("Distance" by Nami Tamaki plays)

Nick takes a look down the winding paths of the Crossroads, searching each path for the road that would lead him to his friends. Noticing a large and familiar castle in the distance, Nick smiles before raising the Oathkeeper and racing down the path.

Nick takes notice of the familiarity of the castle that is slowly becoming less blurry. Nick takes a good long look at his keyblade. Nick then pulls out Irma's lucky charm, remembering the promise he'd made.

Nick took one last longing look at the winding pathways before him.

"I guess that as long as I wield the keyblade, these adventures will never end..."

Nick looks into the dark sky, then smiles.

"...but I wouldn't have it any other way."

That said, Nick raises his keyblade once more and charges down the winding pathways, unsure of where the next path will lead him, but eagerly awaiting the journey.

A while later, Nick is still searching the Crossroads, about to take a break, when he sees something that confuses him.

"Wait a minute. Who was that?" Nick wonders. "Huh. Must have been the wind."

He turns around, only to see someone in a black hood out of the corner of his eye. He finishes his turn, only to find the figure gone.

Nick shrugs it off, but turns around again, and clearly sees the hooded figure in front of him.

Ahead lies something you need...

Nick quickly raises the Oathkeeper, but the hooded man disappears.

...but to claim it, you must lose something dear.

Nick takes a look at the castle ahead.

"Adventure never leaves me alone, does it?"

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(They say that those who cannot do, follow someone and learn.)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:
W.I.T.C.H.: Keys of Memory
Story Created: March 12th, 2008
Summary: Directly following the events of Key to Her Heart, Nick journeys to Castle Oblivion, still on the search for his missing friends. What he finds in this castle may tear his very world apart... Meanwhile, Will, still on her path to cleanse the darkness inside her, also finds herself in Castle Oblivion, hoping to find a way to erase Xehanort's still-standing influence on her...

Author's Note: Yeah, you knew this one would be coming eventually. And I promise, no half-year-long hiatus with this one! As a special treat, I'm going to include a snippet from the upcoming In World's End at the conclusion of each chapter of this story, which will detail Maylin and Haruka's enigmatic past. Enough said. Let's get right into it!!

Also, I don't own ANY franchises used in this story. They belong to whoever created them. This story is copyright S.P.D. Gold Ranger (me), March 2008.

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Chapter 1: Where the Memories Lie

As Nick slowly opened the door to the castle, he could feel an eerie feeling of familiarity that only grew with every forward step he took.

"This is so weird," Nick stated to nobody in particular. "Why does this place seem so familiar?"

Just then, he noticed that someone was standing in front of him. It was none other than the hooded man from before!

"Oh, you again," Nick challenged. "Why don't you stand aside?!"

Nick pulled out his Drive orb, ready to transform into Limit Form...

...only to notice that it wasn't glowing at all.

"What the heck?" Nick exclaimed. "Why can't I transform?"

"I should think it's obvious. The moment you set foot in this castle, you forgot every spell and ability you knew... though the forgetting does not end there. In this place, to find is to lose and to lose is to find. That is the way of things in Castle Oblivion," the hooded figure explained.

"Castle Oblivion?" Nick repeated. He could have sworn he'd heard the name before...

"Yes... Here you will meet people you know. People you miss."

This caused Nick to nearly jump in his spot. "You mean Will? She's here?!"

"Do you want to find her? If you do..."

Nick raised the Oathkeeper, ready to strike if the hooded man tried anything. Before he could strike, however, the hooded figure rushed forward in a blinding flash, going right through Nick. Suddenly, Nick couldn't see anything but darkness as voices ran through his head…

"The other side..."

"Trust what you remember, seek what you forget..."

"Don't say things like that!"

"A hope deferred is the strongest sign of rage..."

"You shame yourself and the Organization."

"Don't you see? I love her!"

"We have more in common than you think..."

"I've already finished off your little lackeys!"

"She's too special for that."

"It won't be long before you're next!"

"This is my home, isn't it?"

"That's why I'll never forget her..."

"I'm always with you..."

Finally, Nick could see again. The hooded figure was back in front of him, holding what appeared to be a card.

"What was that for?" Nick wondered.

"I sampled your memories, and from them, I made this. This is the key to reuniting with those you hold dear," the hooded figure replied, throwing Nick a small object.

"What is this, a card?" Nick responded.

"A promise. Use that card and press on. You will understand soon enough."

With that, the hooded figure disappeared.

"A promise, huh?"

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Nick looked around his surroundings as this location registered in his head. "Wait. This can't be right! This is Traverse Town!!"

"It isn't reality that you see. This town is an illusion conceived by your memories ingrained in that card," the hooded figure explained.

"First off, buddy, you wanna explain why you sealed away my abilities?" Nick exclaimed.

"Your powers are at the mercy of the cards now. Master the cards, and their strength will be yours again," the hooded figure stated.

Nick raised the Oathkeeper, ready to battle.

"The laws of this castle require that your friends be transformed into cards. If you value your friends, you will pick them up without fail."

The hooded figure threw a card to the ground, and Nick almost instantly retrieved it. It had a picture of Maylin on it.

"Cards you pick up are added to the top of your stack. Use them, and your friends will come to your aid."

Focusing on the card's power, Nick held the card into the air, and it shined with a bright light. All of a sudden, Maylin seemed to jump out of nowhere and launch a Fire spell for the hooded figure, who easily blocked the strike. Before Nick could say a word, Maylin had vanished.

"The cards you use vanish, but they will reappear to aid you time and again. Cards are the hearts of your friends. Everything in this castle is ruled by cards. Whether an enemy or a door stands in your way, cards are the only way to proceed. But you mustn't forget your own strength."

With that, the hooded figure charged forward, lashing out at Nick. The keybearer simply raised the Oathkeeper and deflected each strike. After a while of this, the hooded figure performed a high attack that Nick was able to avoid by doing an evasive roll.

"Good."

"I could the say the same for you," Nick stated.

"Hmm, the hero speaks boldly. Go, then. The rest of Castle Oblivion awaits. Walk the avenues of latent memory, and you shall meet someone dear to you. I hereby grant you this ability. Use it well."

The hooded figure raised his arms, and Nick was covered in a bright light. When the light was clear, the hooded man had vanished.

Nick quickly twirled the Oathkeeper before ripping forward with a mighty strike.

"I got Zantetsuken back, huh? That freak must be quite confident in me," Nick said to himself.

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Meanwhile...

After a little journeying, Nick realized that for an ingrained memory, Traverse Town was exactly as he remembered it; even the karaoke inn was still there.

"That's where Maylin sang that beautiful song," Nick reminisced. "I feel like I'm getting a bit rusty when it comes to the Heartless, but I should be able to handle that."

"Think like that, and you're as good as Heartless fodder."

Nick spun around to see the famous Gunblade wielder Squall Leonheart standing before him.

"Leon, it's you! What the heck are you doing in Castle Oblivion?" Nick asked.

"Castle Oblivion? What are you talking about? This is Traverse Town. And how do you know my name? I've never seen you before in my life," Leon stated rather bluntly.

Nick was getting angry by now. "Quit playing games with me, Leon! We all fought the Heartless together! You know that!"

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about. I don't even know your names," Leon replied.

"I can't believe it. How can you have forgotten about me so quickly?" Nick exclaimed.

"Hey, I feel for you. But you've got the wrong guy. Happens all the time. Don't take it so personally, Nick," Leon stated.

"AHA!!! You DO remember me!!" Nick exclaimed, spinning the Oathkeeper in his hands.

"I don't get it... what's wrong with my memory?" Leon asked nobody in particular, shaking his head.

"I dunno, Leon. Maybe Aerith was onto something after all."

With that, the legendary Materia hunter Yuffie Kisaragi walked up.

"She said she sensed some uncanny kind of power and asked us to look into it. Well, we looked. And this is as uncanny as it gets. Maybe we should bring Nick and the others to Aerith," Yuffie explained.

"At least YOU remember my name, Yuffie," Nick replied, wondering just what the heck was going on.

"Yep! Looks like you know mine, too!" Yuffie replied, ever cheerful.

"Friend of yours?" Leon asked.

"Nope! Total stranger," Yuffie replied, causing Nick to emit a low growl. "But I definitely know his name. Strange, yes, but convenient! We can skip the introductions."

"Gee, Yuffie, I guess all our problems are solved," Leon stated sarcastically.

"Anyways, I'm gonna run ahead and fill Aerith in. Leon, you give Nick the grand tour. See ya later!" With that, Yuffie was off.

"Well, let's get on with it. Come on, follow me. Be careful, though. There are still Heartless wandering around town. I'd better teach you how to protect yourself in battle," Leon asked. Nick nodded and brandished the Oathkeeper, ready for battle.

"See the numbers printed on your cards? They range from 0 to 9. Higher numbers mean stronger cards. If you and your enemy both play a card at the same time, the higher card wins. Go on, try it out," Leon explained. Nick drew a few of his cards and used them to attack, just as Leon had instructed.

"Good job, kid. See how it works? Playing a card higher than your opponent's and breaking through their defenses... is called a 'card break'. Playing a lower card results in your attack being deflected. Even powerful cards can be deflected if the enemy's card is higher. Whoever is on the losing side of a break is left wide open to attacks. Don't let that person be you. Cards with 0 as their value are special. No matter what card the enemy plays, you can break it with a zero card. But you have to wait until AFTER the enemy plays their card. If you play the zero card too soon, the enemy can break it with any card they play. In other words, it's the most powerful card if it comes last, and useless if it comes first. Try to make the most of it. You following me so far?"

Nick nodded, absorbing all the information like a sponge.

"Now it's time to teach you how to stock cards. You don't have to use battle cards one at a time. You can also assemble three cards and use them all at once. This is called stocking cards. Stocking cards and using them in threes is much stronger than using cards individually. Go on, give it a try. Stock any three cards in your deck. Remember, you need three cards or it won't work."

Nick sifted through his deck, picking out three cards and combining them together.

"The sum of your three stocked cards becomes the value you play. The value is usually high and hard to break, and the combo attack deals a lot of damage. Don't hold back. Show me what you can do."

"All right, Leon, you asked for it!!" Nick exclaimed, ripping forward with a mighty strike that nearly knocked Leon on his back.

As Leon picked himself up, he couldn't help but laugh. "Nice one, kid. You think you've got the hang of this now?"

"Yeah, more or less. I'll pick up the rest when I fight some real battles," Nick replied.

"Here, I found this lying around. You take it. Remember what I told you and make good use of it." With that, Leon tossed Nick a card, who quickly put it into his deck.

Later...

"Aerith, tell me you haven't forgotten me, too," Nick exclaimed.

"I don't know whether to say 'nice to meet you' or 'good to see you again'," Aerith replied. "It feels like a little of both. I don't think I know you, but I still feel like you belong here."

"Yeah, exactly!" Yuffie said. "Like we've never met, but it still doesn't feel weird knowing your name."

"But I'm telling you, we HAVE met," Nick explained. "We took on the Heartless together. We were a team!"

"It feels like you're right..." Leon noted. "But I can't remember."

"Then I guess you won't remember what you told me," Nick explained. "In Hollow Bastion, when I sealed the Keyhole! 'We may never meet again...'"

"...but we'll never forget each other." Leon added.

"See, you do remember!" Nick yelled.

"He's right, Leon!" Yuffie said. "I remember you saying that, too."

"I guess I can't write it off as a coincidence, then," Leon answered.

"I don't think I have any memory of it..." Aerith wondered. "...but somehow I still remember. Maybe Nick's heart is doing the remembering for us."

"How does THAT work?" Nick asked.

"We don't know you, Nick, but your heart is full of memories of us together," Aerith explained. "Those memories must resonate in our hearts, too. Maybe they tell us things we couldn't otherwise know. "

"So you're saying that Nick's memories are affecting ours?" Leon asked.

"His memories do seem to have a certain power," Aerith replied.

"Maybe it's like that guy said, then," Nick wondered. "This town is just an illusion. Something my memories created."

"And... there's someone special to you in this town?" Aerith asked.

"How did you..." Nick exclaimed, but then stopped and thought for a second. "Ah, I get it. My memories are resonating with yours, telling you what happened. Anyway, yeah. A friend of mine is somewhere in this town — I mean, Castle Oblivion."

"Castle Oblivion? What's that?" Yuffie asked. "There aren't any castles in Traverse Town."

"That's not quite what I mean," Nick replied.

"Nick probably still has his own questions. Right?" Aerith asked.

"Right," Nick replied. "I just got here, after all. It wouldn't hurt to take a look around."

"Then go have a walk around town," Leon noted. "There are Heartless, but that's no problem for you."

"So you know I can fight!" Nick said.

"I can't say I remember, but I am starting to believe," Leon noted.

Later...

As Nick continued to take a walk around the town square, he was looking high and low, but apparently to no avail.

All of a sudden, something dropped down in front of him – it was the Guard Armor!

"Well, well, doesn't this bring back memories?" Nick stated, drawing two cards from his deck with pictures of Maylin and Haruka on them. Focusing on his power, the two cards began shining with a bright light. In an instant, exact copies of Maylin and Haruka appeared beside Nick, ready to fight alongside him.

The Guard Armor answered this challenge by thrusting its clawed arms straight for Haruka. Nick was over there in a flash, immobilizing the arm with the Oathkeeper.

All of a sudden, the Guard Armor began stomping towards the trio, its arms swiping madly.

Maylin hopped into the air and drew a Fire coin. "Force, know my plight! Release the light! FIRE!" she chanted, slamming her keyblade into the coin. The letters on the coin shined before unleashing a blast of fire that impacted the Guard Armor's left arm and easily destroyed it.

"Well, now we know its weakness," Maylin noted, readying another Fire spell coin. Before she could cast the spell, however, the destroyed arm suddenly reappeared.

"Okay, no one told me that thing could regenerate itself!" Maylin shouted, slapping her forehead in frustration.

While the girls were busy, Nick decided on direct attack, and began swinging madly, cutting deep into the Guard Armor's torso.

Suddenly, Nick got an idea.

"Girls! I think I know why it keeps regenerating itself!" Nick shouted, drawing Maylin and Haruka's attention. "As long as the torso is around, the arms and legs can regenerate themselves! I bet that if we can take down the torso, the whole thing will vaporize!"

No more words needed to be said, and thus Maylin and Haruka began concentrating their attacks on the Guard Armor's body while Nick charged up a special attack.

After a bit of punishment, the Guard Armor aimed its free arm towards Nick. One slap and Nick was sent flying.

"Oh, no! Hold on, Nick!" Maylin shouted, drawing a special spell coin from her pockets. "CURE!" she shouted, aiming the coin towards the damaged Nick. In an instant, the wound on Nick's arm caused by the Guard Armor's surprise attack instantly disappeared.

"Thanks," Nick said before holding the Oathkeeper into the air and finishing his charge-up. Soon enough, Nick began glowing a bright blue.

"Stand back, girls!" Nick shouted, prompting both girls to back away. Nick took this as his chance, flying upwards and disappearing from sight. The Guard Armor looked left and right for Nick, but to no avail.

Seemingly out of the blue, Nick reappeared again, and charged for the Guard Armor, the Oathkeeper held out proudly. He used his power to charge forward at incredible speeds, attacking each and every part of the Guard Armor. First, he focused on the arms, then the legs, and once all of the appendages were out of the way, he delivered a final slash to the Guard Armor's torso, considerably damaging it. The now solitary torso fell to the ground. However, Nick wasn't done yet.

"You're finished," Nick simply said, rushing towards the fallen Heartless. In an instant, Nick had jammed Oathkeeper straight into the Guard Armor's head. A few seconds later, the Guard Armor completely disappeared, its only remains being a giant, glowing heart that floated into the sky.

(Author's Note: Yes, that's the exact same Guard Armor battle from Key to Her Heart. It's just very late as I'm typing right now, and being sleepy sometimes impairs writing power. So there.)

Maylin and Haruka nodded to Nick before disappearing into the cards they'd come from. Once everything had settled down, Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith walked up.

"So your friend wasn't here?" Yuffie asked.

"No, I don't think I'll find her in this town," Nick replied. "But she's somewhere in this castle. I just know it."

"Castle? Like this whole town's inside some humongous castle?" Yuffie laughed.

"He's probably right, Yuffie," Leon replied. "We may not understand what's going on, but Nick does. He can see that reality is bigger than just this world."

"I wish I was that sure," Nick answered.

"You'll be okay, Nick. No matter what shape reality takes, you can handle it," Leon explained. "I may not remember you, but I know you in my heart."

"Leon..." Nick whispered.

"Take care, Nick," Yuffie said.

Once everyone was gone, Nick turned towards the way out of Traverse Town, but Aerith quickly walked back.

"What's wrong?" Nick asked.

"I don't have all the answers, but there's something I thought you should know," Aerith explained. "Your memories created this town, right?"

"That's what the guy who gave me the card said," Nick replied.

"If that's true, then this town is just a figment of your mind..." Aerith explained. "...and so are we."

"But..." Nick said, "...you can't be a figment! You're standing right here. The town is here, too!"

"But I'm not really me. I don't remember the things I should. I sense things I shouldn't," Aerith explained. "Nick, beware your memories. In the journey to come, you'll be faced with more illusions. Sometimes the shadows of your memory will deceive you, try to lead you astray."

"So, uh... what exactly does that mean?" Nick asked.

"I'm just another illusion, Nick. The truth is out of my reach," Aerith replied.

"Don't say stuff like that. It's depressing..." Nick sighed.

"No, Nick!" Aerith said, "You mustn't let illusions distract you from what's truly important."

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. Take care, Aerith!!" Nick exclaimed, waving to Aerith as he headed for the Traverse Town gates.

Back in Castle Oblivion...

"Well, Nick? Did you enjoy meeting your memories?" the hooded figure asked once Nick had arrived.

"It was nice to see everyone again. But why show me an illusion? Just what do you want from me?" Nick wondered, brandishing the Oathkeeper. The hooded figure smirked, though we can't see it under his hood.

"That depends on what you have to give."

Nick stood there, ready for a fight.

"Boo."

The hooded figure turned towards a man with long, spiky red hair who was wearing a similar black robe.

"What do you want?"

"I got bored, what with you hogging the hero," the red-haired man replied. The hooded figure groaned and threw a card to the other figure.

"Perhaps YOU'D like to test him."

The red-haired figure smirked. "Perhaps I would."

The first figure disappeared in a column of darkness.

"Looks like it's my show now, Keyblade master. My name is Axel. Commit it to memory," Axel stated.

"Um... sure," Nick replied, a little confused.

"Good. You learn quick. So, Nick, now that we're on a first-name basis..."

With that, Axel summoned his pinwheels. Nick brandished the Oathkeeper, ready to fight.

"...don't go dying on me!!"

Axel charged for Nick, lashing out with his pinwheels, only to have it blocked with a swift strike from the Oathkeeper. Axel then tried a low attack, but it, too, was stopped cold.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Nick performed a step vault off of Axel's head and landed behind him, lashing out with the Oathkeeper. Axel quickly spun around to block the attack and slash at Nick.

With a swift uppercut, Axel soon found his pinwheels on the floor a few feet away. Nick had the Oathkeeper pointed straight at Axel's face.

"Game set," Nick proclaimed.

"Indeed," Axel responded. "After an introduction like that, you don't think I'd just give up the ghost?"

"So you were just testing my strength," Nick grunted.

"Congratulations, Nick. You passed! You're ready to take on Castle Oblivion," Axel joked. "Follow your memories. Trust what you remember, seek what you forget... and you will find someone very special."

"Are you talking about Will?" Nick wondered.

"Well, I don't know," Axel replied. "You'll just have to give some more thought to who's most important to you. Our most precious memories lie deep in our hearts, out of reach. But you can find yours, Nick."

"Where? How?" Nick asked.

"The light within the darkness. You've lost sight of it, Nick. You've forgotten forgetting," Axel explained.

"Light?" Nick asked, "I don't understand..."

"Would you like a hint?" Axel asked. Nick thought for a couple seconds.

"No, I want to figure it out for myself," Nick replied, brandishing the Oathkeeper in case Axel tried anything funny. "And if you get in my way, you're going to regret ever crossing me!"

"That's my kind of answer. Just what I'd expect from the Keyblade master," Axel smirked. "But be forewarned... When your sleeping memories awaken, you may no be you."

And with that, Axel was gone.

"What did he mean by that?" Nick wondered. "You may no longer be you..."

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Next time:

Chapter 2: Crystal of Memories

Nick heads into the card worlds in hopes of finding some answers as to what this mysterious organization is up to...

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Snippet #1: He's Arrived

"What's wrong, Maylin?" Haruka asked.

"He's here..." Maylin noted. "I can sense his dark energy."

"Why would he be HERE, of all places?" Haruka wondered, letting Sweet Crest rest on her shoulders.

"You should know him by now, Haruka," Maylin continued. "He doesn't care where he ends up, as long as he can collect hearts. That's why we've got to intercept him."

With that, Maylin was off. Haruka sighed in frustration.

"Oh, Maylin... when will I ever stop worrying about you?" Haruka wondered, trying to catch up with her rather confusing partner.

To be continued...