Donald stood facing Sora with his staff in hand. The two were poised in an open field of luscious green grass that swayed in the slight breeze. A forest surrounded the field and off in the distance, a large lonely mountain towered over all.

Goofy, Hercules and Phil were nearby, surveying the two. It was about midday and the sun was bright, causing the grass to glisten and shimmer. All was calm.

"Are you wedy?" Donald called out to Sora.

Sora grinned and nodded, summoning his keyblade, the Kingdom Key.

"Okay. Tunda!" Donald raised his staff and a ball of lightning appeared almost instantly above Sora. It sparked and contorted for a mere moment, then came crashing down in a yellow bolt.

"Defense!" Sora shouted and a large, spherical barrier appeared around him. The bolt of lightning crashed off the top of the barrier and the energy of the barrier dispersed soon after, leaving Sora unharmed.

Without hesitating, the duck pointed his staff at Sora. "Fyre!" A ball of fire that was slightly smaller than himself burst forth from the tip of Donald's staff in a straight line.

"C'mon, at least give me a challenge." Sora mocked as he calmly pointed his blade at the fireball and casted a Blizzard spell. A chunk of ice about the same size as the fireball spawned in front of Sora's blade and shot forward. The two spells met and extinguished one other into nothing but a small puff of vapor. "Get a little more inventive could ya."

Donald snickered and twirled his staff in front of him. As he twirled the staff, large chunks of ice began forming around Sora in a circle. Sora pulled his blade in front of him in a horizontal motion and two large, intersecting rings of fire appeared around him, evaporating the chunks of ice into a large cloud of vapor.

The vapor around Sora was still for a moment, but then began to fly up at a rapid rate as a huge gust of wind began shooting up from beneath Sora. Sora looked down as the wind grew stronger, causing his hair to stand up straight. Sora reacted quickly, casting the spell of gravity on himself to keep him attached to the ground. After about two seconds, Donald released his wind spell and Sora buckled under the weight of his own continuous gravity spell, causing him to fall to one knee.

Just as Sora released his own spell, a hail of miniature rockets of various shapes and colors fell from above in a swarm of fiery fun. Sora rolled to the side barely managing to escape the first volley of rockets that pummeled the ground which he was previously standing on. A second volley, larger than the first, immediately appeared above Donald and began flying in Sora's direction again. The tip of Sora's keyblade began to glow and he lept into the air, aiming the tip of the blade in the direction of the incoming rockets.

"Ragnarok!" Sora shouted and several beams of light shot forth from the tip of his blade, each beam swerving left and right, crashing into all the rockets setting them of a safe distance from Sora.

Sora landed on the ground breathing heavily, eyes focused on Donald. "Hehe. You almost got me there. Guess I shouldn't taunt you too much."

Satisfied, Donald lowered his staff and proudly raised his chin. "Of course, I'm da King's rowal magishian afda all."

Phil turned to Goofy and motioned with his head. "Your turn." He said. Goofy nodded and began to hobble out towards Sora and Donald. "Hey kid! That's enough magic practice for now." Phil called out. "Time to see your skills with that blade."

Hearing this, Donald turned and jogged towards Hercules as Goofy took his place. Once Goofy was positioned a few feet in front of Sora, Phil raised his arm into the air. The goat-man looked at Goofy, then Sora before bringing his arm down and shouting "Goooo!".

Sora dashed forward and jumped into the air. Goofy readied himself, planting his feet firmly and raising his shield to cover his head. Sora gripped his keyblade with two hands and with a large amount of force, brought it down on Goofy's shield. The front, flat edge of Sora's blade collided with the shield, creating a loud clanging noise. Donald could feel the force of the collision from where he was standing.

Goofy stood firm, absorbing the impacts force through bending his knees and elbows. After stopping the blow, Goofy extended his arm, tossing a still airborne Sora back in the other direction. Sora twirled twice and landed on his feet. Immediately, he jumped forward, this time keeping close to the ground. He stopped in front of Goofy and began to jab at him with his keyblade.

Goofy parried each attack and then swung his shield at Sora. The edge of the round shield missed the side of Sora's head by a few inches and Goofy stumbled forward.

'An opening.' Sora thought and he lunged the tip of his blade at Goofy's midriff. Goofy expected this though and using his twisting momentum from his previous attack, began to spin, keeping his shield extended outwards. Sora wasn't prepared and barely managed to raise his blade in front of him to defend from the onslaught of blows from Goofy's shield.

Sora was forced back as he continued to reflect the shield with the middle of his keyblade. Goofy's twirling persisted for nearly five seconds until he tired and slowed to a stop. Surprisingly, none of the blows made contact with Sora's body. Goofy was dazed for a moment, allowing Sora to advance. With a few quick motions of his blade, he managed to knock Goofy's shield out of his hand, sending it flying towards Donald, Phil and Hercules.

Phil noticed this and panicked, stumbling to get behind Hercules. Hercules easily caught it and smiled. "Well, looks like Sora wins this bout."

Sora turned and gave a thumbs-up to Goofy, who was pressing his hand against his forehead. "Gawrsh Sora, looks like your practice has really been paying off."

Hearing this, Sora nodded and smiled. He'd been training hard since being instructed by Master Yensid to attempt to regain what power he'd lost. Sora was convinced Master Yensid had tipped them to head to the Olympus Coliseum and the group had been there ever since.

The group explained their goal to Phil and Hercules who happily agreed to assist their old friends, helping to accelerate Sora's training considerably.

"Alright. So why don't we try forms again before strength training." Hercules said as he handed Donald Goofy's shield and walked over towards Sora. Donald ran over to Goofy and handed him his shield.

Sora hesitated with a concerned look on his face. "Are you sure Hercules? I don't like putting you in danger every time we try this."

Hercules laughed and began to stretch his legs. "C'mon Sora. You know I'll be fine either way. Don't be nervous, just go for it. This is something really important after all."

"Okay . . . " Sora sighed then closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and brought his arms towards his chest. "Give me strength!" Sora's arms and legs extended and a blast of light erupted outward. The force of the blast knocked Phil over, causing him to tumble backwards in a ball of fur and horns.

Hercules resisted the blast and raised his arm in an attempt to shield his eyes from the light. He glanced over towards where Donald and Goofy once stood. For a moment, the two stood side-by-side looking at Sora, but then instantly vanished.

'Could this be it?' Hercules thought. 'According to Sora, this can be a good sign. He might just skip Valor and Wisdom form and enter straight into Master Form.'

The shining light that had been radiating from Sora vanished and a dark figure stood where he had been. The figure looked exactly like Sora, but was completely black with bright yellow eyes. It did not wield a keyblade and was oozing large amounts of dark matter.

'Again! Arg.' Hercules readied for battle. "Phil, heads up! It's Antiform!"

The dark form of Sora began pacing on all fours. Its eyes were focused on Hercules.

Hercules shifted in place uncomfortably. Even though he had seen this figure several times before, it still unnerved him to the core. He'd been to the Underworld, fought countless demons and monsters and even battled the ancient titans. Yet, facing the swirling mass of pure darkness before him produced an innate terror that he'd never really experienced previously.

The dark figure made very little noise besides the sounds of flowing darkness. Its presence alone made the atmosphere feel hollow and the sunlight that had once been abundant around them now appeared faded and gray. The grass lost its twinkle and color and the air felt colder.

After pacing back and forth a few times, the antiform advanced, quickly dashing forward. As it closed in on Hercules, Hercules prepared to block from the front. Once the distance between the two was less than ten feet, the antiform jumped. It froze in midair for a second, then swooped down in a fluid arcing motion down and around Hercules. Tendrils of darkness attached to the figure flapped around as it flew around Hercules' guard and swiped at his calves.

The slash hit and Hercules roared in pain. The antiform's onslaught didn't stop as it immediately spun around and lunged for Hercules' side. Hercules turned and threw a punch in the direction of the incoming figure. The antiform dodged under the punch and thrusted its hands into Hercules' side, sending him flying. The figure jumped after him and began to revolve rapidly around Hercules, jabbing him continuously.

Hercules fought, trying to bat off the shadowy figure but to no avail. The antiform brought its hands together and form a dark, swirling sphere of black and white. It thrusted the orb in the direction of Hercules and it expanded, sending dark and light energy scattering and ripping at Hercules. Hercules tumbled to the ground where Phil was waiting with open arms.

"I got ya! I got ya!" Phil chanted as he ran back and forth with his arms in the air, trying to figure out where Hercules would land.

After taking the blows, Hercules began to search the air as he fell towards the ground. The antiform was hovering nearby. It noticed his movement and began flying towards him. Thinking fast, Hercules spun to face the figure. This time, when the figure got close, Hercules managed to grab its arm and pull it in close. As they both fell closer and closer to the ground, Hercules positioned the antiform below him. Noticing this, Phil abandoned his campaign and ran off.

Hercules slammed the antiform into the ground, using it as cushion for his fall and crushing it a few feet into the dirt and grass. The darknesses power began to fade and slowly dissipated leaving a dazed Sora, Donald and Goofy lying in a circle.

Hercules stumbled back and fell on his rear. Panting, he smiled. "Hehe, glad that's over." He leaned back causing his back to collide with the ground as he passed out.

'I don't know how this is happening, but the worlds are no longer safe.'

'Hmm. Never before have I seen something like this. It troubles me.'

'What do you think we ought to do.'

'Unfortunately, there is only one thing we can do. Attack the problem head on. Reseal them all. It will take all of our forces.'

'But what if they aren't done training? Sure, Sora is experienced, but would you really turn to Lea and Kairi?'

'What choice do we really have Mickey?'

'We . . . we could turn to them.'

'Mickey, do you understand what you are suggesting?'

'I know it seems risky and probably won't work, but why not give it a try?'

'Huh. Your faith is undeniable Mickey and the kindness of your heart knows no bounds, but this seems impossible.'

'I once had faith in Riku, why couldn't they be the same? Besides, they would be well informed already about such matters.'

'You truly are adamant. Very well, I will allow this. After all, no one would know better about their world's keyholes. But first, warn the others Mickey.'

'Thank you Master! I will do my best.'

'May your heart be your guiding key.'

Hercules awoke with a start to Phil pouring water over his face.

"Get up sunshine, naptime is over."

Hercules gave the goat-man a look of frustration before propping himself up. He turned over to see Sora and crew hard at work. Donald was using a wind spell to hold a bunch of logs in the air while Sora was firing blasts of energy at all of them simultaneously with a strange contraption that he held. Goofy, however, was lying nearby napping.

Hercules got up and walked over just as the contraption folded in on itself back into Sora's normal keyblade. Sora turned to Hercules and smiled. "Glad to see you're okay!"

"Yeah, you threw me for a bit of a loop there. Still nothing new though huh."

"Well . . . no." Sora dismissed his blade and Donald lowered the logs gently to the ground. "I don't understand though. I mean, I haven't talked to the fairies in some time, but I'd assume the equipment itself should be fine. Yet, all I have been able to enter is Limit form. It's a little frustrating."

"Hmm . . . I think that the power never truly had to do with the clothing, but with the power of you and your friends around you." Hercules gestured towards Donald and Goofy. Donald had noticed Goofy sleeping and had shocked his friend with a small thunder spell to wake him up. Sora laughed as he watched an aggravated Donald begin to pester a groggy Goofy. "I believe you're right Hercules. Still, seems a bit strange. I wonder what's going on."

"So Sora, looks like your new Shot-lock is coming along huh." Phil said as a strutted over to the young man. "Still, I think it's a little too much. Needs work."

Slightly irritated, Sora bent over to Phil's level. "Oh yeh, what about it was wrong?"

"Two words kid. Way too flashy."

Hercules leaned over towards Sora and whispered, "I counted three words" causing Sora to giggle. Phil ignored this and continued. "I'm just sayin. I find it to be a little . . . excessive. I think you can aim some of those shots more effectively." Sora frowned, but then begin to grin maniacally.

"Hey Phil, maybe I can practice my aim on a smaller target." He said as he backed up and summoned his blade. He began to snicker, trying to look as evil as he could.

Phil did take a step back, but then stood his ground. "Kid, you couldn't scare a kitten with a look like that, let alone a tough guy like me."

Sora continued to try and look intimidating, but gave up quickly. He and the others began to laugh, much to Phil's inner relief. "Any who, Limits next young man. Step to it . . ." Just as Phil said that, he noticed a twinkle high above them. The twinkle grew into a consistent shining light that sped towards them. The silhouette of a Gummi Ship quickly formed and landed nearby.

The group jogged over to the ship as it opened and Mickey stepped out.

"King Mickey!" Sora, Donald and Goofy all shouted at once as they ran up to him giving him a big group hug.

"Huh ha! Hey fella's! Nice to see everyone is doing well." They all separated.

"Watt bwings you here your madjesty?" Donald inquired.

Goofy scratched the side of his head, almost knocking his hat off. "Yah, I thoughts you were lookins for Aqua."

Mickey looked back and forth to each member of the group before he began speaking. "I . . . have a few things I need to talk to you guys about. Let's walk."

'It appears an old friend of mine is on his way now. Best stick close to you should I also wish to escape.'

'Why's that?'

'I'm no savior of light, but rather, a servant of the worlds. One such as I often sponsors routes of light and dark, blending the two as needed. At least, from what I can remember of my past transgressions.'

'What does that have to do with your escape?'

'He'll find you no doubt. He's never failed to find the purest of lights in the darkest places. It's only a factor of time and for me, it will be a factor of principle.'

'You believe he won't bring you back with us if he can?'

'Perhaps. Maybe I've done enough and ought to stay hidden. Why risk one such as I obtaining freedom, only to harm those around me more.'

'But from how I see it, you favored light.'

'What I favored was my own selfish desires, which has lead me here.'

'They'd have found the clues. You've done more than you know.'

'. . . I'm glad someone sees it that way.'

The group had left the open field and weaved through the thicket forest as Mickey explained what he and Riku discovered in the World that Never Was, the heartless they'd encountered and Riku's decision. The entire time, Sora and the gang listened intently. All except Phil, who was too busy looking around the area for earth nymphs.

They came upon a large expanse of shallow water connected to a waterfall. Hercules was on guard as he'd once confronted the River Guardian Nessus there before. When he mentioned it, Goofy and Donald dropped back and began to query Hercules about the story. Hercules began to elaborate but Mickey and Sora continued.

"So that's it then? Riku's alone in the Realm of Darkness?"

"Most likely."

"Why would he be so reckless Mickey? Even if this is a new huge threat, I still think it would've been safer for you to join him. No one knows the dark realm better than you." Sora never really spoke to the king in a non-cordial manner, but he was too concerned for the safety of his friend to notice.

"Riku insisted and I chose to follow his lead. He knows what he's doing and understands the risks."

"It's just . . . ugh." Sora complained and he summoned his keyblade, jamming it into the water nearby, freezing the entire river and over half the waterfall within seconds. Pulling the blade out, he walked out onto the ice as he continued talking. "I know Riku is a master, but he isn't being himself."

Mickey tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"When we faced Xemnas, we faced him as a team. As a group, we had strength and together, he and I overcame Xemnas." Sora tapped the ice with the tip of his blade lightly. "But since taking his test, Riku is taking on more and more challenges on his own. He's losing sight of the strength in his friends just like before." This time, Sora hit the ice in front of him a little harder causing it to crack into multiple pieces that slowly drifted apart.

"It sounds to me like you still think he is weak to the darkness around him Sora. I believe you're overthinking it."

"No, it's not really that . . . I don't know how to put it. He's just, taking risks he ought not to be. He should've sought help to ensure his safety too, that's all. Maybe you can still send us there and we can make it through the corridor in time to help him out."

Mickey shook his head. "Not possible."

Sora's dark blue eyes locked with Mickey's. "Why not? I know how to get there and I can find the corridor easily as well."

"Two reasons Sora. One, we need you here to help protect the worlds from the new threat I discovered."

"And two?"

"Two." Mickey summoned his own blade, Kingdom Key D, and raised it high. In a puff of icy dust, the river and waterfall unfroze, causing Sora to drop slightly into a few inches of water, which didn't seem to bother him. Mickey lowered his blade, pointing it at the water. "The World that Never Was collapsed to darkness."

"What?" Sora's face grew long with concern. He stepped forward and out of the water towards Mickey.

"The world is just gone. I needed to investigate the keyhole to see if it had been unlocked. It's just as Riku predicted, the keyhole was unlocked. I tried to reseal it, but corridors began appearing everywhere. Dark figures began to fill the area, crashing into the mounds of building parts and ripping at the fabrics of the world."

"Too many for you to handle?"

Mickey nodded. "I barely got out. All I could see were several of them surrounding the keyhole. Then, there was a blast the world began sucking into one giant orb of darkness. I sprinted through the corridor to the digital twilight town and the corridor disappeared behind me. I can only assume the world has fallen."

"So Riku is stuck in the Realm of Darkness, same as Aqua?"

Regrettably, Mickey nodded and began to stare at the ground. "Riku is a master of the darkness, and we have our plan for them to escape. I have no doubt he'll succeed."

". . . Yeah, You're right." Sora said, patting Mickey's shoulder. "I too have faith in my best friend, he'll be fine. So, is that all."

Relieved to hear Sora's confidence, Mickey's ears perked up in a gleeful tone. "Nope, Master Yensid gave me one more task. I have to find . . ."

Just as he said this, there was a loud crash that came from the enormous mountain beyond them. All eyes darted towards the mountain as they could see boulders falling down the side of the mountain. Sora scanned the mountain up and down until his eyes came to rest upon a small robed figure in the distance at the base of the mountain. He may have been far off, but Sora knew who it was.

"Hades . . ."