Grotesquery

This is no Witchcraft of our earthly definition. This. THIS IS TRUE MARKETING GENIUS. Either that or it is the single most idiotic and regrettable decision that has ever graced the plain of PC gaming.

I'm fairly certain that the machine he used, did in fact grant him eternal life. It wasn't directly stated in the flashback, nor at the end of the game, but since the machine was able to make his Floette live forever, it would make sense to assume that it could do the same for him. He may have just used its power to make himself immortal before reviving Floette, but it was never really made clear. Of course, when factoring together that this guy apparently lived for 3000 years, and the fact that he had control over a machine that could grant eternal life 3000 years ago, it's sort of just assumed that he used it on himself at some point.

It needs so many resolutions because it has so many problems. im sorry okay

Alright, that makes sense, but now I have another question. Are there any kind of specifications for what can help to grow a heart? Does it require being close to someone, or something? Because Ventus was, in a way, surrounded by plenty of people during the period of time when Castle Oblivion was occupied by the Organization. (I also think it was hinted at one point that Axel knew where he was, but I can't be sure of that.) I suppose it makes sense the opposite is true, however, because Sora made it a point to define Hearts as "made up of the people we meet, and how we feel about them", so if Ventus was asleep all of this time, he wouldn't have been able to "meet" anyone new, or display any kind of emotion towards them. But again, I can't say for sure if that's the only way this process can work, or if there's some kind of method to it that can be made flexible in order to suit the needs of the person itself. Kind of like Nomura and the entire Kingdom Hearts story

Quick question (since you pretty much know everything about this), why didn't Ven's heart grow back? It's already been established that the body will replace the heart the first chance it gets, so why hasn't the same thing happened with Ventus? Does it have something to do with the fact that he was sleeping, or the circumstances in which he lost his heart? Either way, I would like to know.

BEHOLD GOOMY. THE GREATEST OF ALL BLOB POKEMON.

There is no definite "meaning" behind the story. What it means is your decision. Or, it could just mean nothing. Either way, it's up to you in the end. ... Although, if you wanted my interpretation of what it meant as I was writing it, here you go. The Pokemon was testing the man, seeing how much he would be willing to sacrifice and ultimately how far he would go. He wanted to see the man's appreciation for the things he had, and when the man lost it all, the Pokemon was saddened, not only because he had risked everything he had, not only because he wasn't satisfied with what he had, but because he could no longer find anything in the world to be grateful for. When the Pokemon felt that he should. That is my interpretation.

Okay, so, I recently realized that I've been wasting far too much time on Youtube, so I decided to ban the web address from my computer. Unfortunately, this also means any and all links to the site have also been banned. So, basically every single profile on this site that contains music has now gone silent. Sacrifices are hard to make.

Note: May be unsuitable for small children and fans of meaningful literature. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A young man walked down a path surrounded by forest, when he saw a large gemstone embedded within the ground. In greed, he reached for it and pulled with all his might, but it would not move. Curious, he looked around the gemstone, and discovered a small and beautiful Pokemon beneath it, whose roots bound the stone to the ground. The Pokemon stirred, and the man said to it, “Come with me, and I will make your fortune greater than this rock could ever provide.” The Pokemon said to him, “Speak to me truly, do you desire my skin, my home, and the wonderful flowers I hold?” “I do, I do.” The man beckoned. “Come with me, do me this one favor, and you will never need anything ever again.” So the Pokemon said to him, “Go and bring to me all of your possessions. Lay them on the ground before us, and when I see the greatness of your riches, I shall be most impressed. Surely then, I will join you out there.” So the man left, and the next day he brought all of his possessions in tow. He placed them before the Pokemon, his garments, his treasures, and his mementos. He went to stir the Pokemon, when all of his belongings were consumed by fire and rotted away. Furious, the man beat on the stone with all of his strength, but it would not move. He looked beneath it, and said to the Pokemon, “You cursed thing, come out and die!” The Pokemon said to him, “Go, and bring to me all of your relatives. Bring me all those living near who you hold dear. Once I see the depths of the trust you hold for one another, I will surely be moved, and I will relinquish myself unto you all.” So the man left, and for a single week he gathered all those who were precious to him, and brought them all back to where the stone resided. He went to stir the Pokemon, when all of his relatives fell horribly ill and collapsed in death. Furious and deeply distraught, the man beat on the stone until his hands were bruised. He woke the Pokemon and said, “You vile abomination! I have done nothing to deserve such sorrow, come out you evil being and let me bring justice onto you!” The Pokemon said to the man, “I will ask of you this final thing. Go, and bring to me that which you cherish most in this world. Once I see the depths of your devotion, I will surely have no other choice than to come out and surrender myself to you. More than that, if you do this for me, I shall grant you anything your heart desires. You may do with me whatever you wish.” So the man left in tears, now desiring nothing more than the Pokemon’s death. For many days he pondered, when one month later he finally returned to the Pokemon’s home. With him he carried the Pokemon that he had first journeyed with as a child, the first thing that he had ever raised into love. He went to wake the Pokemon, when his beloved friend fell beside him, struck dead. He cried out to the skies, tears falling down his face. He muttered curses towards the Pokemon that brought him such suffering. He moved to destroy the rock, but all of his strength had left him. The Pokemon came out of its home, and stood before the man in pity. The man said, “What will you ask of me now? You have taken everything I love in this world!” In sadness, the Pokemon left him, knowing that there was truly no gratitude within his heart. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Let me start off by saying, I'm not sure where this came from, nor do I have any idea who was/were the artist(s) behind it. But in my opinion, it is a piece of work that everyone should at the very least be somewhat aware of. I vaguely remember this being possibly related to the Hyrule Historia book that was released a few years back, but I never got it myself, so I can't say for sure. I'd take a guess that's what it's from though, because the amount of work and dedication that I'm sure went into this picture is near unbelievable in my eyes. That being said, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. For a closer look: https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/5478784512/h692A8279/

Maybe it's a new chapter, who am I to decide? I'm not going to sit here and tell you what is and isn't a chapter. Because that just isn't right. However, if I was a risky man, I would put my money on this being a chapter. http://kh13.com/forum/topic/48037-kingdom-hearts-iii-the-apocalypse-key/?do=findComment&comment=1272501

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ~Chapter 5: Of a Silent Breed~ Riku leaned up against the sealed set of doors that led to Yen Sid’s mirror chamber, his eyes closed with his usual penchant of silence abounding. Before him, Mickey was at Yen Sid’s desk, busy rummaging through his former master’s belongings with a pensive look on his face that, to Riku’s knowledge of the mouse, usually meant that his mind was occupied with something dire. Beyond King Mickey and past Yen Sid’s desk, stood the mysterious newcomer named Zangan, who was presently shuffling through a collection of books kept within the tower’s sanctum. At the moment, Riku didn’t really know what to think of him or the fact that he was to be Kairi’s first basic trainer, but that fact actually didn’t bother him as much as it should have. It might have if he had found the time appropriate to question any of Yen Sid’s decisions, but Riku knew that it would be for the best if he simply left the men to their machinations. Although, he did inquire of Yen Sid regarding the man’s identity at their first encounter. However, the only response he got was “He is an old friend. A man much like me, one who has persisted far longer than nature intended.” Which, Riku knew was probably all he would ever be able to go on. But again, that was enough for him. Continuing through the room, to Riku’s right, standing before the pinnacle tower chamber’s rear set of windows, was master Yen Sid himself. Akin to Mickey, Yen Sid appeared to be lost in thought. However, his face was less serious, an odd contrast to their usually polar opposite dispositions. If Riku had to guess, whatever was bothering Mickey was probably something that posed far more significance to the King than it did to anyone else. And admittedly, this piqued the young man’s curiosity, for in his experience, he had never really seen Mickey take much of anything personally. If the situation at hand was a bit more lax, Riku may have considered inquiring of what was bothering the mouse. But as of right now, he was content with just waiting out the storm. The metaphorical storm, of course, being absolutely nothing akin to a real one. For the time-being, Riku and the other men had been forced to wait outside of the mirror chamber while Kairi was being prepared for her training. Or, to be more precise, her entire future as a Keyblade Warrior. At the moment, she was currently in the process of acquiring a suitable set of clothes to wear; a set specifically designed with her profession in mind. Because apparently, her red afternoon sundress wasn’t good enough for their rigorous standards. The ones tending to this errand were the fairies, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. Another set of people who, again, Riku knew absolutely nothing about. But again, this was perfectly fine with him. But that was more so due to the fact that he really didn’t feel the need to know every single detail regarding that particular trio of tailors. Speaking of which, that reason was also why everyone had been required to wait outside. Because from what Riku had been told, unlike the clothing of male Keyblade bearers, the garments of the female ones needed to be particularly intricate. The cause had something to do with the fact that the fabric the women’s outfits are woven from are made especially sturdy, and far more magic-focused. The tradeoff, is that they can be very restricting for those not used to wearing them. As a result, most of the important joints around the body, such as the neck, knees, or shoulders, need to be left exposed to allow for maximum mobility, or something of the sort. Riku also thought he heard something else relating to magic transparency around those areas as well, but most of it went over his head. In any case, because of the fact that most base female clothing for the Keyblade Wielders needs to be specially designed and placed, the actual process for devising these particular garment is a bit more… thorough. Riku shook his head and sighed in exasperation. Frankly, he was tired enough of following this train of thought. Thankfully, he would soon have an excuse for his thoughts to move elsewhere, as his pondering was interrupted by a high-pitched voice calling him. “Hey, Riku,” it beckoned, “come over here, I need to fill you in on some things.” Riku looked up and over at Mickey, who was motioning for him to come forward. A bit curious, Riku abided and walked towards Mickey, who had stopped rummaging through the drawers when it was clear that he wouldn’t find what he was looking for. “What’s up?” Riku said, once he stopped in front of the King. After offering Riku a brief nod of acknowledgment, Mickey looked down, once again with that bothered look on his face. Neglecting to make eye contact, Mickey replied, “There’s somethin’ that’s been bothering me lately, somethin’ that might be more trouble than we would give it credit for.” Riku was about to inquire as to what he meant, but Mickey continued before he got the chance. “I hope this doesn’t stir up any bad memories, but you remember Maleficent, right?” Riku grimaced at the very mention of the Witch’s name, his clear conscience turned murky at the very memory of her. But not so much the fairy herself, more so what happened during his time around her. Of course, Riku was working to move beyond all of that. It was in the past, and he already decided that he would never let it drag him down again. Still, he couldn’t expect for a talk about that horrible woman to bring up any good memories. Mickey noticed Riku’s change in expression, but decided to disregard it once he saw it almost simultaneously fade. After receiving a nod of confirmation from Riku, Mickey continued with, “Well, what she’s been up to lately has been getting me a bit bent out of shape.” “What do you mean?” Riku asked, with Mickey responding, “It’s sorta a long story, and I can’t go into every detail right now.” he said, “But what I can tell you is, she attacked us while we were back at the castle.” Riku’s expression grew stern, and his eyes narrowed in concentration. “So, she’s up to her old tricks again…?” Mickey shook his head, and replied, “Ya’ see, that’s what’s got me so worried. From what I’ve seen so far, she doesn’t seem to be prioritizing the heartless OR the Princesses of Heart anymore. What she’s after goes against everything we’ve seen of her up until this point.” Riku’s face shifted into a look of confusion. “What are you getting at?” he asked, “are you saying that she isn’t after Kingdom Hearts?” Mickey shook his head even more furiously. “No, that wouldn’t make any sense.” He said. “What I’m so worried about, is maybe she’s found some new kind of way to reach Kingdom Hearts; a way we haven’t considered yet. And what scares me more than anything else, is the thought that she and Xehanort might still be working together.” Riku shook his head, a look of serious doubt on his face. “After what the Organization pulled?” He said. “I don’t see any way that could end up happening.” “I wouldn’t put it past her.” Mickey responded. “She’s made use of people who have made her mad before. I mean, just look at Pete.” “Who?” Riku asked, a serious questioning look on his face. “Oh, right.” He quickly rebounded, “I think you’ve mentioned him before. Didn’t he use to be some kind of trouble-maker in your world?” Suddenly, Mickey looked a little down-trodden. “Yeah,” he replied, “but now he’s working for Maleficent, and he’s gone on to brewin’ trouble in all the worlds.” Without warning, Mickey turned and looked out the observatory’s set of windows, out towards the stars. “That darn Pete…” He muttered. “Sometimes I wonder if he’s gotten himself into too much trouble…” ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Pete gazed forward at the massive, slumbering creature that lay before him. Well, at least all he could manage to see. In fact, “look” was a bit too generous, as most of the giant’s form was still cloaked in darkness, making its features difficult for him to determine. The only thing Pete could really discern about it at first glance was the beast’s obvious size, as well as the fact that from his point of view, it appeared to be lying down on its back. Suddenly, Pete’s attention was pulled back to the situation at hand when he finally took notice of Maleficent’s voice ringing in from the Heartless bouncing beside him. Along with a minor stint of panic at her shrill tone once again permeating the hollow sewers, Pete was also gifted with her biting inquiry. “Pete!?” she said, “Are you there? Have you found him yet?” Pete was on the verge of collapse at Maleficent’s hyperbole as he reached for the Heartless beside him and began to stifle it, as if the harmless horn itself was somehow at fault. “Maleficent!” he exclaimed in a hushed voice, “Ya’ gotta keep it down, I mean, I don’t be meaning any disrespect here, but you could ruin me if ya’ wake this thing up!” He said, as quietly as he could manage given the situation at hand; trying to maintain some kind of commanding tone to his voice, but still making sure not to wake up the monster. Maleficent would have chuckled, if her little inside joke had amused her anymore. Instead, she merely sighed in irritation and exasperation, as she replied, “Stifle that ignorant fear of yours, Pete; it’s unnecessary.” she continued, “There isn’t any concern with his awakening at the moment, trust me, I’ve arranged our little escapade so that we can begin moving him just as he’s re-entered the waking worlds. Believe me when I say, there won’t be any risk of him doing anything until several hours have passed.” Pete looked back at the hulking monster before him, his fears not entirely assuaged as to its supposed lack of hostility. However, he figured he might as well take Maleficent’s word for it now, as that usually seemed to work out for the best. “Alrighty then,” he started timidly, “if this thing ain’t waking up anytime soon, then what are we gonna do with em’ in the meantime?” Maleficent stifled a slight, somewhat nefarious chuckle beneath her breath, “This, my dear Pete,” she began, “is where our little friend comes in.” Suddenly, Pete jolted up in shock as he noticed a streak of wind pass by his head. If he had been able respond fast enough to take notice of what had just flown past him, he may have spotted a slight, black outline plastered on the already quite dim surroundings. Although, it didn’t matter much whether or not he was able to take notice of its entry, as he was more than able to appreciate its landing. As the black shape that had flown into the room slowly drifted to a rest before Pete’s feet, it took a minor stint of time to situate itself above the murky water running through the sewers. During this small moment, Pete was able to make out what the shape actually was. From what he could see, it resembled a pitch black crow, inked as if with shadow itself, and highlighted with an unblinking set of lifeless and empty yellow eyes. While Pete tended to be a bit slow on the uptake, he was able to discern quite quickly that the thing hovering at his feet was most likely the spell that Maleficent had mentioned before. Then suddenly, just as soon as it had appeared, the crow began to dissipate and dissolve into a shadowy haze. It’s piercing yellow gaze was the last thing to fade into darkness, as the spell subsided and passed into oblivion. In its place, there was present little more than the brief sound of a dull splash which resounded throughout the empty sewer corridors; followed by what seemed like a quick succession of noises that rang a similar tune, with the only real difference being that the sounds following the first had more of a panicked and struggling sense to their tone. After that, Pete heard something akin to a deep inhale of air, followed by a tangent of slight gasps, not unlike the sound of someone trying to regain their breath. It was at this point that Pete forwent all doubt as to who had been sent alongside him. After a small period of time, the small panting sound was replaced with the light fluttering of wings. Pete looked before himself as a small figure worked its way through the air, and up to his face. Its imprint against the bleak background was human like, with its tiny arms poised at the hips in what looked like a stern or lecturing stance. Suddenly, Pete heard a small voice pipe up in the room, a voice so delicate that he might have missed it had the source not been right in front of him. “You know,” it echoed, as loud as it could, “next time, you might want to think about helping a poor girl out when she’s drowning right in front of you!” Suddenly, the shape turned towards the Crescendo Heartless, as it continued, “That goes for you too, Maleficent! Even if you aren’t really here right, and couldn’t really have done anything anyways…” the voice continued, slightly flustered. “Just giving you a heads up!” An audible sigh could be heard from the other end of the line, as Maleficent responded in what was perhaps the most aloof tone that would ever be heard from her sardonic mouth. “My dear, I believe you’ve made the horrible assumption that I wouldn’t want to see you drowned like a rat.” Instead of taking offense, or berating Maleficent for her words, the small pixie simply giggled and replied, “Nice to hear from you too, Boss!” Maleficent sighed once more. “Hello, Yuna.” She replied. Needless to say, Pete found himself wuite baffled over what had just transpired before him. While the majority of Yuna’s emergence had been odd and mysterious all the way through, he had kept silent throughout most, instead portraying his confusion in the most effective way he knew how. By looking confused. Of course, he had no idea how Yuna herself played into any of this either, and frankly, that’s where he had to draw the line. At the very least, he wanted a little more clarity as to what exactly they were supposed to be doing here. In a fluster, Pete waved his arms in front of himself in an objecting manner, moving with such leniency he almost hit the pixie floating before him. She let loose a quick “Hey, watch it!” before backing away from the odd display taking place around her. “Now, hold yer’ horses here!” Pete said, “I know this may not be the best a times, ya’ know, considering we’re probably about to start messing around with this here monster, but I need to know what we’re even doin’ here!” He exclaimed. Maleficent chuckled lightly on the other end of the Cresendo. “Actually, now that you mention it, this may be the perfect time to discuss what will soon transpire.” she said, “Honestly, the only more fitting instance I could imagine is, oh, perhaps the supple amount of time available to us before we even took part in such an escapade.” She said, with a slight mocking tone in her voice. “But alas!” Maleficent continued, “I’m afraid this lack of information is not entirely your fault, Pete.” She said. “You see, I intentionally left this certain moment a mystery to you, as not only did I deem it unnecessary for you to possess this kind of knowledge, but at the time, my patience with you was beginning to run thin. I mean honestly, even informing you of the simplest assignments and trusting you to follow them is like relying on a child.” Pete began to settle down a bit, but his questioning look from earlier still remained. But he decided to keep to just keep to himself at this point, especially when he considered the fact that this was Maleficent, and he didn’t want to end up invoking any more wrath from her than was necessary. The brief period of silence that followed her statement proved just enough to goad Maleficent into divulging the exact meaning of her earlier words, as she said continued with, “In any case, I believe I have wasted enough precious time here as it is.” She said. “And besides, I am fairly confident that the method I have in mind will be a far more efficient way of explaining the situation. Yuna, would you kindly showcase the remainder of this assignment to our dear friend?” Yuna replied with a wide smile, and cheerfully replied, “Yeah, of course!” After which, she motioned for Pete to follow her lead, as she flew over towards the slumbering beast that occupied the chamber. As Pete hesitantly followed the floating pixie, she began her long-overdue explanation of the events that were about to take place. “Okay,” she started, “you know how we get between worlds using the Corridors of Darkness, right?” Pete looked at her incredulously, a bit confused as to why she would bring up something so seemingly unimportant. Regardless, he replied, “Er… Yeah, what of it?” Suddenly, Maleficent’s shrill voice rang out from the Crescendo, exclaiming, “Yuna! Don’t waste any of our time with conjecture! Just get to the point!” Yuna chuckled nervously, slightly shaken by Maleficent’s sudden interruption. Quickly, she continued with, “Well, long story short, Maleficent is getting tired of using them for transportation.” She said. “Because according to her, every time we use them, the darkness within and around us grows stronger, and the Heartless become harder and harder to control. So instead of using the corridors, we devised a special kind of transportation between two places. And that’s what we’ll be using today to make tall dark and handsome over here useful!” She finished, motioning towards the monster lying before them. Pete understood the basic gist of what she was trying to say, but there were still some parts that he felt a bit clueless on. Most he was willing to excuse for the sake of efficiency, but he felt like there was one element that deserved at least a little bit more attention. “Okeydokey then, but, uh…” he began, “if we ain’t usin’ the Corridors a’ Darkness’, what are we supposed to do to move this guy?” he asked. Slowly, Yuna started gathering magical energy around her hand; exuding a turbulent aura that radiated a bright red. “That’s where the summoning circles come in.” she said. Turning away from Pete, Yuna floated down towards the surrounding area of the hulking creature before them. As she reached the murky water’s surface, her face donned an expression of disgust. With great reluctance, she placed her hand near the sheen of the awful substance. As her hand rested before the surface, the energy surrounding it extended downwards, and at a remarkable speed, she started to trace patterns with it at the base of the sleeping giant. Pete looked on in intrigue as Yuna etched a complex and intricate pattern of red light on the floor of the sewers, and looked further with shock, as she swiftly and gracefully continued on with her work. Using a combination of floating, gliding, and artful flying, Yuna quickly concluded her odd and weaving series of mysterious drawings. After taking a look at her work with a slightly satisfied glint in her eyes, Yuna dismissed the exuberant energy surrounding her hand. Turning back towards Pete, who still looked a little lost, she continued her explanation with, “So Maleficent and I came up with this little contraption here.” She said. “Tell me, do you know what Summoning is?” she asked. Pete didn’t even need to reply, as Yuna could easily discern his response from the look of even further confusion that adorned his visage. Quickly raising a hand to stop him from speaking, if he was even planning to, she calmly continued, “Actually, there won’t be any need. I guess I’ll just give you a quick lowdown regardless, since there’s not much else left for me to do at the moment!” she concluded. “Alright,” she started once again, “I won’t get into most of the specifics right now, since there isn’t really much of a need at the moment. Besides, I don’t think you would get the mechanics of how it works anyways!” she said, a bit playfully. There could be heard a slight groan emanating from Maleficent’s side of the conversation. “I can testify to that.” She said. Unfazed, Yuna continued by saying, “Yes, well anyway, let’s get down to business! And don’t worry, I’ll make this as short as possible, since I’m pretty sure everyone’s patience is running thin at this point.” “Alright then, first off, the basic idea behind summoning is a bit like teleportation. Basically, the process involves linking two areas together, and calling some kind of entity from one of those locations to the other, usually for assistance in battle. And in a sense, that’s sort of what we’re doing with the big guy here. You see, what I just made was a summoning circle. If two of a kind are synced up with just the right kind of magic, the summoning connection is complete! Because of this, Maleficent already had me set up another circle where she is, which will be the link we’ll use to bring this guy into battle!” Pete edged forward a bit, and rubbing his head in a slightly bewildered manner, he leaned down towards the odd runes that Yuna had etched onto the submerged floors of the chamber. “Well, I’ll tell ya’ something,” he said, “that sounds like too much trouble, more trouble than it’s worth in my eyes.” Yuna looked slightly abashed, and almost seemed to become a little more reserved at Pete’s words. “Right, about that…” she began. “You see, for most Summoners who use the technique in battle, they’ll instead call upon a certain focal point or gathering ground that features many special kinds of magical monsters, since such an area is usually brimming with the kind of energy that the summoning process needs. In many ways, the area itself is some kind of big summoning circle! However, summoning in this way requires a very specific kind of power, and it’s not really what we’re focusing on here. The main point I’m trying to get across is, this is a very special case of summoning. Usually, something like this would never be done because of how impractical it is. But Maleficent wants him brought out this way, so I don’t see any reason to question her.” “You may as well stop there, my dear Yuna.” Maleficent piped up, deftly putting an end to the summoner’s winding explanation. Her tone had changed drastically since the last time she spoke, as she now sounded far more drained than ever before. “I’m afraid I don’t feel as generous as to humor Pete’s incompetence for any longer. I will be frank, if he hasn’t understood our methods yet, than his is a pointless endeavor.” “But still!” She continued, “You’re free to go on for as long as you see fit. After all, you have all the time in the world over there, don’t you? Of course, I will be taking my leave from this foolishness post-haste. My time with you has been taxing, and unlike your situation, the matters at my hand require far more attention than has been given due to your lethargic exposition. Farewell.” Yuna perked up energetically and waved at the Crescendo, even though, again, there was really no point in doing so. “Alright, I guess we’ll be seeing you then!” Maleficent sighed in a sort of worn-down frustration, as she replied, “I swear, your positive disposition is the ever-present thorn in my crown.” Suddenly, Pete spoke up from the background, responding to Maleficent’s statement with, “Wait, didn’t ya’ say once that I was the thorn in yer’ crown?” Maleficent sighed. “I’m afraid my suffering in this life is not limited to you alone, my dear Pete.” She replied for one final time, before her voice finally faded from the bouncing Heartless that contained it, leaving the murky sewers of Twilight Town silent once again. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ This is a new strategy I’m trying out. Instead of jump-starting every single chapter with useless blahblah that no one should care about anyways, I've decided to put all of that at the end of the chapter instead. There are two main demographics I hope to reach with this method: The people who don’t read what I say: Now you don’t have to plow through me to get to the chapter. In fact, I’ve taken extreme measures to specifically design this strategy so that you can actually skip over everything I say at the end. Which is defined as freedom. The people who do read what I say: You still get to read my useless blahblah, just not at the beginning of the chapter. It’s a big sacrifice, I know, but I believe in your ability to survive. As you can plainly see, I think I may have stumbled across something revolutionary here. The possibilities just went from endless, to double endless. And as you all know, that’s a whole lot more possibility.

For a series that's so caught up with pushing the importance of friendship, it's kind of weird how so much of it is riding on one guy.

Childhood successfully nullified.

Keep in mind that Terra has turned HIS Keyblade into both a bow and a gigantic doomsday cannon. I don't see any reason why nobody else could.

The best part of the trailer was seeing how the Donald and Goofy A.I pretty much hasn't changed at all.

We have hit the point of no return. Kingdom Hearts 3 will now become our discussion.

Thank you. That means a lot to me. To be perfectly honest, I never intended on stopping the story, regardless of whether or not anyone replied to it. If anything, I was just poking fun at the fact that I had written so much, yet no one really seemed interested. In fact, I was starting to wonder whether or not anyone would even acknowledge if I got like 75,000 words in. Sorry if those last words came off as a complaining moan of despair from yours truly, I had really only meant them in a humorous light.

Yeah, brand new chapter and everything. No big deal. Just move on with your lives and pretend that the fact that this story is even still a thing isn't a cause for intrigue. http://kh13.com/forum/topic/48037-kingdom-hearts-iii-the-apocalypse-key/?do=findComment&comment=1247001

Yes, new chapters are going to stop being a cause for celebration. Production must be made less time-consuming if we are to keep the balance. Please forgive me. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ~Chapter 4: Arrival~ It had been so long, Kairi had almost forgotten how much she had loved seeing other worlds. Of course, what she had seen so far probably wasn’t much to a veteran like Riku, but in her eyes they held just as much magic and wonder as her childish idealism had made them out to be so long ago. She had only managed to catch a few sparing glimpses of some others as Riku flew the gummi ship towards its destination, but she was still happy she had the chance to see any at all. Of course, that was disregarding the world they had landed in. Her first impressions of it were a little bit confused, although Kairi still couldn’t ignore her fascination with it. But in the interest of the situation at hand, she tried her best to focus on something other than the odd islands floating upon the colorful expanse they found themselves in. …Then again, she couldn’t help but question the ways in which the landscapes were arranged. Why was there a tower floating in the middle of nowhere, again? She assumed it had something to do with magic, of course, but it was still more than enough to pique her currently unrestrained intrigue. And, it was at this point that Riku was beginning to wonder just what Kairi’s deal was. He looked back at her as she gazed out into the extravagant abyss that lie before them, seemingly lost in thought. “Hey, Kairi!” Riku called back in as subdued a voice he could manage, “I don’t mean to make your stay any less enjoyable, but we’re kind of pressed for time over here!” Kairi snapped out of her confused train of thought, and turned her attention back towards Riku. “Oh, right, sorry!” she blurted out, a slight look of embarrassment on her face. “I guess I just got caught up in the, uh… Scenery…” She stated bluntly, while quickly making her way towards Riku and the tower ahead of him. Riku looked at her and chuckled slightly, just as she finally caught up. “It’s alright, we just really need to get this done quick.” he said, as he slowly turned back towards the tower, his face once again taking on its usual serious composure. “I’m pretty sure you’ll better understand everything once we reach the Master, but for now, just take my word for it, okay?” Kairi nodded lightly. “Right.” She said. The two continued onwards, with Riku in the lead. As they approached the tower before them, Kairi noticed something strange, at least by her standards. Loafing around outside the tower’s entranceway, were a pair of familiar looking oddballs. Whom Kairi slowly, yet distinctly remembered as Sora’s old friends, Donald, and Goofy. They were involved in some kind of conversation, but neither Riku nor Kairi could make sense of what it was about. As Riku rounded the wooded corner of the tower’s small spit of land and came into view, the conversing pair of friends turned towards him in a brief moment of recognition. That, however, was simultaneously replaced with a cheerful greeting as Goofy leaned up from his spot laying on the entry stairs and happily motioned to the approaching Keyblade Master, saying, “Oh, welcome back, Riku!” Riku was about to respond in sort, but before he could, he was struck by a sudden change in expression on both of their parts, as Goofy stated, “Hey, wait...” He looked at them with confusion as they simultaneously yelped in slight surprise, and it was only after that that he realized Kairi was standing right next to him. While Kairi was left a little bit confused at their sudden outburst, she nonetheless felt the need to properly reacquaint herself. “Um, hi!” ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Needless to say, it had been an interesting introduction so far. After meeting with Donald and Goofy at the tower’s base, Riku led Kairi up through its winding passageways to its very peak, the place where she was told Master Yen Sid waited for her arrival. Sure enough, upon her entrance to the tower’s highest chamber, and after all introductions were made, Kairi was brought face to face with the one she had heard so much about. After waiting for so long, it was definitely an exciting moment for her. Not only because she felt like she was finally going to learn more about Sora and Riku’s journey, but also that her reason for being here would finally be brought to light. However, as the master began to speak, Kairi slowly started to realize just how little the reason mattered to her at this point. In fact, she started to realize just how much she was anticipating this kind answer. In her mind, most of the conversation went without saying. If anything, the only surprise that struck Kairi as the Master spoke was just how much she wanted her hope for this journey to be true. Ever since she saw Riku’s return to their homeland, Kairi held the hope in her heart that she had been called forth to wield the Keyblade. It wasn’t really a feeling of surprise when Yen Sid confirmed her suspicions, it was more a sense of dull shock. In fact, it was almost as if Kairi had been curious as to whether or not Yen Sid’s reasons were something other than what she expected. But of course, that didn’t mean she wasn’t happy to hear the news. In fact, she found it hard to maintain her composure in light of everything that had opened up before her, the moment Yen Sid said those long-awaited words. “Kairi, in light of everything that has transpired, I must humbly ask this of you now. Would you take up the Keyblade for our cause, fight alongside us in the light, and protect the very worlds against these coming tides of evil?” Kairi lifted her head up. Taking a brief glance around the room in order to reacquaint herself, she spotted Riku in the corner of her eye, off to her left hand side. He looked like he was waiting for something, and Kairi could tell from the look on his face that he was trying to listen as intently as he could manage. In front of her were the Mouse King that she had met back on the Islands. And straight ahead was Master Yen Sid, residing at his desk, silently anticipating her reply. If any looked, none could find a single mote of doubt within Kairi’s eyes. Her expression was stalwart, and her heart’s course decided. There was no other answer to be considered. Kairi offered a brief nod, as she replied, “Of course, Master Yen Sid. I accept your offer, and everything it entails.” What came as the first major shock to Kairi was the gauged reaction to her words, for as soon as they left her mouth, there wasn’t a single silent face in the room. Master Yen Sid’s eyes widened at her statement, with The King offering a similar reaction beside him, yet with his jaw practically reaching for the floor. But out of everyone in the room, Riku may have been the most shaken of them all. His complacent demeanor had instantly faded, his face etched with confusion and surprise. And out of all of the room’s occupants, he was the first to speak after Kairi’s response, albeit very briefly, “Kairi, are you…” His words were cut short by Yen Sid, who had regained his composure in time to motion for Riku to stand aside. And while Riku showed a slight bit of reluctance, he quickly conceded, and gave a concise nod to the Master. Likewise, Mickey had almost begun to offer his words on the situation, but again, Yen Sid motioned for him to be silent as well. The Master turned his attention back towards Kairi, who was still slightly confused as to the outburst, but had managed to maintain her calm disposition in spite of it. Slowly, Yen Sid replied, “I must say Kairi, your answer surprises me. But not only due to the answer in and of itself, for I am moreover startled at how quick you were to decide.” “Now, do not misunderstand, you could not have offered a better nor more convenient answer in my eyes. However, that is what concerns me. And not just me; I am certain there are others here who feel the same way.” Yen Sid paused, allowing Kairi to take a quick look back at Riku, who’s face had a look of agreement on it as they both listened to the Master speak. Kairi looked back, just in time for Yen Sid to begin once again with, “Now, I do not believe you would be childish enough to simply answer for the sake of pleasing anyone here, for I can tell just by looking at you that your wisdom goes beyond such petty thoughts.” He said, “However, I am concerned as to whether or not you fully grasp the consequences of the road you’re choosing to take.” Kairi wanted to interrupt, but she knew that it was best to simply wait for the Master to finish. Once again, he continued with, “Sora and Riku have always been a special case. Their destinies were forged out of necessity, not choice. The worlds needed a new generation of protectors, and they chose Sora and Riku to be those guardians. However, you are not faced with that necessity. You have the choice that they did not, for if you so desire, you may return to the Destiny Islands, your homeland, and live out the rest of your days in peace and happiness.” Yen Sid got up slightly from his chair, and leaned forwards from his desk, as he continued with, “The road you are offered is one that is ever-changing. One day may be filled with tranquility, the next may call for you to sacrifice everything you hold dear for the sake of maintaining the balance of the very worlds themselves. Such responsibilities, such a way of life, can change someone for the worst. And if you can trust any of my words, believe in those for the least. Now, I must ask of you once again. But take heed of this, Kairi. For if you choose to follow such a path…” Yen Sid, leaned back in his chair, and briefly closed his eyes, “I cannot promise you another day of peace for the remainder of your years.” Throughout all of his words, Kairi’s expression ceased to change. She still maintained as calm and collected of an image as she could muster, as she felt was appropriate to the situation at hand. After a brief moment of silence, and thinking her words over, Kairi began to speak. “Master Yen Sid,” she said, “I’ve been trying to keep myself as reserved and impersonal as I could so far. I’ve been trying to keep my words to myself for the sake of honoring your presence, but if you really want me to answer your question in the right way, then I think I’d need to speak of everything that’s on my mind. Some of it may not interest you, but I believe it’s the only way to answer your question properly at this point. So if you would be so kind, I’d like to ask you for your permission to say anything that I so desire, as long as it relates to the issue at hand.” She asked. Yen Sid offered an ever so slight smile at her words; whether he was amused or touched, no one could be sure. “Well, it would seem that you, at the very least, are better spoken for than Sora.” He said, with Kairi stifling a bit of a giggle at his words. “Very well then,” he continued, “you may say whatever it is that you have to say. I am not trying to impose anything on you, nor make you feel as though you have to withhold anything in this matter.” At his words, Kairi seemed to relax ever so slightly. Right after he spoke, she turned her head towards Riku, looking a bit bewildered by her words, and said, “Riku, do you mind?” she said, “Sorry for having to ask you this, but this is something that I don’t really want you to hear yet.” Riku looked at her sincerely, trying to hide his confusion over everything she said. However, he nodded at her slightly, willing to accept her reasoning, regardless of what it entailed. He turned and walked towards the door, passing back into the study’s antechamber. After Riku’s departure, Kairi displayed an even greater sense of relief, as she turned back towards Yen Sid, a look of determination on her face. Taking a deep breath, she began, “For the longest time, even before we left the islands and traveled to the other worlds, I don’t think I ever had a problem with letting Sora and Riku be the heroes. If they wanted to go out and save the worlds, and thought that leaving me behind was for the best, I guess that was good enough for me.” Kairi started to look slightly emotional, but still managed to keep her composure as she continued, “But I just don’t think that was enough for me any longer.” “Of course, there are a lot of reasons why I’ve made this choice, but I think it’s best to just give you the one that made me realize why this is what I really want.” Yen Sid nodded, as Kairi continued with, “I started thinking a lot about everything that had happened, everything that involved the three of us. I started to notice how Sora and Riku look at me; how they were always looking out for me. But it wasn’t just them, a lot of people I’ve met have always looked at me and treated me as something that needs to be protected. And nothing else.” “Sora and Riku, they’re my best friends. They both mean a lot to me, more than almost anyone else. I want to keep them safe, to be there for them, and show them how much they mean to me… But I can’t. Because they don’t see me as that kind of person. No one does.” “Maybe I’m just being selfish, I don’t know. But it’s all I want now. It’s become my new goal… no, my new dream. And I’m willing to risk anything, fight through anyone I need to, in order to bring it to light. That is why I’m doing this, Master Yen Sid. Thank you.” Kairi gave a light bow of respect to Yen Sid, who was still looking her over with a pensive glare in his eyes. “So, that is your answer…?” he said. Kairi would have responded, if she knew it was a question aimed at her in particular. But she understood from the way Yen Sid spoke, that he was asking himself more than anyone. Still, she offered a small nod of curtsy to him. Yen Sid’s eyes refocused, as he looked up at her with a resolute tone to his face. “Very well then, Kairi. In the name of all the Master’s before me, of all those who fight to defend the light, I hereby welcome you to our legacy. Today, I name you our newest Keyblade Wielder!” Kairi’s calm and professional expression completely shattered, in lew of the withheld thoughts of happiness that all suddenly came loose. She had tried to keep her inner excitement down before, but she showed no such restraint after finally hearing those anticipated words. Her face broke out in a wide smile, as she inwardly leapt as high as she could imagine, and tried to reach for heights even beyond. Yen Sid and Mickey both grinned at her reaction, as Yen Sid called out, “Master Riku, you may return! The decision has been made.” In little time, the door opened once again, as Riku walked back into the room, a defeated look on his face. “I should have known, the moment you asked me to leave, you had already decided, hadn’t you?” Kairi gave him a vigorous and energetic nod, at which Riku chuckled slightly, and replied, “I’d swear you were almost as stubborn as him, if things didn’t always work out in your favor.” Kairi gave him the evil-eye at that one, but she just shrugged it off and said, “I guess my choices just aren’t as dangerous or risky as yours. You know, I tend to think that fact kind of gives me a little bit more leeway for things to end up alright.” Yen Sid cleared his throat slightly, garnering the attention of both Riku and Kairi in light of everything that had happened. Once all eyes were again redirected at him, he continued by saying, “Forgive me if I am ruining the moment, but I’m afraid we must continue with our discussion regarding the matter at hand.” Both Kairi and Riku nodded slightly, as Yen Sid continued, “Now, if it makes no difference to you, then I believe we should take this opportunity to begin your training as soon as you are ready to do so.” Kairi nodded her head, once again with an energetic smile upon her face as she said, “Yeah, I’m ready to start whenever you need me to!” Yen Sid smiled lightly at her enthusiasm, as he replied in sort with, “Very well then!” as he motioned towards a closed door off to Kairi’s right, which she had neglected to take notice of until this point. “Your first instructor has already made all of the necessary preparations.” he said, “From this point on, he will be the one to guide you through the trial that lies ahead.” As if on some kind of silent command, the door Yen Sid had motioned towards slowly began to open. It peeled forth, releasing its hold on the shadows beyond as a tall, elderly man stepped through its frame. His face was stern and aged, but at the same time, appeared somehow weak and broken. His hair was long and grayed all throughout, with the excess pulled back in a low-hanging pony-tail near the back of his neck, leaving the rest of it to appear messy and unkempt. He wore a strange kind of sleeveless tunic, which almost looked as though it could double as some kind of armor, supplemented by a long cape that connected from the neck of his outfit and extended out to the ankles. His pants were baggy and reached down to his knees, where they were taken up by a pair of tall, resilient looking boots. His entire wardrobe appeared to be dyed various kinds of browns and greys, giving the man a sense of fortitude that only served to reinforce his stalwart looking disposition. With a serious look upon his face, the man introduced himself with, “My name is Zangan. I will be the one to instruct you on every aspect of the Keyblade’s might.” ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ No, I don’t have anything interesting to say. You can leave now. Or comment on the story, if that’s your thing. However, I’m starting to believe that no one like that exists anymore. No one has anything bad to say. Truly, these are dark times.

I don't see the point in hating a fictional character, or at the very least, I don't really know why I should. I don't have any control over what they do, I can't tell them why they're terrible people, and I just can't really do anything with that hate. So, I don't really dislike anyone in Kingdom Hearts. On the other hand, there are actual characters that I simply don't care about. And to me, that's more of what I look for in a story. If I had to pick, I may have to go with some members of the Organization which were simply there to take up space. But the one that I think tops them all, is Terra. I just found him to be a bit too distant and unrelatable to really make me sympathize with his situation. But still, that's a minor case, and one of the few that I actually have.

Please tell me I am not the only one who clicked on this and expected him to be talking about Demyx.

Do my eyes deceive me when they whisper of a new chapter? Apparently, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE WHEN IT COMES TO THIS STORY. New chapter of the Apocalypse Key is up: http://kh13.com/forum/topic/48037-kingdom-hearts-iii-the-apocalypse-key/?do=findComment&comment=1224837

DO YOU LIKE NEW CHAPTERS!!!??? WELL THEN HAVE I GOT SOMETHING FOR YOOOUUUUUUU See? I told you I would make another one. It's okay, I understand if you didn't believe me. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ~Chapter 3: An Ally in the Shadows~ The subdued and calming lights of Traverse Town shone down on its first district, filling the entire area with its usual sense of late night serenity. Adding on to this peaceful atmosphere was the noticeable emptiness throughout the area; with the small town’s vicinity being occupied with practically no one to speak of. But any sort of vacant feeling that this could have invoked was practically nullified by the casual air that the town still managed to maintain. Reclining at the small set of stairs leading from the main entrance plaza to the general item shop, was a young boy named Sora. With his fingers laced behind his head, and his gaze cast up into the boundless sky with a contented expression upon his face, he truly seemed like he was without any cares in the world. And in some ways, such sentiments would be correct. While Sora had more than enough to worry about regarding whatever road lie ahead of him, he was still willing to take a break and slow down for a moment. He wouldn’t be long, but he felt like he still needed to take a second to just relax. Especially when considering everything that had happened lately; such a breather felt justified. In addition, it gave him an excuse to think over everything that had transpired as of late. While Sora held it as his priority to return home with Riku and keep Kairi informed of everything that had happened, as he was sure Kairi would have wanted them to do, he also knew that he never really got the chance to thank all of the dream eaters that had helped him throughout his journey. Sora knew that once Traverse Town finally awakened from its slumber, every single one of those Dream Eaters would disappear back into the realm of sleep. And so, he held it his first and foremost priority to travel back into the sleeping world of Traverse Town, hoping to catch the world before it awoke. Sure enough, as soon as he arrived he was greeted by all of the Dream Eaters he had befriended through his journey in the sleeping worlds. They couldn’t remain for long before finally disappearing back into the Realm of Sleep, but Sora was still happy with the fact that he was able to express his gratitude before they had all parted ways. Now, Traverse Town had finally awoken from its rest, and had re-entered the realm of light. At this point, he was hoping to return to the tower, and request that Yen Sid give him permission to travel back to the Islands. Before they left for what he knew would be quite the lengthy journey ahead, he wanted one last chance to talk to Kairi. Sora knew that she would probably appreciate the visit, and he also felt like taking a brief moment to recount his adventures alongside Riku. Of course, he already knew that he probably couldn’t just go there right now without consulting the master. Considering everything that had happened so far, and the fact that Xehanort had supposedly returned, just his travel to Traverse Town was probably pushing things. So realistically, he’d need to get the OK from Master Yen Sid if he wanted to go anywhere else after this. There was also the fact that he had no intentions of facing Kairi without Riku tagging along; there was just no way he could keep up with her by himself. “Right!” Sora blurted out energetically, all the while swinging his arms forward to pull himself up, “Next stop, back to the Tower!” After finally jolting up from his spot on the rugged staircase, Sora spared no time in summoning his Keyblade and preparing to open the pathway to the lanes between. But before he could do so, his train of thought was interrupted by a calm, collected voice from behind him. It felt subdued, but at the same time, it almost felt as if it echoed throughout the entire world. It held a tone of confidence, but also a strange sense of callous apathy, as if it held all the power in all the world, but cared nothing for it. It said “I see you’re still as painfully cheerful as I remember… That’s good.” Throughout the echoing and resonant words, there was a definite condescending and sardonic tone to the distant voice’s speech. “I always sort of thought that the whole childlike innocence persona fit you pretty well. Hate to say it, but I can’t really imagine you without that idiotic smile on your face.” Sora started, and turned around to face… Whatever it was he heard. To be honest, even he didn’t know where exactly he was looking; he simply turned to see if there really was anyone around him. Sure enough, the first thing he was greeted with upon pivoting back towards the item shop, was a careless and casual looking boy, draped in a familiar black coat, and resting upon the brick guard rail that lined the middle section of the first district. Sora’s calm and laid back demeanor instantly faded, as he bared his teeth before what he could only guess was his new-found enemy. Brandishing the Keyblade out in front of himself, he stood defiant and said in the most threatening tone he could manage, “You… You’re with The Organization, aren’t you!?” He stated rather simply, not really knowing what else to assume or accuse him with at this point. Even though his hood obscured most of his face, it almost seemed as though the mysterious boy was smiling. “Thank you,” he started, “for showing me just how far from that innocent smile you can try to get.” He said. “You can go ahead and drop it by the way, like I mentioned before, that whole threatening disposition really doesn’t suit you.” Sora’s eyes only narrowed at the boy’s curious words. “Who are you?” he asked, “and why do you act like you know so much about me?” He hesitated slightly, before resuming in a confident manner: “I’m pretty sure I’ve never met you before!” The boy laughed slightly, the air still retaining his sort of omnipresent echo, even though he was clearly standing right in front of Sora. Slowly sliding himself onto the other side of the wall, he pushed himself up and began strolling around the side of it. All the while with Sora eying him suspiciously, and the Keyblade raised to face him. “I could ask you the same thing…” the boy started, “You were pretty quick to call me the bad guy, even though you just said you don’t know anything about me.” Sora relaxed slightly, somewhat convinced otherwise of the boy’s hostility. His reasons being… Well for one, the Organization was never really this open with their intentions. And he was sure that if the boy was with them, he would have been showing much more aggression; but the same amount of condescension would probably be expected. Actually, Sora wasn’t willing to drop his guard yet. There was still the question of how the boy knew his name, and why he was dressed in the Organization’s garments. And other than that, there was still a lot of things that seemed off about his presence in the world of Traverse Town. “Alright then,” Sora began, “tell me, who are you?” The mysterious boy continued walking casually towards the steps in front of Sora, but stopped just in front of them. “Would you believe me if I said, I’m supposed to be your friend?” He said. Sora smiled coyly, and replied, “No, probably not.” The boy turned towards Sora, who tensed at the motion. He still held his Keyblade out at the boy in defense, honestly prepared to lunge at him if given the motivation to do so. The two exchanged figurative glances, as the boy replied, “Then I guess neither of us are ready yet. What a shame.” He said. Sora looked at him with a puzzled expression on his face. In the brief stint of confusion, he released his grip on the Keyblade almost completely and tilted his head in a questioning glance. “Um, what?” He asked. The hooded boy simply continued on his casual stroll, gently and slowly stepping down the stairs towards Sora. “In time, I’m hoping that you’ll come to recognize me as something a little different than just whatever comes to your mind when you think “Bad Guy”.” he said, “But, I’m not going to kid myself by pretending that it won’t take quite some time.” Sora reinvigorated his guard, as the mysterious boy stepped off the staircase and began continued towards him. “But,” the boy continued, “that doesn’t really matter to anyone here; I have plenty of time on my hands, all the more time to watch you crumble. But honestly, I don’t really care what you think of me right now. The point is, you’ll see just exactly why you need me.” He said. The boy stopped right in front of Sora, his nonexistent glare boring deep into the Keyblade Wielder. “It’s alright though, I never really wanted to be taken kindly at this point anyways.” he said, “I just thought you should know… exactly what’s really in store…” Slowly yet suddenly, the boy began to fade away, as his final words echoed around the district. The wind pulled and twisted his speech, as his words were diluted into something distorted and enigmatic. It was hard to make out, but within the calm breeze of the fading wind, Sora swore that he could hear the words: “I have plans for you.” Needless to say, Sora stood at the epicenter of this activity completely confused. One thing was for sure, he could take back everything he thought earlier about this boy being non-cryptic. If anything, he pretty much admitted that his whole reason for coming here was to be as cryptic as possible. Or, was it to prepare Sora for something? Prepare him for what? All of the clearly cryptic madness that was ahead? Sora grimaced in distaste and frustration, his face still etched with a slight trace of confusion. “Yeah, thanks a lot.” He muttered. Sora looked around one last time before he could be sure to drop his guard, and sure enough, nothing else besides the faint pull of the wind remained in Twilight Town. Sora sighed, knowing that there really wasn’t much else he could do at this point than sit there and continue entertaining his confusion. So, he decided that he might as well get going. Besides, if there was anyone who could make sense of what just happened, it probably wasn’t him. Once he returned to the tower, he’d have to remember to ask Master Yen Sid, or Mickey, or maybe even Riku, what they thought of everything that had transpired. Quickly swinging his Keyblade out in front of himself, Sora fired a steady beam of light outwards. It appeared to collide with some kind of invisible wall; and slowly revealed the familiar shape of a keyhole. And now, with the happenings of Traverse Town behind him, Sora straightened himself, and made his way through the shimmering portal of light. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The sewers echoed and reverberated with the sound of Pete’s clumsy footsteps, as he stumbled and struggled to make his way through the dark passageways littering the underbelly of Traverse Town. His face was perpetually contorted into a frustrated grimace, but not just because of the bothersome job he had been assigned. No, most of his frustrations stemmed from the fact that his boss, Maleficent, had decided to send him down through these stinking manholes by himself. To be perfectly honest, he was really beginning to wonder why she had abstained from taking on any significant help besides the heartless; but he could assume that it was to make his own job as miserable and lonely as possible. To be fair, the situation probably wasn’t that bad. And to the evil witch’s credit, she did actually send someone along to keep her bumbling acquaintance company during his assignment. But that wasn’t really saying much, considering that his companion was just another ordinary Heartless. Well, not exactly ordinary, per say. But in reality, Pete wasn’t entirely sure what made it special in the first place, since it really just looked like another common and expendable Heartless to him. Apparently, this particular Heartless was known as the Crescendo; and its entire make-up was supposedly designed specifically to make as much noise as possible. Now, most of what was going on here went way over Pete’s head when Maleficent actually took the time to explain it, but from what he could gather, it looked like she had used some of her magic “Mumbo-Jumbo” to connect two of these Crescendos from two different points, and also made it so that somehow, you could talk through them. Again, Pete didn’t really get any of it, but at the least, Maleficent seemed pretty confident when she explained the idea to him. Even though she specifically said that an imbecile like him wouldn’t understand. In any case, it didn’t make any difference to him. Pete proceeded through the dark and damp passageways towards what Maleficent had said was his goal, when suddenly the air was filled with a shrill voice that emanated from the Heartless hopping beside him. Pete cringed, instantly longing for the sweet silence that had placated the air before. After all, that was pretty much the only thing he could brag about anymore. But of course, Maleficent had to go and take that away too. To be fair, she didn’t sound quite as upset as she usually was, but Pete was pretty sure that wouldn’t last long. Her agonizing and superficial tone echoed through the sewers as her first words burst through the line, “Pete, Are you there?” she asked, “If you are, tell me how close you’re getting! Honestly, with everything that’s happened over here, I’m beginning to lose my patience with you.” Pete swallowed audibly, a sound so distinct he was afraid Maleficent might have actually heard it. He timidly made his way over to the waiting Crescendo, all the while with Maleficent wailing for him to respond. Hesitantly, he picked up the Heartless by the neck and held it up to his face, saying, “Er… Roger that, Maleficent! Everything’s going fine over here, at least, everything that I know about… Which I guess isn’t really a whole lot at this point.” He said, with a somewhat admitting tone to his last few words. There was a deep sigh heard on the other end of the line, not really out of relief, but out of annoyance. “Of course you don’t know anything, you imbecile!” Maleficent snapped. “I knew your incompetence would hinder our success here, so I gave you the simplest job I could possibly conceive.” Pete nodded enthusiastically, a bit too relieved at Maleficent basically acknowledging his lack of clarity. If he had much reason to feel worse, it’s possible he could have been insulted. But instead, he just replied simply with “Right!”, but then shifted back to his usual timid speech with, “And, uh, that would be what?” Pete could almost hear Maleficent trying to withhold her temper on the other end of the line, and barely managing to succeed. “I told you…” she stated in as gathered a voice as she could manage, “Before you left, I told you… That all you need to do, is go down there, find our little friend, and lead the pixie to him.” She said, her last words spoken with a tone of condescending simplicity, as if she felt like she was speaking to a child. Pete’s eyes widened, having been struck with a sudden realization. He remembered that Maleficent had told him to watch over one of their other “acquaintances”; someone who was apparently going to benefit the whole entirety of the evil witch’s master plan. However, this expression of sudden brilliance and revelation was swiftly overturned by a look of confusion on Pete’s part. Sure, he knew that he was supposed to be leading this “pixie” somewhere, but there was the slight question of where exactly she was. Hesitantly, as was usually the case when speaking to Maleficent, Pete leaned towards the crescendo and said, “Okay, right, I got that much; but my question is, where is this “pixie” supposed to be?” Surprisingly, Maleficent’s first reaction wasn’t to berate Pete for his incompetence, as she would usually do. Instead, she sighed in a quite audible manner, with her voice portraying a slight tint of exhaustion. “As could be expected,” she replied, “you remain as hopelessly detrimental as I thought you’d be. But this is why I gave you such a simple task, and why I’ve taken all precautions necessary to make sure that not even you, of all people could possibly mess it up.” Pete nodded, even though it was perfectly clear that neither of the separate parties could see one another. And again, he probably should have been at least internally hurt by his boss’ words, but also again, he was feeling a bit too exasperated at the moment for it to really matter to him. Fortunately, that threshold was probably dying down at this point. “Right, gotcha.” he said, “But there’s still that little bit of a problem? ... I don’t really know where this pixie person is suppose ta’ be.” While again, neither of them could see the other, Pete was struck with the strangest feeling, like he could almost see a condescending smirk form on Maleficent’s face. Contrary to her previous supposed exhaustion, her voice quickly picked up once again, regaining its malicious and sardonic tone. “My dear Pete!” she exclaimed haphazardly, “I may be so bold as to say, you seem especially out of it today. Why, you appear to be in very rare form indeed!” After her brief stint of what could have been some kind of faux malice, Maleficent’s voice once again fell in tone with the low and fed-up side she commonly utilized with her bumbling accomplice. “But it is no matter.” She continued, “Because, fortunately for us all, I can account for such idiocy when you are involved, and I assure you, every precaution has been met in that regard.” Pete wasn’t particularly surprised, at neither the fact that Maleficent had once again insulted his intelligence, nor that she had already planned around his lack of competence, since both traits of his seemed to stick out a lot more most of the time they worked together. But in any case, he was still confused as to what exactly Maleficent was intending to do with this whole operation, which again, really only served to prove her point regardless. Slowly, Maleficent continued, “Now, as I’m sure we are both aware, there is a certain subject that has been occupying my time lately, one worthy of such investment, that I’m afraid I’ve been unable to attend to other, somewhat less pressing matters.” She said, “Because of this, I’ve had to briefly entrust you with one of the most important elements of our entire agenda, and while I am none too thrilled at the prospect, I’m afraid I have no choice at this point. In order to be as safe as is reasonably possible, the pixie herself has been sealed away within one of my incantations. A special kind of spell, which has been following you for quite some time. A fact I’m sure you have dis-concerned by now, and has most likely slipped your mind.” At this point, Pete had reached the limit where he was finally starting to care about Maleficent’s insults. He grumbled in protest, but kept his griping to a level where he could be absolutely sure Maleficent wouldn’t hear him. Of course he wasn’t fond of being called a completely predictable fool, but that was something he had learned to live with. And he had been able to live with it because he had also learned how to keep his opinions to himself. Maleficent continued, “Once you finally arrive at your destination and make certain that it is safe for her release, I will break the spell and allow her to fulfill her purpose for this mission.” “Now pay attention!” Maleficent snapped, instantly grabbing hold of whatever amount of Pete’s waning concentration she didn’t already command. “You’ll need to remember this.” she began once again. “While I myself wouldn’t have suspected her on her own, I’m afraid those other two may have had a “negative influence” on her. She could try something a bit hazardous, so stay wary! Of course, I still have most of her free will dancing in the palm of my hand, so we shouldn’t have to worry about much. But still, I don’t want any precautions cast aside here on your part!” Pete nodded, and again, even though the gesture was pointless, he still felt as though he was obliged to show Maleficent a consistent display of acknowledgment. Probably a habit bred out of being forced to show her proper respect for so many years on end. “Right then, you can count on me!” he said, “Just head over to that big ole’ monster down here, bring our little friend out to work, and…” He paused briefly, a slight look of pondering on his face. “Well, I don’t get what’s suppose ta’ go down after that!” he continued, “But I’m pretty sure that ya’ve got it all figured out anyways!” Maleficent chuckled lightly on the other side of the heartless transmission, and replied with, “You see, that’s what I admire about you, my dear Pete!” she said, “Your sheer blind and ignorant compliance!” After so much time working under the dark fairy, Pete knew that this was probably meant to be some kind of praise. And as such, he was probably expected to respond in sort. “Uh, thanks, Maleficent, that’s real nice of ya’ to say. I guess, I’ll just keep doing that then.” Suddenly, their “tender” little moment was shattered by some kind of shrill grumble, echoing through the sewers and instantly grabbing Pete’s attention. All around him, there was present the deep rumbling, resembling some kind of… Snore? Whatever Pete decided the noise was, one thing could be certain in his mind. Whatever it was, it clearly didn’t bode well for his personal well-being. And if that was true, there was no doubt that that was what he was here to find. Looking forward through the slightly adjusted darkness, Pete noticed that it was at its strongest straight ahead. “Pete?” He heard Maleficent’s voice squeak through the heartless, a rare kind of curiosity to her words. “What’s going on over there? If you wouldn’t mind, I would prefer to be kept well informed of everything that’s taking place over there!” She finished, her last words etched with her familiar brand of a commanding tone. “Uhm…” Pete muttered slightly, “Could you remind me again Maleficent, what is it we’re suppose ta’ be looking for here?” His voice was shaky and timid, as was usually his response to most kinds of Maleficent’s assignments when he began to realize that they were hazardous to his life-span. Maleficent sighed once again, and replied, “It doesn’t really matter now, does it Pete? Besides, it’s no longer your place to question this assignment. Now go on! We haven’t all day, or at the very least, not yet.” She finished, a bit skeptically. Pete reluctantly submitted to Maleficent’s orders, but that still didn’t quell the nervous shaking running through his body. While the low rumbling that surrounded him was calm and succinct, Pete could guess that whatever lay ahead was far more hostile than its peaceful slumber led on. Pete edged forward through the sewers, until finally arriving at a large open passageway that continued forward into what appeared to be a dead end. The entire area ahead was completely covered in shadow, so any guess as to what was actually present within it couldn't be certain. All had gone quiet on both lines of the Crescendo. Pete knew that the reason for Maleficent’s silence however, probably wasn’t out of concern for waking whatever monster slept here, moreover, it was probably out of a morbid curiosity and reluctance to miss even a single moment of what was about to transpire. Of course, Maleficent knew that there wasn’t any real danger involved, but she also knew that Pete was too naïve to remember that fact. And if she had to be completely truthful for once in her life, it would be a lie if she said that his palpable fear didn’t at least bring her some enjoyment. And there, plastered deep within the shadows that lay before him, Pete gazed upon the immense impression of a slumbering oddity which lay before him. Swallowing his fear and bracing himself for the nightmare that was sure to follow, Pete released his hold on the world behind and passed into the darkness ahead. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ If you've actually done so, thanks for reading this far. I really appreciate it. But you know something else I appreciate. You telling me everything that's wrong with my work. Yeah, that's right. I'm giving you clearance to criticize everything I put down, so long as it's justifiable enough. Again, I'm not really looking for problems with things like grammar or syntax anymore, its more or less any problem with the story itself, the characters, the dialogue, and what you didn't really like about those elements. Yes, I am asking you to read my story and reply with what you think is wrong. I'm sorry. But this is important stuff to me, I hope you can understand that. In fact, it's so important, that I think my story is actually getting physically ill because of it. The doctor says that it's contracted the commonplace "notasgoodasitcouldbe" virus, and the only cure is your negative criticism. Unfortunately, the doctor also tells me that while the cure is incredibly easy to produce, it's very difficult to find! So what are you waiting for? SAVE THIS STORY. #bethecure

I am just waiting for someone to make the joke: "Kairi, more useful as a card than an actual character." Honestly, there's little else to expect of the fandom regarding Kairi at this point.