It was never supposed to happen.
Unsuspecting, Sora never thought he would have to face the darkness that is Master Xehanort.
Two friends forever divided by the lust for power and the need to do what is right.
Kairi's tears of grief fall as the two boys leave to become Masters.
Yen Sid and Mickey await their arrival.
One boy chose darkness, the other chose light. Now is the time to find out who is the true Master of this generation.
"Sora, Riku, be safe."
Those were the last words they heard before they departed. Now it was too late to turn back.
"Sora, do you really think we can both be Masters?" Riku asked quizzically.
"It will never hurt to try. Maybe we can go back to the islands once it's all over and enjoy life. All three of us: you, me, and Kairi."
"Kairi. To think, this was all for her."
"We'll do anything to protect her. Always."
"What do you think Master Yen Sid will have us do?"
"I'm not sure. From what I've gathered, there hasn't been a Mark of Mastery exam in about ten years."
"So you're saying that we should expect anything?"
"Exactly."
"We're coming up on Twilight Town now. Brace for landing."
As they landed, the Twilight Town trio, Hayner, Pence, and Olette appeared after they came out of the gummi ship. They greeted Sora and Riku, and asked how Kairi was doing.
"She's well. She's been trying hard lately to hold together after everything that has happened." Sora answered with honesty.
"Well, maybe one day we can all get together and hang out at the Usual Spot. Or maybe we could hang out on the clock tower!" Olette chimed in.
"Yeah, except right now we're here on official business. We have to take the Mysterious Train to see more of our friends." Riku wasn't really in the mood for pointless chit-chat.
"Well, maybe when you're finished, you could come here and get to know us better." Pence was always trying to keep everyone happy with his eased words.
"We'll see you around, once we're finished." Sora answered assuring Pence.
With that last comment, Sora and Riku headed to the Train Station to catch the Mysterious Train to the Mysterious Tower. That was where the encountered the first enemies they have seen in a year.
"Really? It's been a while I guess." Sora said as he summoned his original Keyblade, the Kingdom Key.
Riku laughed, "I guess we do need a little warm-up before we get into the real competition." He summoned the Way to Dawn Keyblade to his side as he spun in the air to attack a Shadow Heartless.
Shadows and Soldiers surrounded Sora and Riku. They all attacked at once. Then, out of nowhere, a man in a black coat appeared. He wielded Ethereal Blades similar to those that Sora's enemy from a year before, Xemnas, wielded. He carved a symbol in the air, and it immediately destroyed all of the Heartless attacking the boys.
"What just happened? They were all right here!" Sora shouted in wonder.
"I think he might have something to do with it." Riku pointed towards the man in the cloak.
The man in black walked slowly towards Sora and spoke "So, you have come this far and still you understand NOTHING."
"It… it can't be!" Sora screamed in total fear.
The man uncloaked his face, to reveal dark bronze skin, golden eyes, a bald head, and a gray goatee.
Master Xehanort.
"My boy, you have not yet learned the great power that lies within you!"
Xehanort was obviously talking to Sora, but Riku felt a need to answer, "His power comes from his friends! He is the chosen wielder of the Keyblade! My power comes from understanding the balance of light and darkness!"
"Young Riku, I was once part of you. What you don't know is that so were two other people. The man you met when you were young, Terra? I took control of his body. He was my vessel to live on longer than my normal lifetime. You see, you aren't the only people who can wield Keyblades." Xehanort summoned his Keyblade to his side, prepared to attack. It was then obvious to Sora and Riku that Xehanort had retained powers from his previous forms. Control over the Heartless as "Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness" which was really Xehanort's Heartless. He also retained the Ethereal Blades from Xemnas, his Nobody form.
He combined all of his powers into one, and showed Sora and Riku a new ability: Keyblade ascension.
By combining all of his power together and sending it to his Keyblade, it caused the Keyblade to change form. It now featured a strand of darkness connecting his heart to his Keyblade.
"Behold… the power of the NoHeart Keyblade!" Xehanort commanded. He used NoHeart to summon Heartless and Nobodies alike. They swarmed Sora and Riku as Master Xehanort lunged into the air and came down with NoHeart shooting a beam of Darkness towards Riku. Sora jumped in the way, now wielding the Ultima Weapon and channeling the Darkness through his ultimate Keyblade.
The Darkness surged with great intensity, causing Sora to fall back onto Riku. So much concentrated Darkness could destroy a person easily. Lucky for Riku that Sora absorbed the Darkness.
"Lend me your Keyblade!" Riku demanded. Sora's misty blue eyes sparkled in wonder as he handed the Keyblade filled with Darkness. Riku took the Keyblade into his right hand, having Way to Dawn in his left, and transferred the Darkness to his own Keyblade.
Handing the Keyblade back to Sora, Riku focused the Darkness into his heart. Using the training he received in the Realm of Darkness, he converted the pure Darkness into a fine, powerfully bright Light.
It was unexpected.
Riku's heart pushed the Light out, channeling it into his Keyblade. He soon changed forms.
The Keyblade responded to his heart, giving him access to his Keyblade Armor. It was an angular suit, evenly balanced of black and white, of Dark and Light.
The Way to Dawn Keyblade split into two. It became the Angel of Light and the Demon of Night Keyblades.
The Angel of Light was a white and gold Keyblade with angel wings as the hilt, and a classic sword as the blade, with golden lightning bolts serving as the teeth of the key.
The Demon of Night was black and red, with demon wings as the hilt. Like its light counterpart, it had a classic sword as the blade, and it had flames as the teeth of the key.
He wasn't sure what was going on. He never had use of this power before, but it was invigorating. He launched himself towards Xehanort using his Demon of Night Keyblade. In midair, Riku summoned his Keyblade to his side as he tried to attack Xehanort with a blast of light from his Angel of Light Keyblade. It was astonishing how well he could use his Keyblade now. It felt as though he reached a different state of being.
The blast of Light coming from Riku's Keyblade nearly destroyed all of the Heartless and Nobodies surrounding Sora, but Master Xehanort with his NoHeart Keyblade came down striking Sora's Keyblade with fierce intensity.
"Face it, boy; you do not have what it takes to defeat me!" NoHeart surged with Darkness. It was clear that Xehanort was going to overpower Sora if he didn't do anything soon, but Sora was too preoccupied with the thought that he might never see Kairi again. Well, not only her, but all of his friends! Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Leon and his gang, and everyone else he had met on his adventures!
The feeling of grief, it fuels the greatest of fires.
Sora's heart emitted a strange Light from deep within him. He felt it overpower him and transform him. His heart had found the connection to his Keyblade, and gave him access to his own Keyblade Armor.
When Master Xehanort saw what Sora's Keyblade Armor looked like, he laughed. He finally understood how Sora was wielding the Keyblade with such mastery; Sora had Ventus's heart inside of him!
The Keyblade Armor was an exact copy of what Ven's was, except it had red, blue, yellow, white, and black details on it instead of the classic blue. It was a true combination of all of Sora's forms.
Then it hit Xehanort. Sora had the broken heart of Xehanort's most successful apprentice.
When Sora spoke, his voice was double-toned. His normal voice was now accompanied by Ven's voice.
"Xehanort! You have brought destruction and ruin to the World. You will pay for your actions!"
Sora used his newfound power to strike Master Xehanort and send him to his knees. The two Keyblades that he wielded were Oathkeeper and Oblivion, symbolizing the true balance that existed within Sora now. He crossed them in an X, which created a power ball of both Light and Darkness. He sent the power ball flying towards Xehanort, who now realized that his only hope was to run away and find another, young vessel.
Seeing this as his only option, Xehanort used his remaining power and dodged the attack. Because he used all of his power, his NoHeart Keyblade reverted to its original form.
"I will be back. And next time, I will destroy you and take your hearts." Xehanort said with his departing words, and he disappeared into the Dark portal that he summoned.
Sora and Riku reverted to their natural forms, and dispelled their Keyblades.
"That was… unexpected." Riku sighed.
"Where did all that power come from though?" Sora questioned his own beliefs in himself.
"It is because you are chosen to guard the Princesses of Heart. You are two of seven Knights of Heart," explained Yen Sid, appearing out of nowhere.