It swallowed him, suffocated him, blinded him. He drowned it and knew that this was the power that would destroy him. It was luring in that way, a morbid curiosity that festered within Déon and tempted him The dark called and he loathed to answer. He didn't want to want it, yet satisfaction came to a hunger he didn't know he had. In this void, Raya could not aid him. He was alone, as he always had been. In the darkest blackness, not even the old man could reach him and everything was shut out in favor of Déon's newest desire.

A form came to him out of the Darkness, reddish-gold and veiled about the face and body. She circled Déon as he tumbled through an infinite shadow and stretched out a hand. Déon opened his mouth but failed to speak, reaching out with his hand as well. In his silence, the woman spoke instead.

"Agrabah..." she said to him.

Before Déon could register confusion, the shadow gave way to reality. From the void, Déon fell into himself at the center of a castle, stone walls and ornate tapestries rising up to the pointed ceiling. He looked around to see Raya and Tiana appear beside him, which was good. Nothing had gone wrong, yet. The mark burned in his hand, weakly, but still, it burned.

There were two sets of stairs on either side of the room leading up to an elevated platform where a lone figure stood, a tall, robed sorceress with gray skin and horns angled back from her head. She held in her clawed grip a slender golden staff with an emerald sphere as its head. This was, without a doubt, the 'Dragon Lady' that Dr. Facilier had spoken of. Thorny vines spiraled on the walls behind her and Déon looked on. Before he could say anything, the sorceress tapped the stony floor with her staff.

"Xehanort?" she asked in the sudden silence.

Déon looked at Raya, who shrugged. "My name is Déon," he said.

"I don't care," the sorceress groaned. "You have gained the powers of Master Xehanort."

"Who is that?" Déon asked."Who are you?"

"I am Maleficent," the woman stated proudly. "Xehanort is the elder that haunts your Heart," Maleficent said before looking at Tiana. "And you..." Maleficent grinned. "I have searched far and wide for the Princesses of Heart," she said. "There is a reason you are not among them..."

Maleficent pointed her staff at Tiana and loosed a bolt of black energy. Tiana screamed as the attack cut through her chest and she fell to the floor.

Déon stepped forward. "What are you talking about?!"

"There is a war for Kingdom Hearts and the key needed to access its power," Maleficent said. "Seven lights, thirteen darknesses, and the Keyblade."

Déon summoned Nihilist's Spark and pointed it at her. "I have the Keyblade now and I will use it to defeat you!"

Maleficent laughed, mocking him. "The Keyblade is essential in this plot, but not your keyblade," she said. "Kingdom Hearts hungers for true power, not a copy of a remnant of a dream."

"Don't listen to her, Déon," Raya said. "You're strong!"

"No, he is not," Maleficent said. "...and neither are you." She looked at Raya. "You think the power of a fleeting wish can hold against the Darkness of your Heart, the Darkness of all Hearts?" Maleficent struck down Raya with a second bolt of darkness and cackled as she collapsed.

"Stop!" Déon shouted. "We just came for Prince Naveen."

"Such a simple request?" Malifecent asked. "You act as though I have no use for him myself." She gazed down at Déon and his crippled friends. "There are already seven princesses. An eighth would disrupt the balance," she said. "That cannot happen; I won't allow it."

"What does that have to do with us?" Déon asked.

"Fool, don't you see?" Maleficent snarled. "If she and her prince were to share true love's kiss, she would become the eighth light," she revealed. "All of my efforts would be undone."

"You'll just have to deal with that," Déon said. "It's over."

He threw his keyblade at Maleficent, the blade of twilight spinning on its path toward her head. She swatted the weapon away with her staff as Déon climbed up to the platform where she was standing. He caught the keyblade as it fell and slashed at Maleficent. Again she blocked, a shock of electricity flashing between their weapons.

"No, Déon," Maleficent said while drawing her hand back, darkness gathering in her palm. "I have only begun."

She shot her hand forward. Déon shielded himself with the Keyblade as a wicked beam of Darkness tore through him. His keyblade shattered from the blast, once a weapon forged from raw twilight, now scattering away from him like a thousand diamond shards. The beam cut deeply into his very being and left a sudden emptiness in its wake. Wide-eyed with an agony unlike any he'd felt in the center of his chest, Déon was thrown backward off the platform. His back met the hard stone of the castle's floor and his brow tightened, tears squeezing through shut his firmly shut eyes.

"Your excuse for a keyblade is gone," Maleficent announced. "How will you oppose me now?"

Déon's short, pained breaths rasped hollow in his chest. Raya and Tiana laid unconscious on either side of him until Maleficent proceeded to torture them further.

"Your wish has been revoked," she said while holding her free hand in Raya's direction. Raya shrieked as the power of light was torn from her body. Her back arched and she trembled with pain visible on her face.

"And your prince..." Maleficent waved her hand and Prince Naveen appeared before the broken heroes. He looked at them, a puzzle on his face. "...will never love again." He too screamed bloody horror and fell to his knees under Maleficent's dark power.

"Why?" Déon looked up at the sorceress, his irises shivering. "Why are you doing this?"

"I have already explained more than necessary," Maleficent turned her back to Déon and his allies. "You challenged me..." she said, staring into her mirror as an opera mask staring back from within the reflection. "...clearly you were not prepared." She was silent for a moment and Déon cried. "Get out of my castle," she hissed over her shoulder.

"Wait!" Déon cried, reaching out to to the Dragon Lady with a shaking hand. "Where's my mother?"

Maleficent looked away. "How would I know?"

She waved her hand and darkness flooded Déon was well as everyone in his company.

"A scattered dream that's like a far off memory..."

In his Heart his felt nothing. Not the stained glass, not the portraits, not even the fragment of Master Xehanort or even the Darkness itself. Nothing remained of his Heart, as if it had never existed. All this time he was fighting the Darkness and Maleficent had crushed his advances without the slightest care.

"A far off memory that's like a scattered dream.."

In this void Déon was surrounded by nothing and yet felt felt even more empty on the inside. Just as Xehanort had been purged from his Heart, so had the mark of Facilier been erased from his hand. Déon was left only with the dusk and dawn of his inner self.

"I am empty inside. There's nothing left..."

Déon groaned as he woke in the alley. He picked himself up and looked around to see Raya, Tiana and Naveen in the alley as well. Doctor Facilier was gone but the people he released were still gathered around the tree, awaiting their return. They clapped as Déon stood and helped Raya to her feet, Prince Naveen doing the same for Tiana.

"Déon, are you okay?" Raya asked.

Déon looked down at his hands. "No," he said, the dark power of the keyblade utterly gone and nothing in it's place.

"What happened?" Raya asked, looking at him. "What did she do?"

"There's nothing left," Déon whispered. "My power, my keyblade, my mark... it's all gone."

"I know, she took my wish..." Raya said. She looked up at Déon. "But we can get them back!"

Déon turned to her with a plain gaze. "How, Raya?" he asked. "We've lost."

Raya touched his face. "I wouldn't say that..."

She looked over to show Déon the people they had saved, including her parents and his father. They clapped and cheered as Prince Naveen and Tiana embraced lovingly. They kissed and as soon as they did, Déon knew Maleficent had succeeded. Tiana's potential power had been stripped away but apparently that made no different to her.

"Is this not true love?" Naveen asked.

Tiana kissed him again. "Feels real to me," she said.

Naveen smiled. "Déon and Raya, thank you for your help."

"You're welcome, Prince Naveen," Raya said. She looked at Déon, who said nothing. Instead he turned to walk away from the alley.

Raya ran after Déon and caught up to him as he walked down the main street, hands in his coat pockets. She put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm here for you, Déon," she said. "I know we just went through a lot."

"She was right," Déon said. "I wasn't ready."

"So you'll get her next time!" Raya said, pumping her fist. Déon had no reaction and Raya sighed. "Don't dwell on it, Déon, okay?" she pleaded. "You can't let it take over."

Déon did not respond. Raya looked up at him for a long time, worry in her eyes. They walked along the main road and passed the corner where the musicians had been playing a few days ago. They were back to playing their tunes for the whole block to hear.

"Déon, there's the costume shop," Raya pointed.

She pulled Déon along with her as she walked over then peeked inside. The door was open so she walked inside while Déon folded his arms and looked through the window. He saw Raya meet Mishka again, talking to her, hugging her and what-not until a woman joined. She bore a striking resemblance to Mishka and Déon assumed this was her mother. They all seemed joyous to be meeting each other once again but Déon's gaze fixed on Mishka.

Despite the nothingness in himself, Déon recognized a power within that girl, one that could be helpful or even useful in the future. He had seen her face in his Heart several times, just as he had seen Raya as well. He and Raya ended up going on journey together so if that was any indication, Mishka would be equally relevant to his future. In what way exactly was yet to be seen. Finally Raya was done speaking to Mishka and her mother and she left the shop to join Déon once again.

"You should talk to Mishka and her mom sometime," Raya said. "They're really nice." She looked and Déon's dour expression and smirked. "After you deal with yourself."

Déon turned away from the shop. "I will."

"You wanna sit by the water?" Raya asked before walking in that direction.

"Sure."

They headed for the edge of the bay where the main street met the edge of the water and Raya took her shoes off before sitting down and sticking her feet in. Déon stood beside her with arms crossed, looking out at the lake as the afternoon sun made the water shimmer. He breathed in salty air and looked down at Raya who splashed in the water, relaxed after a battle with Darkness. Déon had no such luxury. Between the burning, wicked Darkness and the horrible empty feeling he had now, he was unsure of which was worse. One thing was certain however, only Darkness would save his mother.

"You don't have to face it alone, Déon," Raya said.

"Thank you," Déon said, gazing at the distance. "...but it's not something you could help with."

"What do you mean?" Raya asked.

"I don't know," Déon admitted. "...but that's what I feel."

Raya looked at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Raya," Déon said, his eyes searching hers. "My Heart is gone."