girls!” Kasai notioned, as he patted Ethan’s shoulder and then went towards the kitchen.  Ethan remained there for a moment and looked at the ceiling.

 

  “Huh…Lilith Valkyrie…”

(End Song Here)

 

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

 

It seems that Lilith is considering on joining Kairi for the Keyblade War!  Will Lilith agree to acompany Kairi into the field of battle?  Will the Keyblade Wielders be able to do anything if she doesn’t agree? What’s in store for them?  Will luck be in their favor?  Be prepared for Chapter Thirty Nine: “The Sword Decides!”

 

Well everyone, that was the chapter!  I hope that you all found it to your enjoyment!  Sorry if it took a little long to post, but I’ve been busy these days, as usual, and well, I have to balance everything out aside from writing, ya know?  I hope this chapter was enjoyable for all for you!  Thank you very much for your continuous patience and support, and as always, please be sure to comment on what you thought of tonight’s chapter!  Well then, until next time, stay tuned for the next one!

This was a great chapter, and I've read it in my bed, I'm about to sleep.

Nice chapter. Boy these Knights are not friendly nor hostile. I gotta say, this Lilith would not get along with Polemistis (Ben) from my works. I could see Lilith talk to him the way she talked to Kairi and Polemistis replying "alright, listen lady!" and the two would be tense with each other. He wouldn't take that bull from her. Nice job.

Great chapter. Can't wait to see what happens next.

To KHLegendIII, thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!

 

To KingdomHearts3, haha, yeah, Lilith isn't exactly the most rosy girl in the neighborhood!  She's the type of gal that likes getting into fights, ya know? But yeah, thanks, I'm glad you found the chapter to your liking! ^_^

 

To Keyblade101, haha, thanks!  And well, as for what comes next, here it is!

 

Good evening everyone, I hope that you’re all doing okay!  So then, here’s another chapter of my story!  Sorry for the delay! You see, I finally got a job, and so from now on, I’m going to have a busy schedule, since I have to balance work with my hobbies, ya know?  But worry not, for I shall not stop posting chapters, especially not when the story is nearing its conclusion!  So then, in this chapter, we’ll see if Lilith agrees to join Kairi or not!  What’ll happen?  Stick around and find out!

 

Chapter Thirty Nine: The Sword Decides

 

(Start Song Here)

  Clear morning sunlight pierced through a small hole in a thick curtain.  It was like a small beam of light that was shining through the darkness of Kasai and Kaen’s house.  The first to take notice of this light was Ethan, who woke up with a yawn and stretched his arms.  He was in the living room, for he had decided to stay asleep in the couch.  He stood up and saw the veiled curtain, and the small hole from which the light was piercing through!  He looked at the light, and then he thought to himself that it’s most probably morning.  He was going to move the curtains to the side to make way for  daylight, but he knew that this wasn’t his house, so he waited for Kasai or Kaen to come around.  And so, he sat down on the couch he had slept on, and a few minutes later, Dawn came down, her eyes still half closed!  She yawned and then looked at Ethan and sat down beside him.

 

  “So, I’m assuming we’re the early birds this morning?” she asked drowsily.  Ethan nodded.

 

  “It would appear so.  You’d think that Kasai would be awake.  Heck, I thought Kaen would be awake, but it seems as though they’re still sleeping.  We’ll just have to wait until they wake up.” he mentioned.  Just then, the door in front of them slammed open, and they were startled!  The light coming from outside temporarily blinded them, but when their vision adjusted, they noticed that Kasai and Kaen were the ones who had opened the door!

 

  “Wake up, sleepyheads!  You’ve been taking your time dozing off!  It’s almost midday, so get your butts in gear!” the young man said, quite energetic and cheerful!  Ethan and Dawn nodded.

 

  “We’ll, we’re already awake.  Kairi’s the only one still sleeping!” Ethan said.  Kaen shook his head and pointed outside.

 

  “Princess Of Heart outside…” he said.  At that, Ethan and Dawn felt a bit embarassed!

 

  “Aw, it’s okay, no need to feel ashamed!  I sometimes doze off and wake up late too!  Don’t worry about it!  But you should go outside though!  Your friend’s gonna need all the support she can get!” Kasai mentioned.  At that, Dawn tilted her head.

 

  “Support?  What do you mean?” she asked.  Kaen crossed his arms and leaned his back on the doorway.  He looked to where Kairi was, which was a short distance off.

 

  “She and Lilith will fight…” he replied.  At that, Ethan and Dawn opened their eyes and jaws wide!

 

  “What!?” they both asked in unison!

 

  “You heard right, sleepyheads!  Your friend plans on challenging Lilith!  Pretty gutsy, if you ask me!” Kasai remarked.  At that, Ethan and Dawn didn’t hesítate and quickly ran outside!

(End Song Here)

 

(Start Song Here)

  Once outside, they noticed that a great numerous number of people were gathered round!  Most of them were knights, but a few of them were regular townsfolk!  More were coming by the second, for it seemed that this challenge Kairi had declared to Lilith was quite the buzz!  Murmurs of “Is she crazy?” or “The Princess Of Heart is done for…” could be heard, alongside other such comments like “Poor lass…” and “Lilith wil win for sure!”  All of these comments were worrisome, for it seemed that the battle was going to take place!  And so, Ethan and Dawn made it a point to traverse through the crowd of people as fast as they could! Eventually, they made their way to Kairi, and she was standing on a large, square, almost arena-like space!  She held Keyblade in hand, and she looked determined!  She seemed to have noticed Ethan and Dawn, for she glanced back for a moment to look at them.  They quickly made their way to her, and they looked at her with surprise!

 

  “I thought we were going to try this the peaceful way!” Dawn exclaimed!

 

  “Kairi, what on earth do you think you’re doing?  We don’t have time to be getting into fights here!  Our friends are waiting for us!” Ethan declared!

 

  “You think I don’t know that!?” Kairi asked, and then they both fell silent.  “I know that we’re running on borrowed time, but I know what I’m doing!  This morning, I went to Lilith, and she still refused to grant me my favor…and so I struck a deal with her.  I would challenge her to a battle, and if I should win, she will join us.  If I should lose, she won’t do such a thing, and she, along with her Knights, will kick us out of here in quite the unpleasant fashion…those were the conditions she said she’d agree on…” she explained.

 

  “Kairi…I know that you have great power, but are you sure you want to battle Lilith?  She doesn’t seem like the kind of person that holds back…” Ethan warned. 

 

  “Ethan’s right, Kairi!  She’s dangerous!” Dawn said.  But Kairi shook her head and remained firm!

 

  “Then I’ll just have to make sure that I don’t hold back either!” Kairi said defiantly!  “I won’t budge, I won’t let her make me give up!  I will fight!” she declared!  At this point, Ethan and Dawn knew they couldn’t say anything to change Kairi’s mind, so they simply nodded and got out of her way.  They then got down from the arena, but stayed close to her.

 

  “Just make sure to win, you hear?” Dawn asked with a smile.

 

  “Yeah, give her a fight to remember!” Ethan replied with a nod of approval!  Kairi smiled.

 

  “I’ll give it my all!” Kairi reassured!  And so, Ethan and Dawn remained by her side, while everyone around them were murmuring about the battle to unfold! Soon, Kasai and Kaen made their way to Dawn and Ethan, and they stood with them.  Kaen was as serious as ever, while Kasai seemed to be pumped up to see the battle begin already!

 

  “So, is Kairi ready to take on Lilith!?” Kasai asked!

 

  “Yes, she is ready!  She’s going to take Lilith down!” Dawn replied!  Kaen shook his head slowly and gave out a soft sigh.

 

  “Not so easy.  Your friend, tested she will be…” the Ronso said.  At that, Kasai’s expression grew serious, and he looked at the two Keyblade Wielders and then looked at Kairi again.

 

  “Yeah, not gonna lie to you there.  Kairi’s gonna get tested, and her limits will be strained…just thought you should know…” Kasai said.  At that, Ethan and Dawn remained silent.  A few seconds passed, and then Lilith finally came!  Everyone then grew deadly silent as she made her way to the arena!  The knights made way, and they all bowed to one knee out of deep respect for their leader!  Lilith herself was sporting some impressive looking armor!  It was a golden color, with white lines on the borders and on the armor itself, detailing all the articulative points!  The white lines formed a pair of angelic wings at the center, which shined radiant silver!  She had no helmet on, and her raven hair floated with the wind!  Her eyes were iron cold, determined, defiant…a look that all her enemies feared!  Kairi felt a slight tinge of fear for a moment, but she didin’t let Lilith intimídate her!  She stood her ground!  Lilith then reached the arena, and then she drew a longsword from its sheath, and then she swung it in impressive, wide arcs and then lifted it up to the sky, and it shined brightly with the sun!  She then lowered her sword, and she and Kairi stared each other down intensely!  The crowd was deadly silent, and for a moment, even the wind stopped, as if the whole world had frozen in place!

 

  “Damn…gotta appreciate how all the stillness makes you have goosebumps…” Kasai whispered.

 

  “Your friend may be doomed…” Kaen said bluntly.  Ethan and Dawn shook their heads, however, and disagreed!

 

  “She won’t give up…she’s come too far…we’ve all come too far!  She’s going to resist!” Dawn said with hope in her voice! 

 

  “Well, we’ll see about that!” Kasai mentioned.

 

  “Before we begin, I should let you know that I don’t plan on holding back…I consider you to be an opponent that will be worth my time…so you better not disappoint me!  The truth always comes to light when ideals clash…you think that my forces joining you will help save the worlds, while I think its best that I take care of my own people and not give a damn for the other worlds!  Let’s see which ideal holds most true…are you prepared?” Lilith asked, as she readied her sword!  Kairi nodded.

 

  “I know you have ironclad convictions…I know that you’re determined…but I’m determined too, and I won’t let your strength intimidate me!  I’m going to best you in battle, and you will join us!” Kairi replied, as she pointed her Keyblade at Lilith!  The Ygdrassil commander chuckled softly, and then she gave a nod of respect.

(End Song Here)

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Very well…begin!” she shouted, and so, the two of them quickly began their battle in earnest!  The crowd began to go wild, as the battle was chaotic even from the very beginning!

 

  Just from a distance, the power that Lilith wielded could be felt, for each strike was strong and demanding, breaking through the air itself!  Kairi blocked each attack though, and she stood valiantly against the Ygdrassil commander!  They traded blows for a while, but they didn’t land any hits directly on each other yet!  It was an intense clash, and everyone had their eyes on the two warriors, as they struggled to outdo each other!  Kasai was already sweating out of nervousness!

 

  “Gahh…this is too intense!  Lilith overdoes it too much sometimes!” Kasai exclaimed!

 

  “You can do it, Kairi!” Ethan shouted!

 

  “We believe in you!” Dawn followed up!

 

  Kairi smiled as she heard those words of support from her friends, and that only gave her the extra drive to keep on fighting!  Lilith seemed impressed, but she didn’t stop to compliment her. No, she kept delivering an onslaught of hits, constantly keeping Kairi on her guard, never letting her stop for a moment to catch her breath!  Kairi kept blocking her attacks successfully, but it was only a matter of time before she’d eventually get bested, so she decided to spice things up by doing a backflip and then attempting to pierce through Lilith’s defense with a Quick Blitz attack!  While the attack did land, it didn’t cause Lilith to stagger, and shortly afterwards, she counterattacked with a powerful blow that knocked Kairi down instantly!  The crowd was going wild, and they cheered for their heroine!  Ethan and Dawn were staying strong for Kairi!  They knew that she’d win!

 

  “Hmph, I’ve already knocked you down once!  What’s to say you won’t be able to withstand a second helping?” Lilith teased as she swung her sword, waiting for Kairi to get up.  And shortly after, Kairi did stand back up, and she simply lunged at Lilith and struck with all her might!

 

  “I’m not going down that easy!  I’ve gone through too much to lose now!” Kairi said as she struck!  Lilith looked amused, and she blocked the Princess of Heart’s attacks, and then, when she found her chance, she knocked her down again, and this time, she was about to deal a fatal blow!  But luckily, Kairi rolled out of the way just in the nick of time!  Lilith attempted to halt Kairi’s movements by casting a Bind spell, but Kairi was able to resist the attack, and she sommersaulted out of the way!  The two warrios then stood still, and they stared each other down again!  The crowd was now quite, for they too, had sensed that this battle was getting more serious!

 

  “You have heart, Princess, I’ll give you that much…but heart alone won’t solve a thing!” Lilith said, as she then attempted to subdue Kairi with an attack that looked like Ars Arcanum, but left dark streaks, and seemed to make Lilith faster with each strike!  Kairi was barely able to dodge the attack, but after she did, she pushed Lilith back with a Blizzaga spell that sent the Ygdrassil commander back a few steps!  The crowd gasped, and even Lilith found herself being surprised!  Ethan and Dawn smiled, while Kasai was on the edge of his seat, and Kaen was just looking at the battle unfold, emotionless!

 

  “Lilith, why can’t you listen to reason!?  If the worlds fall, so will your world!  No amount of strength or endurance can be able to outlast the horrible darkness to come should we lose this war! Why can’t you see that!?” Kairi asked, as she performed an attack called Shooting Star, in which she enveloped herself in a radiant light, and then shot herself at Lilith multiple times!  Lilith withstood the attack, and then she blocked Kairi and pushed her back!

 

  “What do you know!?  You aren’t a wise being that can forsee the future!  You know nothing!  This world has survived horrible atrocities, so it can survive darkness!” Lilith declared!  Kairi shook her head in disappointment.

 

  “Still so arrogant…then I’ll make you see!  I’ll make you see what’s at stake!” Kairi said, and with that, the two clashed at the same time, getting into a stalemate!  The crowd was going wild again, and many of them were shouting out Lilith’s name! 

 

  “These people…they mean everything to you…so why won’t you help us, for their sake!?” Kairi asked, trying to see if she could get through to the Ygdrassil commander!  But, no such luck!

 

  “My people know how to defend themselves!  We are an impenetrable shield!  We will endure! Nothing you can do will change my mind on the subject!  My people will not fall!” Lilith declared, still refusing Kairi’s words!

 

  “Lilith…fine, have it your way!  You won’t listen to me, right?  Then I’ll beat it on you!” Kairi declared, and with that, she got a sudden burst of energy, and started to strike Lilith repeatedly, alternating between fast strikes and quick spells!  Lilith was having a hard time keeping up, and in moments, she found herself overwhelmed!  She was pushed back, and she even fell on the floor!  The crowd gasped once more, for they couldn’t believe Kairi had knocked her down, twice!  Lilith didn’t stand for it, and she quickly got back up and launched her sword like a spear!  Kairi caught the sword and then she darted towards Lilith and struck her with her Keyblade and the Ygdrassil commander’s sword, providing quite the deadly combo!  Streaks of light could be noticed as Kairi struck Lilith, and then she delivered a powerful Wind Barrage attack, sending massive gusts of wind directly towards Lilith! It was an intense display of power, and Kasai was going crazy over this!

 

  “Oh wow, Kairi rocks!  She’s totally giving Lilith a run for her money!” he shouted excitedly!  Kaen shook his head and then looked at Ethan and Dawn.

 

  “He still has the mind of a child…” the Ronso sighed.  Ethan and Dawn laughed, and then they glanced at each other.

 

  “Well, it looks as though Kairi’s taking care of this quite fine, if you ask me.” Dawn said.

 

  “Indeed.  Hopefully, this battle will end soon, and then we can get Lilith and her knights as allies for the final battle!” Ethan said.  Dawn nodded.

 

  “Yeah, I’m sure Kairi wil find a way to convince Lilith!  I’m sure of it!” she hoped, as she saw the battle continue to unfold before them!

 

  And now it seemed as though the battle was only getting more intense!  It was going to the point that each time Lilith and Kairi clashed, their strikes caused ripples of energy to bounce off of their weapons!  The power surging from them was so much, that everyone could feel the raw energy being emanated from them!  Both women were determined, and both women were not willing to give up to each other!  They had a fiery blaze in their eyes, and that was the look that Kaen recognized.  The look Lilith would have when she was enjoying a battle, when she was giving her all.  Even though Lilith didn’t want to join Kairi, she was still enjoying this battle!  The Ronso gave a small smile and bowed his head.

 

  “Always the fiery one…” he muttered to himself.  Lilith smiled, and then she broke through Kairi’s defense, and delivered a flurry of attacks, then followed by some brutally hurtful punches, and then, to show off, she snapped her fingers and caused multiple rays of energy to strike at Kairi from thin air!  Kairi was caught off guard by the rays of energy, and as such, she received the attack in full!  But even then, Kairi refused to give up!  Even though she was now much more wounded than Lilith was, she wasn’t about to give up the fight just yet!  Kairi smiled, and then she readied herself for Lilith’s next barrage!  She even taunted Lilith to come at her!

 

  “Show me what you got!” Kairi challenged.  Lilith smirked.

 

  “Oh, I plan to…” she said.  With that, she suddenly disappeared!  Everyone then grew silent, and then that’s when Kasai made a worrisome expression. 

 

  “Why that face?” Dawn wondered.  Kasai looked at her and tried to think of a way to answer that question.

 

  “Well, you see…when Lilith up and vanishes like that…well, that’s normally a really bad sign for whomever she’s fighting…so yeah, I think Kairi’s gonna get beat!” he answered.  Ethan and Dawn looked at each other worriedly, but still, they had faith that Kairi could pull off a victory!  Then, a sudden, piercing sound rang through the fortress, and that’s when the crowd started to cheer again!  Kairi looked up, and she noticed a giant, silver sigil forming in the sky!  It was an intricately crafted sigil, one with detailed markings and beautiful craftsmanship!  At the center, a type of cross could be seen, and then, Lilith appeared above that cross and gathered massive amounts of energy from the sigil!

 

  “Valkyries…give me your strength, lend me your power!” Lilith shouted, and then, five beams of light hit her in different directions, forming a star that covered the sigil!  A few seconds later, Lilith’s eyes flared white, and she launched down a cataclismically powerful ray of light!  Everyone braced themselves, and they covered their eyes, for the attack would definitely cause a blinding light to emanate!  Once the ray landed, everything went white, and no one could see for the moment!  But then, when the light died down, Kairi was still standing!  She had blocked Lilith’s attack, with her Key Of Balance!  At that, Dawn smiled, and Ethan sighed of relief!  Kasai was impressed, and even Kaen found himself surprised!

 

  “Unbelieavable!  Just how powerful is Kairi!?” Kasai asked! 

 

  “Did you forget?  She’s a Princess Of Heart!  Her power is more than meets the eye!” Ethan answered with a smile.  Lilith hovered down soon after she had performed her attack, and when she landed on the floor, she had an irritated look on her face!  Kairi remained serious, and she didn’t say anything.  Lilith scoffed.

 

  “No one ever manages to get back up after that attack…and yet here you are, annoying me again…just what will it take to bring you down!?” Lilith asked, infuriated!  Kairi smiled and then lowered her Keyblade, and she put her hand to her chest.

 

  “As long as my heart beats, my friends…my loved ones, they’ll always be my power!  No matter how excrutiating the odds, no matter how impossible things may seem…as long as I have my friends, they’ll always be my power!  You should know that, Lilith.  Your friends, your people…they’re your power too.” Kairi said.  Lilith stopped at that moment, and then she put her hand to her chest.  She could feel a warm sensation emanating from her heart, and then she looked at her people, and then at Kasai and Kaen.  She then looked at Kairi before looking down at the floor.

 

  “My friends…are my power…yes, that is my greatest source of strength…” Lilith said.  “And that’s the strength I’ll use, to defeat you!” she declared, as she prepared to attack Kairi anew!

 

  “If that’s your wish!” Kairi said.  With that, the two clashed anew, and this time, their attacks had elemental attributes added to them!

 

  Lilith’s sword was imbued with fire, while Kairi’s Keyblade was infused with lightning!  They clashed fiercely, and flaming sparks emanted from their weapons, causing quite the visual spectacle!  The crowd was going nuts at this point, and they were all thrilled with the battle at hand!  Kasai and Kaen remained quiet for a while, and Ethan and Dawn remained hopeful that Kairi would win this battle!

 

  As the minutes passed by and the battle continued, Kairi and Lilith dealt quite amazingly brutal  blows to each other, but neither of them would back down!  Kairi then dodged an attack Lilith attempted, and then she grabbed Lilith’s arm and pulled her in, hitting her with the hilt of her Keyblade!  Lilith fell down to the floor, and the crowd gasped yet again!  Kairi then stood above Lilith and pointed her Keyblade at her! 

 

  “Do you surrender?” she asked.  Lilith scoffed and slapped the Keyblade away with her hand, and then kipped herself up and readied her sword!

 

  “Not on your life!” Lilith replied defiantly, as the two clashed anew!  Kairi knew this had to end at some point, so she pushed Lilith back, and then she readied herself!  Lilith didn’t know what was happening, so whe went directly towards Kairi, in an attempt to end the battle once and for all!  That was a fatal mistake!  Kairi instantly started to gather powerful energy, and then her body started to glow, and then her eyes gleamed a fiery yellow!  Everyone was awestruck at this dispaly of power, and even Ethan and Dawn were surprised!

 

  “This power…could it be from the Key Of Balance she wields?” Dawn thought to herself. 

 

  “This ends now…” Kairi said, and with that, she closed her eyes and simply swiped her Keyblade in front of herself!  There was a momentary silence, and Lilith raised an eyebrow, expecting something, but nothing came!  At that, Lilith laughed and shook her head!

(End Song Here)

 

  “Ha, if you were trying to perform a fatal attack, either you just failed, or it didn’t work at—“ she said, but was interrupted, as she looked down and noticed that her armor had cracked!  She then felt a powerful force push her away from everyone!  The crowd was now speechless, as Lilith fell quite a ways! Ethan and Dawn remained silent, and Kasai and Kaen did as well.  Kairi then unsummoned her Keyblade and walked towards Lilith, who was now laying on the ground.  She was looking up at the sky, and she now knew that she had been defeated!  Kairi walked up to her and saw her there.  Lilith raised up her arm, as if to touch the sky, and she sighed.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Well, it looks like you’ve won this battle after all.  You won fair and square…” the Ygdrassil commander mentioned.  Kairi then sat down beside her, while the crowed walked towards them, but stayed a short distance away from them.

 

  “You fought well, Lilith.  You gave your all to the battle, and you fought for what you believed in.  That was something truly admirable.  I could feel your passion and determination to bring back your home from the state its in now, and I know that you’re just doing what you do for your people.  Granted, it’s not right invading other worlds the way you do, but I can understand why you did it.” Kairi said, as she looked up at the sky.

 

  “Pfft, what’s this…?  You’re going to take pity on me now?” Lilith asked as she sat up and crossed her arms.  Kairi shook her head and smiled.

 

  “No…not at all.  Look Lilith, I can see you are determined…and if you don’t want to come with us to fight in the Keyblade War, then I’ll understand.  Just make sure that your people survive.” she stated. At that, everyone else had their jaws wide open!  Lilith herself was unprepared for such a surprise twist, and she then stood up and waved her arms!

 

  “Wait, wait, wait…you’re telling me that after all your insisting on me joining you, now you just suddenly decided that you don’t need me to join you?” she asked.

 

  “Lilith…I don’t want to force you into a conflict.  If you want to help me, I want it to be because you feel it in your heart…not because I beat you in a battle.  And with that being said, I’ll take my leave.” Kairi answered.  She then looked to Ethan and Dawn, and although they were in disbelief over what happened, they just remained silent and stood close to Kairi.

 

  “Kairi…you truly are something else…” Lilith said as she shook her head and then stormed off!  The crowd let her be, and then they went back to their business.  Kasai and Kaen remained there, though, and they were quite surprised by what had just went down!  Even Kaen, who was normally emotionless, had quite the surprised expression on his face!

 

  “Kairi!  You beat down Lilith!  And you’re saying that you’re okay if she doesn’t help you!?” Kasai asked, bewildered!  Kairi nodded.

 

  “That’s right.  Like I told her, I only want her help if she feels it.  Not by force.” she answered. Kaen then stroked his chin and closed his eyes.

 

  “You are wise beyond your years, princess…” he said.  Kairi bowed in appreciation, and then, she nodded to Ethan, who then opened a portal. 

 

  “Well then.  I guess this is goodbye.” Kairi said.

 

  “I guess so…” Kasai said, though he looked quite discouraged!

 

  “Farewell, brave warrior…” Kaen said as he bowed in respect!

 

  “Hey…just make sure you three survive!  We’ll want you back here!” Kasai mentioned, as he then offered his usual, charismatic smile!  Kairi, Ethan and Dawn smiled back and all nodded.

 

  “We’ll do our best.  Make sure that you all survive…” Ethan said.

 

  “Take care, okay?” Dawn said.  Kasai and Kaen waved goodbye, and so the three Keyblade Wielders went through the portal, and now, they left Lilith’s fortress!

(End Song Here)

 

  A silence stood firm between the Keyblade Wielders.  Ethan had his arms crossed, while Dawn was looking at her hands.  Kairi looked at them, and then she cleared her throat.

 

  “So…was it a bad idea to let them go?” Kairi asked.

 

  “I don’t know…it was a whole army that could have helped us…” Dawn pointed out.

 

  “Dawn’s right, Kairi.  Their help would have been most welcome, and yet at the last minute, you decided to just let them go.  Why was that?” Ethan asked.  Kairi pondered on the question for quite a bit, and she then put her hands behind her back.

 

  “Well…I think that it’s because in many ways, Lilith reminds me of myself.  Sure, we have very disparate personalities, but I think that the way she strives to do what’s best really shines through. I’m sure she’s had her doubts, just like anyone would have doubts…and yet she’s overcome herself, and she’s headstrong, leading her people through the storm…leading them through the darkness.  She’s surely determined to keep her people alive, but she wants to be able to do it her way.  If she would have come with us, her resolve might probably have shaken a bit.  That’s why I let her go.” Kairi answered.

 

  “Hmm, well when you put it that way…but still!  We lost quite the advantage!  How are we going to explaint his to Alaya and Yen Sid and the others?” he asked.

 

  “That’s right!  They’ll probably be wondering why we didn’t return with Lilith and her army!” Dawn said.  Kairi shook her head.

 

  “Don’t worry, let me handle that.  I’ll make sure to explain things, okay?” she noted.  The other two Keyblade Wielders then remained in silence.  Kairi knew what they wanted to point out, for she fully knew that her choice of letting Lilith go was a very bad decision!  But somehow, she felt as though she had made the right choice!  She didn’t know why, but then she felt her heartbeat, and she smiled!

 

  “That’s right…I’m following my own heart…” she thought to herself.

 

  The portal then opened on the other side, and then they arrived at Alaya’s temple!  They noticed that the grounds surrounding the temple were full of people!  It was quite an impressive sight! The three Keyblade Wielders stood there, and they all looked at the considerable number of people around them!

 

  “Well…it looks like we’ve got quite an army of our own!” Dawn said!  Kairi nodded.

 

  “This must be the power from the tomb that Dexeres had spoken of!  Which means he managed to liberate that power!  And it turns out that it’s this army!  Most impressive!” Kairi pointed out.  Then, a giant portal suddenly opened up quite a distance away from them!  From the portal, innumerable amounts of Spirit Dream Eaters came through, along with Sora and Riku!  Kairi smiled, and she was relieved that they were safe!

 

  “It looks as though Sora and Riku succeeded as well.  That’s good to know!  Look at how many Dream Eaters are here!” Ethan commented.  The Spirits kept pouring out of the portal for quite some time, and then, it finallly closed!  Now the grounds surrounding the temple were packed!

 

  “We might have a chance at taking down Jexana and her fleet!” Kairi said, and she was truly hopeful that this would be the case!  Then, Alaya and Yen Sid came.  Ethan and Dawn bowed in respect, as did Kairi, and they bowed back.

 

  “I am glad to see that you three came back safe and sound.” Yen Sid expressed.

 

  “Thank you, Master.” Kairi said.  Alaya looked around, and then she looked at Kairi.

 

  “What about Lilith?  Did you manage to convince her to join us?” she asked.  Ethan and Dawn looked at Kairi uneasily, but the Princess Of Heart was calm and composed, and she shook her head.

 

  “I’m sorry, but I let them go.” Kairi answered, to the point.  Alaya then had a troubled expression on her face, and then she put her hands on her hips.

 

  “I see…this is troublesome.” she mentioned.  Yen Sid, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be upset, and he just stroked his beard and smiled.

 

  “Not at all, Alaya.  You see, young Kairi here was just doing what she felt in her heart was the right thing to do.  If it meant letting go of Lilith, then that’s what she had to do!  Remember, our hearts influence who we are, and we are guided by the pulse it emanates inside us.  True, we do not have Lilith or her army, but we still have quite the powerful force at our call, not to mention our own strength.  So I think it safe to say that we are not dangerously disadvantaged!” the old wizard said. Alaya thought on Yen Sid’s words, and then she smiled.

 

  “I suppose you are right.  It is true, we have enough strength to take on Jexana and her forces, so it is alright!” she said.  Ethan and Dawn felt relieved, while Kairi simply remained as calm as she was when she came.

 

  “Well then, I take it that we’re all ready?” Ethan asked.  “We’ve gathered all the strength that we can. Now it’s all a matter of taking the battle to Jexana!  Are we prepared?” he asked again.  Dawn nodded.

 

  “Yes, I think so.  But I think we should rest at least one day before heading out to battle.  I think it would do us all a great deal of good.” she suggested.

 

  “Yes, that is true.  Rest is crucial to a soldier’s stamina, and we need to be able to outlas the enemy, so a day of rest we shall have.  If you are to do anything else before the final battle, I suggest you do so, for when we head out, there will be no turning back.  Odds are that this may very well prove to be the turning point for many events that will shape the future of all worlds…of all universes.  Therefore, we shall rest.  Now come, let us go into the temple.” Alaya motioned, as she walked towards the entrance.  Kairi remained outside though, for she was waiting for Sora.  From afar, she saw that he noticed her, and then he quickly made his way towards her!

 

  “We’ll be okay…” Kairi thought to herself as she saw Sora coming closer!

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Kairi!  I’m so glad that you’re okay!” he said when he finally reached her, and then the two embraced and kissed each other lovingly!  They held each other close, and they both smiled tenderly at each other.

 

  “I’m glad to know that you’re okay too, Sora! It looks like you and Riku were able to bring the Spirits along with you!” she said as she looked to the field and saw the Spirits interacting with the other wielders.  Sora scratched his head and chuckled a bit nervously.

 

  “Yeah…it wasn’t easy!  We almost died and all…” he said, and Kairi took notice of this and frowned!

 

  “What do you mean you almost died!?” she demanded as she punched his arm!  “Don’t you dare die on me, you hear!?” she stated, as she crossed her arms and frowned!  Sora chuckled a bit nervously, but then he could see the concern in Kairi’s eyes.  He then went silent, and he held Kairi close, and met her gaze.

 

  “Hey…we’re in this together…I’ll always be with you, no matter what.  So don’t you worry, I’m not going to go dying on you!  Not when we need each other the most!” he explained.  Kairi smiled at that, and then she held his hand, and he held hers.  They both looked at the temple, and they remained looking at it for quite a bit.

 

  “Sora…do you think we’ll be able to get out of this alive?” Kairi asked, now seeming more serious.  Sora looked at her for a moment and then looked up at the sky.

 

  “I don’t know what to tell you Kairi.  Sure, I think that we’ll come out of this alive, but a part of my heart is telling me that things won’t be that easy…we have to be prepared for anything…and that includes losing friends…it’s the inevitable truth about war.  War is never known for leaving the participants in it all alive.  Some people have to die…” Sora answered, trying not to be blunt, but he couldn’t help himself.  He had to speak what he was honestly feeling.  But Kairi appreciated that, he could tell.

 

  “Yeah…we have to be prepared for the worst.  Sora…who would’ve thought that all of this would have come to pass?  I mean, first our battle with Xehanort, and now this…it just makes me realice that we’re all just a miniscule part of something much bigger.  The worlds are always in constant motion, and the universo is always pushing forward.  Everything we do in this life carries over to the next generation of people…what do we leave behind?  What kind of legacy do we leave for future generations?  Is it an era of peace after a hard fought battle?  Or just chaos and destruction everywhere?” she pondered.

 

  “Well Kairi, all I know is that we always have to try and do our best.  If things turn out for the best, then that’s great!  But if things manage to get worse, then we’ll have to hope that future generations can be able to fix what we couldn’t.  Because even though we’re doing all in our power to end this war, to save all worlds, the fact of the matter is, many worlds have already fallen.  Despite our best efforts to save everyone, we haven’t been able to accomplish that.  It’s something that always haunts me…but at the same time I have to accept that I just can’t save everyone…I may have been able to save Roxas, Xion, Lea, Terra, Aqua and Ventus once before…but that doesn’t mean I’ll be able to save everyone like I did them!  We just have to be prepared for anything…and hope that things don’t end too badly.” Sora expressed.  Kairi leaned her head on Sora’s shoulder, and the two of them looked at the temple.

 

  “Sora…what would you want to name a son…or a daughter?” Kairi asked all of a sudden.  At that, Sora blushed, and he remembered the proposal he had made, and about wanting to raise a family.  He blushed even more, and then he put his hands behind his head, and he chuckled a bit.

 

  “You know…I really don’t know!  I mean, given the circumstances, I haven’t really thought of names yet!” he replied.  Kairi held his hands and looked at him with pleading eyes.

 

  “Could you think of names now?” Kairi asked.  “It’s just…we don’t know if we’ll make it out of this alive…and with that being said, I at least want to know what you would name our children…so we can connect our hearts to them…” she explained.  Sora smiled and could notice that Kairi was really eager to know what he’d name their children.  He thought on it for a bit, and he took into consideration many names!  It took a few minutes, but then he snapped his fingers!

 

  “Aha!  I got it!” he said excitedly!

 

  “So?  What names did you think of?” Kairi asked with a smile.

 

  “Well, I thought of these two that would be perfect!  If we had a boy, we could call him Kibo, which means hope!  And if we had a girl, we could call her Yume, which means dreams!” Sora answered.  At that, Kairi’s eyes teared up, and she only smiled more!  She then held Sora tight, hugging him and digging her head into his chest! Sora hugged back and embraced her tightly!  He also started to cry, and the two of them felt each other’s warmth, their love for each other radiating through the darkness! Kairi looked at Sora and touched his face.  She smiled and nodded.

 

  “Kibo and Yume…those names are perfect!” she said.

 

  “Alright, then it’s settled!  Not only will we be fighting for the future of the worlds and for all of our friends…we’ll be fighting for Kibo and Yume!  We’ll fight so they can come into a world full of happiness and light!” Sora declared!  Kairi smiled warmly at Sora, and she held his hand tightly.

 

  “That’s right.  For a future where everyone can be happy!” she said, as the two of them raised their hands up to the sky!  They smiled and laughed for a bit, and things felt much less stressful due to their talk.  Sora then tugged at Kairi’s arm and tilted his head forward.

 

  “Come on, let’s go into the temple.  We need our rest before the final battle!” he said.  Kairi nodded.

 

  “Alright, lead the way!” Kairi said, as the two of them walked towards the temple, hands intertwined, hearts connected.  No matter what the future would have in store for them, they’d be ready.  And they’d be ready to give it their all for the ones they love!

(End Song Here)

 

  Inside the temple, Yen Sid and Alaya were alone, and they seemed to be discussing something.  Yen Sid had his eyes closed and he was stroking his beard, while Alaya looked out the window.

 

  “Yen Sid…even with the numbers we now have at our disposal, do  you think that we can be able to withstand the might of Jexana’s forces?  For I can feel that her power is growing ever more, for it seems she has gained more allies…” Alaya mentioned worriedly.  Yen Sid grumbled a bit before answering.

 

  “True, our predicament is dire, but with the numbers and strength we possess, we will be able to put up an admirable resistance against Jexana and her forces.  All we must ensure is that we can be able to hold out as long as possible.” the old wizard said. 

 

  “Yes, you are right about that.  But still, we need a backup plan, in case all else should fail!” she mentioned.  Then they heard footsteps, and when they looked to their right, they noticed Maleficent coming in.  It seemed as though Guardian Xehanort and Armored Eraqua were elswhere, for she was only with Pete. 

 

  “Forgive me for intruding, but I couldn’t help but hear that you are at a loss for a backup plan…” the sorceress mused.  Alaya nodded.

 

  “You heard right.  Is there anything you would like to say?” she asked.  Maleficent then walked along until she was by Yen Sid’s side.

 

  “As a matter of fact, I do have something to say…I happen to have an idea in case we should be decimated by our foes…” she started.

 

  “Ooh, and it’s a real good plan, too!” Pete said excitedly!  Yen Sid seemed intrigued!

 

  “Well then, out with it!  What is your plan?” the old wizard asked.

 

  “Very well, listen closely…”

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

 

And so, everyone has returned, and the final battle is nigh!  But before that, each of our heroes will get some rest and get a chance to reflect on everything.  What’s going on in their minds?  What are their hopes and dreams for the future?  What desire burns deeply in their hearts?  Stay tuned for Chapter Forty: “Wishes For The Future!”

 

Well everyone, that was the chapter!  I hope you all found it to your enjoyment!  Sorry for the delay, but I started working last week, and as such, I’ve been handling work and my hobbies, plus I’ve been working on my Youtube channel, so forgive my lateness in posting the chapter!  I hope you all liked it, though!  As always, thank you so much for your continued patience and support, and as always, please make sure to comment on your thoughts about tonight’s chapter!  And can you believe it!  In just one chapter’s time, we’ll be ten chapters away from finishing the Keyblade War saga! I can’t wait to get to the finish line with you all!  It’s going to be an emotional ride!  Well everyone, until next time, stay tuned for the next one!

This was interesting to read, especially when Lilith was let go.

Wow, nice job. So Kairi let Lilith go. I have a feeling Lilith will come around and join up with them. Some battle between her and Kairi though. Nice job.

Phew, Kairi let Lilith go. Awesome battle. And Kibo and Yume are adorable names.  :smile:

To KHLegendIII, yeah, Kairi could see that Lilith was concerned for her people, and since Kairi didn't want to force Lilith into the conflict, she let her go! Simple as that, ya know?

 

To KingdomHearts3, thanks!  Yeah, that was quite the intense battle, wasn't it? But yeah, like I mentioned to Tom, Kairi decided it was best to let Lilith go, ya know? It was the right thing to do! ^_^

 

To Keyblade101, indeed, she let her go!  I'm glad you liked the battle!  And thanks, I liked those names very much, and they sound like names that Sora and Kairi could put to their children, so I went with that!

 

Hey there everyone, and good evening!  I hope that you’re all doing okay!  So then, here we are!  Chapter Forty!  Only ten more chapters to go, and this story will reach its thrilling conclusion!  I hope you’re all ready for the emotional ride!  So then, before the final battle goes down, this chapter will basically be a “calm before the storm” kind of chapter.  The kind where all the characters reflect, ya know?  So with that being said, I hope you enjoy everything that this chapter has to offer! Also, my apologies for the delay!  I was going to post this chapter last night, but I was called to work at the last moment, so yeah!  Well then, here you are, my loyal followers, and enjoy!

 

Chapter Forty: Wishes For The Future

 

(Start Song Here)

  And so, night fell on Alaya’s temple.  The shining sun gave way to a serene, calm moon.  Before the moon was high up in the sky, the land was already embraced in its pale light.  The ocean waves softly hissed behind the temple, and the fields were calm, a small gust of wind blowing through them! The Dandelions were all outside, gazing upon the many stars in the sky, and they were wandering around the fields surrounding Alaya’s temple.  They were taking in their surroundings and enjoying every moment of it!  Elina was near the temple’s entrance, and she smiled as she saw all of her friends enjoying the air, the earth beneath their feet.  She also enjoyed this very much.  Another of the Dandelions, Matthew, stood beside her.

 

  “Who knew we’d ever see the world like this?” he asked.  Elina smiled.

 

  “I know what you mean…when we were sealed away, I knew we were to sleep for a very long time, but never did I expect so many years to pass!  It’s truly something!  The worlds are in chaos, though, so that’s the only sad thing that I can say about this…” she remarked. 

 

  “That may be true, but even with all the chaos, the worlds are still beautiful.  Just look at this place, for instance!  Everyone’s dazzled by it, including me!  It’s like…this place is heaven!  Even though the worlds are being threatened by darkness, there’s still beauty in the world.  I think that beauty is worth fighting for.” Matthew said, offering his insight on things.  Elina looked at him and was impressed.

 

  “Those were some find words.  Heh, very inspirational indeed.” she replied.  The two of them laughed together, but then they looked down at the ground sadly.  They didn’t look at each other for a while, and then they looked up to the sky.

 

  “So…when this is over, we’ll die, won’t we?” Matthe asked, trying not to choke up.  Elina gave out a sigh, though she was holding back her tears as well.

 

  “It can’t be helped…we’ve been sealed away for so long…our power can only be of use for a limited time, and after that, we vanish…it’s not a pretty picture, to be honest…” she answered.

 

  “No…not at all.  But at least we get to see the world before we die, so that’s something!” Matthew said, now struggling to smile, until he could finally manage to form one!  Elina hugged Matthew and she started to cry.

 

  “I don’t want to die…I want to be able to live in this world!” she said as she hugged him tightly! Matthew went silent, for he knew that nothing he could say could alleviate the grim truth they faced.  Unfortunately, they were fated to die, and there was nothing to stop that fate from coming to pass.  Matthew began to cry as well, and the two Dandelions embraced each other tightly.  They would probably never embrace like this again, so they decided to make this embrace count!

 

  “Even though our time is limited…let’s try and set things right as best as we can!” Matthew said encouragingly.  Elina wiped off her tears and then she nodded slowly.

 

  “Yes…with the strength given to us…we’ll make a difference!  That holds true for all of us!” she replied, and the two of them looked at the other Dandelions, who were all standing, looking at them.  It seems they had been listening in on Matthew and Elina’s conversation, and even though sadness could be reflected in their eyes, their faces bore a different story. They were determined to make their brief existence count for something!  They knew they had to make the most out of this!

(End Song Here)

 

  A little further off from the temple, near the shore that faced the ocean, Vanitas stood on the sand near the water.  His feet were getting wet with the rising tide, but he didn’t mind it much.  No, he found it rather relaxing!  He had his arms crossed, and he was looking towards the horizon of the ocean.  What he was thinking of, no one could guess!  But in his face, an expression of contemplation and deep though was present, as if he had been thinking a great deal about something.  He was by his lonesome, but he felt that he was being watched.  He knew that it wasn’t an enemy, rather, just a friend spying on him.  He glanced over his shoulder and then looked back at the ocean.

 

  “I hate it when people sneak up on me…” he said.  He then heard a few twigs snap, and some bushes brustle, and then he saw Ventus coming out!  Vanitas rolled his eyes and then laughed a bit.

 

  “Aren’t you a little old to be spying on people?” he asked.  Ventus was a little embarassed, but he brushed off a few leaves from his shoulder, and he smiled at Vanitas!

 

  “Yeah, I think you’re right!  But aren’t you a little old to be brooding?” he asked.  Vanitas got stumped on an answer, and he just looked at the ocean again.

 

  “Touche, Ventus.  Touche.” Vanitas replied.  Ventus walked towards Vanitas and then sat down on the sand, and he took off his shoes and let the water wet his feet.  He closed his eyes and relaxed.

 

  “I can see why you’re here.  This spot is particularly soothing.  The water here is great!” Ventus said, trying to stir up a conversation with Vanitas.  But Vanitas remained quiet, just looking at the horizon.

 

  “Hmm, I forgot I’m talking to Mr. Grim…hmm, how to get to him?” Ventus thought to himself, as he remained silent, letting the water caress his feet.  It was then that Vanitas sat down beside him, and he started skipping rocks on the ocean.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “So…mind telling me what’s up?” Ventus asked.  Vanitas gave out a sigh.

 

  “I’ve just been trying to think of how to apologize to you…” he started.  Ventus tilted his head.

 

  “Apologize?  For what?” he asked.  Vanitas looked at Ventus with a quizzical expression, but then he rolled his eyes.

 

  “Figures.  You’re not the type of person to sweat the small stuff…” Vanitas remarked.  Ventus then pouted.

 

  “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean!?” he demanded!

 

  “Ventus…when push came to shove, I failed to save you…back when we were fighting against Xylek and Jexana had you in her control…I fought against her…but I lost.  I wasn’t able to free you.  And because of that, your son Kyle suffered, and we all suffered as well!  And I felt the guilt of not being able to save you eating at me every day since…I just…didn’t know how to face you…” Vanitas explained.  Ventus remained silent.

 

  “When Kyle came back with you, I was relieved, and I was happy that you two reunited with Trish.  Believe me, that made me happy.  But I didn’t want to say anything to you.  Not until the time was right…” he said.  “Ventus…I’m sorry.”

 

  “Hey, you tried your best, you know that, right?” Ventus replied.  At that, Vanitas looked at Ventus, and then he looked at the ocean.

 

  “I can’t even imagine how hard this must have been on you.  But you don’t have to burden yourself with guilt.  I’m the main one to blame, because my heart was weak enough that Jexana took control of it!  Believe me, I fought with all my strength, but it took me a very long time to get free.  You don’t know how much it hurt every time Jexana kissed me…every time I had to pleasure her…and when she’d make Trish watch…it was too much for me to bear…it was sick!” Ventus said, his eyes now watery, tears about to come out!  “Jexana took away my freedom, and all because my heart wasn’t strong enough!  I know that Trish understands that I didn’t do this on my own accord, but still…I think there’s going to be a long time before the wounds can be mended.  Especially since Trish was subject to Jexana’s torture…but Vanitas…please don’t blame yourself.  It was all on me.  I was weak…”

 

  “You stop right there…” Vanitas muttered.

 

  “What?” Ventus asked.  Vanitas then stood up and glared at Ventus.

 

  “Don’t call yourself weak.  The fact that you withstood all of that torture from Jexana…despite the fact that your heart, body and soul were being controlled, you always kept on fighting!  A weak person wouldn’t fight back…they would just give up!  You were strong because you wanted to get back to Kyle and Trish…you wanted to be with them, and with all of us!  That thought, that determination and purpose, is what kept you going!  It gave you strength!  So don’t you dare call yourself weak!” Vanitas said, as he pointed his finger at Ventus’s chest! Ventus then clenched his fist to his chest and felt his heartbeat.

 

  “It looks like I didn’t have to apologize at all.  Turns out I had to give you a prep talk, idiot!” Vanitas said, and then he smirked.  “You’re hopeless, you know that?” he mentioned.  He then saw Ventus cry tears of happiness!

 

  “Ha, I guess I am!” Ventus replied as he sobbed and then hugged Vanitas!

 

  “Hey, what!?” Vanitas exclaimed!  He felt kind of uncomfortable, since he wasn’t used to giving hugs.  “Uh…there there…” Vanitas said, trying to sound consoling.  He patted Ventus’s back, but then fully embraced him.  “Hey, stop your crying, you hear me?” Vanitas said.  Ventus then pulled away and smiled.

 

  “I’m sorry…it’s just…I’m lucky to have a brother like you!” Ventus said.  At that, Vanitas’s expression softened.

 

  “Brother…?” he asked.

 

  “Yeah!  I mean, think about it!  You’re the darkness of my heart, but you have my blood.  Even though we didn’t see eye to eye at first, after a while, we finally began to understand each other! We created a mutual respect between us, and we decided to have each other’s backs!  That’s what being a brother is all about!  So thank you, Vanitas!” Ventus said, as he bowed appreciatively.  Vanitas felt flustered and embarassed, and he waved his hands dismissively.

 

  “Geez, cut that crap out already, you’re gonna make me look like a softy!  I’m already open enough with our friends as is.  I at least have to keep my image intimidating!” Vanitas said.  The two of them then burst into laughter, for the sheer moment just made them laugh!  But Vanitas felt much better now.  He felt a huge burden get lifted off of his shoulders.  He felt at peace now.

(End Song Here)

 

(Start Song Here)

  On the other side of the field surrounding the temple, near a lush forest, Xion sat on a boulder, and she had a small flower in her hands.  She was looking at the flower, and she was thinking about Roxas.  She missed him terribly, and she wondered if he was at peace, now that he was one with Kingdom Hearts.  She then started to cry, for she wished that he were here with her…she wished to embrace him, to kiss him, to tell him how much she loved him!  But he wasn’t here…and that hurt for her deeply.  She kept looking at the flower, which was red in color.  She then gave out a soft sigh, and she looked up at the stars.  A few shooting stars passed by, and Xion could only dream of wishing upon a star to have Roxas back…but she knew such wishes were beyond the heavens themselves!  She then wiped off her tears and stood up and walked along the grass, until she heard someone coming.  She turned around and saw that it was Gilgamesh!

 

  “Ah, here I am, on an evening stroll, and now I cross paths with you, dear Xion!  It is a beautiful night, yes?” he asked cheerfully, as was always his personality!  Xion smiled a bit and nodded.

 

  “Yes…it’s a beautiful night indeed…” she answered as she trailed off.  Gilgamesh felt curious and then he leaned in and looked at Xion’s face closely.

 

  “Hmm, and yet in this beautiful night, I see that you are not exactly happy!  You seem to be rather sad! May I ask why that is?” the swordsman asked.  Xion tried to come up with an excuse, but in the end, she felt it was better if she just talked about her feelings with someone!  She sighed and then placed the flower she was holding on the grass.

 

  “It’s just…I’ve been feeling sad lately…I’ve been missing Roxas so much, and I wish that he were here with me…I’m just reminiscing, is all…” she said.  Gilgamesh then nodded in understanding, and he remained silent for a bit.  He then put his hands behind his back and looked at the trees.

 

  “Well, being sad over the abscence of a loved one is quite natural, my dear friend!  In fact, I say that it is the normal reaction to anyone who loses someone!  Why, even nature itself carries this trait!” the swordsman explained.  Xion tilted her head.

 

  “Nature?  How so?” she asked. 

 

  “Well, you see Xion, over my many years of existence and my travels throughout countless dimensions, I have witnessed amazing and wonderful things!  I have witnessed things that most men and women only dream of!  And during my travels, I have seen how different beings cope with feelings of loss!  Nature, being aware and alive, also suffers!  You see, when the world decays, when trees wither away and die, when waters dry up and when the earth cracks, nature suffers the loss of these elements!  For you see, they need each other to live!  Without the necessary parts, nature is incomplete!  But, with loss comes overcoming your suffering!  You see, when nature suffers, it overcomes its suffering by nurturing new life!  New trees begin to grow, water begins to stream from a new source, the earth starts to revitalize!  The worlds are always in this state, we just do not notice it!  It is quite fascinating, when you think about it!  What I am trying to say here is that even though you have lost Roxas, you can nurture yourself from this loss and overcome it!  He would want you to move on with your life!  And besides, it is to my understanding that even when our loved ones are gone, we can still communicate with them with our hearts!” Gilgamesh said, in a very caring and mature tone, not common to his often bubbly personality!  Xion placed her hand on her chest and felt her heartbeat.

 

  “My heart?” she asked.  Gilgamesh nodded.

 

  “Indeed, young lass!  For you see, while our loved ones may cease to exist on this plane, they will always live on in the hearts of the people who loved them!  As long as they are remembered, they will always live on!  You hold the memory of Roxas dearly, as do all of us!  And with that being said, he is resting in your heart!  All you have to do is pay close attention and listen!” the swordsman explained.

 

  “As long as I remember…Gilgamesh, your words ring very true!  Even though I had faded into nothingness, even though I was practically vanished from the hearts of all the people that knew me when I died…there was always that tiny sliver that allowed me to live on! Somehow, someway, Roxas always kept thinking about me, though he probably didn’t notice at the time!  I think I understand what you’re saying!  As long as we have the people that we love in our hearts…they’ll never truly be gone!  True, we can’t see them, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there!” Xion said, as she felt her heartbeat fasten up a bit!

 

  “Right you are, my dear friend!  You definitely understand my point!  With that in mind, focus on your heart, and you will be able to communicate with Roxas!  I know that you can do it!” Gilgamesh said proudly, noticing how his words had definitely cheered Xion up!  She smiled and let out a few tears of joy, and then she ran towards Gilgamesh and hugged him tightly!

 

  “Thank you, Gilgamesh…thank you so much!” she said as she sobbed softly!  Gilgamesh hugged her back and patted her back.

 

  “There there, lass.  You have nothing to thank me for.  I but simply pointed you to what was already in your heart!” the swordsman said.  Xion then pulled away and smiled.

 

  “He’s in my heart…I’m going to try to talk to him!  Please stay here with me, I want you to hear him!” Xion said.  Gilgamesh bowed respectfully.

 

  “I would be honored, lass!” the swordsman said, and then the two of them sat down on the grass, and the flower Xion had placed on the grass flew away by a gust of wind that blew by suddenly! Xion closed her eyes and focused, and she could’ve sworn she felt a warm sensation come over her!

(End Song Here)

 

  Inside the temple, at the resting quarters, Trish laid in bed, for she was resting.  Even though she had felt much better, the battle to defend the temple had definitely taken its toll on her still battered body!  After a while, she opened her eyes, but she remained in bed!  She did nothing except look at the ceiling.  She was thinking heavily on the final battle to come, and she was thinking about what would await her with Ventus and Kyle after this was all over.  She was also thinking about what Jexana had put them through, and that made her feel slightly depressed!  She sighed and raised her right hand, as if to summon her Keyblade, but she didn’t summon it.  Instead, she remained with her hand oustretched, as if reaching for some invisible thing!  She then thought about Ventus and Kyle again, and hoped they could all have their life as a family back again!  Just then, she heard some footsteps, and then noticed that it was Ethan who had come!  He noticed that she was laying in bed, and then he stopped.

 

  “Ah, you’re resting.  I can come back later if you want.” he expressed.  Trish quickly shook her head and then sat on the bed, her back facing the wall. 

 

  “No, it’s no problem at all!  Come sit here with me!” she said!  She welcomed her brother’s company, and he sat down beside her, and he gave a smile.

 

  “So, how are you holding up?” he asked, noticing how battered she looked.  She rubbed her shoulder a bit and winced slightly.

 

  “I could be doing worse, so yes, I’m doing pretty good, all things considering.” she answered.

 

  “I guess so.  And how are things with Ventus and Kyle?” he asked.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “To tell you the truth, things are stable.  Nothing’s a disaster, but it’s not all exactly okay either.  We went through hell, Ethan!  We were put through torment by Jexana, and we all suffered so much! Ventus being controlled…Jexana keeping me prisoner…Kyle having to deal with the fact that we were taken from him…it’s definitely a lot to take in, and very difficult to forget.  But overall, we’re happy that we’ve reunited again!  I feel very blessed that we’re together…I just hope that it stays that way…” she said as she looked at the bed sheets.  Ethan then held her hand reasurringly and gave a smile.

 

  “It’ll all be okay, sis.  Everything will go back to the way it was.  Or, at the very least, we’ll all try to rebuild our lives after all this is over.” he said.  Trish nodded.

 

  “Yeah…Ethan, can I ask you something?” she asked.

 

  “Sure sis, anything!” Ethan replied.  Trish remained silent for a moment, and then she leaned her head on Ethan’s shoulder.  She remained silent for a while, and then she started to cry!  She cried softly and clung to Ethan, and he only remained there, giving her sister support and love.  He was holding back tears as well, for he knew how rough everything was.  Trish then looked up to Ethan and tugged at his arm.

 

  “Can you…can you sing that lullaby that our parents use to sing to us back when we were little?” she asked almost in a whisper. Ethan was caught a bit off guard by this, for he never expected her to ask him such a question!  The mention of a lullaby certainly brought back memories, and he couldn’t hold back the tears that were rolling down his cheeks!

 

  “Do you remember it?” she asked.  Ethan nodded slowly.

 

  “Yeah, I do.  I’ll sing it for you.” he said.  Trish then laid her head on Ethan’s shoulder again, and was still crying softly!  Ethan was silent for a moment, and then the words came to him.  The song that their parents sung to them when they were little!

 

“When nightfall comes, my little ones, rest your weary heads!

 

Leave all despair behind, and put your doubts to rest.

 

A warm new day awaits you tomorrow,

 

a day which will wash away all your sorrows!

 

Even when darkness comes and takes a hold,

 

never be afraid, stay strong and be bold!”

 

  At this point, Trish had begun singing along, and the two of them were crying as they sang…

 

“Remember to always seek the light,

 

for even in darkness it shines ever bright!

 

Count your blessings and seize the day,

 

always and forever live for today!

 

Even when life takes a drastic turn

 

never let your hearts burn!

 

For when we are no longer here,

 

please don’t be afraid, there’s nothing to fear!

 

For always and forever we’ll be in your heart!

 

So when nightfall comes, my little ones, rest your weary heads!

 

Leave all despair behind, and put your doubts to rest…”

 

  And with that, the lullaby came to an end, and Trish and Ethan embraced each other.  The two of them had gone through so much!  Losing their parents, Ethan falling to darkness, Trish being tortured by Jexana…the two of them had been through quite harrowing ordeals!  The lullaby they sang reminded them of the strength of heart they needed to uphold in order to keep moving forward in life! They cried and remembered their parents, for they missed them terribly!  After a while, they stopped crying, and Trish wiped off her tears, as Ethan did his.

 

  “It’s been a long time since we sang that song, huh…?” Trish asked.  Ethan nodded.

 

  “Yeah…it was back when we were still learning how to use our Keyblades…before everything else went down…” he answered.

 

  “Thank you for singing the song, Ethan.  I needed that.” Trish said as she then leaned her back on the wall again.

 

  “Yeah…I needed that too.” he replied.

 

  “Ethan…will we be okay?”Trish asked.

 

  “Yes, sis.  I believe everything will be okay after all this is over.  I just know it!” Ethan answered.  Trish smiled, for she felt reassured by his words, and she felt more at ease.

 

  “That’s good enough for me.” she sighed softly, and then she laid back in bed to rest up some more.  Ethan smiled and then stood up from the bed and then tucked her sister in.

 

  “Have yourself a good rest, Trish.” he said, and with that, he left the room and went downstairs.

(End Song Here)

 

  On top of the temple, Riku and Dawn were together.  They were just sitting there, gazing at the stars, and thinking how wonderful they looked in the night sky!  Riku had his arm around Dawn’s shoulder, and she smiled and leaned in to his chest.  She felt warm being this close to him.  It had been a while since they had a prívate moment like this, given the fact that the current circumstances had kept them apart for some time!  Dawn wanted to feel Riku’s embrace and never let go!  He wished just the same!

 

  “So hey, are you feeling better?  Over everything that happened over at San Fransokyo, I mean?” Riku asked.  Dawn nodded, though she was a bit saddened.  Ever since she had obtained her Key Of Balance, things had changed for her.  She already knew that the worlds always faced danger and there was always the chance of seeing innocents die firsthand, but what she witnessed on San Fransokyo traumatized her.  She had done her best to keep the feeligns she experienced there locked away in her heart, but she couldn’t keep it inside for long…

 

(Start Song Here)

  “I do feel a little better…I just can’t believe what happened.  I thought I could be able to save that world, I thought I could ensure that everyone could stay alive!  But when the time came, and I realized that things wouldn’t go that way, I didn’t know what to do.  I was scared…and now I don’t know how to feel…” she explained.  Riku gently caressed Dawn’s head and kissed her forehead, and then he looked into her eyes, and she into his.

 

  “Look…I know that what you’re going through is rough, but you had to go through that.  One way or another, you’d have to see that you can’t save everyone.  No matter how hard we try, we can never save everyone in the entire world, let alone other worlds.  We do what we can to ensure we save as many as we can, but in the end, it’s impossible to save every single person.  What you’re feeling right now is perfectly normal!  You just have to learn to accept that saving lives is something that is necessary, but that it doesn’t work every time.  I know you’ll overcome this Dawn, I just know it!” he said, encouraging her!  Dawn smiled and felt even better, relaxed even!  She then saw a shooting star pass by, and then she pointed at it, and Riku was able to see it before it faded away!

 

  “A shooting star!” Dawn exclaimed!  Riku smiled.

 

  “Yeah, I saw it.” he said.  Dawn then stood up and clasped her hands together, as in a prayer, and she closed he reyes.  Riku figured that she was making a wish, and so he figured he’d do the same as well!  And so he stood up, closed his eyes and clasped his hands, and wished silently upon the shooting star that had passed.  After they made their wishes, they opened their eyes and then looked at the sky.

 

  “I really hope my wish comes true…” Dawn said.  Riku glanced at her and smirked.

 

  “So?  What did you wish for?” he asked.  Dawn giggled and punched Riku’s shoulder gently!

 

  “Hey, that’s not fair!  If I tell, my wish won’t come true!  So you’re just gonna have to wait until this is all over to find out!” Dawn said as she put her hands behind her back.  Riku then laughed and rubbed his head.

 

  “Yeah, I figured you wouldn’t tell me.  I wasn’t going to tell you my wish either, just so you know!” he replied.

 

  “Oh well, but hey, the mystery adds to the fun, doesn’t it?” Dawn teased.  Riku nodded.

 

  “Absolutely!” he replied.  He then winced slightly, almost as if a sharp pain had run through him, and at that, Dawn noticed this, and her face grew concerned!

 

  “What is it Riku, what’s wrong?” she asked worriedly.  Riku waved his hands dismissively and shook his head.

 

  “No, no, it’s nothing to worry about, don’t stress yourself, okay?” he declared.  Dawn crossed her arms and pouted.

 

  “This is you we’re talking about, so I worry!” she said.  Riku then closed his eyes and chuckled and then gestured as if he had surrendered.

 

  “Okay, fair enough.  I guess that the wounds I sustained during the battle with Xylek…never really healed.  I mean, the pain is gone, but it’s like it’s not gone, either.  I still have the scars, and it looks like I’ll always bear them with me.  But ever since the battle with Xylek, something in me changed.  I don’t feel as strong as I used to be…sometimes I feel really weak, like I can’t fight…and it’s a frustrating feeling!  But I ignore the pain, and I use my strength to protect the things that matter, and ensure we can have a future to keep fighting for!  But sometimes, the pain is too much, and I sometimes get scared that I might lose my strength…it’s something that’s always in my mind…” Riku explained.  Dawn felt sad as she heard Riku talk about this, for she knew that the pain he was going through was definitely rough.  She walked towards him and embraced him, holding him closely to her, as she dug her head in his chest.

 

  “That’s what I’m here for, Riku.  When your strength fails, I can help you with mine.  When you feel like you can’t carry the burden of the world, I can help carry it for you.  No matter how weak you feel, you’ll always be strong in my eyes.  We’ve been through so much, and I know that we’ve all had life changing experiences…it’s all a part of living life and growing up!  I’m blessed to have met you, and I’m happy that I’ve been able to be with you all this time!  Riku, I know that things are tough, but trust me, we’ll get out of this okay!  And if you feel like your strength is about to run out, I’ll give you mine!” Dawn said reassuringly.  Then there was a silence that loomed between them.  Riku embraced her tightly, and she heard him crying softly.  She smiled and gently caressed him.

 

  “It’s okay, Riku…it’s okay…” she said.

(End Song Here)

 

  Inside one of the halls of the temple, denizens from different worlds were either sleeping or eating or talking in hushed tones.  All the people that had been rescued from their worlds were taking refuge here, and they were all thankful to Alaya and the Keyblade Wielders and Leon and the gang for saving them!  In particular, Mickey and Minnie were the most thankful, as they valued the lives of every person existing in every world!  Mickey and Minnie were side by side, and Donald and Goofy were there as well.  They were near the serving hall for food!  Goofy’s stomach rumbled, for apparently, he was hungry!  Donald gave him a glare, and Riku just twiddled his thumbs and laughed.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “A-hyuck, sorry about that!  Looks like I’m hungry!” he said. 

 

  “Well, you’re gonna wait, you big palooka, because when the grand feast is done, we’re all going to eat together!” Donald squawked! 

 

  “That’s right, fellas!  Before we head out for the final battle, I wanted for us to gather together and eat together one last time before heading out!  I think it’ll do all of us a great deal of good!” Mickey said. 

 

  “That’s very thoughtful of you, Mickey!  I’m sure everyone will love this feast!” Minnie said.

 

  “Haha, that’s what I hope for, Minnie!  And gosh, Donald, Goofy, thank you for always being such great pals!  You’re the best friends any fella would be lucky to have!”  Mickey said!  Donald and Goofy smiled and felt quite honored and saluted their king!

 

  “A-hyuck, it’s been an honor, Your Majesty!” Goofy declared!

 

  “We’ve always been honored to serve by your side, King Mickey!” Donald said, as they both saluted their king with pride!  Mickey shook his head and chuckled.

 

  “Aw, gosh, fellas, don’t be so formal!” he said, and then he walked towards them and hugged them. 

 

  “You’re my pals, no matter what!  We’ll always be best friends!” Mickey said, as he embraced his two dear friends, and Donald and Goofy hugged back.

 

  “Aw, gwarsh Mickey, that’s so sweet of ya!  We feel the same way!” Goofy said.

 

  “You said it!” Donald concurred!  Then they heard Mickey sobbing a bit, and Donald and Goofy were caught a bit by surprise by this!

 

  “Gwarsh, Mickey, what’s wrong?” Goofy asked.  Mickey then pulled away, and Minnie just smiled, for she knew what Mickey was feeling.

 

  “Aw, it’s nothing, fellas.  I’m just happy to have you as my friends!” he said as he wiped off his tears, and then he turned to Minnie.  “And I’m lucky to have you as my wife, Minnie!  I can’t even begin to count my lucky stars!  You’ve always been a blessing to my life!” Mickey said.  Minnie blushed and giggled a bit, and the two of them held hands.

 

  “Gwarsh, that’s so sweet!” Goofy said as he found the moment between Mickey and Minnie heartwarming!  Even Donald, who was normally a bit annoyed by lovey doveyness, couldn’t help but smile.

 

  “Hehe, that’s Mickey for ya!  A hopeless romantic!” Donald said, and at that, both he and Goofy laughed!

 

  “I’m also very lucky for having you as my husband, Mickey!  No matter what happens, I’ll always be happy that we met, and I’ll always be happy to be yours!  Given the opportunity, I’d do it all over again!” Minnie said.  Mickey blushed and felt happy! 

 

  “Oh please, what ridiculous chat…I swear, you lot are too good for your own good!” Maleficent said as she strolled in with Pete, Guardian Xehanort and Armored Eraqus!  Mickey laughed and turned to Maleficent.

 

  “Well, that’s the way we are, Maleficent, and we wouldn’t have it any other way!” he replied.  Maleficent rolled her eyes.

 

  “Well, you are right.  Seeing you in a different light would be too strange for my eyes.” she said.

 

  “Yeah, you pipsqueaks just stay the way you are!” Pete mentioned.

 

  “Gwarsh, now that I think about it, what will you do after all this is over?” Goofy asked.  The others, curious to know the answer to Goofy’s question, all looked toward Maleficent!  The fairy scoffed and rolled her eyes!

 

  “Well, isn’t it obvious?  After all this is over, I shall resume my journey to conquer all worlds!  Make no mistake!  Just because we are allied forces in this current predicament does not mean we’ll end up being friends!  After this is over, it will change nothing between us!  I shall attain power and dominion over all worlds, and you shall all bow down to my feet!” she said as she spread her arms menacingly!  The residents of the other worlds, who had heard Maleficent speaking just now, all seemed to have dwarfed, for the mention of these words she uttered stroke fear into their hearts!  Mickey didn’t seem to be concerned, though!  In fact, he was smiling!

 

  “What is it that you find so amusing, little king?” Maleficent asked.  Mickey just shook his head.

 

  “Aw, gosh Maleficent, you might be talking like that now, but I think that deep down, you really do want to be friends with us!  If you really want to go through with your plans of taking over all the worlds, surely you would’ve already done something and gotten us out of the picture!  So I think you got a soft spot for us!” the little mouse replied!  Pete, who was behind Maleficent, was making gestures to signal that Mickey shoudn’t have said that!

 

  “Oh geez, these idiots will be goners now!” Pete thought to himself!  But, to his surprise…

 

  “You are a naive and foolish king!  Hmph, such ridiculous notions!  Pete, let us go outside…” was all she said!  Everyone watching was surprised by this simple brush off, but Mickey and Minnie weren’t surprised at all! 

 

  “Uh, yes ma’am, whatever you say!” he said, and with that, they took their leave and went outside the temple, along with Guardian Xehanort and Armored Eraqus!  Donald was dumbstruck by this!

 

  “Mickey, do you think Maleficent really cares for us?” Donald asked.

 

  “Gwarsh, cuz when you said what you said, she didn’t seem to get aggressive!  Could it be she’s had a change of heart?” Goofy asked.  Mickey smiled.

 

  “Gee, I dunno fellas, but something in my heart tells me that Maleficent’s days as an agent of evil are over!  I think she’s turning over a new leaf!  She just doesn’t realize it!” Mickey answered.  Minnie smiled and held his hand.

 

  “Oh Mickey, always seeing the good in everyone.  That’s one of the reasons why I love you!” she said as she kissed his cheek!  Mickey blushed and chuckled.

 

  “Aw gosh, love you too, Minnie!” Mickey replied.

(End Song Here)

 

  Elsewhere, in one of the hallways of the temple, Sora and Kairi had been talking to each other for quite a long while!  After they had entered the temple, they had just strolled along its walls and had gotten lost in conversation!  From the looks on their faces, you could tell that they were happy just talking to each other!  It was a surreal feeling!  They were more than happy, considering the circumstances about them, and they were enjoying their conversation as much as they could!  Kairi smiled and had her back leaning on the wall.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Yeah, I remember that!  You and Riku were so goofy back then, trying to compete with each other to see who’d be the best out of everything!  Haha, I can’t believe it’s been so many years since that…who would’ve thought that we’d turn out the way we have now, huh?” Kairi contemplated.  Sora nodded.

 

  “Yeah, I know what you mean!  Everything in our lives has served as a grand experience for us, and well, I say that we’ve become stronger people because of it!  And well, here we are now!  Oh, and do you remember when you gave me the good luck charm back in Traverse Town?” he asked as he pulled out the good luck charm from his pocket!  Even after all of these years, he still had it!  He never let it out of his sight!  The good luck charm was just as Kairi had made it, out of thalassa shells and decorated neatly!  Only the slightest of fading color could be noticed, as Sora made it a point to preserve the good luck charm as best as he could!  Kairi blushed and smiled.

 

  “Heh, you’ve always kept it with you Sora…you’ve always kept it close.” she said.

 

  “Yep!  It helps give me strength when I feel weak…when I look at this charm, I remember you, and having your image in my mind helps me forget about pain and fear…because I know that wherever I go, you’re always with me!” Sora said.  “I’ve always kept it close…it’s really dear to me!” he said.  “And well, I wanted to give you something!  But close your eyes!” he said excitedly!  Kairi giggled and closed her eyes!

 

  “Okay, I’ve got my eyes closed!” she said.  “I’m waiting!”

 

  “Okay, just a sec!” Sora said, as he pulled something out from his other pocket!  He leant forward and tied the gift he had for her with a chain, and put said gift in her pocket.

 

  “Now, reach for your pocket, and then open your eyes!” Sora said, and at that, Kairi put her hand in her pocket, and she could feel something that wasn’t too big, but wasn’t too small either!  It reminded her of her good luck charm’s shape!  She then took out the object from her pocket and then opened he reyes, and when she did, she saw that the gift was a good luck charm! She had a surprised look on her face, and Sora smiled at Kairi’s reaction!

 

  “That’s my good luck charm that I made for you!  I had tried doing it a few times before, but I was clumsy with arts and crafts, so there had to be a lot of do-overs!  I wanted this good luck charm to be perfect!  I poured my heart and soul into it, and well…I hope you can keep this good luck charm with you, keep it safe for me, will ya?” he asked with a smile.  Kairi nodded and then hugged Sora and kissed him, and he kissed her back, as the two embraced each other lovingly!

 

  “Oh, Sora, I love it!  Of course, I’ll take good care of it!  Thank you so much!” Kairi said!

 

  “You’re welcome, Kairi!” Sora said happily!

 

  “Sora, this means so much to me…knowing that we’re going to go into the final battle, I’m really happy that you gave this to me…it gives me hope, and I want to thank you so much for this gift!  You don’t know how happy it’s made me!  I’ll be sure to treasure it forever!  I promise you that!” Kairi declared!

 

  “Heh, I’m happy to hear that, Kairi!  I’m just relieved that I was able to make this one in time! I finished it just a few days ago, and well, I wanted to make sure to wait untl the right time to give it to you, and I think it’s safe to say that my timing was perfect!” he said.

 

  “Yes, it definitely was!” Kairi remarked.

 

  “You know…when we have our kids, Kibo and Yume…we should make good luck charms for them, too!  That way, our hearts and souls will be poured into the charms, and if anything happens to us during the time they live, they’ll always have something to hold on to as long as they have the charms, you know what I’m saying?” Sora explained, with serious, caring expression!  Kairi admired how Sora was so serious about raising a family, and she held his hand and nodded.

 

  “I think that’s a wonderful idea, Sora!  I’m sure our kids would love that!” she said!

 

  The two of them looked at each other and smiled, and then, for the rest of the time they were in the hallway, they didn’t speak any words, but they didn’t need to.  They were happy just being in each other’s presence!  The fact that they were there, feeling each other’s hearts, was more than words could describe!  After a few minutes, they left the hallway, hand in hand, and headed towards the entrance!

(End Song Here)

 

  As the evening marched on, everyone was having their quiet little moments, enjoying the serene calm of night and the company of good friends and loved ones!  They were enjoying every minute, for they didn’t know if this would be their last time…and as such, they wanted to make this evening count!  They wanted to make sure that they made good memories before all was said and done!

 

  Dawn and Riku had come inside the temple, and then Riku went to talk with Sora, while Dawn started to climb the stairs.  As she did so, she saw her father, Kosaku, along with his comrades, and when he noticed her, he quickly came down to greet her!

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Father!” Dawn bowed.

 

  “Dear Daughter…” Kosaku greeted, as he then hugged her.  “I think it’s safe to assume you’ve been making the most out of this evening?” he asked.  Dawn smiled.

 

  “Yes, I have…very much so, in fact!  And what about you?  Have you and the Order been able to rest?” she asked.

 

  “Yes, we have managed.  We have made sure to keep our strengths up, and well, I can safely say that we are ready for the battle ahead.  It will not be an easy one, but then again, the whole conflict against Xylek was quite a difficult one as well, but thankfully, we managed to pull through!” Kosaku said.

 

  “Yes, that’s right!” Dawn replied.  “Father…?” she asked.

 

  “Yes Dawn, what is it?” he asked.

 

  “I don’t know if this will be our last battle….I don’t know if we’ll make it out of this alive…but I just wanted to let you know, that whatever happens, I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me!  Thank you for being my father, and for being there for me long after mother was gone…thank you so much, father!  You don’t know how blessed I am to have a father like you!” she said as she started to cry, and then, like any daughter, she embraced her father, crying into his chest!  Kosaku smiled and held his daughter, and he also shed tears.  His comrades were smiling, for they were happy that Kosaku could have this moment with his daughter!

 

  “Thank you for your words, Dawn.  And I want to thank you for being my daughter! I know that I have not been easy to put up with, and I know that I was not seeing clearly back then, but I want to thank you for seeing past all that, for giving me a second chance to make things right!  You do not know how grateful I am for this opportunity, and trust me, I shall always cherish our bond.  I love you, daughter.” he said lovingly.

 

  “I love you too, father!” Dawn replied, as the two of them embraced for a long time!  They wanted to remain like this, for it was a precious moment for them, and even though they had their share of arguments in the past, they still loved each other very much!

(End Song Here)

 

  Back in the resting quarters, Trish was still in bed, but now she felt like taking a walk.  And so she went out of bed and then proceeded to go downstairs.  When she did, she went outside the temple, and once outside, she saw that Ventus and Kyle were sitting near one of the outside pillars, looking at the stars!  Trish smiled and decided to join them!  She walked towards them, and as soon as she got close enough, they noticed her presence and turned around!  Kyle was the first to stand up, and he came and hugged his mother tightly!

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Mom!  I’m so glad you could  come outside!  Come sit down and look at the stars with us!” Kyle said, offering a spot for her to sit on.  She smiled and then sat down in between Ventus and Kyle.

 

  “Thank you for the invitation, dear!” she said, and then her eyes met Ventus’ eyes, and they held each other’s gaze for quite a bit!  It was obvious that there was tension between them, but overall, they had missed each other dearly, and they had gone through so much pain and suffering!  Their hands slowly intertwined, until they held each other tight!  Tears started to form in their eyes, and Kyle smiled.  He knew that this was a moment the two of them should have to themselves, so he quietly stood up and walked towards the field to keep looking at the stars!  He wasn’t too far off, though, so he could see his parents well!  But he obviously kept his gaze at the stars, while listening to what they were saying!

 

  “Trish…about everything…” Ventus started to say.

 

  “I already told you…it’s all in the past…we just have to move on from that and rebuild our family!” Trish said firmly.

 

  “I know, but still…it’s not fair to you…it’s not fair to any of us, especially on Kyle!  He suffered for us so much, and he sacrificed so much to make sure that I’d be able to break free from Jexana’s spell!  Trish…I feel mortified that I was never able to break free when we were imprisoned…when Jexana made me do all those things…I know that it hurt you, because I could see the pain your face…the sorrow in your eyes, the suffering in your cries…I hurt you…and even though Jexana was controlling me, I could see what I was doing…and I tried my best to fight back…I wanted to make it all stop…Trish…” Ventus explained, still trying to apologize!  Trish was crying, but she held Ventus’ hand firmly.

 

  “You stop that, you hear?” she whispered.

 

  “But…” Ventus tried to protest, but Trish simply dove in and kissed him, and he kissed back, and the two embraced each other lovingly and dearly!  They then pulled away.

 

  “Ventus…this hasn’t been easy on any of us.  You were suffering, and I was suffering too.  I know that we’ve been through hell, and it’ll probably take a long time for us to recover from this…but the fact is, we will recover, and we’ll become stronger!  Because that’s how we are!” she explained.  “The fact that we’re here, alive and well, proves something!  It proves that we’re not meant to depart this world just yet!  We still have a lot to do, and we have a son to raise!  We have to keep moving forward, rebuild our family and reclaim our lives together!  I know that we can do that after all this is over!  We just have to survive, that’s all!” Trish said, a sense of determination resounding in her voice!

 

  “Trish…you’re right!  We will make it past this!  We’ll do this for our friends, and for us!  And most of all, we’ll do this for Kyle!” Ventus said.  Trish smiled.

 

  “Now that’s the Ventus I remember…always determined, no matter what.” she said.  The two of them laughed, and then Kyle came up behind them and hugged the both of them!

 

  “Heh, you guys are the best!  Now that we’re back together, nothing will be impossible for us!  After everything we’ve been through, I know that we’ll have a happy ending!  After all our struggles and battles, this is all going to lead to us finally getting our lives back!  I have faith we’ll make it through this war, and when we do, I know that our lives will make a turn for the best!  I have you two here now, and I couldn’t be happier!  When you two were abducted by Jexana, I was so scared!  Scared that I would lose the family I had gained!  I didn’t want to lose any of you, and thankfully, I didn’t!  Here I am, with the two of you by my side!  I love you guys!” Kyle said.  He then hugged his parents, and they smiled and hugged him back.

 

  “We love you too, Kyle!” they replied!  They then looked up and saw that the stars were shining radiantly!  It was a beautiful night, and they were blessed that they were witnessing such a sight!

(End Song Here)

 

  A bit further off from the temple grounds, Dexeres and Tsumugi were laying on the grass, watching the nigh sky.  They had been talking to each other for hours, and finally, they felt, their loneliness was washed away!  They had been apart for so long, it felt like an eternity since they had been together!  And now, here they were, under the night sky.  Tsumugi seemed a bit scared, though.  She seemed worried, a concerned expression donning over her face.  Dexeres noticed this, and he looked at her, wondering what was wrong.

 

  “Tsumugi…is everything alright?” he asked.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “I just…feel this uneassiness washing over me…like something horrible’s about to happen soon…” she answered.  “My heart feels strange…almost as if something was taking a hold of it…I know that it’s not Jexana…it’s just something else entirely.  I don’t like this feeling, Sedere…it scares me.” she whispered as she clenched her hands to the grass. 

 

  “Tsumugi…I know that this is tough, I know that all of this is horrifying…believe me, I’m just as scared as you.  But we’re finally this close to ending things!  Once Jexana and her forces are defeated, we’ll restore peace to the worlds, and then you won’t have reason to fear anymore!  You’ll finally be free of the darkness that’s been looming over you.  And…we can have a life together, like we used to!” Dexeres said reassuringly, trying to comfort her.  Tsumugi smiled.

 

  “I appreciate the thought, Sedere, but still, I just can’t keep this worry at bay…it’s something that gnaws at me…I feel terrified, like I could just explode at any second!  I don’t want you suffer…I…I don’t want to pull you down with me, should I fall!” she said.  Dexeres then sat up and looked at Tsumugi, his eyes gentle and caring.

 

  “Don’t say that…you won’t fall.  I won’t let that happen!  I’ve just gotten you back, there’s no way I’m going to let you get taken away from me again!  I’m going to protect you!” he said.  “Please, believe in me.” he said softly.  Tsumugi then sat up and leaned into Dexeres, embracing him and rubbing his chest with her hand.

 

  “My love…I know that you can protect me, but I want to protect you!  I fear that I’m just going to make you suffer.  I don’t want that, not when you have a second chance at life!  I want you to be able to live your life, the way you always wanted to!  I don’t want to burden you, I want to be able to give you wings to soar!” she said as she looked into his eyes.  “But when I look at you…I don’t want to be separated from you…I don’t want to go anywhere…”

 

  “What’s a second chance worth if I can’t spend it with you?” he asked.  At that, Tsumugi’s eyes got watery.

 

  “Sedere…I…” she tried to say, but choked, as tears were now falling down.  He gently caressed her face and wiped off her tears and then leaned her head up so that their eyes could meet.

 

  “This is our second chance, Tsumugi.  Not just mine!  I want our lives to intertwine, like we once did!” he said, as he intertwined his hand with hers!  Tsumugi cried, and she leaned into Dexeres, as the two kissed each other under the starlight.  She couldn’t fight her feelings.  She needed him, and he needed her.  After so much heartache, they were finally together…and that’s all that really mattered!

 

  Inside the temple, in the main hall, Raxon and Sky had been talking with the Keyblade Wielders and with some of the people that had come from other worlds seeking refuge!  They had talked for a good couple of hours, and after they finished talking with an old couple, they had some time alone.  Sky flew around Raxon in circles, and he felt quite relaxed, despite the battle that was about to come!  Raxon seemed to have his mind somewhere else, which prompted Sky’s curiosity.  He then flew down till he was eye to eye with Raxon.

 

  “Hey, watcha thinking about, Raxon?  Your head’s in the clouds, kupo!” the little moogle pointed out!  Raxon snapped himself back to reality, and he seemed calm, yet odd.

 

  “Oh, it’s nothing Sky.  Nothing for you to trouble yourself over…” he answered.  This only piqued the little moogle’s curiosity ever more, and then he flew lower till he reached the floor, and then he walked alongside Raxon, as the two were walking towards the temple’s exit!

 

  “Are you sure?  You seem to be thinking heavily about something, kupo!” Sky pointed out.  At that, Raxon stopped, and then he gave out a soft sigh.  He then glanced at his dear friend and felt a little conflicted with himself.

 

  “Should I tell him now?  Should I tell him that after all this ends, I want to make sure he has a home to live in?  That he’s better off without me?  The thing is…I don’t know how he’d take it…” the pirate thought to himself.  He was wrestling with his emotions, and his uncertainty could be reflected upon his face.  Sky was a little worried, but in the end, he just flapped his wings and started to fly again!

 

  “You know what?  It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me!  If it’s something that you have to keep to yourself, then I won’t force you to tell me!  But whenever you feel like talking, know that I’m here, okay kupo?” the little moogle asked.  Raxon felt a slight relief over the fact that Sky wasn’t going to press him on this, so he simply nodded.

 

  “Will do, old friend.” he replied.  Sky then flew to the ceiling of the temple and then he soared back down!  He seemed to be in a cheerful mood!

 

  “I see you’re happy!” Raxon commented.  Sky nodded.

 

  “Yep!  I mean, who knew we’d make so many friends?  I mean, yeah, I know that our current situation is a tough one, and I know that this isn’t exactly the best time to relax, since we have to fight and all, but I’m glad we got to meet everyone!  And I’m really happy that we got to be friends with Kyle!  He’s a real special kid, kupo!” the little moogle went on.

 

  “Aye, that he is.  I’m glad he was able to reunite himself with his parents.  They all look happy together.” Raxon said.

 

  “Yeah…hey Raxon, can I ask you something?” the little moogle asked.

 

  “Of course.” Raxon replied.

 

  “When all this is over…could we stay with our friends?  Could we live among them, and settle in one world?  I mean, don’t get me wrong, traveling from world to world has been an amazing experience for me, but I think it’s about time that we stuck in one place, kupo!” Sky explained.  This got Raxon thinking on what he was being conflicted with just moments ago!  But he didn’t want to concern Sky again, so he put up a mask to cover what he was feeling.  He just shrugged and looked at everyone as they passed by.

 

  “Eh, I don’t know…do you think we’d fit in?” he asked, trying to move the conversation along.  Sky laughed.

 

  “Haha, we aren’t exactly normal ourselves!  I’m sure we’d fit in with them great, kupo!” the little moogle answered.  Raxon chuckled and patted Sky’s head.

(End Song Here)

 

  “Heh, maybe you’re right, mate!  Maybe you’re right.” the pirate said. As Sky continued to fly circles around him, he kept thinking about what was best for Sky.  He wanted to make sure that he’d have a future, and he knew that he’d be better off without someone like him.  It was all for the best, he thought.  But for now, he’d remain quiet.  All of a sudden, Donald and Goofy came out running from the dining hall, and everyone caught notice of them as they ran!  The two of them stopped and was sure to get everyone’s attention!

 

  “Heya fellas, come to the dining hall!” Goofy shouted!

 

  “Yeah, we’ve prepared a feast for all of you, so come on in! We have enough for everyone!” Donald squawked cheerfully!  At that, everyone followed Donald and Goofy, as they headed towards the dining hall!

 

  “Well Sky, how about it?  Want to get a bite to eat?” Raxon asked.

 

  “Sure thing, kupo!” Sky answered, more than eager!

 

  And so, over the next couple of minutes, all the Keyblade Wielders, plus the refugees and the Dandelions, gathered in the dining hall.  For a moment, one could note that the dining hall was impressive in size, as the whole Dandelion army could fit in, and there was still room for more people!  Tables and benches were aplenty, and Mickey, Minnie and a few others started to serve food!  There were many delicacies such as curry, pork chop, different kinds of pastas, rice, beans, corned beef, soups of all kinds, salads, and yummy desserts such as cake and ice cream and pie!  It was truly one giant feast, and it was impressive because of the fact that there was enough food to go around for everyone, and then some! 

 

  Mickey and Minnie were pleased, for they saw that everyone was enjoying themselves!  They were laughing and talking and sharing stories, all while enjoying a good meal!  That was the whole purpose for this, really.  To bring everyone together so they could all have a good time before the final battle came about.  Even though what would come after would probably bring sadness and despair, at least, in these short moments, they were able to put smiles on people’s faces.  That was something worth doing.  Alaya and Yen Sid were also eating, and they were helping to serve food for the others!  When everyone was finally served, Mickey, Minnie and the others helped themselves to a hearty meal!

 

  For a while, after a few people had finished eating, Mickey stood on one of the benches and he cleared his throat loud enough to warrant everyone’s attention.  As everyone locked eyes on him, he blushed a little and gave out a laugh, but then, he gave off a satisfied smile.

 

(Start Song Here)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhaBDyaOYF0

  “Aw, fellas, I’m really happy we could all gather here tonight!  Seeing all your happy faces makes me feel so much more happy!  The fact that all of us are here sharing a meal fills my heart with great joy! I wanted to take this moment to thank each and every one of you, for everything you’ve done for the worlds, and for everything you’ve sacrificed!” Mickey said.  At that, everyone remained looking at the king, for he was offering words of inspiration, and they were already held in a trance by his words!

 

  “We’ve made it this far…and I know that this road hasn’t been without its fair share of bloodshed…but even so, we’ve managed to come all this way, protecting all the worlds and doing our best to keep everyone safe!  For that’s the goal of a Keyblade Wielder!  To protect life, and dispel anything that would upset its balance!  For many years, I thought that darkness was the enemy, but I learned that even darkness can serve as a friend when things seem the darkest!  We’ve all come a long way, and we’ve learned so much!  Which now leads us to the final battle that awaits us tomorrow…” and with that, he paused.  The silence in the room urged for him to continue.

 

  “When we go to face Jexana’s fleet, we’ll go into a battlefield from which there might be no return!  I know that there’s no comfort in knowing that, but I want to let you all know that I believe in each and every one of you!  I know that we’ll win this war, and we’ll bring peace to the worlds!  Gosh, hopefully for a very long time!  And hopefully, we’ll all be able to carry out our heart’s deepest desires, to be able to do the things we want to do!  Hopefully we’ll have that chance! And  I just wanted to let you all know, that no matter what happens, even if we should fail, we’ll fail with honor, and with courage in our hearts!” he stated, and with that, he summoned his Keyblade!  “And so, like our dear friend Sora says…our friends are our power!” he declared!  At that, the Keyblade Wielders and Dandelions summoned their Keyblades, and they raised them up in salute, while the refugees and non Keyblade Wielders raised their hands!

 

  “Our friends are our power!!!” they all shouted with determination! It was a fierce and motivating battle cry, and everyone was ready for what was to come!

 

  If tonight was the calm before the storm, then this battle cry was the thunder that would begin the storm in earnest!

(End Song Here)

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

 

And so, the battle cry has been awakened!  All the pieces are finally in place!  Everyone is ready, and the battle to determine the fate of all worlds, of all universes, shall finally come to pass!  It will be a war to remember, a war to tell stories of for generations!  This is the time when the heroes of the worlds shall make their final stand!  The final battle awaits!  Be prepared for Chapter Forty One: Owari-Part 1 Of 10: “The Storm Comes!”

 

Well everyone, this is it!  The moment we’ve all been waiting for!  The final battle is finally at hand!  Also, for those wondering what Owari means, it’s Japanese for The End! Wanted to make that sound epic, ya know?  Haha, but anyways, this was the chapter, and I hope you all enjoyed it!  Now, we’re finally at the finale!  Be prepared for a rollercoaster ride of feels and action!  Once again, I thank you all immensely for your support and patience, and as always, please make sure to comment on what you thought of tonight’s chapter!  And well, until next time, stay tuned for the next one!

This was amazing.