nightelf37: To Gry17, to be honest, I created the Gun of Light in the first place just to be some sort of counterpart to the Keyblade and to insert "myself" into the story without giving myself a Keyblade like most other self-inserts do, so I don't really know if I can. I think that idea of yours about the Gun of Light is nice, although I did base it from the Boktai series.
As for the Chain of Memories Retcon Version, I'll see if I can do that memory loss bit, although their loss rate will be different given…what they really are. The "start to remember what they forgot before they came to Sora's island" bit however, I think I'm liking that.
Bertie: Where in Moltara have you been?
nightelf37: Sorry, Bertie. It's hard work juggling many stories and school. Remember, the OCs belong to me. The plot is derived from the original game. Whatever doesn't happen there, or the manga, or the movie where the current world is based on (if there even is), I 'own' it. And here is 'my' current Power Orb inventory:
In bracers: (max. 12)
(spells) Esuna, Regen, Haste, Firaga, Thundaga, Blizzaga, Curaga
(skills) Combo Shots, Taiyou
(summons) Requiem, Lumiere (not yet 'activated')
In storage:
(spells) Fire, Thunder, Blizzard, Cure, Aero, Gravity, Poison, Silence, Stop, Charm, Confuse, Protect, Shell, Dispel, Fira, Thundara, Blizzara, Cura, Blind, Immobilize, Sleep, Slow, Float, Mini, Petrify, Gravira, Aerora, Stopra, Graviga, Aeroga, Stopga
(skills) Shield Boomer, Sky Dropper, Boomer Blast, Yoyo Shot, Aura Wave, Solar Saber (new)
(summons) Baloo, Bahamut, XR, Flit
Chapter 16A: End of the World (The Journey)
Trivia: In my headcanon, Gregorio's replacement in the Altador Cup, Ethel Boortz, is Ilsa's grandmother.
Part I. Beginning of the End
While our two Gummi Ships took the perilous voyage from Hollow Bastion (which we teleported to via Warp Drive) to wherever Chosen One was leading us, we did a review on our equipment.
Donald, Goofy, and Yoris were already satisfied with their weapons. The girls and I couldn't change ours (Ilsa's being fists and unfortunately gauntlets for her size were not available). Gregorio upgraded his javelin to a better one, though I couldn't see the difference with his previous one. I also obtained the Bahamut Power Orb from Merlin, who had told me I was finally ready to use it. As for Sora, he had acquired a new Keychain (which looked like a gold-and-blue crown), which was made from the Orichalcum we gathered on our journey and a few other items, he changed it for Kairi's charm.
We also checked our accessories, and made sure everything we wanted we were bringing. Chosen One would not be joining us and will be taking the Destiny with him. Sora asked if it would be possible for him to tow the Excalibur to Hollow Bastion as they wouldn't be going back either. Chosen One decided to deny his request.
"Attack with aggression, but always have a plan of retreat," he told Sora. "As long as there's life, there's hope."
"What do you mean?" Sora asked.
"What I mean to say is that I don't approve on this 'all or nothing'. I'm leaving your ship behind on the off-chance you might need it. And that's final."
Finally, we reached our destination. The world ahead was a bit like a ringed planet, except the "planet" was barely solid or even gaseous. Rather, it was like a bright purple light with dark splotches of floating mass forming the "land", almost like a very small galaxy.
"This is as far as I go," Chosen One said. "Good luck."
With that, we knew that it was time to go. Bidding farewell, we made our way to the Transwarp Room, but not before Gregorio secretly pilfered a few of the stuff.
KHKHKHKHKH
Upon landing, the group of eight took in the sight. It was both breathtaking and terrifying. We had 'landed' somewhere just outside a small cave. A swirling mass of stars ahead, and between it and us were lots and lots of islands.
"Fyora help us…" muttered Ilsa.
"Gawrsh, is that all that's left of the worlds taken by the Heartless?" wondered Goofy.
"Looks like it," Yoris replied grimly.
"Those worlds will be restored if we beat Ansem, right?" Sora asked.
"You betcha." Donald agreed.
"But if we do beat him and all these worlds become restored and disconnected, what's gonna happen to this place? And to us?"
Now the duck was stumped. "Well, uh..."
I gulped nervously at this. I knew I should be afraid for my life, but something inside me quelled the selfish part of me. We've come this far. We can't back out now. Not when the entire universe is at stake. "Now that you mention it, that scares me."
"This is a Heartless world, so maybe it'll just disappear," Goofy answered.
"Huh?" we all gasped.
"But no worries. Even if this place goes poof, our hearts ain't goin' nowhere. I'm sure we'll find our pals again. Yup, I just know that we will."
Donald voiced his agreement. And so did Sora. "Yeah, you're right," he said as he took out and looked at Kairi's lucky charm. I'll return this. I promise.
The rest of us however seemed unsure. Despite everything, we weren't ready to go so far as to sacrifice our lives. We often always had the option to run and recover until then. Now, there was no turning back. This was the final bout. And either we triumph, or we fall for good.
"Now I'm really worried," Florina muttered. "But there's no helping it."
With a resolute step, Sora stepped forward to the light. Goofy was quick to follow. Once it turns out that the blank expanse separating our piece of land from the islands was actually very shallow water, Donald was next. Then Yoris. Then Gregorio. Then the girls. I stuck behind for some reason, still unsure of myself. Florina was quick to notice and she went back to take me by the hand.
"Come on," she urged.
Hearing those words somehow gave me the resolve to go forward. Just as I joined the others, a vortex akin to the one made when casting Gravity emerged from right above and crashed down onto us.
KHKHKHKHKH
"Dammit!"
"Too many Invisibles!"
"I should've known."
The vortex had taken us into a pocket dimension, upon where Heartless attacked us. It was a tad more difficult than any of the Hades Cup seeds from before. Upon defeating the last Invisible, we were suddenly returned, but we were now next to a patch of triangular land that was pointing somewhere like an arrow. There was also a treasure chest on it.
Sora opened it and found a useful item. On looking at the 'island', we saw that it 'pointed' to another small island. We also found out that any attempts to 'deviate' would meet with an invisible barrier. Without much choice, we pushed on.
The next chest was a trap; it took us to another pocket dimension, where we had to fight off Heartless before we could receive its reward and continue on. The one after that however did not have any tricks whatsoever. The one after that however was another trap, where we faced off against a Behemoth. Being smarter this time around, we finished it off faster than in our first encounter with it or our encounters with it at the Hades Cup.
Sometimes, even before we reach the chest, a vortex would intercept us and we would be thrown into another battle. The Angel Stars in particular proved to be difficult as hell. Thankfully, the bright light we were headed to seemed to charge my DirLuxGun. And most of the other lights charged Florina's RefLuxGun. I was also thankful for the huge amount of supplies we purchased, for I figured we sure needed every last one of them.
Eventually, we reached the light ahead, and saw that there were a number of fallen stalactites partially buried in the water. Of course, another vortex intercepted us and we battled yet another Behemoth. Upon defeating it however, we weren't taken back to where we were, but to yet another area. It was quite difficult to describe it. It seemed to be some sort of cave, there were threads of light, and there were all sorts of colored triangular shapes. Donald guessed they were most likely Gummi Blocks.
"I wonder where that Ansem feller went?" Goofy wondered.
"Dive into the most dangerous place and we'll find him!" answered Ilsa.
We continued traveling, naturally fighting Heartless along the way, although we were sometimes lucky enough to just help a White Mushroom. There were plenty of twists and turns, plenty of places to jump to, and plenty of times we had to backtrack. It was a nightmare to navigate, especially for me as I wasn't very athletic (which I thought appropriate to point out plenty of times). Eventually, we found ourselves looking down a bright shining hole.
"You think that's where we need to go?" I asked Sora.
"There's no turning back," he answered. Before he could jump in, Gregorio stopped him.
"Hey, why don't we read the read that Report of Ansem's?" he asked. "I mean, I'm sure we got all of the pages, right?"
"Oh yeah." Sora pulled the completed Ansem's Report from my bag. "I guess we should take a look." He then arranged them in numerical order, gave it to me to hold, and we started to read.
KHKHKHKHKH
Entry 1:
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 my 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? As ruler of this world I must find answers. I must find them before the world is lost to those taken by darkness.
Entry 2:
It is my duty to expose what 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 have caused the test subjects' heart to collapse, including those of the most stalwart. How fragile our hearts are! My treatments produced no sign of recovery. I confined those who had completely lost their heart 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?
Entry 3:
The shadows that crawl beneath the castle…Are they people who lost their hearts, or incarnations of darkness? Or something completely beyond imagination? All my knowledge has provided on 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 subjects. 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.
Entry 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 properties.
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?
Entry 5:
To study the Heartless behavior, I picked one out for observation. It wiggled its antennae and, as if sensing a threat, 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?
Entry 6:
A massive core of energy lay beyond the door sought by the Heartless. It may well 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 others' hearts. 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 living things, but from the world itself. But what do they mean to do with the heart of the world?
Entry 7:
I am now 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 I've scoured even mention such a substance. Was it introduced to this world when I opened that door? I wonder how many other such materials drift through the atmosphere of this world…I wish I could soar off and find out!
Could there be uncharted worlds out 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.
Entry 8:
There is no doubt that the Heartless are deeply connected to 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. The device is a culmination of all my research thus far.
The machines 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 should remain distinct for the purposes of this experiment. So, I will mark the ones that are created artificially.
Entry 9:
Simply astonishing! Today I had two guests from another world, although appearances imply that they aren't from the same one. One is a young boy who seemed to be mature for his age. The other is a king, and his vessel is built of the material that composed the meteors. The king called the pieces Gummi Blocks. It seems that opening the door has opened a path for 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 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.
There was another thing of interest, though a bit less so than the Keyblade. The boy had with him a weapon he called the GunDelSol, which was a Gun of Light. From what little he said about it, it's not as phenomenal or legendary as the Keyblade, but it is said to come from some little piece of light that escaped a greater one.
Entry 10:
Just as people have hearts, so do worlds. The same can be said of the stars in the night sky. And deep within each world lies a door to its heart. The Heartless desire those hearts. Born of the 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, maybe even the Gun of Light if I can. 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.
Entry 11:
Opening the door to a world's heart causes its walls to crumble.
These fragments are seen as shooting stars
This explains why these "gummi blocks" can travel freely to other worlds.
I know the catalyst of this collapse—the appearance of the Heartless. However, it will take time search out the worlds' doors and to retrieve each heart.
Furthermore, the doors can be locked using a Keyblade, making the heart forever unattainable. I must take action before the wielder of the key appears in this world. The Gun of Light can wait.
If the princesses and the Keyblade are connected, they should resonate.
I've chosen a girl. I don't know if she holds the princesses' powers, but I will find out. She may lead me to the key bearer.
I shall set her free and observe.
Entry 12:
The body is gone; the heart should have returned to the Heartless. And yet, nothing.
This one is unlike any other. Its memories remain and it has yet to take the form of a Heartless.
A close eye must be kept on the situation. Much is still unknown.
To get to the realm of Darkness, one must go through the doors of Kingdom Hearts, the place where the world's hearts connect.
Beyond this world is a place in which darkness reigns. (Details shall be archived in a separate report.)
There are many worlds in existence, some of which we know nothing about.
The world in which we live. The realm of Darkness. The realm of Light.
And the world in between.
Wherein lies true nirvana?
Entry 13:
Where does the body go when it separates from the heart? If the soul remains within the body, is it still considered to be deceased?
When the heart returns to the Heartless, the physical form disappears. But that is merely true in this world. Perhaps the body exists in another form in another world.
If that is the case, then it is possible for one to exist in two worlds.
A being that is neither darkness nor light; belonging nowhere; abandoned by its heart; a mere shell of its former self.
The relation between the heart and body is complex. However, I am certain that if your self exists here, then by definition, the other cannot truly "exist."
The other, the one which does not exist, shall be dubbed, "Nobody."
KHKHKHKHKH
I almost dropped the Report after the tenth entry, but managed to hold it until we finished the last entry. Everybody was speechless as we comprehended what he did.
"Dear Fyora…" gasped Ilsa.
"I don't believe it," I said. "All of this is happening because Ansem decided to play God!"
"Hmm…I wonder why this Stickee fellow isn't mentioned here?" Florina mused as she put a finger to her chin.
"Maybe he asked Ansem not to write him in or to erase him from the Reports. Or he entered the picture after the Reports were written."
"We must beat Ansem," Goofy said. "Maybe then, everything will return to normal."
"I sure hope so," I replied as I put away the Report.
"We won't get anything done just sitting here," Donald said and we all nodded back.
"Let's go," Sora declared as he jumped into the white hole. Goofy was quick to follow and so was Donald. The rest of us eventually did so as well, Ilsa holding my hand to provide assurance.
Part II. The World Terminus and Chernabog
When the light faded, we found ourselves inside a green circular chamber, filled with large thorns at the edges. Beyond, we can see pillar-like structures spread over what appeared to be a vast empty space. And we were apparently inside one of those spaces. There were two tiny balls of light, one green and the other blue. A phrase came to my mind and indicated that this was the name of the area; World Terminus.
"Where to, Sora?" asked Florina.
He ran to the blue one, and we followed. We were transported to a different 'pillar', and there was a smaller one swirling with darkness and purple light at the center. We entered that pillar and a bright light blinded us. When it faded, we found ourselves at—
"Traverse Town?" Ilsa gasped. We seem to be at its Third District.
"Could this be how the Heartless get to the worlds so quickly?" I wondered.
And then Shadow, Soldier, and Large Body Heartless surrounded us. We could deal with them easy, but I wanted to try something. Raising the bracer that held one of the red Power Orbs, I cried out, "Lend us your power!"
At the same time, Sora cried out, "Give me strength."
The two crystals glowed in our hold and a force exploded outward, knocking down everyone in the area a little. Beams of light shot out of the floor around our feet and quickly spiraled upward, swallowing me in a spiral of blue light. When the light faded, Lumiere was atop my head, and Mushu was on top of Sora's.
"I am Mushu," the little dragon said.
"Lumiere, at your service," said the candelabra as he gave a short bow.
"I bet I can shoot fire faster than you!" Mushu bantered.
"This is not a contest," Lumiere bantered. "We both help our summoners." With that, he shot a stream of flames from his hand candles, taking down two Shadows. Mushu followed up with a series of fireballs from his mouth, knocking back a Soldier.
Everybody else save for the girls stood back to let the summons do the job, wanting to see what they were capable of, doing just enough to defend themselves and lead the Heartless into the path of the summons. Ilsa and Florina found it quite odd to go easy at a point where you're supposed to be completely serious, especially since they were so close to ending Ansem's machinations.
By the time the summons had to be dismissed, all the enemies were gone. Once that was done, we saw a small red treasure chest in the corner. Sora opened it and took the item, a "Brave Warrior" accessory, which he, Donald, and Goofy had acquired when they fought the Guard Armor for the first time.
"Must be," said Donald. "Some kind of…world nexus."
"That wasn't that hard, but I'm sure Ansem has something much worse than a batch of Heartless to stop us," Sora said.
"Well, with this being the final dungeon, that's a very likely case," I said.
"Final dungeon?"
"Never mind."
"Where to now?" asked Yoris.
"The door?" I pointed to the one that would (normally) take us to Second District. We approached and opened it…and found ourselves back at the World Terminus. Seeing a different blue light, Sora decided to head there. Without much of a guide, we had to follow.
Other pillars led to dark/light pillars leading to versions of some of the worlds we've been to previously, some of those pillars being blue-ish instead of purple. In the Rabbit Hole in the Wonderland area, we battled "Musical Wizard" and Wizard Heartless. In the Olympus Coliseum Gates area, it was Air Soldiers, Wyverns, and Defenders. In a bamboo thicket in the Deep Jungle area, Power- and Bouncywilds. In the Plaza in Agrabah, the Bandit Heartless, both regular and fat variant, In the Calm Depths in the Atlantica are, Sheltering Zones, Sea Neons, and Aquatanks. In Oogie's Torture Chamber in the Halloween Town are, Search Ghosts, Gargoyles, and Wight Knights. And in the Galley in Neverland, Barrel Spiders and Pirates.
Notably, in Atlantica, we assumed our aquatic forms, me in my 'diving suit'. Of course, the girls took appropriate appearances. There, Ilsa's fur became sand-colored and light blue, there were dark green growths on her back and head, her ears were much larger, and her lower half has turned into an 'aquatic' tail. Her upper garments remained however. As for Florina, she was a mermaid, her tail goldenrod, and her seashell bra blue.
In Halloween Town, she was clad in a black catsuit from head to toe, and painted over it and her face were markings that would make her look like a skeleton. As for Ilsa, her appearance was now akin to a devil's. Some of her fur was now yellowish-white, she had black wings on her back, and her tail was now longer and devil-like as well.
After the Neverland pillar, the next one was a green pillar. And it took us to a bright empty meadow. There were no Heartless present, thankfully, and we took the time to rest. I handed everybody one paopu each to serve as a snack. To be honest, I was surprised I hadn't gone hungry or thirsty from all the fighting.
Once we have recuperated enough, we returned to the World Terminus, went to the next blue small light, and found ourselves in front of a red pillar, which I backed away from in fear of getting burned. However, it turned out to be a 'portal' just like the others. On crossing it, we found ourselves in a dark corridor with the Heartless emblem on one end, a portal on the other, and a teal door at one side. The architecture reminded us of Hollow Bastion, but we never actually been at this place.
We encountered Invisibles there, and while it took just a minute to be rid of them, it felt like longer. Once the last of them was done in, the teal door opened, not inward or outward, but like one of those sliding doors.
The room we entered contained a large, mysterious machine with a computer console and five capsules on it hooked up to a tank of unknown liquid. Red, orange and black voids of space dotted this area and the hall behind us. When we inspected the computer, we saw that it held a cryptic message:
Ones born of the heart and darkness, devoid of hearts, ravage all worlds and bring desolation.
Seize all hearts and consummate the great heart. All hearts to be one, one heart to encompass all.
Realize the destiny: the realm of Kingdom Hearts. The great darkness sealed within the great heart.
Progeny of darkness, come back to the eternal darkness.
For the heart of light shall unseal the path.
Seven hearts, one Keyhole, one key to the door.
The door of darkness, tied by two keys.
The door to darkness to seal the light.
None shall pass but shadows, returning to the darkness.
One born of the heart and darkness, hunger for every heart until the dark door opens.
Just as we finished reading, Invisibles appeared and attacked. "I'm getting tired of this dung…" Ilsa complained.
We finished them off faster than we did last time, even though they were the same number. Once that was done, Sora ran to the portal in the hall. We followed him and soon found ourselves back at the World Terminus. There was no blue light to take next.
"You think Ansem meant for us to go to all the worlds?" Sora asked. Gregorio just smacked him over top the head.
"The only way to find out is to ask him," humored Florina. "Except he won't tell us."
"Where to now?" wondered Donald.
"I think we have to go there," answered Goofy as he turned around and pointed at where the red pillar was.
We all followed his finger and saw that in place of the red pillar was a blue hole. Sora shrugged his shoulders and jumped in. We all followed suit, me holding onto Ilsa.
KHKHKHKHKH
We found ourselves floating in endless space, as if we had pixie dust. Even I was floating, and I felt my feet were light. Below and in front of us seemed to be a gigantic mountain, and something was rising from it.
"No way! Impossible!" Donald yelled as we got closer as that something began to take shape.
"Yeah! I thought the King banished him!" Goofy shouted in agreement.
"What is it?" the rest of us asked.
At the same time, the King's men answered: "Chernabog."
Chernabog was a gigantic, muscular, humanoid demon. His skin was entirely colored black, and he was so large that Ilsa was only slightly larger than his head, which sported two curved horns. He had four fangs in his mouth, glowing yellow eyes, and enormous, black, bat-like wings, which span larger than he was tall. He seemed to be trapped from the knees-down in the mountain.
"Let's take it down!" Donald flew forward.
"Yeah!" Sora shouted and followed quickly. Goofy shrugged and flew forward as well. One by one, everybody else followed suit, leaving me behind.
"Aw, hell," I said as I took out my scooter and got on, then went arter them. Even though I could technically fly without it, it was more like a means of "just-in-case" and self-comfort. It wasn't like a security blanket, mostly because I never had one and because I can and will help others with it.
If it wasn't obvious that Chernabog didn't want us here from the look on his face, it was now when he suddenly swiped out a large claw at us, which we managed to fly over. What he did next was let out a stream of fire—like we have never seen personally—from his mouth and straight at us. Sora and Donald immediately cast Aeroga on all of us and I cast Regen likewise. As for Ilsa, she moved to the front and cast Reflect.
The spell managed to divert the flames away from us, but when the flames faded, the Ixi was not looking good. she seemed to have cast it multiple times and have suffered damage in-between castings. I immediately cast Curaga on her, getting her back into shape. Sora approached her and used an Ether on her.
I could do nothing for her magic reserves though as we were not close enough to give her an Ether and I wasn't very confident in my throwing skills. Sora tossed the Keyblade forward in the form of a Strike Raid and it slammed right into Chernabog's chest. The demon noticed the attack, but didn't so much as flinch.
"Everybody, the head!" I said, hoping it would help. Thankfully, Florina and Yoris were already at it thanks to ranged weapons. Donald was already firing spells as well, mainly Blizzagas. Sora, Goofy, and Gregorio were swift to follow suit, closing in with their Keyblade, shield, and spear ("It's a javelin!"). Ilsa took a bit longer to recover before quaffing an Ether on her own, then charging forward.
Even as we doled out everything we could at Chernabog, even at the head he didn't seem to be affected by it. Maybe we were actually doing some damage, but the fact that Chernabog wasn't reacting at all made that just a "maybe". And that made us wonder if it was invincible.
Thankfully, it didn't seem to be that was as it began to hunch over. Okay! Either it's not invincible, or it knows how to fake doing so. No, must not think that way! Chernabog suddenly rose as if triumphant, causing the volcano he was in to erupt violently. Sora, Goofy, Ilsa, and Gregorio were caught in the blast, the damage dealt to them thankfully reduced by the Aeroga. Yoris, Florina, and I were spared from the attack, with Donald just barely in of the volcano's range and thankfully knocked outside it, but now we couldn't continue striking at Chernabog due to the eruption and could only wait for it to stop before we could resume attacking and start healing.
The moment it did, we cast Curaga, and the battle onward became pitifully routine. Chernabog does a fire breath, it hunches over before erupting the volcano, we dodge/endure and attack while it's doing this, rinse and repeat. Although it sometimes mixed things up a bit by blowing us away with its powerful wings, swiping its claws, and sometimes launching balls of ethereal energy or cosmic fire at us.
In then end, we finally prevailed, but at the cost of a good amount of healing items. Upon delivering the final blow, Chernabog screamed in pain before exploding in brilliant bright blue flames, taking most of the mountain with it. All that remained was the volcano, which was now extinct. With nowhere else to go and the way back sealed off, we all flew down into the crater, me hoping we would be transported to another place.
KHKHKHKHKH
We ended up in what appeared to be a stone hallway. The walls depicted disturbing images of worlds being destroyed, worlds that were familiar to be if only as a distant childhood memory. And the farther we walked, the worse the image got. Finally, we reached a pool of white energy on the floor and hopped in.
Upon emerging, we found ourselves inside a chamber with a glowing floor, the Heartless emblem on one wall…and a freaking Behemoth! I was glad we spent nearly all of our munny on healing items, for we used up quite a lot of them before finally defeating it…and the Darkballs, Invisibles, and Angel Stars. The second Ilsa pummeled the last Invisible with its own sword she stole, the Heartless Emblem was gone, revealing another portal.
"About time!" said the Ixi as she broke the sword with her knee and threw the pieces away as they vanished into darkness.
We all crossed the portal and found ourselves in a small tranquil 'room' that gave off an air of sanctuary. It had three little waterfalls that filled three small ponds. There was also a treasure chest, which contained a Megalixir. On the other side was a door, which we decided not to take yet. Since we figured this would be the last time for a long time we're gonna get a break, we decided to take one here.
"Whew! All this extended fighting can get your muscles sprained," said Ilsa as she washed her face with the water, after verifying that it was safe. It wasn't potable however. I happened to collapse on the floor, dead tired, breathing heavily as I lay on my side. I couldn't lay on my back because of the haversack. "Looks like one of us needs a lot of it."
"It's understandable, given his defensive and ranged fighting style," said Yoris. "Not much moving involved. Donald and I are ranged as well, but we move a lot as well, me because I don't have much in defense, and Donald because he also whacks foes with his staff."
"Hey."
Florina let out a sigh. "Just a few more, and the entire universe will be saved."
We waited for a couple more minutes, recuperating ourselves.
"Why don't we get something to eat?" I then suggested as I finally caught my breath, sat up, and took out paopus and shared them with everybody. Turns out I had enough to attempt to distribute it to plenty of worlds. "Might as well me our…last…"
"Last before we beat Ansem, that is," Sora corrected as he gave a smile and received his paopu. "We'll make it."
"Oh, I see what you're trying to do. Thanks, Sora. There's no way I can believe it's the end after Ansem. I still need to find a way for me to return to my home, as does every one of us."
"I agree," said Gregorio before taking a bite out of his fruit. "Like Kairi, Florina, Yoris, Windelle, and I don't know where we originally came from, but I bet it's a nice place."
I saw thoughtful expression form on Ilsa's face, as if she found something familiar about them. And then I wonder since when was I good at reading faces, because I certainly wasn't back home. And details weren't my strong point either, in fact I was quite clumsy and inattentive.
I hadn't the time to ponder more about this as Sora finished his paopu and went over to the door. Before he could open it, I could hear something. And judging by their reactions, so can Florina and Sora. It was very familiar.
"Huh?" wondered the Keybearer.
"What's wrong?" asked Donald as he finished his paopu as well.
"Don't you hear something? There!"
Careful. This is the last haven you'll find here. Beyond, there is no light to protect you. But don't be afraid. Your heart is the mightiest weapon of all. Remember, you are the one who will open the door to the light.
"I don't hear anything," said the court wizard.
"Strange... That voice was so familiar. Maybe it's just my imagination."
"Maybe you'd better take a rest!"
"What did the voice say?" Florina asked.
Sora relayed what he heard and she and I gasped in response.
"That's what I heard too!" we both said. The two of us then turned to each other upon realizing we spoke simultaneously. "Really?"
"But why didn't we hear it?" wondered Goofy.
"Perhaps it has something to do with this," Florina suggested as she summoned her RefLuxGun.
"But why the Keyblade AND the Guns of Light?" I mused as I got up. "Is there some sort of connection between them? Or are they both connected to the same thing?"
"No way of knowing with what we know so far from Ansem's Report. Maybe if we survive this, we can try finding answers."
"I guess… Let me just swap my Power Orbs." It took a minute. "All right. Let's go."
Sora grabbed the door handles and pulled them open. Beyond was…the cave Sora, Florina, and I were in where we saw Kairi vanish. The "Secret Place".
"It can't be." Sora made a mad dash to get out of the cave.
"Sora!" Goofy yelled and we all ran after him, only to meet a blinding light that could only come from the sun. We must've been indoor for longer than I thought. When our vision returned, we all save Goody, Ilsa, and Donald gaped at what we saw.
nightelf37: Aaand I decided to pause my story here. I figured I needed to do this so I can rest a bit more. I AM also working on Shisno Chronicles: Friendship is Magic, after all. Next chapter will herald the end of Kingdom Hearts Remake 1: Retcon Version. Huh. No new journal entries this time. See ya on Third!