Sora ran quickly through the halls of Castle Oblivion. "No way... I killed all thirteen... there can't be another... there can't be!" He stopped when he reached the room. He pushed open the heavy door with some effort and prepared himself. Whoever this fourteenth nobody was, they couldn't be good news. He readied himself, preparing for a huge enemy. He stopped in awe. There was a figure in a black Organization cloak kneeling on the floor beside the still body of Xemnas. The figure was shaking. Sora took a step. The black-clad form seemed to realize he was there. It turned to face him.

Sora found himself facing a girl. At least a year older than him. She had black hair cut to jaw length. There were two strips of hair in front about mid back length, and silver. She looked at him and he was amazed to see pain in her eyes. Pain... and tears.

"W-who are you?" He stammered. He had no idea what to do. She looked so... so innocent.

"You're the Keyblader... aren't you?" She spoke softly, as if the world would shatter if she spoke too loud. Sora stared, dumbstruck. "You killed them... Xigbar, Xaldin, A- Axel..." She stepped forward and Sora felt a surge of energy. More like electricution. He stumbled backwards. His Keyblade vibrated and he could feel the sheer energy pulsating through everything she came near. The girl spoke again. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" Sora tried to sound brave, like Riku would've.

"You stepped away. Why?" She cocked her head to the side. The energy in the air had begun to raise her hair into the air so it looked like black snakes. Sora looked closer. The silver hair remained in its place, unmoved by the energy field. She looked at him. He realized her eyes had turned from the garnet color to pure white. "WHY?"

The next thing Sora knew, he was locked in combat with her. She was unnaturally fast, even for a Nobody. Her movements were all fluid... scarily so. Sora struck her for the final time and she fell.

She looked up at him and he suddenly felt... sympathy. He wanted to comfort her. She was crying again and shadows flickered all around her. "My name... is Xentad." she coughed hard. The coughing kept up and Sora looked around frantically, wondering if he shoud do something. Suddenly, she stood straight up. He cloak fluttered to the ground around her and she looked up at Sora. Her expression had changed from afraid to unafraid.

"Who are you? What is this energy?!?" Sora yelled. This Nobody was confusing and he hated it.

"My name is Xentad, The Evanescent Shadow. Prepare to die, Keyblader." Shadows surrounded her hands. Sora looked at her face. He recognized her from somewhere...

"What number are you? In the Organization?" Sora stepped forward, suddenly wishing he hadn't as the energy forced its way through the Keyblade into his arm.

"Oh you silly boy... I'm above numbers." Xentad stepped at him. "You killed my friends. Prepare to die." The shadows at her hands surged as she said 'prepare to die.' Sora stared at her, unsure of what to do. She sounded poisonous.

Without warning, she fell to the floor. Sora looked at her. A voice from behind him whispered in his ear. "I win, traitor." He felt the cold metal of her blades pierce his skin and lodge into his spinal cord. There was a moment of pain, and then the numbness. Sora realized he had lost. The cold feeling of defeat overwhelmed him. His vision swam and suddenly his eyelids felt heavy. That's all he knew before the darkness surrounded him...


Sora awoke. He was just thankful he could awaken. He blinked hard and looked around, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. He found himself in a small room, about seven yards wide and seven feet long. He tried to feel the spot where the Nobodies blade had pierced, but souldn't move his arms. With wide-eyed surprise, he realized he was chained to the wall. Sora pulled at the chains, and started yelling. "AHH!!! LET ME OUT! IS ANYBODY THERE? SOMEONE HELP!!!" He tried to move his arms, but the chains just mocked him, jangling against themselves as if laughing. Sora kicked the wall in frustration. He yelled again, garbled, incoherent screams echoed back to him. A door opened, casting a long rectangle of blinding light across the floor. Sora shut his eyes to block out the light.

"Noisy one, aren't ya'?" Sora opened his eyes and squinted against the bright light. all he could see was a figure, this one male, standing in the doorway. The figure laughed and leaned against the doorframe. "So? You gonna keep screaming or what?"

sora looked confused. "I thought you would want me to STOP screaming." He tried to keep emotion out of his voice.

"No no no!" the figure was suddenly uncomfortably close. "I think it's kinda sexy..." sora realized it was Xigbar. The Freeshooter he had defeated. I defeated him... why is he still here?

Sora kicked at Xigbar, but the man just laughed and appeared upside down in the air. "Rawr." He smiled somewhat evilly and stepped to the side, leaving the door open. Sora knew this was torture for him. That's how the Nobodies ALL were. They would laugh at a man chained to the wall with no hope of escaping with freedom just that close... Sora yelled and kicked again. He saw another figure. Xentad. He screamed louder with his eyes clenched shut.

Xentad crossed the room to him and pressed a finger to his lips. "Hush now." She looked into Sora's eyes and he was silently mesmerized. He shook himself out of his trance.

"How is that guy still alive?!? I defeated him! Why is he still here?" sora let these questions stream out of him. Immediately, he could feel the Nobody's piercing stare. He looked up at her and met her eyes. She looked at him, her delicate-looking face void of expression. Xigbar was standing next to her, a wicked smile on his lips. He quickly looked away.

Xentad set a gloved hand on Xigbar's arm. "To be honest with you, I'm a 'mad' scientist." She looked at Sora, catching his skeptical look. " I recreated my beloved friends using a sort of clay made out of shadow energy and human hearts." she saw the awestruck look on Sora's face and smiled. In the shadow, the smile looked misplaced on her face. She looked up at him. "But I have a tiny problem." The smile vanished from her lips and she looked into Sora's eyes.

"What?"

she chuckled through closed lips and Xigbar put an arm around her slender shoulders. "I need one more heart." She walked to Sora and stroked the spot on his chest directly over his heart. "You see, my closest friend, Axel, needs to be brought back. Sadly, I'm lacking the one heart needed to do that. And this," She smiled, and her voice dropped to a poisonous level. "is where you come in."

Sora's eyes widened. 'Is she going to do what I think she is? IS THIS INSANE NEO GOING TO CUT MY HEART OUT???' Sora screamed in his head. "A-are you going to try and use my heart?" He stuttered.

Xentad looked at him, amused. "No." She tilted her head to the side. "You're going to get it for me."

"And WHY would I do that?" Sora looked at her, artificial confidence in his voice. "Why would I help you?"

Xentad raised her eyebrows at him. "Why? WHY?" She looked straight at him, her eyes burning. "You're going to do it because you're chained to a wall and I'm right here," she directed her gaze to Sora's eyes, "and I could just as soon destroy your friends as well." She grinned at Sora's reaction. He shivered and tensed up. "You know, with just a tiny motion, I could crush this." she showed him a bright blue orb. "It's the soul essence of all your little friends. If I crush it, they die. End of story." She looked at him, her smile tainted with insanity.

"You're bluffing." sora said, deeply feeling she wasn't bluffing.

"Oh really?" she looked at him, her face empty of emotion again. "Oh! My fingers are slipping! Whoops..." The orb slid off her fingers, plummeting to the stone floor.

"NO!!!!" Sora screamed.

Xentad caught the orb safely in the curved part of her leg where foot and ankle met. "Don't take me so lightly, little boy." She kicked the orb up and snatched it out of the air with one fluid motion. "So, Keyblader." she tilted her head to the side. "Whadda ya' say?"


To be continued...