Genie isn't any gentler in disembarking Sora, Azlyn, and Telary than he was picking them up. The head of his rocket form flips open once again, the big blue lug bending over and depositing the trio in a discombobulated heap.

"So," Telary says, clutching at his head and groaning, "that's what you meant by turbulence."

Back to his regular self, Genie just shrugs. "Hey, you said you wanted to get to Mozenrath's place fast. Well, ta-da!"

The landscape is far from deserving of such boisterousness. Sora looks around at a vast expanse of black sand, occasional winds drawing up dark dust devils to swirl across the ground. Even the sky above is bleak, full of dark clouds that block out all but the barest hints of the sun.

The only real standout feature in sight is a huge grey fortress, walls at least thirty feet high looming large. Thick columns stand at every dozen feet or so, except for a large gap between two that features a wooden door carved with intricate symbols of brass.

"Well, a bad guy definitely lives here," Azlyn comments, casting an indifferent eye over everything. "If it was storming right now, it'd be too perfect a setup to believe."

"So," Genie asks, swooping down to Sora, "what's the plan here, guys?"

"We're going inside to get Aladdin," the Keybearer says.

"Okay!" Enthusiastic as ever, Genie stretches into a six foot long battering ram, a stone carving of his face at the head with two curling horns growing from his forehead.

"Sorry, Genie," Sora says with a wince. "But when I said 'we' I mean me, Azlyn, and Telary."

Back to normal for Genie. "Oh. Well, uh, I guess that's okay. I just have one question though… WHY DO YOU HATE ME!" Tears come gushing out of the big blue lug's eyes like twin waterfalls.

"Cut it out!" Sora snaps, and unexpectedly Genie does. "It has nothing to do with that. But you need to go back to Agrabah and keep Jasmine safe. Thanks for getting us this far, but she really needs you now."

"Oh, well why didn't you just say that?" Once again, Genie is in a black suit with dark sunglasses. "Bodyguard away!" He flies back off into the sky, singing about how he will always love you.

Sora doesn't waste time watching him go, instead turning to the huge fortress with a determined expression. Light flashes in his hand, Kingdom Key left behind once it fades. "Okay, let's crack this thing open."

He's about to raise his hand up and summon the blade's power when, suddenly, the massive door begins cracking itself open anyway. Azlyn readies her shield, and Telary opens his palms and mentally prepares for any quick spell-casting he'll need to do.

But who, or rather what comes out of the door is hardly threatening. A man dressed in shabby but serviceable desert clothing, all of it some variation of grey in color. It's an interesting contrast between the garments and his sickly green-skinned face. Even without the odd coloration, the man would look like some kind of zombie, face sallow and sunken with empty eyes. Then he begins to walk, in the slow steps of an unhurried lurch.

"Aargh," the odd man declares, gesturing with one green hand for the trio to follow him. Without waiting for confirmation, the zombie turns and starts walking back into the fortress with the same sleepy movements.

"So, um…?" Telary asks, thankful that he no longer needs to really use things like words and sentences to communicate with Azlyn and Sora.

"Yeah, I guess so," Sora replies, shrugging. He follows the shambling man, Kingdom Key still at hand just in case.

"Where's Aladdin?" Azlyn immediately demands once the trio is inside the fortress. Its entrance hall is appropriately grand, black stone walls contrasting nicely against the white marble being used everywhere else. A spiral staircase leads up to an open doorway, black curtains bunched to either side.

The zombie butler doesn't respond, beyond a little more incoherent moaning. He just keeps walking, each step seeming slower than the last.

"Okay," Sora says, coming to a complete stop. "We don't have time for you to shamble us around. Just tell us where our friends are, and get out of our way."

The butler seems rather perplexed by that sentiment, awkwardly looking over the trio. His mouth opens and closes a few times, like he's looking for words but can't find them. Finally, the green-skinned servant just points up the staircase.

"Uh, thanks," Telary says, waving awkwardly before joining the others in their rush up the staircase. "That was odd."

"Not really," Sora remarks. "Not if you're trying to keep us busy moving slow when Aladdin's about to run out of air."

They run through the curtains, into a long hallway full of doors. There are at least a dozen, none of them particularly remarkable. The trio don't waste time with words, each immediately heading toward a door and throwing it open. Sora finds himself looking across the threshold and out into an endless expanse of desert, Azlyn nearly drops fifty feet into an underground cavern, and Telary just squeaks and throws the doors shut. Off the others' questioning looks, the wizard only shakes his head.

"Do you really think any of these doors actually leads anywhere?" Azlyn asks, throwing a frustrated look down the hallway. "If this Mozenrath guy is all magicy and stuff, it could be one big trick."

Telary nods thoughtfully. "Great thought, Az. Well, there is one way to figure out if there's any trickery going on by magical means." He concentrates a moment, white light gathering in his hand. "Dispel!"

The energy releases, bathing the hall in light. When it fades, the hallway and all its doors are gone, replaced by a small chamber leading to a set of double doors against the far wall. From within the illusion, the area had simply looked like a blank wall. The trio waste no time throwing it open to reveal yet another large room.

This one, at least, has what they're looking for. At the chamber's far end, contained within a giant transparent cube, Aladdin smiles at the sight of his old friends. His excitement quickly fades, as the former street rat attempts to stand and falls back down to the floor with a pained look on his face. None of the others trapped seem any more chipper.

Scowling, Sora approaches the prison. For a moment he thinks he's feeling the Keyblade's power coming together, but that's not it. It's just anger, seeing his friends put in this situation. The real question is, for what reason? Well, whatever it is can be answered after Aladdin is safe and free.

Iago is the next prisoner to show a burst of energy, squawking just loud enough to be heard through the glass. One quivering wing points behind Sora. Instincts kick in, and the Keybearer dives to one side just in time to avoid a blast of golden energy. It collides harmlessly with the floor.

Sora rises to his feet, wasting no time in preparing his combat stance. He's less prepared, however, for the sight of Sa'luk standing at the chamber's entrance with a wide grin on his face. Every single one of his teeth glints golden in the room's torchlight.

"What are you doing here?" Azlyn demands, standing next to Telary with her shield raised.

"I though you were a statue," Sora adds, recalling his last vision of the thief. He'd been turned solid gold by the power of the Hand of Midas, consigned to sink beneath the waves along with the rest of the Vanishing Isle.

"I was, boy," Sa'luk replies, his grin shrinking. Other than being flesh, he looks just the same as he had during the Aladdin's wedding adventure. A black vest and grey pants, three gold claws gripped in his right hand. A faint glow comes off the weapon, presumably the source of the energy blast. "I got better."

"I assume Mozenrath had something to do with that," Telary says.

Sa'luk nods, though his grin is now a scowl. "Indeed he did. He may be a pompous pain in the neck, but I can't help but feel a certain gratitude. Especially once he explained why it was he brought me back into the world. A chance for revenge on Cassim, his brat, and the Keyblade boy."

"So that's why Mozenrath lured us here like this?" Azlyn says, barely containing a snort. "If he wanted us to kick your ass all over again, claws, he could have done it just fine in Agrabah."

"I'd watch that mouth of yours, Girl," Sa'luk declares, energy gathering around his claws once again. "You have no idea what I've become capable of!"

He launches a blast, but Azlyn is more than ready for it. She swats the energy away with her shield. It flies off to the left, hitting one of the room's stone columns. There's a flash of light, and suddenly the stone is gone. In its place stands a column made of pure gold.

"Oh," Telary mutters, glancing nervously between the pillar and Sa'luk. "Turning your own poetic justice punishment against others. Must be satisfying."

"Oh, more than you could imagine," Sa'luk replies. Behind him, a barrier shimmers to life, trapping everyone inside the chamber. "First I'll turn your sidekicks to statuary, Keybearer. Then you can watch your friends suffocate to death. Once you've seen all that, you'll be begging for the gold, boy."

"You don't scare me, Sa'luk," Sora replies. He spares a quick glance behind himself, to where Aladdin and the others look even worse off than before. That's what's really got him scared about the situation. "Gold powers or not, you're still not much of a threat."

"I do admit I'm a bit outnumbered," the thief concedes, looking over the trio without a trace of doubt or fear. "Good thing Mozenrath also offered to help me even the odds!"

K-K-K-K-CRAAACK!

The sound of solid stone breaking into pieces fills the chamber, large chunks of rock falling from above and crashing into the marble floor and making even more, worse, noise. It's a testament to Mozenrath's trap that a stone at least as big as Sora slams directly into it and doesn't make a scratch.

But the chamber's physical damage is all just background, in the face of the Heartless lowering itself slowly into the room. It's about as tall as two Telarys stacked on top of each other, armored in pale yellow and white all over. Six arms extend from its torso, all of them ending in clawed hands of three fingers. The top two arms hold blades shaped like crescent moons, sharp enough to almost cut the air as the Heartless lowers itself. Its golden head, shaped like a biting cobra with hood unfurled, extends from the torso on a cablelike neck. Its hook-shaped feet land on the chamber floor hard enough to crack the marble.

A cloud of dust and sand follow the creature in, crowding the relatively small chamber in its own personal sandstorm. Even Sa'luk isn't expecting this it seems, if his frustrated cries are anything to go by. So perhaps that's one advantage SAT have for themselves.

A few gold blasts come flying through the flying dust at random, startling the trio into action. Azlyn immediately dives into the sandstorm, deflecting a gold blast before running after its caster's position. Telary steps closer to the massive Heartless, already flinging Firaga and Thundaga spells in its direction. With both enemy situations being handled for at least the moment, Sora turns back to Aladdin's prison.

The sand seems thicker this way, stinging the Keybearer's eyes and leaving a mild burning sensation behind. But still he presses on, fighting against the wind and pain. He knows that his friends are facing far more perilous situation at the moment, a thought that keeps him moving forward.

Despite feeling like hours, it can't take Sora more than a few seconds to reach the transparent prison. He literally runs straight into it, smacking his head against the glass. He peers inside, noting just how shallow all the trap's occupants breaths are. Scooting along, he feels the wall out with one hand, searching for anything that might be an unlocking mechanism.

Finally, he manages to drag his finger across a thin seam in the material. Probably the trap's doorway. He continues on just a few more steps, jumping as an energy blast hits the wall just a few feet away from him. The trap doesn't turn to gold, instead bouncing the energy back out into the room.

There's no time to worry about that though. Sora finds another seam a few feet away from the first one. Casting his hand up and down it, the Keybearer searches for the door's unlocking mechanism. After a few seconds that nevertheless stretch on, he manages to lay his hand on what he's been looking for. It's not much, just a slightly raised bump, but he can feel the metal of a keyhole.

Once he's got the spot in his mind, Sora steps back. The sandstorm seems to have lessened and he can hear the sounds of combat going on behind him. He's tempted to look back, but it can wait. Raising his hand, Sora summons the Keyblade and unleashes its power in a single motion.

The trap's door flies open, the sound of air rushing into it temporarily rising above the rest of the chamber's noise. Sora follows it, hoping that everyone inside is okay. They lay in a heap, Aladdin and Cassim slumped against each other with Iago and Abu scattered around them. The humans revive themselves first, gasping for air and looking around in confusion. Iago follows a moment later, squawking even more hideously than usual. Finally, Abu comes to his senses as well.

"Sora!" Al manages to choke out. He doesn't say anything else for a few moments, focusing on just breathing in and out.

Iago, though, has much less body to fill with oxygen. "My hero! Oh, I thought I was a goner! Ya never know how horrible the prospect of death is until you realize you're facing it slumped up against a monkey!"

Abu screeches something at the bird, giving him a cross look as well.

"What is going on here?" Cassim demands, clearing his throat. Sora had forgotten until now just how deep the man's voice is.

"This Mozenrath guy came to Agrabah and told us he had you," Sora quickly explains. "We came to rescue you, and then Sa'luk showed up…"

"Sa'luk!" Cassim declares, jumping to his feet. He's a bit wobbly though, forcing the Keybearer to help steady him.

"Maybe you guys should just sit this one out," Sora suggests, looking over the crew with a frown. "There's also this big, scary Heartless flying around, so I wouldn't want anybody getting hurt because they're fighting at less than one-hundred percent."

Cassim looks ready to raise hell, but thankfully his son steps in. "Sora might be right, Dad. He's handled plenty of situations like this with his friends. There's no shame in needing a breather."

"Literally," Iago can't help but chime in.

"If it helps," Sora says with a slight grin, "I'll try and make sure you get at least one good hit in on Sa'luk."

"Very well, lad," Cassim concedes as Aladdin helps him sit on the floor.

With the others safe, Sora wastes no time in diving back in toward the fray. Through the storm, he can hear the sounds of the giant Heartless stomping its way around the room. Orienting himself in that direction, the Keybearer charges forward.

He's only taken a few steps when Telary goes sliding backwards past him, hands raised. The barest shimmer of a protective bubble surrounds the wizard. It disappears, and two fireballs fly from his hands into the cloud of sand.

The Heartless steps into visibility then, shaking off the fiery attacks like they were nothing. Its head whips forward on the thin cable of its neck, golden fangs glistening in its open mouth. Gritting his teeth, Sora jumps in. Swinging Kingdom Key downward on his descent, he knocks the Heartless head into the marble floor.

It retracts itself into the creature's body as the Heartless steps forward, swinging its blade down toward the pair. Sora deflects the blow, pushing Telary to the side, and out of harm's way, with his hip.

The Heartless doesn't commit more strength than necessary to the blow, instead immediately swinging its other scimitar down. Sora sidesteps, striking a blow into the lowered arm. Telary gestures again, swirling his hands as he mutters a few words.

Wind gathers into a cyclone at the wizard's command, pulling in dust and sand as it spins. Right into the Heartless's face, a healthy dose of poetic justice cutting its senses off completely. Sora and Telary unleash onto the head with everything they've got, huge bolts of thunder followed by a devastating downward chop from Kingdom Key.

For a brief moment, the sandstorm explodes worse than ever. Sora finds himself driven back by the wind's force, and thankfully his mouth isn't open to inhale incredibly unhealthy amounts of sand.

The intensity dies soon enough, most of the obscuring sand and dust in the chamber clearing away. The massive Heartless still stands, glowing red eyes boring into Sora and Telary. They step back to prepare for whatever's next.

The creature jumps into the air, extending its arms and legs to make a wheel. A wheel with giant deadly blades sticking out the side. It flies through the air, rolling horizontally for the pair. Sora and Telary dive to the ground just in time to hear the Heartless whistle through the air above them.

Sora rises and turns in a smooth motion, Keyblade held out and ready. He's perfectly predicted the Heartless's next move, turning back towards its enemies. Its body rotates, the blades spinning vertically now. The Keybearer doesn't concern himself with that, just swings his blade just as the creature comes spinning toward him.

He makes solid contact, sending the Heartless flying back through the air. It crashes into the chamber wall, breaking through the stone with a sound like an explosion. There's a moment of calm, before the Heartless bursts out of the hole it left. It's bipedal again, running toward Sora with blades swinging.

He dodges a swipe, ducking under the follow-up. Stepping forward, Sora drives his blade upward against the creature's chest. Its lower arm strikes with claws curled upward, and the Keybearer barely has time to move out of the way. Turning, he swings the Keyblade down at the arm, knocking the appendage away. Still close to the creature, he thrusts forward with stab to the torso. Above him, muffled by all the armored body surrounding him, he can hear the sound of lightning bolts simultaneously crashing into the Heartless's back.

The creature falls back, shaking the entire chamber with its impact. Sora takes a few steps backwards himself, wary of the cobra head. Sure enough, it springs forward on its extending neck, mouth open and fangs glistening.

Sora easily knocks it aside, then turns his blade and hits the head again. The Heartless's head explodes with bright light, the rest of its body rapidly breaking apart as well. Soon, all the remains is a free-floating heart that quickly disappears. The Keybearer watches the space it once was for a moment, wondering what happens to released hearts now that they aren't being gathered by Organization XIII. Come to think of it, was the Organization gathering them themselves anyway, or just taking advantage of a natural…?

"Sora!" Telary yells, incredibly close to the Keybearer's ear. He's instantly snapped out of his momentary reverie. "We're not done yet."

Across the room, Azlyn and Sa'luk are keeping themselves busy with their own battle. The bald thug's right hand is encased completely in a golden aura, occasionally firing out a beam. Azlyn either dodges or deflects, but can't seem to find an opportunity to attack herself.

But Sa'luk has used his new powers to his advantage, managing to get in to a closer range while his opponent is off guard. He fires a blast of magic, which Azlyn barely manages to sidestep. Sa'luk strikes like a jungle cat, his gold claws cutting into the knight's flesh. She barely has time to react before the claws work their magic. A shimmer spreads all along her body, quickly turning Azlyn into a completely immobile statue of pure gold.

"Az!" Telary yells at the sight of his fallen wife. He steps forward, fist clenched and ready as Sa'luk turns to face him. After a moment though, the wizard's eyes widen. "Oh dear, I seem to be running low on…"

Sa'luk doesn't wait for him to finish the sentence. Laughing, he hurls another blast, catching the wizard full force. In a flash, he's gone golden too.

Sora yells now, just a wordless cry of anger and grief. He charges forward, no though in his head other than getting retribution for his friends. Sa'luk blasts him, but he quickly raises Kingdom Key to intercept it. It doesn't take long for Sora to close the distance, swinging horizontally for the thug's torso.

Sa'luk leaps back, swinging his claw forward. Sora easily dodges, but has to sidestep when the thief's arm snaps up in another swipe. He's out of the claw's range, but Sa'luk's free hand grips his upper arm like a vice. Sora's lifted off his feet, thrown back through the air to land hard on the floor. The Keyblade clatters out of his hands and vanishes.

Sa'luk stands over the Keybearer, smiling triumphantly. The sight of his golden teeth sickens Sora, a grim reminder of his friends' fate. And his too in a moment, he supposes.

"It's too bad you won't get to watch the King of Fools and his spawn meet their makers," Sa'luk gloats. "But as a professional thief, I know well that no plan ever survives contact with the mark. And I get what I want, regardless of the order."

"Guess again, you treacherous filth!"

Surprised, Sa'luk whirls to see Aladdin and Cassim barreling toward him. Apparently in all the excitement with the Heartless and the sandstorm and the gloating, he hadn't even noticed the pair were free of their airless trap.

They barrel into him at full strength, bringing the thug down hard. Aladdin strikes at his arm, loosening Sa'luk's grip on his claw. Abu lets out a screech, carefully knocking the weapon out his hand. It slides across the marble floor, turning it all to gold as it goes.

Sora scrambles to his feet, quickly crossing to where the Agrabah natives now have their foe pinned down. He summons Kingdom Key to his hand, pointing the tip right at Sa'luk's nose. "How do you reverse the gold spell!"

Despite his current situation, the thug unleashes a hearty laugh. "Now why would I know anything about that, boy? I hope this was all worth losing your friends!"

For a moment, Sora is sorely tempted to end Sa'luk's life here and now. Certainly the bastard deserves it. But that won't bring his friends back, and may indeed hurt the cause more. Grunting frustratedly, the Keybearer pulls his blade back and turns away.

Cassim is saying something to Sa'luk now, possibly some kind of threat, but Sora doesn't notice. His gaze falls instead on the thug's abandoned claw. Iago is approaching it with a look on his eye that the Keybearer certainly doesn't appreciate.

"Get away from that thing," he orders the bird, who yelps and immediately leaps back. He's already babbling some kind of excuse, but Sora doesn't want to hear it at all. Instead, he finally allows himself to give in to the anger he's feeling. Channeling it all into his arm, the Keybearer brings his mystic weapon down on the claw.

It shatters, exploding with golden energy. Suddenly, the floor begins returning to ts previous state, fading back into regular marble. Noticing the effect, Sora looks across the room with hopeful eyes. Sure enough, Azlyn and Telary are returning to normal as well. They both fall to their knees, gasping for air.

He's about to go to them when he hears a scream. He turns to its source, just in time to watch Aladdin and Cassim quickly backpedaling away from Sa'luk. The thug is yelling his lungs out, a golden aura quickly surrounding his whole body. In no time at all, he's a frozen statue of solid gold once again.

Sora doesn't really care about that, immediately returning his attention to Azlyn and Telary. The knight is closest to him, the Keybearer quickly closing the gap and falling to his knees right beside her. Smiling, he wraps his friend up in a warm hug.

"I thought you were a goner there!" he proclaims.

"Yeah, well I wasn't," Azlyn replies, rolling her eyes as she pats him on the back. "If I had to go, though, I have to say that wouldn't have been a bad way to do it."

Telary has arrived by now, standing over the pair with a fond smile on his face. "Now why did I know you were going to say that? I assume you destroyed the talisman, Sora?" The Keybearer nods. "Yeah, I suspected that would do it."

"If you three are done being such big saps," Iago interrupts in his caustic voice, "mind telling us what exactly this was all about?"

"I guess it was a trap," Sora suggests, he and Azlyn rising to their feet. "Sa'luk was waiting for us here after all."

"Doesn't exactly seem like Mozenrath's style," Aladdin chimes in. "He's usually pretty big on plans. And gloating. If he wanted us dead here, he'd have been here to see it personally."

Abu comes running in from elsewhere, leaping up Aladdin's body and screeching loudly. Once he's got the group's attention, the monkey gestures to the hole in the wall left behind by the huge Heartless. Leaping off Al's shoulder, he runs back toward it. The group follow after him.

They emerge from the hole into some kind of study. Bookcases line the walls, along with shelves stuffed with all manner of containers and items. Several desks are set up as well, including one in the back corner that Abu goes to immediately. As the group approaches, Sora can make out a collection of bronze navigation equipment. Upon closer inspection, he sees a few large pieces of parchment scattered atop the desk as well. A leatherbound book sits on the edge as well, open to a page filled with writing in a language Sora doesn't recognize.

He does however, recognize a drawing on one of the parchments. A tiger's head, mouth open.

"Cave of Wonders?" Aladdin says, frowning at the picture. "Why would Mozenrath be interested in that place? There's no lamp any more."

"And the Keyhole's sealed," Sora adds. "Everything else is just illusions."

"As far as we know, yes," Telary chimes in. everyone turns to look at him, and he just shrugs in response. "What? It's a big mystic cave that can talk, changes its shape every time it's visited, and formerly contained two of this world's most important magical artifacts. Who knows what other secrets it might be hiding?"

"I guess you have a point," Sora concedes. "So much for this trip being a quick detour." He sighs, one inescapable conclusion forming in his mind. "Alright, I guess we're going to the Cave of Wonders."

"Again," Azlyn, Aladdin, and Iago all add at once.

KH-KH-KH

Steiner carefully balances the tray in his hand, trying his hardest not to drop it and put all his poison taste tests to waste. He knocks once on Laguna's bedroom door. There's no answer, but the sergeant does his best to keep the sudden flutter of worry in his heart in check. The president is probably just sleeping, like he's done most of the evening.

"Sir," Steiner calls softly as he opens the door. It takes some maneuvering, but he manages to push it aside with one hip to make a gap big enough to fit through. As he had suspected, the president lays in bed on his back, his chest lightly rising and falling. Fast asleep. Steiner steps closer, raising his voice considerably. "Sir, I have your dinner here. One-hundred percent tampering free, if you're wondering. I tried not to take too big of bites, I know you wouldn't like that."

The volume increases having proven itself useless, Steiner sets the tray on the bedside table. It takes a moment for him to get up enough gumption to push through his natural instincts and shake Laguna lightly on the shoulder. "Time to wake up. That doctor said you should do your best to eat as much as possible."

Nothing, the president remaining as peacefully unconscious as ever. Now Steiner is starting to allow himself a little worry. He tries shaking again, as hard as he dares. Nothing happens, except for the fact that he's officially starting to panic.

"Mr. President!" he yells, foregoing gentility and shaking the unconscious man with his full might. No reaction, not even the slightest twitch. Just a continued, blissful sleep. "Mr… Laguna, you have to wake up!"

"I'm afraid that won't be happening, Sergeant."

Steiner whirls toward the door, one hand immediately reach for his holstered pistol. When he sees Ardyn, calmly standing at the room's entrance with a tranquil look. He takes his hand away.

"What are you talking about, Chancellor?" he asks, doing all he can to keep his voice from shaking. "Do you know something about this?"

"Indeed I do, Sergeant," he replies, cool as ever. "As it happens, the president is in a herbally induced coma."

"Coma?" Steiner repeats, looking over Laguna once again. If it weren't for the fact that the president wasn't waking, he'd suspect absolutely nothing untoward. "But, he just looks like…"

"He's asleep, yes," Ardyn finishes for him, stepping closer. "And in a way, he is. I'm afraid, however, that you'll find this slumber rather difficult to break. Impossible, in fact, without the antidote."

"Antidote? But, people only need antidotes if they're…"

Once again, Ardyn completes the sergeant's thought. "Poisoned, yes. There would be several ways to do it, to my knowledge. Mixing a Black Chrysanthemum with Angel Root would be my guess. The first is a rather nasty poison, instantly lethal to any who ingest it. But, when administered right alongside the Angel Root, known for its healing properties, the effect would be lessened considerably. Thus, coma."

"That Aerith," Steiner says, pushing through his shock. "You said she had Angel Root this afternoon. Do you think she…?"

"Had the chrysanthemum mixed in? A logical deduction."

Steiner is silent for a long few moments, processing all this information fast as he can. It would seem all his growing suspicions are confirmed. Radiant Garden has laid low Bright Oasis's leader, their forces most likely standing ready to…

"But wait," he says after a minute's puzzling. "Why would…? I was watching the whole time, I saw it all. There's no way they'd try something so brazen. And what would they gain, anyway? A war they couldn't win? Either the city's leaders are much dumber than the appear, or…" The sergeant gasps, the only real possibility appearing in his mind. He looks at Ardyn, the chancellor standing much closer now than he was before.

"Or they were not involved at all," he finishes, not a trace of emotion on his face. "Making this situation a… Oh, what would be the most apt term? Ah yes, a framing. Creating a scapegoat. Igniting war in false pretenses. If you'd like more terms, I could…"

"You!" Steiner's hand flies to his holster, drawing the pistol waiting there in one smooth motion. He levels it with Ardyn, who regards the weapon as coolly as everything else. "You did this! You poisoned the president, which leaves you in charge! This is a coup!"

"Very good!" The chancellor finally shows some emotion, an incongruously large smile. "I had hoped you would be intelligent enough to figure it out. I feel a little poorly for having doubted you, actually."

"But why?" The pistol in Steiner's hand shakes, and he wraps his other hand around the gun's grip. "This is…"

"I understand you're quite shocked," Ardyn says, holding up one hand as if it will be enough to placate the soldier in front of him. "But perhaps you could allow me to explain myself, and then…"

"Explain yourself!" Steiner shouts, gun shaking furious for a few seconds. "How could you possibly think…? You killed…"

"Ah!" Ardyn interrupts, closing his right hand except for the pointer finger. "As I've said previously, the president is in a coma. You can see for yourself that he's still alive. And his condition needn't change for the worse. Eventually his feelings on the matter at hand will hardly matter for much, and the people seem to enjoy him so. Why waste a useful asset for a later date."

"What do you mean, 'matter at hand'? What's your plan here?"

The chancellor's smile widens. "Now you're asking the relevant questions, my friend."

Steiner scowls, still fighting his urge to shake. "Don't call me your friend."

"Forgive me, Sergeant. That was presumptuous of me." The chancellor finally puts his hands down, opting instead to simply fold both arms in front of his chest. As frightened and adrenaline-pumped as Steiner is, he can't help but admire the composure and strength of the pose. "Do you honestly think, Steiner, that this relationship between our city and Radiant Garden has any chance of improving Bright Oasis."

"It… It's…" Steiner takes a breath, forcing himself to focus, reminding himself of his military training and discipline. "It's not something we can ignore. Both cities have to occupy this world together."

"Interesting," Ardyn replies with a small nod, "how, even in a coma, Laguna manages to get you to regurgitate his little platitudes. Not that I wholly disagree with the statement. But why, exactly, is it necessary for the relationship to work as he wishes it to? If the president gets his way, we'd have two cities existing on equal terms. As if both of them have comparable merits. Pretending that one isn't in a position of clear superiority to the other. Superiority in more ways than one.

"Bright Oasis is strong, Sergeant. It always has been, it's always needed to be. That strength breeds character in its citizens, encourages them to maintain the order necessary to have that strength. You've professed that you admire that order. Do you think, Steiner, that Radiant Garden possesses that same character? That this half-resurrected ghoul of a city can match the discipline of our own society?"

"I…" Steiner says, lowering the barrel of his gun by scan inches.

"And this man," Ardyn gestures to the bed, Laguna still blissfully unaware, "wishes to infect our own city with the madness of this one. He admires the self-elected Restoration Committee who cannot even manage public opinion on their most venerated figure. Do you honestly think, Sergeant, that a man like that can maintain the standards of security our city has enjoyed for a decade? That he even wants to?"

Steiner opens his mouth, desperately attempting to force a response. This is treason, an open and shut case. He should be decrying the man in front of him, screaming for the rest of the troops to burst in and arrest him. But somehow, he can't.

Laguna is a nice man, there's no denying that. The people of Bright Oasis admire him for more than simply providing security. It isn't like it was under Vinzer Deiling. But there's more to effective leadership than likability, isn't there? Hard decisions have to be made, risks calculated. Is Laguna the kind of man who can do that.

"This is bigger than me," Steiner finally says, his gun lowered completely. "It's…"

"You have an important decision ahead of you," Ardyn says. Steiner looks up at him, shocked by the utter seriousness and intensity of the man's face. He's never seen anything like it before, on the chancellor or anyone. "What is truly important to you, Sergeant Adelbert Steiner of PSICOM? What are you willing to do for Bright Oasis? To bring order and stability to this entire world?"

What is he willing to do? This is wrong, Steiner knows it in his bones. But what is a wrong action, taken in the name of something that can only make things right? It's just as Ardyn says. What is Steiner willing to do for his city?

"You won't kill him," Steiner asks the chancellor, not sure if he's asking a question or giving an order. "Laguna doesn't die."

"No," Ardyn replies, small smile returning to his face. "Despite our heartless enemy's best efforts, we managed to save him just in time. One day, he'll awaken again. How he chooses to proceed from there, in the face of the world we're going to create, is entirely up to him. Personally, I imagine he'll be able to live with it."

"Not everyone is going to support this," the sergeant continues.

Ardyn shrugs. "Of course not, we both know enough about the masses to know that's impossible. But I doubt anyone will take issue as long as we confine our most extreme actions to Radiant Garden. It's so difficult to maintain a care for somewhere you've never been, never seen."

"Rinoa. She won't…"

"What she will or won't do is irrelevant. I'm afraid our former rabble rouser had an unfortunate accident on the way back to Bright Oasis. How unpredictable the wilderness is, hm?"

A pang of guilt hits Steiner at that thought. He'd never much cared for Ms. Heartilly, but he hardly wished that kind of fate on her.

"It had to be done," Ardyn says, his voice strong and clear. Certain. Looking up, Steiner sees that he once again wears his expression of intense focus.

"Maybe," the sergeant allows, ignoring the churning in his stomach at the idea. It doesn't stop, not even close, but within a few moments it no longer consumes his focus. Hard decisions. For Bright Oasis.

Had Vinzer Deiling had the same thought?

"Tomorrow, the Restoration Committee is venturing into Xehanort's lab," Ardyn says, completely ignoring the sergeant's clear crisis. "I assume Leonhart will be in the party, and the young Keyblade wielders. The perfect opportunity for containment. Colonel Nabaat will have the necessary forces to subdue the rest of the city here by then. Hopefully, with their strongest defensive assets unavailable, the city's forces will see the sense in an early retreat."

"You're moving fast," Steiner notes, a bit numbly.

"Frankly, that boy Sora worries me most of all," Ardyn admits, frowning just slightly. "The more we can accomplish before he returns, with more strong help I understand, the better. I'll need to make the call to PSICOM tonight. You'll help verify my story, I trust? The president's poisoners?"

"Radiant Garden," the sergeant answers.

"The Restoration Committee. There's a certain faction of disgruntled citizenry that have pledged to assist us in a smooth transition of power. Much more amenable to my demands. As long as the Restoration Committee leaders are surrendered, things can continue as close to normal in the city as possible." The chancellor grins at his conspirator. "Better, in fact."

Steiner nods. "Better," he repeats. Said with enough conviction, he can make himself believe it's actually true.

And just like that, plot! Had some troubles with this one, had to make some shifts in plans and compromises, but I got through it. And I'm closing the between chapters posting gap, which is positive. Still, now we're officially 2/15 of the way finished with this story! Gotta keep on keeping on.

Shoutouts to DJ Scales, goddragonking, Bezerker21, and BT Emmett for reviewing. Makes me super-duper happy if you do. Until next time!