This is TerraKH, and I'm back for this final journey! As most of you realize, this is the sixth book in my ongoing saga, the Wanderer's Series. So, if you haven't checked out the rest of the series, you will be, needless to say, VERY confused! But that's alright! As I've said already, this is the final story of the series, and it will fully complete the story of Jack, Marek, and the rest of the heroes. But enough about that. I'm sure everyone here is excited to get to this story, just like I am about writing it, so I'll shut up and let you get to it! If it existed in the KH games, I don't own it!

Opening: The End is Near

(Requiem for a Dream, LOTR Version)

ON A PAST BATTLEFIELD, SIX MONTHS AGO…

"An assault on a member of the Council…..is an act of war, Rikkison!"

"You're not serious!"

"He's wanted this from the very beginning!"

"Through water and darkness whence we all come. Now, it is through fire and Divine power that humanity shall meet its end."

"Eclipse was a tool, and Anetar was just a puppet. Maechil's been behind this from the start, and he's gonna destroy the universe as we know it."

"Does humanity stand a chance, Sora?"

"Without us? No."

"Sora's right. Without the LE, humanity is already dead. But we still stand strong. We always will. Maechil will rue the day he made enemies out of us. We are the Light's Enforcers, and with the powers we've gained for ourselves, we will save everything."

PRESENT DAY…..

Jack silently stood amidst a barren wasteland. It was dusk, and the darkness was settling in around him. He cracked his neck as he felt a presence somewhere nearby. Beyond his line of sight, a hooded figure appeared behind him, cloaked in the shadows. She gently ran her hand across his shoulder, but as he whirled around to strike her, she was already gone.

He angrily raised his Keyblade toward the sky and sent a beam of light upwards, watching it rise until it connected to the clouds. It then began to swirl around in a surge of energy, a great wind flowing through the area in mere moments. As his cloak furled out behind him, he calmly turned to the man in golden armor standing behind him. They stared each other down silently, but then Jack reached into his pocket, pulling out a Keychain that manifested into the Eternity Fang. The other man raised an eyebrow in mock fascination. "Oh? Jason's memento? Do you seriously assume that will be able to stop me?" he asked. Jack smirked at him as he brandished it and readied to charge.

"I've used it to cut my way to you, so yeah, I think it will. You think you're unstoppable, Maechil, but you aren't. Your own schemes will be your undoing." he replied.

A small group of armored figures had assembled outside a massive cave that was located in a mountain range. The smallest among the group turned and gazed behind them, observing the ominous mountain peaks that dotted the height of his vision. He turned as their leader began speaking, a slender woman in raven colored armor. Her hazel-green eyes looked back at them with unfettered determination, and they all silently nodded to each other as they began moving inside.

The mountain then exploded in a mass of roaring energy, obliterating the cave and sending the group falling off the ledge they had been standing on. As they began free falling, Rayne quickly spun in the air, driving her Keyblade into the side of the mountain and stopping her own descent. She looked back to see her companions already astride their riders as they soared up past her. Molten rock and smoke fell past them in great chunks, the smoke hanging thick in the air and blotting out their vision. She silently cast an electricity spell that spread into her legs, and she wrenched her blade out of the wall as she began sprinting up the mountainside. Even through the smoke, she could see their target.

High above them, atop the mountain's peak was a great cloud of energy. At the core of the cloud was an ethereal shape of a man covered in gray vapor, and he spread his limbs wide. Instantly, the mountains surrounding them erupted like volcanoes, further slowing the group. "Corruption!" Rayne finally yelled as she leaped into the air and landed on her rider. As she made her way higher, she could see her allies circling the cloud like vultures, waiting for her signal. "Now!" she screamed. Immediately, they all soared into the center of the cloud, and became hidden from sight.

A man covered in a black cloak walked calmly through the Dark Realm. The hard ground crunched beneath his boots, and a large group of dark beings had been following him for some time.

As he reached the shore where the waves came onto the beach, he met with another figure. The second man lowered his hood and ran a hand through his spiky brown hair. He stared somewhat suspiciously at the first man as they both turned to address the army following them. Instantly, the countless amount of Shadow and Darkside Heartless appeared within their sight. Sora narrowed his eyes and addressed them. "The Ancients will destroy this universe, and that includes your realm, as well! Fight with us, in order to save yourselves!" he commanded them as he stabbed his Keyblade into the ground. A shockwave of light went out in every direction, illuminating their surroundings and adding just a touch of light to the Dark Realm.

The Heartless merely stared back at him, until a humanoid one spoke to him in a slithery voice resembling a snake's. "We answer to no man, especially not to a pawn of the light." he answered and flexed his hand. The Heartless immediately began charging toward them. As Sora moved to defend himself, the cloaked man calmly pushed him out of the way and walked out in front of him.

He pulled his hood back and held his hands out as he breathed in deeply. He blinked once, his green eyes instantly turning yellow. Sora saw only the back of his white hair as the man addressed the Heartless. "You will answer to your former master! You will answer to the Lord of Darkness!" Marek yelled menacingly as he sent dark energy gushing out of his hands. The forefront of the Heartless army stopped in its tracks, staring at the man in fear. Seeing them stop at his command, he stood up straight and smirked. "I will lead you into battle. Long have you endured the chains of Darkness, but I shall set you free, if you only follow me." he promised them.

On a ruined battlefield, fierce warfare was happening. The massive Ancient called Saenatar brought his battleaxe crashing down on top of Terra, who just managed to block it with his blade. With pure brute strength, he pushed the axe away and tried to counter. Saenatar merely reared back and head-butted him. He smirked, but a woman suddenly latched onto his back, her Esper form bright as night as she drove her claws into his flesh, making him cry out in pain. He reached back and grabbed her by the hair, throwing her off and into the Keyblader in front of him, who managed to catch her as he fell onto his back.

As he turned to engage Riku, Lorans leaped off of a cliff while simultaneously blocking a strike from Pierce. The young man heard him chuckle calmly as he landed with a crash and grabbed him by the throat. Pierce quickly moved to tear the man's fingers off of his throat, but didn't have the strength. Lorans smirked at him, but then something hit him in the back. He dropped Pierce and whirled around, staring at another Rikkison. "Get away from my son." Jack growled as he moved to attack him.

Maechil observed the battle going, and casually turned, deflecting a surprise attack from Roxas before kicking him off the plateau. The former Nobody fell down several stories, but then Xion threw her Keyblade into the cliff wall just as he reached it. He landed on the blade and kicked off, sprinting back up toward the Ancient. Maechil rolled his eyes as he turned to engage him.

Jason calmly worked on the Anvil, his hammer clanging echoingly. Eraqus was standing nearby him, his arms crossed as he glowed with energy. "Xehanort was a pawn from the very beginning, my friend. Maechil has been planning this for decades, centuries even. There has to be something we can do." he muttered.

Across the entire universe, war raged on. From the villages and temples of Spira, to the bustling and industrious cities of Gaia, across the lands surrounding Baron, throughout Italia, even spilling into the small worlds like Traverse Town and Twilight Town, soldiers on both sides were battling and falling.

Then, Jack Rikkison stood alone, tears in his eyes. "Everything I believed in, everything I based my life around…..was a lie. Don't urge me onward when you have no idea what I'm going through…so you tell me, Terra! What do I have left to fight for! What do I still have to believe in?!" his voice echoed across the landscape, in the skies, through the rivers and water, even trembling within the earth.

Finally, the LE in its entirety stood together. Jack stood at the forefront, Sora and Terra flanking him on either side. Roxas, Xion, Namine, Lea, Riku, Kairi, Aqua, Ven, and Mist stood at the core of their group. Nearby, Pierce stood with his own allies: Shin, Terra Branford, Luriel, Ava. Jason and Eraqus were standing on the cliff behind them, weaponless but showing no fear as they both glowed with energy. Rayne hovered in the air above them, fully engulfed in her powers. Throughout the left side of her body, she glowed with pure blinding light. Her right side, however, was the total opposite, for it shined with trembling darkness. Two new faces were hidden among the group, bearing the Apprentice markings on their armor. Their names were not known as of now, but clearly they were Keyblade wielders. A great storm blew overhead, with obvious traces of Dawnomar's personality within it.

The group stared upward at the great fleet of ships coming forth out of the great white doorway that led to Kingdom Hearts. Maechil had declared war, and Kingdom Hearts was preparing to do battle against the realm it had protected for so long. The heroes knew they were outnumbered, but they didn't care. "When I learned that my destiny wasn't over, I wasn't sure how I felt. But now, I'm ready to embrace it. You started this, Maechil, and I'm damn well going to finish it. I hope you're ready, because the LE's coming for you." Jack calmly announced.

As a chaotic storm rolled overhead, Maechil's voice echoed alongside a broad bolt of lightning that struck the ground nearby them. "Come and try."

As the Ancient's armies spilled out of the ships and prepared to charge against the LE, a rip began to form within the planet's surface. It was then that the entire population of the Dark Realm spilled out, standing between the heroes and the Ancients. Sitting atop a great beast of darkness stood Marek, the former Lord of Darkness, and the one man they would listen to. He twirled his Keyblade as he glanced back at his brother. Jack nodded to him fearlessly, and the white haired Rikkison let out a yell that caused the Heartless to go berserk, charging into the army of Ancients in a blind fury.

"So it has all come down to this. We have a long journey ahead of us, but I see now why we were chosen. We are the select few who can stand strong and resist our own creators. The Keyblade wielders have always defended this universe, and we shall be no different. We have faced many threats in the past. Xehanort, Illusion, Lorans, Eclipse, and now we face the creators of the universe. The might of the true Organization XIII is something I do not take lightly, but we do have Dawnomar on our side, and we have a force unlike any other. I must continue believing, no matter how difficult it becomes. I never foresaw the secrets I would uncover on my final journey, or the measures I would use to defend what I deem most valuable.

It is time to stop running. I am, and always will be, the Wanderer. A by-product of war, and a creature unequaled by any warrior. With this on our side, we will triumph. We have to. But for me, this matters not. This journey shall be my last. For better or worse, this is the beginning of the end.

My name is Jack Rikkison, and my story…..is drawing to a close." (end Requiem for a Dream)

TerraKH presents...

The Final Entry in the Wanderer's Series...

More than ever...

Friendships and beliefs will be tested...

Secrets will be revealed...

And Jack's world will be turned upside down...

With Jack Rikkison returning to lead the way...

This is the journey to the final destination.

The darkest hour is just before the dawn.

Here. We. Are:

United We Stand: The War for Kingdom Hearts