Chapter 7: The Castle of Light's Doom
The World That Never Was
In the darkness of The World That Never Was, things had changed drastically. The Dark City was in the process of being completely demolished to make room for Xehanort's new castle.
The castle was immense. It was black in color and seemed to have elements of other castles throughout the universe. Its towers were decorated with domes similar to the ones of the Sultan's palace in Agrabah and there were also steam pipes like those in Hollow Bastion in Radiant Garden. Clearly, Xehanort was making a derisive parody of castles throughout the Realm of Light.
Much of the main building had been finished. However, the Heartless and Nobodies were still hard at work. It seemed that this castle would continue to grow until it covered all of The World That Never Was.
Standing at the front of the entrance to the castle was Xehanort. He had a smile on his face. Clearly, he was pleased with what the Heartless and Nobodies had created.
Behind him stood Maleficent and Pete. Pete's jaw hung open as he took in the immense sight. Maleficent showed a little more restraint. But the small smile on her face showed that she was impressed.
They were not alone. Diablo the raven was perched on Maleficent's staff. Behind them was an army of Maleficent's goons. They looked happy at the look of their new home.
"Well, what do you think, Maleficent? Is it to your liking?" asked Xehanort. "Most impressive, Xehanort. I never thought such a castle could exist. This will be the perfect place to rule the universe from. However there is something that could be added to make it even better," said Maleficent.
"Oh? And what would that be?" asked Xehanort. "A forest of thorns encircling it," said Maleficent.
Xehanort chuckled and said, "An excellent idea. You can provide that once most of the construction has been completed."
"Sure looks roomy. You expecting a lot of guests, Xehanort?" asked Pete. "Actually, I am. Very soon, we'll have allies from all over the universe joining our cause. I have already sent Heartless emissaries to bring a few familiar friends here. By force if necessary. But once they hear of our plan, they'll find themselves unable to resist. Now shall we go inside?" asked Xehanort.
Both Pete and Maleficent nodded in agreement. Xehanort moved toward the large doors of the castle. They were stylized after the Door to Darkness. With a wave of his hand, the doors slowly opened. Xehanort then turned to his allies and said, "Welcome to the Castle of Light's Doom."
Maleficent and Pete led the army of goons past Xehanort and through the doors. Once they were all inside, Xehanort followed and the doors closed behind him.
The foyer of the castle was right in the center of a mess of corridors. They led in all directions while some led to staircases that led upward and downward. The only part of the foyer that didn't lead to a corridor or staircase was an empty alcove with a crystal on a pedestal next to it. All around, Heartless and Nobodies were traveling while carrying building materials to perform construction in other parts of the castle.
"This castle has everything we'll ever need for our conquest of the universe. From barracks to a kitchen to the basement where my laboratory is, this castle lacks nothing. Now we must make our way to the observatory so kindly send your minions to the barracks," said Xehanort.
"Which way is that?" asked Maleficent. Xehanort pointed to one of the passageways leading to the west.
"You are all dismissed so get out of our sight," ordered Maleficent. "Yes, mistress," said the goons as they marched off in the direction that Xehanort had indicated.
"So which way in this maze do we go to get to this observatory?" asked Pete. "Those are just for the Heartless, the Nobodies and any other help we have. We, however, take a different mode of transportation. And it's much more efficient," said Xehanort as he walked over to the alcove.
Xehanort waved his hand over the crystal that was next to the alcove. In response, a cage-like carriage appeared in the alcove. A door slid open to allow access inside it.
"I designed this after the transport system within Hollow Bastion. It'll take you anywhere in the castle at your command. So all aboard," said Xehanort.
Maleficent and Pete walked into the carriage with Xehanort behind them. Once he was inside, the doors slid shut and Xehanort stated, "To the observatory!"
The carriage immediately rose up and entered into a long shaft of darkness. As it made its journey to the observatory, it changed directions several times. But the most common direction they took was up.
As they continued their ascent, Pete asked, "Xehanort, you mentioned you were sending Heartless to fetch some old acquaintances of ours, right?" "That is correct," said Xehanort.
"Well, I hope you didn't send out too many because as far as we know, the only members of our posse who didn't bite the big one were Hades and Captain Hook. I know Old Flame Top is immortal and can't die no matter how much abuse he takes. But that one-handed pirate's whereabouts are still unknown. For his sake, I hope that crocodile didn't get him. Now I may not be too good at math but I do know that doesn't add up to much," said Pete.
"I am aware of that, Pete. But with the darkness on our side, the laws of life and death mean nothing. We have a good example with Maleficent here and being destroyed once did not stop Ursula and Oogie Boogie from terrorizing their worlds again. I am currently on working on our deceased friends' return to our ranks," said Xehanort.
Moments later, the carriage stopped and the doors slid open. Xehanort and his associates disembarked into a whole new room.
This room was completely dark with the exception of the domed ceiling. It was dotted with small white lights that resembled stars in the sky. In the center of the room was a large pedestal with images of Heartless carved into it.
"In this room, we can look in on any world in the universe. Now how about we look in on our least favorite Keybearer? Destiny Islands!" commanded Xehanort with a wave of his hand.
From one of the lights in the ceiling, a beam of light shot out of it and struck the pedestal. A glowing energy orb arose from it and filled with images of the Destiny Islands.
"So this is where Sora and his friends are from. How quaint," said Maleficent as she, Pete and Xehanort gazed into the orb.
The orb showed images as if it was flying through the islands. It passed through the town, over the sea and finally came to rest on a beach on the island where Sora and his friends played. "There you are," said Xehanort.
The orb now showed images of Sora, Riku and Kairi. They were still training with their Keyblades and they were laughing as they had a little fun in trying to defeat one another.
"Look at them. Typical brats. They have three of the most powerful weapons in the universe and they're just playing around," said Pete.
"Use your eyes and your head, Pete. This is no game. They are doing serious training," said Xehanort.
Pete's eyes opened wide. "Training? You mean they already know about us? Who tipped them off?" he asked. "I suspect it was that meddling king. When will he ever stop poking his nose into our affairs?" asked Maleficent.
"Apparently, the king has told them something that has them training. But I don't think he's aware of my return. Either way, this is most fortunate. It is chance for me to show you both some of my new abilities. So let's see if their training pays off by sending a few opponents to their island," said Xehanort.
Pete allowed himself to smile. "Ooh, we're sending Heartless to attack them? Great idea! Let's send a Trickmaster! No! How about a Dark Thorn! No! A Stealth Sneak! Or even better! A Behemoth!" he said as he listed off various types of powerful Heartless.
"I have already sent a squadron to the islands," said Xehanort. "That fast? No way!" exclaimed Pete.
"It's true. One of my new attributes is a connection to every Heartless and Nobody in the universe. With a thought, I can send them wherever I want. So now all we have to do is wait for them to arrive and then enjoy the show," said Xehanort.
Pete rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Oh this is going to be sweet! I wish I had some munchies. It's hard to enjoy a show like this without a snack," he said.
Maleficent rolled her eyes in annoyance at Pete's immature antics. But though she didn't show it, she too was looking forward to what Xehanort was about to do once their troops had arrived on the islands. Whatever it was, she was sure it was going to be positively evil. And that's just how she liked it to be.
Author's note: Beware Sora, Riku and Kairi! Xehanort's sending baddies after you! I hope I did a good job in describing the new castle.
