Chapter III
"Traverse Town"
The starry night sky shone bright on the small safe haven known as Traverse Town, a refuge to all those who had lost their worlds. This place got new visitors with relative frequency.
And this night was no exception, as its most recent visitors, Donald and Goofy, had finally arrive and with new garments; ready to star their search for King Mickey.
– Look! – Alerted the dog, pointing out to the sky – A star's going out! – He shouted, gaining Donald's attention, both looking in awe and worry.
– Come one, we must hurry and find Leon! – Stated the magician.
– I'm sure Leon will tell us all we need to know about that key. – Said Goofy in his natural optimism. The captain suddenly noted their animal companion wandering off – Uh, Donald. Ya know, I betcha that… –
But his friend was quick to cut him off – Aw, what do you know, you big palooka? –
– What do I know? – He said – Hm… Come on, Pluto. – He called the dog, but it went unheard, since it had his full attention in a very interesting finding.
A fourteen year–old boy with spiky–brown hair sound asleep.
At first, Pluto tried to wake him up with a lick, but Sora just thought it was a dream, so it went back to sleep. But Pluto didn't give up, and tried again with a shove, succeeding this time.
– Wait, this isn't a dream?! – He exclaimed now alarmed, getting up in a hurry and looking at his surroundings. – Oh boy… –
He suddenly felt a poke on his leg, and he found the can that woke him up happily moving his tail. – Hey boy, do you know where we are? – He asked, but apparently Pluto heard something and to Sora dismay, ran off.
Having no other choice, Sora decided to venture into the town, hoping to find some answers. – Just so you know, leave a girl waiting is not appealing at all, kiddo. – Sora couldn't believe it. That girl in a black coat from the island was actually here! Leaning all relaxed on the wall of the central store.
– You again?! – Sora asked, quickly getting on guard, unknowingly displaying a fierce glare and summoning his Keyblade.
– Oh come on, don't look at me like that. – She said in defense. – He has that same exact look. – She though with a smirk. – You should be thanking me, you know? You got what you wanted; you're finally in another world! – She exclaimed. Though her tone made it seem that she actually expected Sora to thank her.
– Thank you? – Sora said incredulously. – You're the one responsible for what… – But he suddenly stopped, remembering everything that happened on Destiny Island.
– Hey, don't blame me. You're the one that wasn't able to protect his home. – She countered. – Not even with that. – She said pointing out the weapon in his hand.
But Sora just ignored her, now being invaded by a deep sense of loss and sadness. – Oh, please! Don't you dare to cry! – She exclaimed. – You're not the first person that loses his world, otherwise you wouldn't be here. – She explained.
– Huh? What do you mean? –
– Do I really have to spell it out for you? – She said, but seeing Sora's face was enough answer. – Never mind. – She said in defeat. – Look, this world is a safe haven, for all those who have lost their home world, and you're here so that means… –
Sora actually was trying to decipher what that girl was insinuating. But suddenly it clicks – That means Kairi and Riku are here?! – He asked with his eyes filled with hope.
– Ah, ah. – Moving her fingers in negation. – Sorry kid, I already gave you too many spoilers. Keep exploring and you MAY find something. – She suggested. The girl raised her right hand and in front of her appeared a… Corridor made of darkness.
She proceeded to enter it, but Sora quickly stopped her. – Hey! At least tell me your name. – Sora requested in the last second, gaining the girls attention.
– What did I tell you about spoilers? – She said with a smirk. And before Sora could say anything else, she entered the corridor of darkness, which disappeared when she did.
Frustrated at the girl's condescending actions, Sora decided to resume his exploration of this world he was in. When he turned around, he saw a big green signboard that said "Accessories shop". Entering the shop, the boy saw a lot of different items, from rings, amulets, chains, and even crystals. All in contained in shelves and cabinets.
The boy was greeted by a slender woman with hazel eyes and auburn hair. The woman wore light brown pants girded with dark brown belt, a yellow sweater, white socks, and dark brown shoes. – Good day, can I help you? – She asked cordially.
Sora, who was still processing everything that had happened to him, tried to think of a way to explain it. – Say ma'am, is this the outer world? – The boy asked.
The question caught the woman off guard – You see, I was on my island, and… I don't know where my friends went… –
– Shera! – Screamed the voice of a man, who came out from a door in the floor at the left side of the chimney. – Where did you put the spare parts for the ships engines?! – The man demanded. Said man, who apparently was in his initial thirties, wore a navy blue jacket over a dark shirt with dark green pants. Additionally he had a white pilot's scarf that covers most of his shirt he also had blond hair and blue eyes and has facial stubble. He wears a pair of goggles.
The woman now became nervous and had a fearful look on her eyes – S–some of the parts had some problems and I sent them to the moogles… – But the poor woman didn't have a chance to finish as her boss became angrier.
– I told you I needed those parts today! – He reprimanded. – Go to the Fourth District and ask them back. – He said, turning his back.
– Y–yes, mister Highwind. – She complied, leaving the store pretty quickly.
The man then took notice of Sora – And just who the heck are you?! If you're not a customer then get the hell out of my store! – Exclaimed furiously.
– I just want to find my friends! – Exclaimed Sora in defense.
– Not my problem! – Exclaimed the man.
But before any of them could say or do something else, their attention went elsewhere. – Ahhh! –
– Shera?! – Exclaimed alarmed the man. Both he and Sora immediately left the shop to see what was happening.
Once he was out, both of them saw Shera on the floor with many strange parts tossed around her – Hey, are you ok? What happened? – Asked Sora in concern.
But before she could answer, a creepy sound made everyone present to turn around, what they saw made Sora wonder is this was some kind of cruel joke. And that's because right in front of him, were the same black monster from his island.
– They're here too?! – Exclaimed a very surprised and frustrated Sora.
– You two go inside, now! – The blond man ordered. From one of his pockets he took some kind of gadget, but by pressing a button on it, the thing quickly transformed into a metal–tipped spear. – I'll take care of this! – He declared, taking a battle stance.
– B–but Cid! – Exclaimed a scared Shera.
– Do as I say! I will be fine! – He assured. But in that moment, one of those creatures jumped behind Cid to attack him.
But the man was saved when the monster was sliced in half by no other than Sora, now wielding his Keyblade. The act leaved Cid perplexed, but quickly returning his attention to the black monster surrounding them. He once again ordered Shera to take cover, to which she complied.
– Hope you're ready kid. – Said Cid, both him and Sora taking a battle stance. And one by one, the black creatures were defeated by the duo. After the last one was taken care of, Cid turned his attention to Sora. – You're pretty good kid. – He said.
– You don't do it that bad either, for an old man. – Sora joked. – My name's Sora. – He greeted.
– Don't call me old you brat. – Cid responded with a smirk. – Nice to meet you Sora, I'm Cid Highwind. – He answered. – Now, you were saying you were looking for your friends, right? – Cid asked.
– Yeah, we got separated after a storm hit our island. – He explained. – Those black creatures were there too. – He added. – What are those things? –
– They're the Heartless, monsters made of darkness that eat people's hearts. – Cid explained with a serious tone. – I'm sorry to tell you, but if you saw them in your island, I wouldn't get my hopes up. – He said.
But before Sora could get sad, Cid rubbed his hair. – But I wouldn't give up either. – He said with a smirk, which was enough to cheer up Sora. – But don't let your guard down. – He warned.
– Why? – He naively asked.
But when he got an answer, it wasn't from Cid. – Because they'll come at you out of nowhere. And they'll keep on coming at you, as long as you continue to wield the Keyblade. – Said another man.
The man sported long, brown hair; he also was wearing the black gloves, black, zipper–lined shoes, a silver Griever necklace, and a white undershirt, along with a short, black jacket with red wings on the back, with a red Griever symbol on each shoulder. – But why? Why would it choose a kid like you? – He said in disappointment.
– What's that supposed to mean?! – Asked Sora angry.
– Leon?! – Cid exclaimed in surprise.
– Never mind. Now, let's see that Keyblade. – He said approaching Sora.
– What? There's no way you're getting this! – Sora exclaimed taking a battle stance.
– All right, then have it your way. – Leon answered, now wielding a strange sword with gun traits. – Step aside, Cid. – He ordered
– Sorry kid, you're on your own. – The blond man immediately said while returning to his work shop.
Getting over his indignation of being abandoned so easily, Sora charged against his enemy. Leon on his part easily blocked much of Sora strikes.
Frustrated by being unable to hit his opponent, Sora made a jump backwards and channeled a bright light through his keyblade, and fires it towards Leon.
Surprised by this move, Leon counterattacks by using magic of his own in the form of a fireball, causing a huge explosion when both attacks collided. The smokescreen gave Leon the chance he needed, and managed to catch Sora of guard and knock him out.
– Aw, you're slipping Leon. – Said a recently arrived young girl. She had short, black hair and wears a metal headband with two green tassels; additionally she wears a yellow scarf, a green tube top two blue belts holding it up, and tan short–shorts with another loose, blue belt around her waist.
– Did you bite more than you could chew? – Said a light blond man besides the girl. The man wore a long white jacked and a black bandana.
– I went easy on him. – He affirmed. – Looks like things are worse than we thought. A lot worse. –
In another place, surrounded by rising waterfalls, a silver–haired boy slowly regained consciousness. Once awake and having looked around the boy remembered what he was looking for. – Sora! Kairi! – He called, but got no answer.
Unknown to him, dark figures were watching from afar…
"Twilight Town"
Second District – Hotel.
After the short but intense battle he had, Sora was really worn out, so even when he started to awake, he was still disoriented. – You ok? – Asked who he thought was… Kairi
– … Kairi?! – He asked surprised but spaced.
– Kairi? Who's that?! – The girl exclaimed. – Get it right, already! I'm the great ninja Yuffie! – She exclaimed with pride. – I think you gave him a concussion or something, Squall. – She said to Leon.
– Glad you went easy on him. – Said the blond man sarcastically.
– My name is Leon. – He emphasized. – Snow, go with Aerith and Lightning, and see if they have found our other guests. – At the request Snow left the room.
On Donald and Goofy's side, the duo was still exploring Traverse Town searching for both Leon and the Key. – Gawrsh, there's nobody here. Sure is spooky. – Goofy said a little scared.
– Aw, phooey. I'm not scared. – Answered Donald with a tough guy mask. But it was blown away the moment Donald felt someone touching in the shoulder, which sends him flying and landing on Goofy's back.
– Excuse me, did the king sent you? – A sweet feminine voice asked.
– If you're done, we need to get going. – Said another feminine voice, though with more seriousness.
After taking a brief look at the room, Sora attention focused on something important – The Keyblade… –
– Yeah, we had to take it from you to shake off those creatures, turns out that's how they were tracking you. – Yuffie explained.
– It was the only way to conceal your heart from them, for the time being. – Added Leon, as he grabbed Sora's keyblade. – Still hard to believe you of all people are the chosen one. – He said with disappointment. – I suppose beggars can't be choosers. – And almost instantly the Keyblade banished from his hand and appeared in Sora's.
– Can somebody truly explain what is going on?! – Sora demanded finally losing his patience.
– Ok, you know there are many other worlds out there, beside your castle and this town. Right? – Aerith asked.
– Yeah. – Donald nodded.
– But they're supposed to be a secret. – Goofy said.
– That's because they had been isolated from one another. – Lightning explained
– But when the Heartless came… everything changed. – Aerith said with a hint of sadness.
– The Heartless? – Sora asked confused, but remembering what Cid said earlier.
– The ones who attacked you, you remember? – Asked Yuffie.
– Those without Hearts. – Leon said – They are attracted to the darkness in people's hearts. – He continued. – And there is darkness within every heart. –
– Hey, have you heard of a man named Ansem? – Yuffie asked.
– Ansem? – Asked Goofy
– A wise king, who studied the Heartless. – Lightning responded.
– He recorded all of his findings in a very detailed report. – Aerith explained. – But sadly, its volumes were scattered to many worlds. –
– Do you think the King went to find them? – Goofy asked
– We think so. – Lightning sighed.
– Then we need to find him quick. – Goofy affirmed.
– Don't you forget something? – Donald said. – First we need to find that key. – He reminded to him.
Both Lightning and Aerith nodded – Yes, the Keyblade. – Aerith said.
– The Heartless have great fear of the Keyblade, that's why they will keep coming at you no matter what. – Leon warned.
– It's not fair, I didn't ask for this. – Sora complained.
– The Keyblade chooses its master, and it chose you. – Yuffie explained. – How did it happen anyway? – She asked.
This made Sora go quite for a second. – Well… I was on my home island with my friends, we always dreamed of seeing the outside world, so we build a raft to do it. – He started. – But then a storm hit our island, and everything went dark after that. – He said
– And I got this thing. – He said referring to the Keyblade.
Both Leon and Yuffie went silent after that, understanding what the boy went through. Then Leon broke the silence. – Yuffie, let's go join the others. – He said, to which she only nodded.
But just before anyone moved even a muscle a small armored Heartless appeared in the room. – Yuffie go! – Leon exclaimed. The female ninja immediately went to the other room, taking a surprised Aerith with her.
Lightning on her part went to Lion and Sora's side. – Leon! –
The man in question only nodded. – Let's go! – He exclaimed with sword in hand. Both Sora and Lightning did the same with their respective weapons.
On Donald and Goofy's side, the duo was left behind after Yuffie took Aerith, but quickly went after them. – Hey, wait for us! – Exclaimed Donald
The pair then found the two girls surrounded by Heartless. – Gee, are these the Heartless guys? – Goofy asked, taking out his shield.
– We can take them Goofy. – Donald declared with confidence and summoning his staff. But their moment of bravery was cut short as they were surrounded themselves by big round Heartless. – You don't scare me! Thundaga! – He exclaimed, and then many lightning bolts hit many of the heartless present.
– Nice work! – Aerith complimented.
– Watch out! – Exclaimed Yuffie.
The mage and the knight didn't have time to react as they were attacked from behind by some of those large Heartless. – That really hurt. – Said goofy in complain.
Those Heartless were going to strike again, but at the last second Donald and Goofy were saved by the timely arrival of Snow. – Where were you? I've been looking everywhere for you! – Said the tall man to Aerith and Yuffie.
– We were busy ok? – Pouted Yuffie in self–defense.
– Anyway, these Heartless began appearing on the Third district. Let's go there and finish this! – He exclaimed, with both Aerith and Yuffie following him.
– Hey, don't leave us again! Come on Goofy! – Exclaimed Donald.
– Leon, did you noticed? – Lightning asked. – Besides their numbers these Heartless have a coherent behavior. – Lightning pointed out.
– Which mean there is something or someone coordinating them. – He concluded. – Sora, don't lose time with the small fry. Find the leader! – Leon ordered.
– Ok! – The kid exclaimed, and proceeded to leave the place.
From afar, the hooded girl from before was watching the events unfolding with amusement. – This is going to be interesting. – She said with excitement.
Traverse Town – Third District
– Where are they? I can't see them anywhere! – Exclaimed a frustrated Donald. After the battle with the Heartless, Donald and Goofy found themselves on a balcony of the town third district.
– Donald look! – He warned, suddenly they were cornered by a group of soldier Heartless.
– Let's go get'em, Goofy! –
Sadly both of them are blown off the balcony, and land on a recently arrived and confused Sora. When they recovered from the landing, they found the thing they were looking for. – The key! – They exclaimed.
At that moment, a wall begins to rise all around them and giant pieces of armor fall from the sky. These pieces quickly rose in the air and began connecting, when they finished, a giant armored Heartless stood before Sora, Donald and Goofy, ready for battle.
(Next Time: Reunited! Sora, Donald and Goofy are finally together! But before they can fulfill what they can acomplish together, they must survice the encounter ahead of them! And who is lurking in the shadows pulling the strings? All this and more in All-New Kingdom Hearts: Conspiracy)