The group arrived at the top of the fortress to find Xemnas standing with his hands raised before the giant heart in the sky.

"Oh, my Kingdom Hearts…ruined." He bemoaned. "Now I'll have to start all over again. Warriors of the Keyblade!" He turned. "Go forth, and bring me more hearts!"

"No!" Riku and Sora exclaimed together, summoning their keyblades. Ignus began reciting to himself.

"Denizens of light, answer this: Why do you hate the darkness?"

"We don't." Ignus replied as Inferno appeared in his hand. He looked over the dark weapon. "We don't hate the darkness. We fear it, struggle with it, and accept it. This world is made of both light and darkness. Neither can exist without the other, and they must keep the balance. People aren't scared of the dark…"

"They're afraid of who's lurking inside it!" Riku finished.

"Then allow me another question." Xemnas continued. "You accept darkness, yet choose to live in the light. So why is it that you loathe us who teeter on the edge of nothing? We who were turned away by both light and dark, never given a choice?"

"It's simple." Riku called. "It's because you mess up our worlds."

"We don't hate you for what you are. Only for what you do." Ignus said.

"That may be." Xemnas admitted. "However, what other choice might we have had?"

"Just give it a rest!" Sora raised his keyblade. "You're Nobodies! You don't even exist! You're not sad about anything."

Xemnas's laugh was short and there was no humor in it. "Very good. You don't miss a thing. I cannot feel sorrow, no matter what misery befalls the worlds. No matter what you think, what you feel, or how you exist."

Xemnas raised his hands and points of light began to shoot up from the floor. When they vanished, Sora and Xemnas were gone.

"Sora? Sora!" Riku yelled, running to the balcony and looking around for any sign of his friend. Ignus let Inferno fade and recited the Oath of Spark. He sat cross-legged with the keyblade, letting his senses reach out, feeling around him for Sora's heart.

"Ignus?" Kairi approached hesitantly.

"I can feel he's not gone. But with Kingdom Hearts so close I can't get a good read on where he is."

Riku was still yelling over the side for Sora. Kairi joined him.

Ignus closed his eyes and tried again. He could feel the faint remnants of Sora's heart. Suddenly, it spiked. Ignus looked to his left as Sora dropped out of thin air and onto the stone floor. Everyone rushed over as he got to his feet.

"You okay?" Ignus asked quickly.

"Where's Xemnas?" Sora demanded.

Ignus closed his eyes for a second. "Up there!"

Everyone looked up. The Nobody was floating in Kingdom Hearts above them.

"Hear me, Kingdom Hearts!" Xemnas's voice boomed. "It seems we must begin anew. Ah, but know this: I will give to you as many hearts as it takes. Mark my words. You can no more be complete without me than I without you. Heed me Kingdom Hearts! Lend me your power, so that we may be complete. The power to erase the fools that hinder us."

"Xemnas, this is madness!" Ignus cried.

"Hearts quivering with hatred…"

"Xemnas! Don't!" Sora shouted.

"Hearts burning with rage…"

"You'll never win!" Donald shouted.

"Hearts scarred by envy…That fool Ansem said the heart's true nature was beyond his understanding. But it's not beyond mine! Hearts are the source of all power!"

Xemnas and Kingdom Hearts glowed blindingly, forcing the others to shield their eyes. He was gone when they could see again.

"Xemnas, you can't hide from us!" Sora called.

"We can't let him get away. Not now." Ignus agreed.

"Look at that!" Kairi pointed as a pair of massive stone doors appeared, floating in the sky.

"What's goin' on?" Goofy wondered aloud.

"Let's go." Riku said. "Xemnas must be inside."

"That door must be to Kingdom Hearts." Ignus answered. "The worlds gave us this doorway so we could protect their destiny."

"How does that work?" Kairi asked. "And how do you know that?"

Ignus shrugged. "Best guess."

"Once we go through, there's no turning back. It's victory or oblivion." Riku remarked.

"Xemnas is probably waiting for us in there, and he's probably much more powerful." Ignus agreed.

Riku turned to his friend. "So Sora…are you ready?"

Sora nodded. He, Riku and Ignus all raised their keyblades as light shone from the end. The light shot in three beams into the sky, and the massive doors creaked open.

"Get ready, Xemnas…" Sora declared. "It all ends here!"