Here we go, the last chapter of my fantastic wonderful arc that was so nicely given to me by Chairman Lonestar. This was my favorite part ot write because the fight is totally epic. But, I'm talking too much.

I don't own Kingdom Hearts. DAMMIT! Chairman Lonestar was kind enough to let me borrow his characters.

Enjoy, my favorite reader.

Haji had unleashed untold devastation to the world. The land they trudged along was dead in every sense of the word. The Keyblades that had been used as a weapon against the huge Birth now were driven into the ground, like headstones. It was a graveyard. Nothing more.

Asmuth looked at the fallen warrior's weapons. They had grayed, stripped of color from their lack of connection. They Keyspirits themselves had died, and there was no bringing them back. Soriku could feel their pain, though she could not seem to put it into words. The only ground that was not covered in the dead Keyblades was a path that stretched in the cardinal directions.

To the north, the broken spires of Arceo could be seen, jagged against the sky. The huge coils of the Birth that Haji had wounded shifted, but did nothing more than that. To the south, the remnants of the holes in the world's barrier were swirling about. The barrier itself was pulsing red, trying to stitch itself back together, but there was something wrong. To the east, lay the untouched sanctity of rolling fields leading to the farthest mountains. And to the west, lay the path to Xaltis.

Kalin and Talis supported each other. The lack of connection to their brother affected them greatly. They seemed empty, devoid of life. They did not converse with Asmuth or Soriku. They avoided eye contact and sighed repeatedly.

Soriku leaned into Asmuth. "We need to help them. We have to save Xaltis. This is our fault."

Asmuth turned to her. "It is not our fault. We had no idea that the Births would want us that badly. But, I agree with you. We need to help. Their world was destroyed because of Haji. It would rest heavy on my conscious if we did not help to right what we have wronged."

Soriku nodded. "I just wish we knew about this before hand. Then we probably could have not come to this world. We have done so much harm."

Asmuth hugged her to him. "It's okay. Don't cry."

Soriku wiped the tears away. "I can't help it. We are just destroying everything we see. Traverse Town. Japan. Krystahl…I just…can't help it."

Asmuth hugged her tighter. "We will fix this. Kingdom Hearts will fix everything. We are almost there."

Soriku whimpered. "I wish Sora was here. He would help us."

Asmuth pulled away. "Sora?"

Soriku wiped the last of her tears away. "Yeah, he came to me in a dream. I think he might be alive somewhere."

Asmuth gasped. "When did this happen?"

A loud swoosh interrupted them. A swirling mass of tentacles crashed down, wriggling violently. The stray tendrils trailed behind it and reached for them as soon as the rock debris had settled. They were tipped with a sludge that was purple in color and smelled rancid.

Kalin had pushed Talis out of the way. The tendrils reached for them, but as soon as they were an arms breadth away, they drilled them selves into the ground. Talis could feel the tendrils anchor under his feet. The mass of squirming flesh trembled and released a haze of white fog. The fog thickened into an almost solid form.

Asmuth observed this wide-eyed. "Oh my God." He muttered.

Soriku gasped. "What is it?"

"RUN!"

Asmuth ran as fast as he could as the white fog spread thick along the ground. He grabbed Soriku's arm, jumping over Talis and Kalin. They quickly followed, barely making it a few feet ahead of the fog. Talis summoned Knight's Absolution and took a deep breath.

"Areora!"

A huge column of wind swept across the field of fog, taking it high into the air. As it spun in the windy vortex, it formed into a slender body. A Birth. It was huge, winding it way up. It spread out four thick legs, each ending in a cocoon like hoof. The hoof glowed white and a Xaltis clone fell out. It jumped to its feet and raced after them, a strange sword like claw in place of its hand. Kalin and Talis stopped and turned.

"Brother!" They both cried.

Asmuth used a Magnet spell to pull them out of the way, just as the Xaltis clone smashed into the ground, trying to slice them up. Clone Xaltis picked himself up and leapt after them. Talis deflected its attack and parried a quick jab. Kalin summoned his own weapon, wanting to fight as well, but Talis pushed him away.

"This is my fight." Talis growled. "He wants me. Go find the real Xaltis. He's going to be at the Citadel. I'll meet you there."

Kalin nodded and made his way to the edges of their world. As they progressed, they encountered more and more horrible versions of Xaltis. They were losing limbs and parts of him were being replaced by the body parts of multiple humans. They were stark white. The infections from the reattached limbs were obvious, oozing green and red pus. The cloned Births were snarling beasts, attacking blindly, trying to pass whatever disease it was they carried. Asmuth crushed them with simple magic spells. To him, they were not that smart, for he barely broke a sweat defeating them, though there were so many.

Soriku stayed close to Asmuth, striking down whatever could manage to pass by Asmuth's magic. They fell easily, their bodies decayed quickly, leaving half rotten corpses strewn over the land. Asmuth smiled triumphantly as he took down the weak Births.

"This is too easy," Asmuth said. He stood near the body of the last Xaltis Clone they had encountered. "It was almost as if they…wanted to be…defeated…" He trailed off.

"Asmuth!" Soriku cried. "Watch out!"

Both she and Kalin tried in vain to push Asmuth away from a Birth tendril that had slithered near his foot. It reared behind him and lashed out. Asmuth saw it out of the corner of his eye and rolled out of the way. He made it with only a cut on his arm. The cut healed instantly, but a dark red number remained.

Asmuth grabbed his wound. It burned although there was no physical indication that there was something wrong. Asmuth howled and looked at the number. It had previously been in the upper seven thousands, but it was counting down. Soriku touched the numbers and was shocked.

"What is it?"

Asmuth analyzed the numbers quickly before sighing. "It the number of seconds until I die."

"NO!"

"We can fix it," Kalin said. "When Xaltis is back to normal, we can take a look."

"How long do you have?"

Asmuth glanced at the numbers again. "A little over two hours."

Soriku grit her teeth. "I am so sick of not being able to help my friends."

"It's okay…"

Soriku turned angrily. "No it's not okay. If I could use magic…"

A dark blur rushed past her. Kalin felt Talis's presence. He called his brother and raced after the magic-propelled warrior. Kalin could feel his hurt. He knew the end was near. They were quickly approaching the Shadow Graveyard. Kalin looked at the purposefully placed slabs of rock. They were lighter in color, but projected horrifying images of struggle onto the panel like path leading to the broken Citadel.

Kalin looked around. Fire sprang up, and the embers of battle were hot on his flesh. The hair on his neck rose. He remembered this. It was long ago. Xaltis was behind it. He just wasn't himself back then. He was betraying his people, his country, and his brothers. He destroyed everything that confronted him.

"No!" Kalin cried, sinking to his knees. "Xaltis, stop!"

Then the illusion faded. They were alone. Talis limped from behind an upright panel. Kalin looked up, wiping the stinging tears of his memories away. He almost reached his brother when Soriku stopped him.

"No." she said with blind determination. "I'll fight him. You will get hurt. He's not normal."

Soriku took a step forward. She spun Diamond Dust and Gullwing expertly, suddenly coming over with a crystal blue eye color. Her hair ruffled with an invisible wind, and she slid into a battle stance. Talis smiled maliciously and forgot his limp as he raced forward, crying insanely.

"I will take you!"

Soriku huffed and, with inhuman speed, swung Gullwing to deflect Knight's Absolution. No sooner had Talis reeled back, did he swing around and strike again. Soriku matched his moves exactly. Every step was countered, every strike parried. Soriku demonstrated her best technique, not faltering at all. She had gained much experience during her rigorous training with Talis. Now she was attempting to overcome someone who was twice as experienced.

Talis clashed with Soriku. She reasoned with him. Pleading for him to return to them. When he would remain silent and thrash about, she would roll out of the way. He sent raging jets if fire at her, and she split the column, remembering the same dying feeling she had felt when she had endured Haji's training. She closed her eyes, concentrating on her physical strength. He wished desperately for the ability to use magic. She felt it would have come in handy, especially when a blood curling laughed echoed off the broken panels of the Shadow Graveyard.

"This is funny," Xaltis exclaimed from above. "You have been fighting for all the wrong reasons, Keybarer."

Xaltis was barely recognizable. Though there was no ground for him to stand on, he was hunched over like a snarling beast. Many extra arms protruded from his back. His teeth over extended. They curled up and over, like horns. His eyes were still black with the white pupil, but a round red symbol was glowering at them.

Soriku knocked Talis away. "You will never convert me."

Xaltis laughed. "You would think so. Just look at your friend."

Soriku fought with Talis as she stole quick glances at Asmuth, who appeared much younger. She kicked Talis and jumped to Asmuth. "What's wrong?"

Asmuth looked up at her. His stature had shortened considerably. "I'm getting younger. I can feel it. My brain is losing its thoughts. I can't remember what it is we're doing here."

Soriku noticed the numbers on his arm were much lower then they had been before. "Can't you read the—"

Talis had grabbed her leg before she could finish. He whipped her around and tossed her into the air, where Xaltis slammed her with his smoky wings. She crashed into the panels and lay still. Kalin jumped to his feet, but was swiftly overcome by his two power-hungry brothers. He tried to keep Xaltis away from Talis. He protected Talis with every fiber of his being, though Talis, too, attacked him.

"Snap out of it, Talis." Kalin cried as he weakly deflected Talis's violent outbursts. "Remember me? I'm on your side."

Talis remained silent and collided with Kalin. Kalin, with renewed strength, stopped Talis in his tracks. "Look at me!"

Talis glared at him. For a long time, they didn't move. Soriku sat up groggily, and Asmuth watched her, but did not rush to her aid. Soriku motioned for him to come to her, but Asmuth refused. Instead, she limped over to him.

"Asmuth…"

"Get away from me!" Asmuth screamed. His voice had lost all its wisdom. It was nasally and prepubescent.

Soriku was heartbroken. "Asmuth…"

"I don't know you." And he fled.

"TALIS!" Kalin roared.

Talis pushed against his brother for only a moment longer before he lost faith and collapsed. Kalin knelt beside him.

"Kalin!" Talis screamed, tears rolling down his cheeks. "I…can't…stop it! They have him! He's d-dead!"

Kalin hugged his brother close. "We can save him, Talis. Have faith."

"No!" Talis wailed. "He's gone! They…have his mind…I saw it with my own eyes. He's…gone, Kalin. They took him!"

Soriku stood, struggling with the weight of her weapons. She sorely hoped she would be able to handle Xaltis by herself. This time, there was no Roxel or Asmuth to help her. She was alone. Except for Talis and Kalin.

Soriku closed her eyes. "What would Sora do?"

Let the light take you.

Soriku opened her eyes. Before her stood Sora, in the flesh. Or in a dream or memory, she didn't really care. Sora winked at her.

Let the light take you to your final destination. Let it guide you.

Sora then smiled so warmly, Soriku thought her heart would break. He then faded, a white wispy light taking his place. It hovered for only a moment, before covering Soriku in its inviting envelope. Soriku only admired the light feeling she felt, until her mind was torn from her body.

We are now one, you and I. I will help you, as a last gift to Haji. He had bestowed it upon you.

Soriku's conscious couldn't handle what was happening. Sora had shielded her from the pain. "Why?"

To redeem himself.

Outside Soriku's fusing state of mind, she had become fully possessed by Sora. She had shed the red clothing of Valor Form, and was then cloaked in the luxurious and angelic robes of silver and white. Gullwing and Diamond Dust floated gently behind her like folded wings and a crown appeared atop her head. Her brown hair grew short and defied gravity, forming into lightly ruffled spikes. Her former eye color had swirled into bright blue, and her firm scowl changed into Sora's.

Sora was ready for battle. In Final Form.

"Time to end this," Sora said. His body hovered above the huge stone slabs.

Xaltis laughed hollowly. "Oh, Sora! How nice of you to return to us."

"I'm not returning." Sora yelled. "Just doing a favor for an old friend."

Xaltis smiled, summoning the black blade with the white pupil. "Let's dance, Leviathan."

Sora launched himself at Xaltis, Gullwing and Diamond Dust opening up behind him. As Sora closed the distance between them, the two Keyblades spun around, dealing deafening blows to Xaltis, who could barely keep. Xaltis clashed with Gullwing, but was knocked out of his cocky hover by Diamond Dust. Sora flew around him and flipped over Xaltis, hitting him with a huge let of white fire that erupted from his palms. Xaltis was forced several feet into the stone, Sora exerting more and more power as he, too, descended, crushed Xaltis farther down. Talis stood and ran to the gouge in the earth as Sora stopped just above the hole.

"You did it," Talis whispered.

"No," Sora said solemnly. "He's only been hit once."

Talis used his magic to float along Sora as the earth rumbled beneath his feet. Xaltis rose from the crater, smoking angrily. He seemed more intimidating as he spread his arms and the coils of the huge Birth stretched out and began to wrap around the Citadel, creating a cage.

"Kalin!" Talis shouted over the roar of the monster. "Protect Asmuth!"

Kalin nodded and raced off. He knew he was not nearly powerful enough to face Xaltis, let alone the bellowing monster that had been invited to the battlefield. He raced up to the threshold of the Citadel, keeping a look out for a young child, as he was sure Asmuth was much younger than the last time he had seen him.

Talis turned back to Xaltis.

Xaltis trembled with whatever power that the Birth was giving him. "Oh, great Leviathan, help me destroy these weaklings. Let me use your power. Give me life!"

Talis floated closer to Sora, fearing the slabs of stone as they rose into a zero gravity sub-world. Xaltis wasted no time in attacking. His power was so immense, it crackled off him in sprouts of fire and bursts of lightning. He snarled, ice swirling from his mouth. He was a force unstoppable by either Sora or Talis. The most Sora could do was cast a spell to attempt to dull the pain.

"Reflega!"

Sora allowed the magic to encompass him and Talis, as well as extending his power to Kalin and Asmuth, no matter where they were. Sora crossed his Keyblades, but he was still thrown back. He spun around, tossing Gullwing at Xaltis and swinging it like whip, successfully connecting with his target.

Xaltis was unfazed. He pulled on Gullwing, drawing Sora closer. Talis cast an Areo spell, but it did nothing to distract Xaltis. Xaltis held his hand out towards Talis and cast a solid chain of ice blocks. They moved with unnatural fluidity. They swiveled out of the way of any attack that Talis attempted.

Sora took this opportunity to deal hundreds of blows on end. He just kept going, not letting up, though his muscles began to ache. He slowed, realizing that he was harming Soriku's body by moving so fast. He pulled back and dropped almost to the ground, healing himself with Cura. Talis skated on the ice blocks as they turned to encase him in a prison. He cracked the blocks with Knight's Absolution, but Xaltis could see the toll his fighting was taking on his Keyblade. Knight's Absolution wasn't going to last much longer.

Talis realized this as well and took to dodging Xaltis's attacks rather than parrying them with his own blade. His Keyblade just couldn't take it. He darted up, hoping that Xaltis would follow. When he didn't, Talis veered around and crashed head on into Xaltis. Xaltis stopped him with Leviathan.

"You will never be able to defeat me, Talis," Xaltis sneered.

"You need to snap out of it, Xaltis!"

Xaltis pushed Talis away, who immediately slammed back into him. "This isn't you, brother."

"You are no brother of mine," Xaltis growled. "Thundaga!"

Talis hid his head as lightning split the stone slabs to get to him. Sora flew into the way, taking in the full spell. He fizzled and fell, succumbing to gravity. Just as he was about to hit the ground, he regained his senses and rose. He twisted, dealing a single bone crushing blow to the back of Xaltis's head.

Xaltis whipped around, casting a Blizzard at Talis and crossing blades with Sora. "You will not control me."

Sora pushed back with as much force as he could muster. "You need to listen to me."

"I'll kill you first." Xaltis hissed. His voice was becoming more and more demonic.

Sora looked up at the Leviathan Birth. "He can not harm you. You can be free. You need to decide for yourself that you want freedom. I know he tricked you."

"Shut up."

"He tricked you, but you don't have to stay with him. You can leave." Sora said. "You need to remember what it is you love most. You need to remember."

Xaltis forced him away. "I know I've been kicked to the sidelines. I've been abandoned. Talis left me!"

Talis hovered near Sora. He was weak. Neither he nor Knight's Absolution could take another attack if Xaltis decided to use magic. Sora looked at him and nodded. Talis nodded back, though he wasn't quite sure what his partner was thinking.

Sora sighed. "Then, we'll just have to make a sacrifice." He held out a hand to Talis.

Talis was reluctant to take it. He thought Sora meant that he would have to sacrifice himself, or worse, Soriku, but he trusted the fierce twinkle in his eye, and took his hand. Sora rocketed up towards the underbelly of the Leviathan Birth. Talis collected the last of his magic. He could feel the magic siphoning off of Sora. They were about to do the unthinkable.

"Asmuth!" Sora cried. "Read your text!"

Asmuth, who had heard Sora call his name, searched for the book he knew he needed. He couldn't remember why he needed it so badly, but he happened upon it. To his horror, a Wyrm Birth slithered from the shadows. Kalin destroyed it, and picked Asmuth up. Asmuth was now the age of a child, just barely learning how to read.

"There isn't much time!" Sora called as he and Talis got closer.

Kalin picked up The Book of Retribution and handed to Asmuth. "Quickly." He muttered.

Asmuth flipped the book open. Most of the words were foreign. He had to find to single page he could still read. He flipped faster as Sora called his name again. Kalin held his blade to the sky. The tip glowed, ready to release the magic. Time slowed. Asmuth finally reached the last page. He cleared his throat and read slowly.

To the south wind, a great and terrible serpent would arise. The Leviathan, whose blood would heal the broken, and flesh feed the strong. He would be crafted of the torn soul of a warrior whose destiny was tampered with by the first of many. And though he would live forever, he would not be able to resist the one whose very soul constructed his being. And he would fall before the summoning of the Bahamut.

At that moment, all the Keyblades in Hikari Lux Lucis glowed with the brightest light one could describe, and blasted through the darkness cast by the Leviathan, piercing the clouds and dividing them into a lake of blue crystal. Thunder clapped and a chorus of heavenly angels descended.

Then, a head.

A dragon, similar to the size of the twisting Leviathan Birth clawed from the heavens, roaring so loud, the barrier of the world shattered and spread into The Unknown World again. Eyes so angry, the land shivered in fear and cracked in cowardice. The Keyblade Graveyard trembled as the dead blades buried themselves further into the ground. And it began to separate. It tore away from its mother world to form its own.

The Bahamut roared again, dragging itself downward, tearing through the Leviathan with ease. The seas beyond the Citadel churned in horror, too afraid to rest easy. It, too, tore away, taking with it, a great castle with two main towers and high mountains. The sea overflowed into space, creating another world.

The Bahamut squeezed the life from the Leviathan, ripping its flesh and spraying the blood over the broken world. But, still it was not dead. The Bahamut wrestled with it, exerting the power of an otherworldly god, as it tried to kill the massive Birth. The Leviathan resisted, coiling around the dragon and constricting.

The Bahamut roared, using its magic to rip Hikari Lux Lucis from the hands of The Unknown World. It thrashed about, dismantling the Leviathan, but still not killing it. It soon began to fade. It raked its claws for as long as it could until it faded away and the clouds pressed together again.

Asmuth grew younger, now just a crying baby. Sora launched Talis up and vaulted over him, plunging Diamond Dust and Gullwing, using both hands and crying fiercely. Talis landed on Xaltis's back, and drove Knight's Absolution into the small of his back, tearing the smoke like wings from his body. The wings flapped away. The wings, themselves were Births, and they faded away as Sora ripped through them. He orbited around the falling body of The Leviathan, shredding it into barely recognizable pieces.

As they fell, Talis hugged his brother close. "Xaltis!"

Xaltis didn't move. Kalin used his magic to catch his brothers before they crashed into the earth. He lowered them gently, rocking them back and forth as he rocked Asmuth. Sora spread his arms wide, casting the remainder of his immense magic reserve to destroy the Leviathan forever. The whole world was consumed in light. The curdling shriek of the Leviathan echoed across the skies, killing any Births that had survived the war, and restoring the citizens of Hikari Lux Lucis to their former glory. It reached for Xaltis in a last attempt to keep his mind, but it relinquished that as well.

Sora smiled softly.

Tell Haji…

Soriku woke from her stupor. Her body ached and she could barely think, but she caught the last words Sora would ever speak to a living being.

I miss him.

And he was gone.

Soriku cried silently, not having enough strength to really cry. She landed in soft dirt, and heard the far away voices of Roxel. She could hear the shrill calls of Carla and Shania. The laughter of Raina, and the shallow breathing of Xaltis. Then, she heard the familiar tone of Asmuth. She cracked an eye and saw that he was back to normal, but he still rubbed his arm where the numbers had been.

She then fell asleep.

Xaltis stood on a stained glass platform. It was shrouded in darkness, but it was revealed when a thousand doves flew away, cooing softly.

"Where am I?"

You are free.

Xaltis growled at the voice. "I don't trust you."

Do not fear. You are safe. All has been forgiven. You may now start your journey.

Xaltis gasped as three pedestals rose before him. Without Talis.

Now, wasn't that a lovely end? Though the arc really doesn't finish until the next chapter, I thought this would be a good drop point. Ijust have to tie up a few loose ends before we move on to the Heretic. I'm going to like this one too, but nevertheless, a filler chapter may be next. I feel like I've left you in the dark for long enough.

Has a nice day. :)