Here it is. This is what the entirety of the Darkness Saga has been leading to. I really hope that you all understood the connections that I tried to make within all of them. Just so you know this is chronologically the fourth chapter of the Darkness Saga. The first three are on my profile. The chronological order is:
1. The Darkness Saga: One Piece
2. The Darkness Saga: Lamia Mystica
3. The Darkness Saga: Shadowed Elements
4. Ultimum Mali
I do have a sequel and a prequel planned, but they won't be posted for a while. I need to write the outlines for them, but I know how the stories are going to go, so don't worry. After those two, the Darkness Saga series will be over. I hope you all enjoy this story and review.
I will be the superscript (example: word1) thing I did in Umi no Musuko here as well, so there will be an explanation at the end of a chapter explaining something in the story.
I, sadly, do not own anything related to the Kingdom Hearts Series, all rights go to Disney/Square Enix.
I wish I did, so I could tell Nomura what I want in KH3 (for example, bring the game to the PS3 and Xbox 360, a bigger Disney influence returning to the series like Maleficent recruiting Urusla's sister and the villain from Aladdin 3 to her group, drive forms, party members that are not Pokémon rip offs i.e. Riku or Ven or Disney Characters, a better camera, better animation on all character models no matter the type of cut scene, the inclusion of other Final Fantasy characters like Ultimecia from FF8 and the main cast of the FF 13 series (and I don't care if you all hate the FF13 series, I like it.) I could say more, but you probably just want to read the story.
Chapter 1 A New Threat
Several months have passed since the defeat of Master Xehanort. The newly named Keyblade Master Sora had fought him with all of his friends and fellow Keyblade Masters. With Xehanort gone, the Heartless seemed to have disappeared from the Realm of Light. The Worlds were safe.
Sora himself was ecstatic to finally become a Keyblade Master. After Xehanort was defeated, Yen Sid gave him the title, telling Sora that he has earned it. With the Worlds safe, Sora was relaxing on his favorite tree on the island, remembering what had happened. With his friends, they defeated Master Xehanort's True Organization XIII at the Keyblade Graveyard. The battle was the hardest Sora has ever fought.
Before the final battle, Sora freed Ventus's Heart from his own and awakened the sleeping teen. When Ven woke up, Sora lost the ability to wield the Keyblade. Despite not being able to wield the Keyblade, he went along with the others to fight Xehanort. After witnessing Xehanort nearly beat the other Keyblade Masters, Sora's will and determination to protect his friends and defend the Worlds gave his Heart the strength to summon the Keyblade again. After fighting Xehanort by himself Sora was able to beat him.
Xehanort expected Sora to kill him, and in doing so Xehanort would have had the final victory. But Sora let him live to wallow in his defeat and misery. Angered, Xehanort attacked, but the Darkness that he considered a tool turned against him and swallowed him. When Sora thought aloud that it was finally over Terra, who was recently freed from his forced fusion with Xehanort, said that he knew the old man for far too long to know that he would stay gone only for a little while.
With their home world uninhabitable Terra, Aqua and Ven were living with Master Yen Sid in the Mysterious Tower. Sora, Riku, and Kairi were able to visit them whenever they wanted thanks to Yen Sid teaching them how to open Corridors of Light to traverse the Worlds. These Corridors of Light were parallels to the Corridors of Darkness that Xehanort and Organization XIII used. They all became great friends with each other. Along with Yen Sid, they taught Sora and the others more about using the Keyblade, such as turning it into a glider1.
"I knew we'd find you here Sora." said the silver haired teen that was Sora's best friend. Sora's thoughts quickly disappeared.
"Hey Riku! Kairi!" said Sora. Riku and Kairi, the Princess of Heart and fellow Keyblade Master, walked up to the tree and sat around it. They watched the sunset for a while, when Sora got restless. "I'm so bored!"
"Maybe you should find a way to entertain yourself then." giggled Kairi.
"Wanna race around the island Riku?" asked Sora.
"If it entertains you, than fine." sighed Riku.
"I'll judge." said Kairi with a chuckle. Sora and Riku got into starting positions. "Ready…set…GO!"
Sora and Riku blasted across the bridge. They were neck and neck as they went to the other side of the island. While Riku went around the small tower, Sora climbed up it. Grabbing ahold of the makeshift zip line, Sora sped down into the small alcove of trees that led to the other side of the island.
"No fair Sora!" said Riku as Sora jumped on the natural formed steps in the cliff.
"You could have done it too Riku!" Sora yelled with a goofy smile.
He jumped on each step and entered to the side of the island where Kairi was. After landing in a small pool of fresh water, Sora looked up and saw Riku jumping down as well. Instantly going into a sprint, Sora dashed to the finish line. Riku soon caught up Sora and they were fighting to stay ahead of each other. They climbed to the bridge and ran towards Kairi. IT was really close, but Riku won in the end.
"Damn it!" said Sora. "I was so close."
"Ha ha ha." laughed Riku. "There's always next time Sora."
"But I would've won if you didn't have longer legs." Sora pouted.
"Don't worry Sora." said Kairi. "At least you'll get this as a prize."
Kairi kissed Sora's check and he blushed a fiery red. Riku laughed and Sora told him to shut up. When he didn't, he jumped on Riku and they wrestled playfully. Kairi couldn't stop laughing.
"If you two have this much energy, shouldn't you be training?" wondered Kairi.
"She's right Sora." said Riku as he pinned Sora to the ground. "We should spar. We don't want to show Master Yen Sid and the others how you've been slacking lately."
"Get real!" said Sora. "You know that I can kick your butt without breaking a sweat!"
"Prove it Sora." Riku said as he stood up.
He offered his hand and Sora took it to stand up. They agreed to do it near the shore as it had more room. At the beach, Sora and Riku were summoned their Keyblades. Riku's Keyblade was Way to the Dawn. The blade was a straight red bat-like wing. A dark angelic wing formed the Key's teeth. Its guard was made up of one angelic wing and one demonic wing. Its token resembled the symbol of the Heartless, but without the spiked bars crossing it.
Sora's Keyblade was something he had to work at to get. He had to find many materials and needed to get a Moogle's help and Yen Sid's & Merlin's magical assistance. Using his own Keyblade and the memory of the sword he used in his dream before Destiny Islands disappeared as a base, Sora's most powerful Keyblade in terms of raw power and magical prowess was created. He called it the Ultima Weapon. It was strongly reminiscent of the Dream Sword, wrapped in ornate gold filigree. The teeth of the blade are a golden version of the crown charm Sora wears, and the Keychain token, attached to the blade by shimmering thread, is a gilded heart. It also bears one heart just above the guard and another just next to the crown making up the teeth of the blade2. He crafted this Keyblade before he entered the Simulated Twilight Town for the final battle between Organization XIII in The World that Never Was.
"Are you ready Riku?" asked Sora.
"You bet." Riku nodded.
The two teenagers rushed at each other and clashed their blades. With every strike of their blades, the two of them felt a rush of energy flow through them. It was a fun sparring session. They didn't use their most advanced abilities, like Ars Arcanum or Ragnarok, but they did perform moves such as Strike Raid and Sonic Blade. Riku was naturally faster and physically stronger than Sora, but the brunette didn't have any trouble fighting his best friend. They sparred for a long while. It seemed to be getting dark faster than usual, but they took no notice to it.
"Okay you two." said Kairi as she summoned her Keyblade Destiny's Embrace3. "I need some practice too or Aqua will scold me."
Her Keyblade was round and curvaceous to the point of appearing harmless. One side of the hilt is formed in the shape of a breaking ocean wave, while the other is formed into a beige vine of sand that wraps around the shaft, which is colored to resemble a sunset. The vine connects to a bouquet of colorful flowers, which form the teeth of the Keyblade. A red silken keychain connects the hilt to the Paopu Fruit token.
"Are you sure Kairi?" asked Sora. He knew she could take care of herself, but that doesn't mean he didn't want her to accidentally get hurt.
"Of course I am Sora." Kairi said. She readied herself. "Don't go easy on me."
"Well, you heard her Sora." said Riku. "A three way battle will be great practice."
"Okay then." said Sora.
The three of them battled against each other for several hours. While Sora took on the total offensive tactic, Kairi took a more defensive role while Riku used a more balanced strategy. Kairi, who Aqua personally trains, has become quite exceptional at magic, especially those that are Light-based. She usually uses spells such as Faith and Pearl, which were stronger than average as she was a Princess of Heart, and constantly used Barrier as her primary defensive spell. While the three of them were training, they felt a cold, dark wind blow around them. When it became faster and stronger, the three Keyblade Masters looked above them.
"What the-?!" they all asked aloud as they saw the dark clouds.
The clouds were black and very ominous. The wind was terrible. It gave off a feeling of dread and evil. Black lightning flashed across the sky. The trio saw a storm like this before, when their home fell to Darkness.
"No, it can't be…" said Kairi as she fell to her knees.
"Sora! Look!" yelled Riku. He pointed out to the water and Sora saw a small boat. There were waves that pounded against it. Sora could just barely make out a blonde head on the boat. Another wave hit the boat and the blonde person fall overboard.
Sora instantly ran into the water and swam to the person. Sora couldn't find whoever fell over, so he took a deep breath and dove under water. Sora looked around and saw the person. With the water in his eyes, he could tell it was a boy, but not who it was. Sora grabbed his elbow and pulled him to the surface. He then began to swim back to Riku and Kairi.
"Is he okay?" asked Kairi as Riku helped Sora pull the boy away from the water which turned black. Riku turned the boy onto his back and the trio knew who it was. "Tidus?"
"Ugh…" Tidus coughed out with salt water. "Wha- where am I?"
"You're here on the island where we used to play with each other." said Sora. "Are you okay?"
"Yea, I think so…" Tidus said as he rubbed his head.
"Why were you out during this storm Tidus?" questioned Riku.
"I…I was running away from something." said Tidus.
"What was it?" Sora said worriedly. He was afraid of the answer.
"Strange black creatures with yellow eyes." said Tidus.
At that moment, two different breeds of Pureblood Heartless formed out of the Darkness. One was small and short. It has a round, spherical head with circular, glowing yellow eyes. It also has two long, twisted antennae sprouting out of the top of its head. Each of its hands has three clawed fingers, and its feet are large and lack any discernible digits. With the exception of its eyes, this Heartless's body is completely black. This specific breed was commonly known as a Shadow.
The other Heartless had a spherical body that is pitch black and streaked with dark blue. Its glowing, yellow eyes are rather small. The inside of its mouth is blue, and the mouth itself is a jagged, toothy opening. It has three thick, black and blue tentacles with frayed, pink tips sprouting out of its body, two on its top and one on its underside. This breed was the Darkballs.
"Heartless!" yelled Riku.
"Not again!" said Sora, not wanting to see his world fall to Darkness again. "It can't be happening again!"
"AHH!" screamed Tidus out of fear. Sora, Riku, and Kairi surrounded Tidus in order to protect him. They summoned their Keyblades to fight the Heartless. "Whe- where did those swords come from?!"
The trio didn't have time to explain as the Heartless attacked. The Darkballs charged while chomping. The Shadows jumped and swiped with their claws. Riku slammed his Keyblade into them and pushed some of them away. Sora used Ars Arcanum to clear a few Heartless away. However, when it would have used to take a single strike to defeat the Heartless, was taking several. And for every Heartless he destroyed, more would appear the moment the defeated ones faded. This lasted for several minutes.
"We need to get out of here!" yelled Riku.
"We can't abandon the island!" screamed Sora. He couldn't let his World disappear again. He failed once; he didn't want to do it to happen again.
"We may have no choice Sora!" Riku screamed. The Heartless were multiplying and their attacks were getting fiercer. "We won't be able to hold them for much longer!"
"But…everyone else…" protested Sora. "Mom…Dad… Wakka and Selphie…"
"They'll come back Sora." said Kairi. Her Barrier was weakening. "Just like last time, they all will come back."
"…Okay." said Sora. He hated the idea. "Let's get to the Secret Place."
"Tidus, you need to come with us." Kairi said. He nodded and took her hand. "Faith!"
Raising her Keyblade over her head, she summoned a pillar of white Light. The pillar surrounded both her and Tidus. It then burst out, Light encompassing the intermediate area. The Heartless closest to her were instantly obliterated, but others were singed and smoking.
"There's way too many of them!" yelled Kairi. That was her most powerful spell, yet it didn't seem to do much to the overall amount of Heartless.
"I'll clear a way!" said Sora. He raised his Keyblade directly above his head. "Thundaga!"
A large lightning bolt of lightning fell from the sky and hit several Heartless. Where it landed, it exploded into a dome of electricity. Several Heartless took the attack, but didn't seem that hurt. Before the spell ended, Sora performed one more.
"Triple Plasma!" cried Sora. He shot out three spheres of electricity out of his Keyblade that plowed through the Heartless. When the three spheres hit the dome of electricity, the orbs released a flurry of lightning. This combination created a clear path to the Secret Place. "Let's go!"
Kairi dragged Tidus to the cave. Riku led the way while Sora brought up the rear. The Heartless were relentless, but the four teenagers were able to make it to the location of their World's Keyhole. When they got into the cave, Sora used Blizzaga while Riku used Freeze to seal the entrance to the Secret Place, keeping the Heartless out. For now.
"Did you two notice anything different about the Heartless?" asked Riku.
"Yea." Kairi said.
"They're stronger than ever." Sora said as he paced across the cave. "But why are they back? After we defeated Xehanort, the Heartless disappeared altogether."
"I wish I knew what was happening." said Kairi. "Master Yen Sid should have an idea, right?"
"Perhaps." said Riku. "However, he ma-"
"Will someone tell me what's going on?!" demanded Tidus. The Keyblade Masters turned and remembered that they had Tidus with them. "What are those things outside?! What's with those weird swords you three have?! Who is Yen Sid?!"
"We're sorry Tidus." said Kairi. "But we thought it would be safer if you and the others didn't know about what happened."
"What happened?" demanded Tidus. "I want to know everything."
"You really want to know?" asked Riku. Tidus nodded. "Fine. Those creatures out there, they're called Heartless. They are created from the Darkness within our Hearts. They are creatures without emotions, acting out of primal instinct."
"They constantly hunt after the Hearts of Men and Worlds." Sora said as he took over the explanation. "They hunt for the Keyhole that hides each World's Heart. But they are after the Light that shines within all of us. This Light is known as Kingdom Hearts. It is a source of great power and untold wisdom. They also attack those with the Keyblade, our swords, for they are the only weapons they fear, as they are the only ones that can truly destroy them."
"What's so special about your…Keyblades?" wondered Tidus.
"They are weapons from the Realms of Light and Darkness." said Kairi. "No one truly knows how their formed, despite Sora creating his own-"
"But that required me sacrificing the Kingdom Key, my original Keyblade." interrupted Sora. "I had to hunt for many synthesis materials and it took the magical talents of two extremely powerful sorcerers to make it. So basically, it's the same Keyblade."
"Anyway," continued Kairi, "Keyblades are weapons that can harness great magical powers. They can unlock and lock anything, be it something physical, or the very Hearts of men and Worlds."
"These Heartless," Tidus started, "You fought them before?"
"Yes we did." Sora said. "We saved the universe from them, and other monsters, a few times. We've been doing so since the first time the Heartless attacked."
"They attacked before?!" yelled Tidus. The three Keyblade Masters nodded. "Why don't I remember this?!"
"That's hard to explain." said Kairi. "It's probably because when the World returned and your Hearts came back-"
Before she could finish, the ice wall broke apart. The Darkballs and the Shadows poured into the cave. Darkness itself seemed to pour into the cave and it looked as if it was eating away at the very stuff that made up their World. The ceiling of the Secret Place dissolved as the Darkness stretched across it, revealing the sky, which looked darker and more menacing. It looked like as if evil itself had a hold of their World.
Sora and Riku protected Kairi, who shielded Tidus. Sora called back to Kairi, telling her to open a Corridor of Light. She nodded while she shot a laser from her Keyblade. It opened a Corridor and she led Tidus through it. As she called for Riku and Sora, the two boys destroyed several Heartless. Riku was using Ars Solum, a technique that Terra taught him. He ferociously sliced several Heartless, leaving what appeared to be petals behind. Sora was using Wind Raid. He threw his Keyblade and it became surrounded by wind, allowing it to strike multiple Heartless.
"Come on!" yelled Kairi. "We need to go!"
Riku and Sora walked backwards to the Corridor. As Sora grabbed his Keyblade after it flew back into his hand, he gave Riku a sorrowful look. A look that told Riku that Sora felt that he failed to save the World. Riku placed his hand on Sora's shoulder to comfort him. Silently thanking him with a nod, Sora and Riku jumped through the Corridor of Light and appeared on a floating island in a sea of clouds, surrounded twilight. However, the sky was slowly becoming darker which was unnatural. The World always appeared in eternal twilight.
On the island where they were standing were several trees and shrubs. Near the back of the island was the home place of Master Yen Sid, the Mysterious Tower. The tower itself is a surrealistic, crooked, golden-brown tower. It is topped with blue cone-shaped turret roofs, decorated with moons and stars.
"Tidus?" asked Kairi. Sora and Riku looked over and saw that Tidus looked sick. He was in a stupor. His eyes were wide and his body was rigid. He didn't respond to Kairi. "Tidus, please say something."
"We need to take him to Master Yen Sid." said Riku. He put one of Tidus's arms over his shoulder, and Sora did the same. The three of them walked into Master Yen Sid's tower, not even realizing that there was Heartless forming right as the door closed.
Here are the explanations of the superscripts are going. They will be listed in order. I hope that you all will enjoy this story. I took a long, long time planning everything out to make this my best story yet. Have a good day everyone, and please stay tuned for the next chapter and review.
1. This was a short version of how I believe Kingdom Hearts 3 will end, or at least should end. I always believed that after Xehanort is defeated that Terra, Aqua, and Ventus would become great friends with our three main protagonists. I also think that they would train Sora, Riku, and Kairi to teach them more about the Keyblade. Terra would be Riku's personal mentor, while Aqua would be Kairi's, and Ven would be Sora's.
2. Sora's Keyblade in this story will be the Kingdom Hearts 1 version of Ultima Weapon.
3. I absolutely despise the fact Square Enix made Kairi a Keyblade wielder; let's just leave it at that.
If you all like the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series by Rick Riordan, please read my Umi no Musuko story. Tell me what you think of it. Tell your friends. Come back any time.