Here is Chapter 20 like I promised! For those of you wondering about Sora's dreams, I had hoped that they would add a chilling effect to the whole story.

Please tell me how I am doing so far, I feel as though the story is deviating from the original path that I had set for it...

Sora: "No one cares, just keep on writing."

Me: "These conversations are getting a little annoying."

As soon as I caught sight of the dark ceiling above me, I knew.

My nightmares were far from over.

I rose and set about the task of preparing my self for another day in the life of a Keyblade Master.

First, I changed out of my Omega form outfit. (My Drive energy had long since dried up, so I don't know how I managed to keep wearing the outfit.)

After stowing the ensemble in my pack, I made my way into the bathroom and pulled out my electric shaver.

After several minutes of being the only guy on planet earth who could cut himself with an electric shaver, I made my way to the Library.

The hallway that takes you to the Library, held a little significance to me, as it was one of the first parts of the castle that I had ever seen.

I placed a hand on the cool brass handle and pushed the door lightly open. A slight rasping sound filled the air as the door swung inward, the smell of old parchment and well-preserved wood hit my nostrils, the barest gasp of stale air existed in there as well.

The room was exactly as I remembered it, white walls, checkered floor, one enormous bookcase occupying the wall opposite the door.

The only difference I could discern, was that a few books were missing from their usually immaculately ordered positions.

Hollow echoing sounded around the room as I looked the shelf up and down. There was one book that I was searching for in particular.

"The Secret Reports of Ansem The Wise." I read aloud from the spine of a large leather-bound volume.

The book wasn't exactly as heavy as I expected it to be as I deftly lifted it from the shelf. I carried it over to a small oak desk in the corner of the room and opened it to the first report:

Much of my life has been dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge.
That knowledge has guarded this world well. Not a soul doubts that.
I am blessed with people's smiles and respect. But though I am called a sage, there are things I do not understand.
I believe darkness sleeps in every heart, no matter how pure. Given the chance, the smallest drop can spread and swallow the heart. I have witnessed it many times.
Darkness...Darkness of the heart. How is it born?
How does it come to affect us so?
As ruler of this world, I must find the answers. I must find them before the world is lost to those taken by the darkness.

Report 2:

It is my duty to expose what this darkness really is. I shall conduct the following experiments:
Extract the darkness from a person's heart.
Cultivate darkness in a pure heart.
Both suppress and amplify the darkness within.

The experiments caused the test subject's heart to collapse, including those of the most stalwart. How fragile our hearts are! My treatment produced no signs of recovery. I confined those who had completely lost their hearts beneath the castle.
Some time later, I went below and was greeted by the strangest sight. Creatures that seemed born of darkness...What are they? Are they truly sentient beings? Could they be the shadows of those who lost their hearts in my experiments?

Report 3:

The shadows that crawl beneath the castle... Are they the people who lost their hearts, or incarnations of darkness? Or something entirely beyond my imagination?
All my knowledge has provided no answer. One thing I am sure of is that they are entirely devoid of emotion. Perhaps further study will unlock the mysteries of the heart.
Fortunately, there is no shortage of test samples. They are multiplying underground even as I write this report. They still need a name. Those who lack hearts... I will call them the Heartless.

Report 4:

The Heartless appear in groups, and are multiplying rapidly. I've provided them both living and nonliving samples. They've responded only to the living. They seem to multiply after absorbing something from the living creatures. Their prey vanishes without a trace.
I believe the Heartless are taking hearts. They are born from those who've lost their hearts, and thrive on hearts seized from others. The hearts taken by the Heartless become Heartless themselves.
Though I lack proof, I am confident in this hypothesis. I must also study their behavioral principles. Though they lack emotions, they do seem to have some intelligence. How to communicate with them?
It's just occurred to me: Could they be the darkness in people's hearts?

Report 5:

To study the Heartless behavior, I picked one out for observation. It wiggled its antennae and, as if sensing a target, headed deep into the castle. In the deepest part of the castle, its antennae began vibrating, as if searching for something. Suddenly, a strange door appeared. I'd never known of its existence.
It had a large keyhole, but didn't seem to be locked. So I opened the door. What I saw on the other side mystified me. What was that powerful mass of energy? That night I observed a great meteor shower in the sky. Could it be related to the door that I have opened?

Report 6:

A massive core of energy lay beyond the door sought by the Heartless. It may be the ultimate goal of the Heartless. But what is that energy? I have devised a hypothesis, based upon my observations of the Heartless.
The Heartless feed on other's hearts, and they yearn for that energy core. That thing beyond the door must be a heart, too-the heart of this world. There is no proof, but, having felt that immense energy, I am certain. That was the heart of the world.
The Heartless are trying to take hearts not only from all living creatures, but from the planet itself. But what do they mean to do with the heart of the world?

Report 7:

I am studying material from the meteors that rained down that fateful night. What a find! The material is foreign to our world. It is elastic to the touch, and when two pieces are combined, they bond easily. None of the records even mention such a substance.
Was it introduced to this world when I opened the door? I wonder how many other such materials drift through the atmosphere of this tiny world... I wish I could soar off and find out! Could there be uncharted worlds up there? My curiosity never ceases to grow.
But I should stop speaking of such unrealistic dreams. For now, there is no way to venture outside this world. My people and I are all but prisoners of this tiny place

Report 8:

There is no doubt that the Heartless are deeply connected to the people's hearts. Further study may unravel both their motivations and the mysteries shrouding the heart.
As a start, I have built a device that artificially creates Heartless. By recreating the conditions that spawn the Heartless naturally, I should be able to produce them artificially. This device is the culmination of all my research thus far. The machine's test run successfully created a Heartless.
This may be a step toward creating a heart from nothing. The artificially and naturally created Heartless showed nearly identical traits. But the two types remain distinct for the purpose of the experiment. So, I will mark the ones that are created artificially.

Report 9:

Simply astonishing! Today I had a guest from another world. He is a king, and his vessel is built of the material that composed the meteors. He called the pieces "gummi blocks". It seemed that my opening the door has opened a path to interworld travel.
We talked for countless hours, but one story in particular caught my interest: that of a key called the "Keyblade". The Keyblade is said to hold phenomenal power.
One legend says its wielder saved the world, while another says that he wrought chaos and ruin upon it. I must know what this Keyblade is. A key opens doors. It must be connected to the door I have opened.

Report 10:

Just as people have hearts, so do worlds. The same can be said of stars in the night sky. And deep within each world lies a door to its heart. The Heartless desire those hearts. Born out of darkness in people's hearts, they seek to return to a greater heart.
Yes that's it. The Heartless come from people's hearts, as does the darkness. Is the core of the world's heart the world of the Heartless? I will pursue the answer there and become all knowing.
My path is set. I shall seek out the wielder of the Keyblade, and the princesses. My body is too frail for such a journey, but I must do this. I will cast it off and plunge into the depths of darkness.

Report 11:

Upon opening the door of a world's heart, the wall around that world is broken is seen as a shooting star. Through this, I have been able to understand the reason why the material known as Gummi Blocks has the ability to allow travel to other worlds.
A world's wall collapses because of the appearance of the Heartless, but finding a world's door takes time. And robbing a world of its heart is a similar case.
If the door has been closed by the Keyblade, one would probably be unable to reach that world's heart again. Before the Keyblade wielder appears in this world, I must take measures to do something.
Supposing that there is a close relationship between the Princesses and the Keyblade, it seems likely that they will resonate with each other...
I have chosen a special girl. I do not know if she possesses the power of the Princesses, but there is a chance, and this is an experiment. She may lead me to the place where the one holding the key is...
I shall send her off to the ocean of other worlds.

Report 12:

I have transcended to an existence of only the heart. I should have come back as a Heartless, but there is no sign of such a transformation.
My body has surely perished. However, I am different from the other Heartless, keeping the memories of before, and I have not taken on the form of a Heartless.
It is evident that there are still many things to be studied.
In order to cross over to the dark realm, which is not this world, you must go beyond the door of Kingdom Hearts, the heart of all worlds.
The core connected to the world's heart, the place that will take me to the world of darkness. (I will record the details in another report...)
There are still so many unknown worlds.
The Realm of the Present...The Realm of darkness. The Realm of light.
And, The Realm of in-between.
In which one will I find sanctuary?

Report 13:

When the heart casts away the body, where does the body go?
Heart and soul are separate, and the soul remains in the body. But can we assume that the remaining body and soul perish?
Certainly when the heart changes into a Heartless, the body disappears.
Or does that apply solely to this realm? Could other beings similar to the Heartless exist in another realm?
If we take that to be the case, then there must be another form of oneself elsewhere.
An existence neither of darkness nor of light. An in-between existence. Cast off by the heart, a mere shell, one who begrudges both the darkness and the light.
This mystery cannot be easily resolved. The relationship between the heart and the body is a complex one.
But since we exist in this realm, our counterparts of another realm must not be existent. Therefore I shall call them...
"The non-existent ones."

As I read the last line, a cold chill crept across my body. These reports sound as though the author was slightly deranged.

Obviously since they were written by Ansem The Seeker of Darkness/Xehanort's Heartless.

If these were written by Xehanort, then where are the reports written by Ansem The Wise?

Its obvious that I may have to go to the source to find out what in blue blazes was going on.

And that source was Ansem The Wise...

Kairi is not going to like this...

Here at last is Chapter 20! Only sixteen chapters to go!

Here's to another chapter in record time! If anyone has any questions, let me know and I will be sure to answer them as best I can (Unfortunately that does not include questions about the story's plot...)

Until Next time Kingdom Hearts Fans!