To reviewers of chapter 23 and others:
DarkBombayAngel: Thanks. Here's the next chapter.
Negative-Girl: It is rather obvious that Sora was going to die, right? Haha. Thanks for your compliments.
posideon49: No problem. I'm just glad you like the story.
Konata15: Thanks for the review. To answer your question, Nobodies are trained in everything involving their Somebodies: protection and shadowing is their main priority, but they would have been trained to pleasure their Somebodies as well, albeit it's not emphasized as much. As for the relationship between Riku, Kairi, and Naminé, I might explore it in a sidestory after this story is completed since it's so close to the end. I will have to say that their backstory started months before Sora met Roxas.
crazylady73196: I'm glad you like the story. Of course Sora and Roxas will have a happy ending, at least as far as happy endings go, hehe.
KanaPetrsr323: Thank you for the reviews. I find that being descriptive about everything makes it easier to visualize what I see too. Unfortunately (well, not really), it has the effect of making my stories long. But, at least it's not boring prose, or I'd slap myself, XD.
Sylver: Oh, I didn't forget. I had full intentions to complete this fic. It's just taken a lot longer than I wanted to, ack.
Chelsea619: Well, here's the update. Hope you didn't "die" too much waiting to find out what happens in the end, haha.
Sayuri-Suzuki95: Thanks for all the reviews. I hope you'll enjoy this one too.
Recap: When Sora started his world tour, he never thought the world's future would depend on his successes and failures against the Heartless. His brief time in the realm of the Heartless only further impressed the importance of his triumphs over the army of Darkness led by Xehanort. Yet, it was with his death in Macalania that signaled the beginning of the end for this centuries' old conflict. Now, it was up to Roxas to find his way and finish what Sora started, fulfilling his deceased Somebody's destiny. The end is near. Is Roxas ready for it?
Chapter 24 – Nascent Requiem
It took them no longer than an hour to pack up their things and leave the family home.
As they began heading towards the underground passage leading to Twilight Town Proper, Aqua couldn't help but stop and look back at the three-storied building; the dirty beige stucco that once covered the entirety of the building was chipped away by rain and snow, exposing the orange bricks underneath.
She remembered her father talking for years about restoring the exterior of the house, but never managed to carry out his plans. He simply wasn't able to recreate the ancient stucco. Not to mention he would never have been able to capture the years of dirt and grime that accumulated within the cracks of the stuccoed wall, which added to the reverent aura the house emanated.
"Aqua?" Roxas called out to his sister when he didn't hear her footsteps behind him. He turned and approached her, watching with concern while noting the distant look in her sapphire blue eyes as she lost herself in the memories of her life. "Are you alright?"
Her eyes refocused on the building in front of her, but she didn't turn to regard her brother. "Just remembering," she answered. "I have a feeling that this will be the last time I see this house."
"It's okay though," she continued, finally turning to look at Roxas in the eye. "Even though the house might be gone, I still have the memories in my heart.
She smiled fondly at the old house. "As long as we have these memories, we can rebuild our house."
"Home is where the heart is, after all," Riku interjected with a grin. Aqua laughed before slapping him on his shoulder playfully.
"So clichéd," she laughed.
"But so true," Roxas pointed out with a smile.
"So it is," Aqua nodded in agreement. She allowed herself another moment to look at the house before she turned in the direction of Twilight Town Proper. "Come on, let's get going."
It was a quiet trip through the Underground Walkway to the town square. The Twilight Town army had corralled the rest of the citizens who wished to remain with their beloved nation to the royal castle deep within the Old Forest. And it was within the Old Forest that the soldiers trained, patrolled, and steeled themselves from the inevitable invasion from the horde of Darkness.
There was nothing else to do but to wait.
As the trio exited the underground path, they looked about the empty metropolis with a mix of sadness and caution.
"You know, I never noticed how empty Twilight Town is now," Riku commented before he continued on the way back to the castle.
"Just another battle the Heartless have won," Aqua sighed. The silver-haired prince frowned.
"You're right," he said. "The fact that we've had to change our way of life to prepare for the future battles…"
"But at least people will still live," Roxas argued with a shake of his head. "This might be just a small win for the Heartless, but it's only temporary. Fear of the Heartless won't last forever. Until the Darkness has swallowed our world, this war is not over. When we win, people will come back and this place will be as busy as it has ever been."
Aqua smiled at her brother's explanation. He was right; they had to stay optimistic in this time of deepening darkness. If they didn't, then the Darkness has already won.
"Let's keep going," Riku said.
"Yeah," the blue-haired woman nodded.
They continued on through the Town Center, abandoned shops and empty houses met their sight wherever their eyes went. Still, they had faith that Light will triumph over Darkness and they will reclaim this world that teetered on the edge of oblivion.
They had just passed underneath one of the several bridges linking Twilight Town's many buildings when they came to a stop, their ears picking up a shrill whistling in the air.
"What's that sound?" Aqua asked, knitting her brows as she tried to figure out the source of the sound.
Roxas turned his eyes upward and searched the skies, looking for anything out of the ordinary. His ice blue eyes widened with surprise at the sight of a red glowing object headed straight for them at a high speed.
"Get down!" he cried, pushing Aqua down onto the ground. The flaming object crashed into the bridge they had just passed, sending debris to fall onto the pathway underneath. As soon as the dust settled, the blonde quickly jumped up, pulling his sister up with him.
"Move, move!" he urged quickly, driving Riku and Aqua towards the unguarded gate to the Old Forest. Another fireball crashed into a building to their left, creating a hole within the wall while bits and pieces of broken brick and concrete fell onto the path.
The whistles continued as fireballs rained down upon the empty town. Roxas dared a glance behind him, frowning at the trail of destruction where they had passed. Was it a coincidence that all the damages appear to occur around them?
He stopped at the gilded gates leading into the Old Forest and sharply turned, summoning Lost Memory and Sora's Ultima Weapon as he did so. Holding the Lost Memory Keyblade in a backward manner, the blonde waved his arms about in a circular motion and spun around twice as a fireball came crashing down toward him. He deflected the path of the fireball and sent it back where it came from.
His ears twitched as they picked up the sounds of rapid footsteps. He frowned with narrowed eyes at the appearance of a legion of Midgarian soldiers marching towards them.
"Riku, go tell your soldiers," Aqua said to the younger teen as she summoned the Oathkeeper and joined her brother at the gateway. "They have to know!"
"Right," the prince said, mildly torn between duty to his country and the desire to protect his friends. While he knew that both were capable fighters, he couldn't help but worry for them even as he ran deeper into the forest to notify his family and subjects.
"Kill them!" bellowed the leader of the soldiers. His troops let out a battle cry and readied their own weapons for battle.
"May you find peace in the Promised Land," Aqua said softly. He took a brief glance at the blue-haired woman, giving her a reassuring smile as she nodded grimly in understanding.
Without another word, Aqua and Roxas quickly engaged their enemies in the open plaza in front of unguarded gate. Their Keyblades hummed proudly in the air as they cut through ranks of enemies, felling foes left and right at the two Keyblade wielders' feet.
The leader of the foolish legion was the first to fall, an expression of utter shock upon his face as the man fell onto the ground. He had clearly underestimated the capabilities of the blue-haired woman when she struck him down in one blow.
As more men fell under the wrath of the two superior fighters, the remaining few paused in their decision to continue the thoughtless assault and dropped their weapons, running back in the direction they had marched from.
"Seems too few to carry out an invasion," Aqua frowned, watching the cowards run away like chickens with their heads cut off.
"Midgar probably sent them to confirm that Twilight Town would be easy pickings," Roxas commented, breathing a brief sigh when the rain of fire ceased. Yet, the damage was done as buildings collapsed and continued burning throughout the Town Proper.
"Think Xehanort's with them?" she asked.
"I don't know, Aqua. I don't know." He turned around to look at the Old Forest, largely untouched by the rain of fire. But he knew that it was only a matter of time before the enemy returned with greater forces to take the palace.
The ground shook underneath their feet as the artillery barrage resumed upon the abandoned metropolis.
From the balcony in his room, Riku watched with anger, frustration, and a hint of despair at the destruction of his beloved town. Red, orange, and brown bricked buildings burned amongst the widespread devastation of the town. Not even the grand clock tower was safe from the barrage as smoke billowed into the cloud-covered sky from the holes that riddled the orange-colored building.
Over the thunderous booms, he could barely make out the barbaric war song being belted in a drunken fashion. His heart ached as the proud flag of Twilight Town was torn down from the top of the clock tower, replaced by the grotesque version of the Midgarian flag under the joint rule of Heidegger and Scarlet.
His country was getting defiled and there was nothing he could do about it.
"Riku," his mother's voice came as she stepped into the room looking for her son. "Coral is here. Time for you to go."
The silver-haired teen didn't even turn to look at his mother.
Quietly, the blond-haired queen approached her son and held him gently while resting her chin on his shoulder. She looked at the same scenery that her son was looking at with equal melancholy, but a hope lingered within, fueled by the knowledge that as long as her people lived, her kingdom was not lost.
Her son seemed to have a different belief.
"Was it alright to let them take the town without opposition?" Riku asked grimly, his eyes never straying from the destruction that continued. "We should have at least attempted to save our capital."
"There is no point to let good men die so needlessly, Riku," answered the queen soothingly, raising one hand to caress his silvery hair. "Would you let your soldiers die if death is guaranteed while success is impossible?"
There was a time when she missed the brilliant golden hair upon her son's head, the yellow hue reminding her of the bright yellow sun that graced the skies of Trabia when she had attended the academy there. Now, the silvery-blue hue of her son's hair reflected the white moon that graced the skies of Twilight Town on an annual basis, the focal point of their autumnal festival.
"But remaining in the forest doesn't mean we can hold them off either!" Riku exclaimed, whipping around to look at his mother, her violet eyes boring into his aqua blue with curiosity. "We have barely ten thousand men in the castle and the forest around us while they have perhaps ten times, maybe even 100 times the numbers we do!"
To his surprise, the queen smiled. "Listen to what you've just said, my son," she caressed the side of his face with the back of her fingers. "That is exactly the reason why we cannot face our enemies directly. Being in the forest gives us an advantage that our enemy doesn't have. Our men know all the secrets of the forest; they do not.
"Besides," she faced the township, leaning against the granite railing that bordered the balcony, "all we would be doing is delaying our enemies."
Riku's eyes widened in alarm. "What?" He grasped onto his mother's shoulders to turn her towards him, searching her face for answers. "What do you mean by that?"
"While the enemy focuses its attention on Twilight Town, you and your friends will go to the End of the World and put an end to all of this. Even if Twilight Town falls, Radiant Garden and Destiny Islands will stand against Xehanort's allies. We can no longer remain on the defensive, Riku. We have to fight back before all is lost."
"How do we know that Xehanort wouldn't be the one leading the enemy forces?"
"He knows he can't stay away from the doorway now," his mother answered with a soft smile. "The fact that Roxas is back without Ventus tells him that at least Ventus the Youngest knows how to permanently sever the link; he will do everything in his power to keep these two worlds connected."
"So it's a race against time, huh?" sighed Riku.
"Of course," smiled his mother. "Now, go join Aqua and Roxas in the throne room. It's time for you to begin the final leg of your quest."
"Stay safe, mom," the teen embraced his mother tightly.
"Don't worry, Riku," the queen only answered, returning the embrace lovingly. She gave him another smile and watched him run out of the room to his destination. The smile fell from her face as she turned to look at the conflagration of her city.
Closing her eyes and lowering her head, she covered her heart with her hands to pray. "Forgive me, my lord Terranu," she whispered mournfully. "I could not save your kingdom."
"We'll be leaving within the next day or two," Coral said as she led the three newly arrived through the busy castle of Destiny Islands. Throughout the main island, the usual bustle and hustle was replaced with a sense of emergency; windows were boarded up, rationed foods were handed out by the servants of the castle, weapons were stockpiled near the gate should a citizen of the Islands require arms to protect his or her own family.
They entered into the throne room, where Queen Shizune sat upon the only throne at the other end of the room—Sora's own personal chair had been removed with his death. Roxas stopped just beyond the threshold, frozen with guilt when his eyes discovered the haggard look upon the aging queen's face.
The once brilliant raven hair of the queen streaked with gray was flat and dry, no longer shining even under the flickering lights of the chandelier. The lines at the corners of her eyes and lips seemed deeper and more numerous than the last time he remembered truly seeing her, before Sora sent him to Twilight Town. Her amethyst eyes shone with grief in losing her husband and her son in less than six months. Even she wondered if she was having a nightmare at times, that when she wakes up, Noctis would laugh at her for her wild imagination and Sora would share the same sentiment, but try not to laugh out of love for his mother.
The guilt of his failure gnawed within Roxas but the old queen seemed not to notice as the captain of her guards continued his report.
"Roxas?" Aqua asked, looking at her brother with confusion; the blonde did not respond.
At that exact moment, Queen Shizune took her eyes off of her captain and onto the pale-haired boy that had been her son's shadow. She gasped at seeing him and quickly stood up from the throne, making her way to the clearly distraught teen.
The boy's face flushed red when the queen embraced him tightly, crushing him against her own bosom. He didn't dare return the embrace in public, reminding himself that he will remain Sora's Nobody until the day when Queen Shizune formally announces him as Sora's heir.
"I'm glad you're okay," she said to him. "I know you did your best to protect my son."
"I was rash, your Majesty," Roxas immediately replied, just as softly as the queen. "My lapse in judgment allowed Xehanort to-"
"I know you love him, Roxas," she whispered, "just as much as he loved you." She pulled away to look at him again, her eyes reflecting the sorrows she shared with Roxas in their mutual loss. "That's why you are so hard on yourself."
The teen looked downward to hide his tears while Queen Shizune simply watched, unable to cry after weeks of tears between the deaths of her loved ones. "When I married Noctis," she said softly to him, "we had always believed that one of Ventus's line will eventually die without an heir, ending this curse."
The blonde looked up at the woman in surprise. He hadn't expected Sora's mother to come to the same conclusion as the Chasers; since she wasn't a direct descendant of the Three, she would have no part in the finale after all.
"We were too naïve," she sighed, shaking her head in bitterness. "We never believed that the Nameless Key would only be free to spread terror through our world. Now that we know, was Sora's death all in vain?"
"His death wasn't in vain," Coral interjected, the stony expression upon her face masking the turbulent emotions within. "We knew the Key had to be freed in order for us to force it back to the place it originated from. We simply didn't know how… at least, not in a way that would ensure Sora's survival." The green-haired Chaser swallowed down a lump in her throat, willing herself to remain composed. "Sora's death only marked the beginning of the end of the era of the Heartless."
"And it was Xehanort who caused it," remarked Aqua. "I guess he didn't realize that if he had let Sora live, the Heartless would still remain, huh?"
"I'm sure he knew," frowned the Chaser, "he wouldn't do something without knowing the consequences. He probably believes that he will be able to defeat us with the Nameless Key."
"He's forgotten one thing, though," Roxas said, wiping away the tears that had left a trail on his cheeks. There was a passion that brought a smile to both Coral and Shizune's faces. "Our power comes from our friends, from our unified hearts. He can have all the power he wants, but there is only so much he can attain on his own. Together, we can defeat him."
"Exactly," nodded Riku.
"It's a lonely place at the top," murmured Aqua. "So pitiful."
"I don't think Xehanort would appreciate our pities, Aqua," grinned the silver-haired prince.
"Not that he appreciates much of anything, right?" she retorted, rolling her eyes playfully. It was enough to dispel the nervous tensions they all felt in this oppressive time. Even those who only observed the entire exchange felt lighter; they had almost forgotten the Light, so worried were they of the Darkness.
"Well," smiled Shizune—the lines on her face had faded slightly with the brief cheer. "You'll find the others in the garden pavilion, making last minute preparations."
"Thank you, your Majesty," Coral said with a curtsy. "I take my leave." She didn't wait for the others before she left to join the rest of her life-long comrades.
"Roxas," the queen called to the yellow-haired teen, staying him briefly. Aqua waited at the entryway patiently; she wasn't about to let her brother out of her sight, even though they were in friendly territory.
"Yes, your Majesty?" Roxas looked at her with curiosity.
"I have a request," she began before shaking her head. "But it can wait until this is all over."
"And I will return, your Majesty," the teen promised solemnly, understanding the unspoken request. "You have my word."
Shizune smiled in relief. "Thank you, Roxas."
"Your Majesty," Roxas bowed crisply before retreating out of the room. He gave his sister a brief smile and followed her towards the pavilion.
"Hyah!" Kairi shouted as she slashed downward with a wooden sword. A loud thud sounded when the two wooden weapons came into contact.
"Again!" Pan commanded, watching with sharp eyes as the two combatants separated.
Surprisingly, the red-haired Chaser escaped the crash with no major injuries besides a broken arm and a broken clavicle. The major concern Aerith had for him stemmed from the knowledge that he had managed to hit his head so hard that he was unconscious when she first saw him and Rocky after the crash.
Though the Macalanian queen had instructed him to remain in bed for at least a week, the Chaser was defiant. As such, Aerith placed his neck in a brace to keep him from moving his head too much.
With his broken arm in a splint and a sling, Pan watched his "students" carefully, trying his best to not think about his comrade who remained behind in Macalania.
Rocky, who suffered the more severe injuries than his lankier comrade and friend, was forced to remain in bed until Aerith could verify that his internal injuries were finally healed—predicted to take several months. His injuries were so severe that Aerith was surprised to see him wake before his friends left Sierra's crash site. Like Zephyr, the burly Chaser was in no shape to fight at all.
But how long do they even have? How much longer could they afford to delay their final journey to the heart of the Darkness before Twilight Town fell to Xehanort? Could they even wait for Pan's clavicle to heal when he has at least another month of healing to go? Even more so, could they even wait for Roxas to regain his senses after losing Sora in such a gut-wrenching way?
They were running out of time; they all knew it. It wouldn't be long before Twilight Town was overrun. Their allies were dwindling as the Darkness grew darker with each passing day. And they know Xehanort knew too.
Not to mention the single question that lurked in the back of all their minds: Would they even be able to fight against Xehanort at his full strength?
And what of the fate of the three Chasers who cannot help their friends? The knowledge that he wouldn't be able to do anything frightened Pan. The prospect of being left behind awaiting the moment when he would finally pass from this world seemed almost incomprehensible. They all knew the day would come when they will finally rest, but not knowing how long he had before the end scared him. He would much prefer to face Death straight on rather than have it creep up on him suddenly despite having lived for centuries.
Pan chose to speak none of his insecurities, knowing that there were no answers to his questions. Instead, he pressed his lips together tighter and continued to help Kairi and Terra, who were the least seasoned fighters out of all of them.
"Aqua! Ven!" exclaimed Terra, his attention on his training temporarily broken before Kairi's wooden sword came down on his padded head. "Ow!"
"That's what you get for getting distracted," Pan said coolly, a hint of a smile on his otherwise stoic face. He turned towards the doorway and was equally surprised by their arrival.
Deliberately ignoring Pan's admonishment, Terra pulled off the padded headgear and ran over to his siblings, bear hugging them with concern.
"You didn't tell them we were coming?" Roxas looked at Riku with surprise, who only shrugged nonchalantly with a smirk on his face. Likewise, Coral only smiled in response.
"Ugh, Terra," Aqua wrinkled her nose in distaste before pulling away, pinching her nose while fanning her free hand at him. "You're sweaty and you stink."
Kairi laughed as she pulled off her own padded helmet. "That's what happens when you've been training for the better part of the last four hours," she said, leaving Riku's side to hug Roxas with a smile on her face. "I'm glad you found your way back, Roxas."
"Thanks, Kairi," Roxas replied with a weak smile. "I know how close you and Sora were."
"I have my memories of Sora to keep me company," she smiled thoughtfully. "Sora wouldn't have wanted us to dwell on his death too long."
"And I was a fool to do the exact opposite," he said sheepishly.
The princess of Radiant Garden giggled as she shook her head. "You grew a lot closer to Sora than you thought possible," she said.
"That's the reason why you were so affected," added Naminé with a small smile.
"Hey, Terra," said Aqua as she looked about the pavilion. "Where are Mom and Dad?"
"They went with Penelo, Relm, and the majority of the elderly to Besaid Islands," he answered.
"Besaid?" the blue-haired woman cocked her head to one side with curiosity.
"It's a lesser known territory of Destiny Islands," Roxas answered instead. "About a day to the west of the main island where we are right now."
Kairi nodded in agreement. "It's a better place to be than the rest of the world right now," she added.
"How is Penelo taking all of this anyway?" Aqua asked with concern, realizing for the first time that she hadn't spoken to her sister-in-law since that day when they discovered their destinies as descendants of the Three.
"As well as a mother can take, I guess," Terra answered with a shrug. "I think she fancies being in Destiny Islands. Don't be surprised if she decides to stay here once this is all over."
"It's probably for the best," Aqua said softly, smiling painfully at Terra before continuing, "Twilight Town was under attack at the time of our departure."
The eldest of the three Averias gasped disconcertingly, his eyes wide with fear.
"Twilight Town Proper was in ruins by the time we left," she continued sadly.
"And the Forest?" he asked grimly.
"Safe," replied Riku, his eyes darkened into a deep blue. "For now anyway. We have, what, one week? Two weeks?" He sighed in a brief pause. "All I can do right now is to have faith that the proud men and women will be able to protect my kingdom and my family until we complete our quest."
"And that means back to training for you two," Pan said bluntly. Kairi smiled while Terra snorted with a nod as both combatants put their headgear back on.
"Where's Mickey?" Riku asked as he leaned against the wall near the weapon rack to observe the training.
"He left shortly after you went to Twilight Town," Pan answered simply. "He'll be back early tomorrow morning."
"Who went with him?"
"Ceres," he replied. "When they return tomorrow, we'll be leaving Destiny Islands."
"Our last journey is finally here, huh," Terra remarked absentmindedly as he secured the protective headgear.
"You should be glad," smirked Pan. "No more training with me."
"Time for the Chasers to move on," Coral said, a hint of melancholy echoed within her voice.
"We've been here for far too long, Coral," her friend commented, trying to express understanding of her emotional plight though he had lost his appreciation of living a life since the original war.
"I know," the green-haired girl answered.
"You'll be able to see your family again, right?" suggested Aqua. "You wouldn't be isolated like you have been for all these centuries."
"You would even be able to see Ventus the Youngest again," Roxas added.
"Ah," the Chaser only replied nonchalantly, her distant eyes telling the others to leave her alone.
As Terra and Kairi prepared for another round of training, Roxas looked over at Aqua, who nodded in agreement with her brother's silent suggestion. "Mind if we join you?" the blue-haired woman asked.
"Suit up then," Pan answered, nodding towards the racks where more protective gears and practice weapons sat. "No Keyblades," he warned.
"At least not for now, right?" Aqua asked cheerfully.
"Right," nodded the red-haired Chaser.
Although Destiny Islands was still in a time of mourning, Queen Shizune refused to let the melancholy settle upon her people. She understood the importance of keeping hope as the Darkness deepened throughout the realm.
With the return of Roxas, she called for a sudden open house of the castle, rewarding the hardworking men and women of her kingdom with a moderately sized feast and a brief moment of her time whosoever desired it.
Though the queen of Destiny Islands was by no means his responsibility—especially with Sora's death, Roxas couldn't help but feel an obligation to guard the well-protected woman. It was with this strong belief in his heart that he trailed after the busy woman along with her entourage of ladies-in-waiting through the crowd of peasants and soldiers who partook in this festive feast.
On more than one occasion, he noted the exhaustion that had begun to show itself in her movements, but Queen Shizune continued on stubbornly, a trait shared with her deceased son and husband.
"Your Majesty," Roxas finally spoke up after the queen had met with yet another family, accepting their thanks and exultations of the strengthening of their mutual homes under the guidance of the queen. The tired woman and her ladies-in-waiting all looked at him with equal surprise; none had expected the former Nobody to actually say something in public. "You should retire," he suggested, a light frown upon his otherwise expressionless face.
Queen Shizune smiled tiredly at the blond-haired teen, "Thank you for your concern, Roxas. But there are still many people I have to greet."
"It would do Destiny Islands no good if you overtire yourself," the Nobody reasoned quietly. "Your people are important, but you are just as important to your people. They will need you at your strongest when the enemies come."
"I understand your concern, my child," she smiled reassuringly, "but who will soothe the fears of my peoples if not me?"
"I will," he immediately answered, much to the surprise of everyone in earshot. He approached her and knelt down in front of her to prove his sincerity. "Sora is dead, but I have to protect his legacy. I have to—no, I want to protect Destiny Islands. Though the people might still see me as their king's servant, I will not let that stop me from helping them."
Queen Shizune looked into his eyes for a brief silent moment, her smile widening in understanding. "I see," she replied. "I realize that I won't be able to dissuade you from your goal. I shall leave my people in your hands for tonight." She gestured for him to rise and embraced him warmly.
"I can see my son in you," she whispered to him. "Thank you."
She took off the pendant bearing the symbol of Destiny Islands and put it upon the yellow-haired teen, who looked down on the heirloom with reverence. "This pendant is the symbol of Destiny Islands' royalty," she said cheerfully. "Know that we have faith in you and the others."
Roxas nodded quietly with a small smile upon his face. He gave a curt bow to the queen and quickly made his way through the crowd to reach the stage where Queen Shizune's unoccupied throne sat. He turned to scan across the bustling room, stopping upon the face of the elderly queen who gave him a look of encouragement. As she waited expectantly to see what the teen would do before she left, Roxas touched the pendant for one more self-assurance that Sora would be proud of him for what he was about to do.
"Ladies and gentlemen," his voice rang sonorously through the room, surprising not just those in attendance, but also himself with how loud his voice was. "May I have your attention please!"
The din of conversations died down as everyone's eyes turned toward the single figure standing upon the raised dais. The former Nobody took in a deep breath, staving off the butterflies that fluttered in his stomach. "Thank you and good evening," he began. "My name is Ventus Averia, more commonly known as his Majesty, King Sora's Nobody, Roxas.
"I wish to thank you all for your tireless efforts during these dark times. This kingdom has lost two of her beloved monarchs in recent history and only one remains, grateful for your staunch support. For that, I thank you. Now, I must ask you to remain faithful to the Light, to her Majesty Queen Shizune, to your homes, and most importantly to your family and yourselves. Fear not the Darkness that seeks to smother you. Succumb not to the despair that seeks to freeze your hearts. Be hopeful for a bright future, for I swear to you that I will do whatever I can to protect your homes."
He raised his right hand and summoned Sora's Ultima Weapon, letting the moment sink in for those who were surprised to see Ventus the Youngest's weapon in his hands.
"By the power of the Light, I will continue my master's duty to this kingdom. We will not fail this world. Let the Darkness quail before our united front. As long as hope remains within our hearts, the Darkness cannot hurt us!"
A cheer erupted throughout the entire ballroom as soldiers and peasants raised their glasses in agreement. Both Aqua and Terra joined in the exultation while the Chasers only nodded.
"Sora," Shizune said with tears of joy in her eyes. "If only you could see Roxas now. You have picked a great man to lead Destiny Islands."
A few feet away, Riku, Kairi, and Naminé all smiled happily at Roxas's rousing speech.
"He's certainly come a long way," Kairi remarked.
"It's a good thing he's going to succeed Queen Shizune as king of Destiny Islands once this is all over," Riku added. "If it had been anywhere else, I wouldn't be sure the people would be this quick to accept him."
"Demyx managed it," replied Naminé quietly. "It doesn't hurt that Roxas is Ventus the Youngest reincarnated. I'm sure Destiny Islands is so quick to accept him is because they see their first ruler in him."
The silver-haired prince laughed softly. "Very true, Naminé."
When the small expedition of Keyblade wielders and a few of Destiny Islands' best soldiers arrived upon the bleak stretch of land aptly named the "End of the World", they knew what must be done.
Roxas blinked quickly to adjust his eyes to the obsidian surroundings. Jagged rock formations rose into the air all around them, like ominous watchtowers overseeing all movements within the land most closely connected to the realm of the Heartless. He took his eyes off of the towers and looked down at the ground, a familiar rune circle etched within the dark granite at his feet. His brows furrowed in confusion; why was there such an artifact here?
Next to him, Aqua shivered at the stillness of the air, the chill enough to freeze one's blood. She unconsciously hugged herself, her heart palpitating rapidly in response to the evil that she sensed from this place.
"This place gives me the creeps," she murmured warily, her hands rubbing over the goose bumps on her arms.
"You'll have to get used to it," Sirocco said quietly. "The road to the Door will not be easy."
Terra eyed the tan-skinned man with pale yellow hair with a frown. He had gotten to know Sirocco better during their time in Destiny Islands and thought the man to be easy-going. Sure he was usually direct in his speech, but the sharp tone Sirocco used seemed so uncharacteristic.
Aqua laid a hand on her brother's bicep, stopping him from going after the Chaser as he began the trek deeper into the End of the World.
"What?" Terra glared at her unhappily, causing the blue-haired woman to wince slightly.
"He's trying to cope with his own end," she said softly, making sure that no Chaser would hear it. "I don't think they've ever thought about how to deal with the knowledge that they would be leaving people they care about behind."
"Don't worry," smiled Kairi, looking back at them as she followed the Chasers and the Destiny Islands soldiers upward. "They'll figure it out. Once they realize that we've accepted their deaths as inevitable as our own, they'll rest easily."
"Besides, it's never really good-bye," added Roxas with a grin. "They'll live on in our hearts and we'll see them again when we get to the Promised Land too."
"Some of us might even see them on the other side earlier," he added softly to himself.
The journey up the treacherous path was slow as the group of fighters picked through narrow ways bordered by sharp rocks that scraped across their armors and clothes. The sound of rocks falling was a constant amongst their footsteps, warning them of the dangers of the bleak land; one misstep could spell doom.
As they continued, Roxas noticed that the path they took was not nearly the straight line he had thought it to be when he scanned over the jagged landscape that led towards the summit of the mountain. Instead, it was winding around the entirety of the mountain—the actual path had been obscured by the sheer walls that rose up around them in various stretched.
Upon exiting the second of the many narrow passageways along the route, they stopped in front of a fork, one leading directly in front of them, the other veering to the left. Without taking a look back, Mickey Mouse had immediately taken the left path, trusting his companions to follow him sans hesitation.
Roxas wouldn't have given Mickey's lead another thought had he not seen Sirocco and Ceres stop briefly to converse in soft tones.
"They thought we should have stopped and split up," Coral answered him quietly as she wrapped an arm around Roxas to steer him forward.
"Why?" the blonde asked in equally soft tones.
"The clock is racing against us. They simply want to move faster through this place," she answered. "And we still don't know exactly what is going to happen when we reach one of the Keyholes."
"We should still move fast," Riku remarked as he walked briskly past them, "the longer we remain, the greater the chance Twilight Town falls." He didn't dare suggest the possibility that his kingdom had already fallen, but the chances of Twilight Town escaping unscathed seemed highly unlikely.
Though Roxas had not spent a lot of time in his family's homeland, he understood the anxiety and fears the silver-haired prince had. Despite the fact that they would be able to rebuild with their survival and memories, he didn't want his family to lose their home either; there were feelings they would never be able to recapture when they rebuild.
The sobering thoughts hastened Roxas's footsteps and he quickly caught up to Riku, who had taken up the spot immediately behind Mickey in the procession as they ventured across a rickety old bridge over a short but deep gap in the mountainside.
Neither teen said a word to the mouse lord, because after they crossed the bridge and rounded a towering obsidian pillar, a clearing came into view with a most unusual sight.
The shape of a keyhole floated unmoving in the air before them. The edges of the unusual object shimmered with a swirl of black and white before turning completely bright red in their presence, as though it could sense the Keyblade that would close it.
Soon after the Keyhole turned red, the Keyblade from the Land of Dragons Station of Awakening flashed into Riku's hand. The silver-haired prince stared at the Keyblade in surprise, unused to wielding a different weapon other than his own Way to the Dawn Keyblade.
He looked down at Mickey and found the mouse lord simply observing. "What must I do?" he asked.
"I do not know," Mickey answered with an awkward smile. "Considering the fact that the Hidden Dragon Keyblade is in your hands, that is the one to use at this site."
"Try locking it?" Kairi suggested.
"How?" Riku asked as he raised the Keyblade with its tip pointed in the direction of the Keyhole; there was no reaction.
"Maybe you need to physically insert the key?" suggested Aqua. Riku nodded in agreement.
"Be careful," Coral said, placing a hand on his sword arm to hold his action momentarily. "We don't know what will happen when you put the Keyblade in. There might be a backlash of power."
Riku nodded silently once again and held the Keyblade in both of his hands. After taking a deep breath, he approached the Keyhole and held the Keyblade up. He then inserted the Keyblade into the receptacle without another word, quickly relinquishing his hold as the weapon continued on its own accord before completely disappearing into the magical Keyhole.
He stepped back and waited with the rest of the group for the results.
The center of the Keyhole began to glow brightly as the Keyblade rejoined the world. A stream of what appeared to be lava fell onto the ground and formed a circle of an elaborate design, etching into the obsidian floor. The crest of the Land of Dragons glowed brightly within the circle before fading slightly as the outline of the Hidden Dragon Keyblade formed in the center. The Keyhole that was in the air melted into the ground in the exact center of the circle. It then shrunk and disappeared, leaving the Keyblade outline and the crest still glowing softly on the ground.
They all breathed a collective sigh of relief, glad that there were no nasty surprises waiting for them.
"Welp," Mickey said with as much cheer as he could muster, "let's continue, shall we?"
"That was quick," Terra agreed with a small smile on his face. Maybe this wouldn't be as hard as they had thought.
While the group turned around to continue to their next destination, Riku stood unmoving where he remained. He swallowed thickly and lifted his right hand, concerned with how it trembled uncontrollably. He struggled to close his fingers, feeling the draining after effects of the entire ritual he had just performed. He held his hand against his chest and tried to will the strange sensation away.
"Your Highness?" Naminé called to him with worry, quickly approaching him when she saw something wrong.
Riku flinched when the blond-haired girl touched his hand, sensations of pins and needles stabbing at him wherever Naminé touched. He resisted the urge to pull away, reminding himself that the girl wasn't trying to harm him despite the painful feeling that shot up his now-useless arm.
"Your hand's freezing," she remarked with alarm, quickly covering his hand with hers to warm the limb up.
"Just as we feared," Mickey commented as he looked at the affected hand. "There had to be some sacrifice, however small it may seem."
"Does that mean Riku can't wield a Keyblade anymore?" Kairi asked fearfully. Though she hadn't voiced the question that would also affect the rest of them, it was on all of their minds.
"I don't know," the mouse lord answered with a sigh. It wasn't just the fact that this malaise would undoubtedly affect all of them, but there were eight Keyholes in total, and only five of them. Whose lives are they going to risk to completely close the doorway?
"I will take the final Keyhole," Roxas said immediately. "Even if it takes awhile to regain control and function in my right hand, I can still fight with my left."
"That's assuming you can even recover from whatever it is," murmured Terra, earning himself a jab in the sides from Aqua. "What," he complained, "it's a perfectly legitimate concern!"
"You're being negative again," she replied pointedly.
Terra flushed in embarrassment, realizing that his sister was right. "Sorry," he said softly.
"Terra is still right though," Roxas commented grimly. "We don't know if it's a fully recoverable condition, but we have no choice."
"We should be fine," Riku gritted out as his hand remained freezing cold even with Namine's efforts. "Sora had originally planned to complete this quest on his own, I'm sure. If he is able to deal with the entire ordeal on his own with Roxas at his side, I don't see how we can't do it with the five of us."
Riku was right. Had Tifa not persuaded Sora to send word to Riku and Kairi all those months ago, Sora would be the only one on this road with all of the Keyblades in his possession. Roxas wasn't even sure if Sora would've let him close some of the Keyholes considering their mutual powers.
There was no point in speculating what could have happened. Sora was dead and it was up to them to finish the task he had started.
"Let's keep going," Roxas suggested. "We still have seven Keyholes to close." The others simply nodded silently in agreement.
The longer their journey continued unopposed, the edgier they all got until no one dared to speak even after they reached their next destination.
Similar to before, a lone Keyhole sat in the air above the ground, shimmering with swirling black and white before turning into a dark shade of grey. Fenrir flashed into Roxas's right hand, signaling that this would be the Keyblade to close this particular Keyhole.
"How is your hand?" Roxas asked. Riku flexed his hand slowly, frowning at the slow recovery.
"Better," he replied, "but still far from being completely well."
"I'll take this one," Kairi said, holding her hand out for the Keyblade. Roxas nodded and handed the Keyblade over, letting the princess of Radiant Garden take center stage.
"Be careful, your Highness," Naminé said worriedly.
Kairi nodded with an encouraging smile on her face, more for herself than the girl that was her Nobody.
She grasped the hilt of the bulky Keyblade with both hands, lifting the sword-like weapon up and pointing the tip at the Keyhole with the flat side of the blade nearly touching her cheek. She let out a battle cry, releasing all the tension that had been pent up in her body, and plunged the weapon into the Keyhole. It wasn't until she felt the tell-tale signs of numbness before she let the Keyblade go, watching it disappear into the Keyhole. Once the Keyblade was gone, the Keyhole shone with a silver light before melting onto the ground to form the crest of Midgar and the outline of the Fenrir Keyblade with glowing silver.
The princess of Radiant Garden continued to step back, clutching her affected arm. A pair of hands grasped onto her shoulders and she turned to see Riku smiling encouragingly at her with Namine by his side. She winced as the sudden jolt jarred her arm, causing the numbness to spread beyond her hand and up her arm to her elbow.
Naminé immediately wrapped her lower arm in her jacket. The soft hiss that passed through her mistress's lips was not missed as a frown appeared on the Nobody's face. Kairi knew the younger girl meant well, but the jacket did nothing to warm her now frozen limb up.
"Don't worry," Riku whispered encouragingly, "it'll pass."
The princess could only nod silently in agreement.
Before they could even begin backtracking to the main path, the earth suddenly shook violently underneath them. Immediately, Mickey turned his eyes skyward in the direction of the apex of this desolate mountain. His eyes narrowed suspiciously at the plumes of steam that rose from the summit. They were running out of time.
When the earthquake finally passed, the group gingerly picked themselves up from the ground, dusting off their armors while half reaching for their own weapons just in case.
"We're going to have to move faster," Mickey said as he took point again back to the main path.
"How do you want to do this?" Sirocco asked grimly, keeping in step right next to the mouse lord.
"We can't split up into small groups to go directly to the later Keyholes," Roxas pointed out with a frown, "not when we don't know which Keyblade we have to use for each one of them."
"Therein lies the problem," remarked Mickey.
"I know," Aqua said, halting the company as they looked at her. "Leave the Keyholes to us," she suggested, gesturing to her fellow descendants. "The rest of you guys can head directly to the summit and clear the rest of the way for us."
"Assuming there are any Heartless to fight," quipped the dark-skinned Chaser.
"There will be," Ceres replied quietly. "Xehanort won't leave the door unguarded."
"I'll go with you guys," Coral said. "You don't know the roads like we do."
"Very well," Mickey agreed with a nod. "We'll meet you at the top."
They didn't share any parting words when they came to the next fork, directly heading towards their own destinations. Only the Destiny Islands soldiers gave Roxas a brief salute as he stood by to watch them pass. The blonde acknowledged each and every one of them before he ran down the other path to catch up to his own group.
No one spoke a word for the duration of their trek to the next Keyhole. Kairi and Riku continued to nurse their affected hands with worry, though the silver-haired prince was heartened by the regaining of his control over his hand.
Upon reaching their next target, a red Keyblade bordered with black flashed into Kairi's hand—the Keyblade taken from the Macalanian Station of Awakening before Rocky left her in Nibelheim: Guardian Soul. With her weapon arm still affected, Kairi almost dropped the weapon, but the presence of the Keyblade seemed to stave off the coldness that had lingered.
Roxas watched as the red-haired girl slowly lifted the Keyblade, a look of puzzlement upon her face as she stared at the weapon.
"What's the matter?" Riku asked, seeing the strange look.
"It's weird," she remarked before handing the Keyblade to Roxas. When she transferred the weapon over, the coldness returned, though much less pronounced than before. "My hand felt fine when the Keyblade was summoned."
"And now?" Aqua asked. Kairi's awkward smile answered the question.
Roxas disregarded the exchange and quickly did what he had to do, pushing the Keyblade into the floating Keyhole and watching stoically as the seal was formed on the ground. He could sense Aqua approaching him with worry and turned to smile at her, keeping his temporarily dead arm out of her grasp.
"Let's keep going," he said simply, wincing as he shook his frozen arm to the sensations of pins and needles shooting up and down the limb.
"Have you tried summoning Ultima Weapon?" Aqua suggested. Her brother stopped and raised his left hand, calling forth the said weapon. His ice blue eyes widened with surprise as the strange numbness suddenly faded away. His hand still trembled, but Roxas didn't care to speculate whether it was from giddiness from all the adrenaline or the lingering effects of the sacrifice.
"The numbness is gone," he remarked, transferring the weapon to his right hand. The weapon shook in his grasp, but it was steady enough to be satisfactory.
"Guess that makes sense," Coral mused aloud as both Riku and Kairi summoned their individual Keyblades. "This is Heartless territory. Sora would've had to summon his Keyblade soon after closing a Keyhole that he wouldn't have thought much of the aftereffects."
"And we're all together," added Riku thoughtfully, "that's why we're not as on guard as Sora might be if it was just himself and Roxas."
"Now that we know how to counter the coldness, we should move faster," Roxas said grimly. "I'm worried about the others."
"The soldiers that came with us are amongst the best of the Destiny Islands military, they can hold their own against the Heartless," remarked Kairi. "You needn't worry."
"I hope you're right," he replied.
"Yeah, I hope so too," the red-haired girl murmured under her breath.
With the new knowledge regarding the Keyblades, the group quickly closed the Keyholes for Sweet Memories and Sleeping Lion, taken from the Stations of Awakening for Trabia and Traverse Town respectively. Not once did the Heartless appear to challenge their progress, causing them to become very wary.
As they continued on their way toward the sixth Keyhole, they were alarmed to see an unconscious Destiny Islands soldier lying dangerously close to the edge of the precipitous path.
The soldier hissed awake when Roxas gently raised him up, his eyes wide with fear before softening at the familiar sight. Roxas knew the man didn't have much time left, not with the pool of blood that had formed underneath him.
"Edgar," he said worriedly. "What happened?"
"My liege," the dying soldier saluted with a bloodied fist over his chest. "The Naughts. They slaughtered everyone save for the Chasers and Captain Rygdea. Xehanort took them to the summit."
Terra scowled angrily as he looked up at the peak of the volcano, his fingers tightened around the hilt of Oblivion even more.
"My liege," he continued, taking Roxas's attention off of their ultimate destination. "I have a request."
"Anything, Edgar," the blonde answered immediately.
"Will you take care of my wife and daughter?"
"You didn't have to ask," Roxas smiled sadly. "They will be well taken care of."
"I thank you..." he slowly closed his eyes with a smile on his face, "Your Majesty."
"And neither you nor your comrades will be forgotten," the yellow-haired teen said softly, setting the dead back onto the ground.
"What should we do?" Kairi asked worriedly as she looked at her companions.
"If we rush ahead, we'd be walking right into a trap," Riku remarked grimly.
Coral nodded in agreement. "For now, we have to finish our task and hope that our friends can endure whatever it is that Xehanort has planned for them."
"We should still hurry though," added Aqua. "We'd be doing our friends a disservice if we don't shorten their suffering."
With determination driving their every step, it wasn't long before the group finished closing the seventh Keyhole with the Star Seeker Keyblade, leaving the 13 Mushroom as the last Keyblade left before their final destination. There was no split in the path leading to two different locations; instead, the final Keyhole sat on the path to the summit, silently waiting for its counterpart Keyblade.
Since there was only one Keyblade left, Kairi made no hesitation to hand the keychain for the 13 Mushroom over to Roxas once she closed the seventh Keyhole. The blonde accepted the charm with an awkward smile, unable to find the cheer that had come so easily for Sora before his father had died.
"Keep going," he said, staring at the Keyhole with intensity. "I'll catch up."
Coral nodded silently before she continued across the circular clearing toward the path on the other side. Both Terra and Aqua opted to remain behind for Roxas; even though it would have taken the teen only a few minutes to complete the final preparatory task, neither sibling was willing to let him out of their sights.
As soon as the final Keyhole was closed—the last of the world's Keyblades returned, there was a dramatic change to the landscape up to the summit. The rocks didn't seem as ominous as before and the air was less oppressive. It brought an easy smile to Roxas's face, feeling the calming powers gently flowing through him.
Even his brother and sister could feel their hearts swelling with the faith of the planet, the unseen support from the people who fought for their homes and refused to let the Darkness conquer them.
"Let's hurry," smiled Aqua. Her brothers nodded with smiles on their own faces and the trio quickly chased after their friends.
They hadn't even stepped beyond the final seal when they were suddenly thrown into darkness, as though the path that had been set in front of them was just an illusion. Their Keyblades glowed softly, but even their light could only illuminate a few feet around them, showing nothing but murky blackness.
Just when they thought Xehanort would ambush them in that darkness, the veil suddenly disappeared, revealing a large circular platform that hovered over the lake of magma underneath the dome cap at the top of the volcano. The floor of the platform was composed of dark colored stained glass, depicting the symbol of the Heartless flanked by corrupted versions of two worlds. At the center of the platform stood a set of double doors that had been flung open, rusted over with history.
"Where are the others?" Aqua asked, pointing out the absence of not just the other four who gone ahead of them, but also the ones held captive by the common enemy.
Just as Roxas began turning around to check that they were indeed alone, he saw the other Keyblade wielders and Naminé appear out of thin air behind them.
"R-Roxas?" Kairi blurted in surprise. "How did you guys get here before us?"
"We don't know," Terra answered instead. "We took the same path you guys took. One minute we were on our way up, the next we were here."
"More importantly," murmured Riku. "Where is Xehanort keeping the others?"
"I underestimated you, Coral," the sinister voice echoed across the domed chamber. "I didn't think you had the mettle to get past the final barrier. And I was so looking forward to playing with the Three alone."
The dark-haired man appeared above the open metallic gray doors in the middle of the platform, his arms crossed over his chest and an amused sneer upon his wicked face.
"Where are they?" Coral demanded angrily.
"Safe," he replied with that same sneer upon his face. "For now." Coral grunted in disgust, taking a short step towards the door only to be held back by Riku. She turned to find the silver-haired teen shaking his head grimly.
"Would you like to see them?" he continued before waving an arm in front of him. Instantly, four obsidian statues appeared to the left and right of the doors. Both Aqua and Kairi let out disconcerted gasps at the sight. The expressions of shock and fear were etched upon the faces of the four captives, trapped in their crystalline prison.
"What have you done to them!" Terra yelled, willing him to remain with the others even though his heart screamed at him to help his trapped friends.
"I believe it's what I'll do to them that you should be more worried about," the villain replied. "All of them will die. It's just a matter of how. I thought I should show you the powers I have gained since we've last met."
He summoned the Nameless Key and pricked his left thumb with the sharpened tip of the sinister weapon. A bead of black blood formed on the digit. Hovering in the air, he grinned as he held his hand over the statue of Ceres. The drop of blood felt onto the statue and a sharp shattering echoed through the dome. Cracks appeared in the statue before it shattered into thousands of pieces.
Coral screamed in anguish at her friend's demise, dropping to her knees and staring at the empty space where Ceres once stood. Aqua knelt down next to the distraught Chaser to lend her support as Kairi and Naminé both took comfort in each other's arms.
"You bastard!" growled Terra, taking a step towards the floating man alongside Riku.
"Shall we play a game?" Xehanort chuckled, raising the Nameless Key over his head. As the weapon swirled in a cloud of darkness, different colored spheres formed in the air all around them. Each individual elemental magic was held within the spheres: fire, ice, lightning, and air. Roxas and Kairi quickly stepped up next to the two men of earth with their Keyblades up to counter whatever attacks Xehanort will throw at them.
"Let us see how long you can survive against a barrage of magic," he said with an insane smile.
Roxas snorted at Xehanort's foolish notion; as if he would allow the man to channel the barrage without challenge. In one swift motion, he reached his left hand back and summoned Kingdom Key; then he flung the Keyblade forward towards one of the many orbs near Xehanort. The impact caused a giant explosion that created a cloud of smoke that blew through the entire chamber.
As soon as the smoke dispersed, Roxas quickly jumped up to attack Xehanort just as the first waves of Naughts rose up from shadows. Though the Nameless Key exuded an aura of evil, it had no effect on the blonde, whose attacks came so swiftly that the evil villain was on the defensive.
One particular horizontal slash by Roxas sent Xehanort skidding to the opposite end of the circular platform, away from the three that were still trapped in their crystal prisons.
"Roxas!" Riku called to him as he destroyed yet another Dusk. "The Key!"
The yellow-haired teen nodded in understanding and resummoned the Kingdom Key before tossing it over to Riku. Though he didn't know what the prince of Twilight Town wished to do with the weapon, he had a more important task in fighting Xehanort. He took in a deep breath and ran towards the black-haired fiend to engage him in battle again.
After catching the Kingdom Key, Riku quickly dismissed Way to the Dawn to grasp the hilt of the first magical Keyblade with both hands. He wasn't entirely sure what he needed to do, simply letting his heart dictate his actions. Trusting the others to cover for him temporarily, he pointed the weapon in the direction of Mickey's statue. Light gathered at the tip as a circular seal formed at his feet. Invisible winds whirled around him and for a moment, he thought he was in a different world, where light and darkness co-existed in balance. Eventually, a beam of white light streamed forth and hit Mickey's statue, creating cracks in the obsidian crystal. The shell faded away, releasing the mouse lord from his prison.
"Mickey!" Riku called to the anthropomorphic mouse, quickly catching him before he collapsed onto the ground.
"Thank you, Riku," Mickey Mouse said gratefully. He gingerly tested his own strength and smiled that his legs were not seriously affected by the imprisonment. "Get the others," he added as he ran to join Roxas in battle, summoning his Keyblade in the process.
Mickey reached the two fighters just as the pair locked their weapons against one another, neither backing down from the challenge. He jumped up and brought his Keyblade down on the two weapons, breaking the stalemate.
Xehanort staggered back from the force of the break, unaware that his original plan had been broken until he heard the name.
"Mickey!" Roxas exclaimed with surprise and relief at the presence of the leaders of the Chasers.
Mickey spared no glances at the former Nobody, keeping his eyes on the enemy. "This ends today, Xehanort," he said quietly, readying his Keyblade to attack.
"What!" the Heartless uttered in disbelief before his eyes landed upon Riku, who was in the process of freeing Sirocco from his crystalline prison. "No," he growled, his nostrils flaring in rage. He roared loudly and sent a powerful shockwave through the entire chamber. The Naughts quickly disappeared under Xehanort's rage while the remaining fighters struggled to keep their footing.
Roxas stabbed the Lost Memory Keyblade into the platform, glad that the weapon was able to pierce the glassy floor, and held onto the hilt tightly. Wind whipped past him intensely, making it a struggle to keep his grip. Just when he despaired at his loosening hold, a loud blast sounded above him as the cap of the dome exploded outward, sending rock and boulders into the sky. At that exact moment, the wind faded and the fighters regained their ground.
Two successive shattering sounds rang as Xehanort murdered the remaining two prisoners. He then waved one hand in the air, causing the remaining magic orbs to explode, before slamming the Nameless Key down into the ground.
The explosions served as a temporarily distraction while a sinister attack crawled through the ground towards Riku. However, Naminé noticed the danger the silver-haired prince was in and quickly ran towards him.
"Look out!" she cried, pushing him out of the way just as the attack reached his previous position. Dark tendrils rose up rapidly from the ground and surrounded Naminé, entrapping her just as the others had been.
Both Kairi and Riku watched with terror as the crystalline Naminé slowly toppled over, shattering into a thousand pieces before turning into black powder to be swept away by lingering winds. The only thing that remained was one of her trademark stilettos, a memento of the girl's sacrifice.
Kairi dropped her Keyblade and collapsed onto the ground, staring at the sharp dagger with shock. "No, no, no, no, no," she repeated softly like a broken record, her eyes dilating and constricting uncontrollably in her catatonic state. Next to her, Riku fared not much better, shaking his head in denial. He howled in anguish, letting his knees buckle underneath him as tears filled his eyes and streamed down his cheeks. The others could say nothing, unwilling to accept Naminé's abrupt death.
Roxas reached down to pick up the stiletto that Naminé had left behind. His hand trembled as he held the deadly thin knife. He couldn't believe it; she was a Nobody. She wasn't supposed to die that fast before her mistress died, even though it was their life mission to protect their Somebodies. He closed his eyes and swallowed down a sob, gritting his teeth to push away the sadness and let rage fill his heart.
Xehanort frowned at his miscalculations and made his way over to the center doors, quickly disappearing into the darkness beyond.
Growling angrily, the yellow-haired teen slowly lifted his head to stare at the dark doorway. Desire for revenge burned within his soul and reflected in his ice blue eyes in the form of cold fire. He dropped the stiletto and held the Lost Memory Keyblade tightly.
"Xehanort!" he screamed gutturally before running headlong into the unknown world beyond the doors.
Right after Roxas passed through the doors, Riku picked himself up from the ground and let out a ferociously cry, following the blond-haired teen into the unknown.
"No… Riku…" Kairi said softly, "don't go…"
But the silver-haired prince never heard her soft plea.
The murky blackness that surrounded him didn't frighten him one bit. Invisible hands grabbed at him, but quickly withdrew as the light burned away the darkness.
Soon, Roxas stood on the edge of a precipice, looking down at the sleeping Chernabog. Above him in the skies, Kingdom Hearts remained motionless, her pinkish glow never wavering.
Beside him, Riku skidded to a halt, his eyes scanning across the large basin for any signs of their enemy.
"Go back, Riku," Roxas murmured. "Kairi needs you."
"And do you not need help?" the other immediately returned.
Roxas said nothing in reply, partly grateful for the older teen's assistance. He wouldn't get in the way of Riku's desire to hurt Xehanort either; after all, he wished to do the same thing.
"No way down," he remarked instead.
"We don't need one," Riku replied, pointing towards the distance.
Against the dimmed sky, Roxas could just make out the outlines of small islands floating in the air over the giant basin leading up to a much larger floating landmass that dwarfed all other floating islands. Though neither teen could see what awaited them there, they knew that Xehanort was on that island in some shape or form.
The sound of rocks hitting glass clinked to his right. His eyes found Riku spraying handful of dirt and pebble onto an invisible walkway leading up to the nearest island.
"Here goes," Riku said as he took in a deep breath. He gingerly placed a foot on the invisible walkway and breathed out the held breath in relief, glad that the walkway didn't crumble. He continued up the path, half-fascinated by the rainbow ripples that spread from wherever his foot landed, half-wary that the path would inexplicably break at any moment. As the pair continued onward, they never let their guard down even as the path remained strong underneath their feet.
Upon reaching the second of the numerous floating islands on the way, the whooshing sound of Dusks rising from the ground surrounded them. Immediately, the pair fought the Naughts, dispatching them with relative ease before other types of Naughts appeared in succession, ending in four Sorcerer Naughts that surrounded them with their pinkish magical blocks. Before the Sorcerers could completely trap the two Keyblade wielders, the pair sprung into the air and out of the enclosure. Roxas back flipped over one of the Naughts and slashed horizontally at the creature's neck, causing it to disintegrate into dust. In the air, Riku quickly twisted about and brought his Keyblade straight down on another Sorcerer, splitting it in half before it too faded into the nothingness whence it came.
The remaining two Naughts hovered closer to each other and set their blocks around them as shields, spinning them rapidly to reflect any attacks the two Keyblade wielders might attempt. The defensive stance the Naughts took didn't fool Roxas one bit as he waited for the opportune time to strike. Likewise, Riku followed suit and watched the shifting blocks carefully.
After a few moments of inactivity, one of the Naughts began its attack. The shift in block formation was all Roxas needed before he lunged forward and disrupted whatever attack the Sorcerer Naught had in plan. Quick consecutive slashes later and only one Naught was left. The last remaining Naught didn't last long though; Riku made quick work of the hapless creature, dispatching it shortly after Roxas had done so with the other.
With the imminent threat gone, the two teens continued their way up the singular path, stopping just a few steps onto the main island to find a flat surface with a throne in the middle. As they slowly approached the unoccupied throne, varicolored light streamed in thin paths from the throne, forming a floor plan before silvery structures rose around them. The most prominent feature of the formations was the half-dome that rose behind the throne upon which five gargoyles sat.
The whooshing sound of a portal opening preceded the appearance of Xehanort in front of the cold metal throne. His crimson eyes regarded the two with amusement and intrigue, considering the fact that his opponents were only two boys.
"Just you two?" he asked.
"We are more than capable of stopping you," Riku replied coolly, raising his Keyblade up in his usual battle stance.
Roxas had no words to describe the anger he felt towards the villain in front of him, the man that was responsible for this era of Darkness and much more. He was responsible for all the hurts that Roxas and hundreds of other children had to endure because of the practice he started all those years ago; that Ventus had to endure for centuries because of the Nameless Key; that Sora had to endure because he inherited both Ventus's curse and the Kingdom Key; that Marlene had to endure in her young life. There were countless crimes that Roxas could attribute to Xehanort, one for each person who dwelled in Kingdom Hearts.
Silently, he bent his knees with Ultima Weapon in his left hand and Lost Memory in his right. He watched Xehanort carefully, waiting for the moment when the man would battle them.
"Very well," Xehanort said coolly, raising his hand palm up to summon the Nameless Key. Above them, unnoticed, the border appearance of Kingdom Hearts changed from a pinkish hue to pure white. The rippled look of black and gold smoothed over until only gold remained.
"Wha-?" Roxas uttered in surprise when Lost Memory suddenly moved on its own accord, pointing directly at Xehanort. His eyes widened as tendrils of faint light streamed down into the Keyblade. His heart swelled with the power of Light with the warmth invigorating him. Slowly, the weapon began to glow brighter and brighter.
"Roxas?" Riku called to his friend worriedly, but the blonde didn't answer. Instead, all of his focus was upon the Keyblade Ventus had forged for him. He dismissed Ultima Weapon to place both hands on the hilt; though he didn't know why, there was the thought that if he lost his grasp on the weapon, then all would be lost.
As the glow of the Keyblade intensified, it became harder for Roxas to keep his grip. Still, he held on—his will and determination the only things that kept him going.
There was a part of Riku that wanted him to help Roxas, but something else was stopping him, a warning from unknown sources. This was something that Roxas had to do on his own. All he could do was to lend his support silently and have faith in the younger teen.
Roxas gritted his teeth as the bright Keyblade trembled in his hands. Beads of sweat rolled down the side of his face, down his neck, making his palm clammy and his clothes to stick to his heated skin. Try as he might the Keyblade continued to struggle against his control.
Though Xehanort was cautious—after all, the power of Light was in the boy's hands right now, the man couldn't help but find the sight humorous. The boy's attempt to control the power showed no progress at all.
"Give it up, you foolish, foolish boy," he said, barking out a cruel laugh. "All that power at the tip of your fingertips; yet, you still lack the capability to control it. Did you honestly think you would be able to beat me?"
The blonde's attention was all set upon the Keyblade, its glow brightening with each passing second. He paid little attention to Xehanort's biting comments as ethereal whispers surrounded him.
All of a sudden, he realized what he needed to do. Xehanort was right—this power could not be controlled, for its master was itself.
A smile appeared on Roxas's face briefly; a glint of jubilation at his own discovery passed through his ice blue eyes. He let go of the living Keyblade and allowed the power to consume him, use him as a vessel to release its true powers.
"Roxas!" screamed Riku in alarm as the blonde relinquished his control.
'Run!' a voice sounded within his mind. 'Run, Riku!' Though his heart didn't want to leave Roxas alone, the familiarity of the voice pushed him to go against his heart. He turned and ran, distancing himself from the large floating island that served as the stage for the final battle between Light and Darkness.
The light of the Keyblade siphoned into the teen's body before the boy was completed enveloped in white light. As the light gradually receded, Roxas stood there dressed in a silver armor that glowed softly. When he opened his eyes, however, it was clear that it was not truly Roxas who stood there. A kaleidoscope of colors swirled within his eyes, ever changing with passing time. The only constant within those depthless eyes were the fire of vengeance that burned within—the determination to end the existence of the man who had robbed thousands of innocents their lives, all for the sake of attaining the unattainable.
Riku stopped briefly at the middle on the way back towards his world, curious about what was happening behind him. His eyes locked onto the glowing figure that was Roxas, but he could somehow sense that it wasn't really the boy that stood there.
A rumbling sound surrounded him as the path between the large island and the cliff began to crumble.
'Run!' the familiar voice urged. Riku didn't need any more goading before he quickly made his way to the cliff's edge, noticing Chernabog waking at the bottom of the basin. At the end, he made one great leap to reach safety just as the invisible path underneath him crumpled into the darkness. He breathed heavily and watched with morbid fascination at the events that was happening before him; the sudden rising and fading of Chernabog as it turned into a cloud to surround Xehanort.
'Riku…' Kairi's voice called to him, causing the silver-haired teen to quickly turn and seek for the red-haired princess in the corridor behind him.
'Kairi needs you,' Naminé's familiar voice said to him worriedly, but the silver-haired teen couldn't see the girl that had died for them.
"Naminé?" he asked.
'I'll see you again at the end,' she said instead. 'Go to Kairi.'
Riku nodded silently, turned around, and ran back towards the doorway.
As soon as he stepped through, he found a peculiar sight.
Standing in front of him were Terra, Aqua, Mickey, and Coral with Kairi sitting on the ground behind them. His heart wrenched at her immobile state, devastated by the loss of her Nobody and his reckless action to chase after Xehanort. He quickly knelt down next to her, ignoring the enemies that stood a few yards away from them.
"Kairi," he said tenderly, wrapping his arms around her shoulders in a comforting embrace.
"Riku!" Aqua exclaimed in surprise; no one had expected him to return so quickly, not when they knew how difficult the battle against Xehanort would be.
"Kairi, I'm back," he said, focusing his attention on the red-haired princess in his arms. "I'm sorry," he continued.
He was relieved when Kairi slowly pulled away and smiled at him weakly, her eyes clearing as they met his. She reached up with one hand and cupped his left cheek, letting the moment—however brief it might seem—last.
A shot rang out, causing both teens to quickly duck before the bullet passed narrowly close over Kairi's head. When both looked up, they immediately found the smoking gun in Captain Hook's hand.
"Can't have a private moment here, can we?" Riku muttered, standing up with Kairi as both teens seethed at the abrupt interruption.
"They won't answer," snorted Terra. "They're not even themselves."
"Oh good, that means I can make a ragdoll out of him," Kairi remarked coldly, her blue eyes darkening with vicious thoughts. Her boyfriend laid a hand on her forearm, turning her attention to him, and shook his head silently. Kairi blushed lightly at her own uncharacteristic behavior and turned back to face Captain Hook, reminding herself not to overdo it.
"Riku," Aqua called to the silver-haired teen worriedly. "Roxas?"
"Still back there," Riku answered curtly.
"You left him there by himself!" Terra exclaimed incredulously. "With Xehanort!"
"Stella and Naminé were there," he answered calmly, realizing just who it was that had told him to run in the first place. "I'm sure everyone on Kingdom Hearts is with him too."
"Sora?" suggested Kairi hopefully.
"Most likely," he nodded.
Mickey turned his attention back onto the rest of the Bastion Imperialists that had come to the door; the dark glow around them told him everything: Xehanort had corrupted them all with the power of the Darkness from the Heartless realm. They were no better than the Heartless that had invaded this world.
Waiting no longer, Mickey ran forward with his Keyblade trailing behind him, skidding to an abrupt halt when a wall of blue fire flared up in front of him. However, he didn't let the flame wall from keeping him away from his targets. In one swift motion, he sprung up and somersaulted over the wall, slashing at Shan Yu's sword before he landed in front of the beady-eyed man. Coral followed quickly, joining the melee against Jafar before the former advisor to the sultan of Agrabah could use his magic against her leader and friend.
None of the other four followed their Chaser allies over the flames immediately, though Terra and Aqua were about to before Kairi stopped them. She produced several throwing knives—few of the last ones Naminé had left with her—and threw them at Hades. The blue-skinned villain disappeared in a cloud of smoke, but when he reappeared, Riku was ready for him. He threw the final knife instantly at where Hades reappeared, letting a smile grace his face when the thin blade hit the man. Immediately, the fire wall disappeared and Terra and Aqua quickly joined Mickey and Coral.
Another shot rang out with the bullet cutting off a few strands of Kairi's hair as she barely dodged the lead projectile. She scowled angrily at Captain Hook's persistent attempts to kill her and engaged the lanky man in combat, evading swipes from his hook while parrying the slashes from his rapier. As his hook came down towards her, she quickly blocked the attack and caught the hook with her Keyblade. Swiftly, she turned her weapon and snapped the hook in half.
Captain Hook retaliated with a forward thrust of his rapier towards Kairi's momentarily unguarded side, cutting deeply into the flesh. She gasped with pain and took a few staggered steps backward before she yelled ferociously. Her Keyblade sang through the air and cut through the possessed man's neck, decapitating him. Instantly, Captain Hook's corpse collapsed onto the ground, turning into dust that was swept away by an invisible wind.
With her opponent dead, the princess of Radiant Garden clutched her wounded side with one hand, grimacing as the deep gash bled profusely. She collapsed onto one knee and leaned against her Keyblade to keep her upright.
"Kairi!" Riku cried worriedly, quickly disengaging from his own duel against Hades to tend to his wounded love. Hades chased after the teen, but Terra's timely intervention kept the villainous god from attacking the vulnerable pair.
Kairi slumped into Riku's arms, wincing slightly with each breath. "I'm fine," she whispered, smiling weakly at the silver-haired teen. "It didn't nick anything."
"You're going to bleed to death," he remarked grimly, brooking no further arguments from the red-haired girl as he pulled out the roll of clean linen bandages. Of course, Kairi couldn't say much when he pressed on the wound to staunch the bleeding, binding the injury tightly with the linen that quickly saturated with red. Without any poultice at hand, it was the best that he could do. Riku could only eye the dressing with the fervent hope that it would be enough until they returned to civilization.
With that same weak smile on her face, the princess laid a tender hand on Riku's arm in an attempt to assuage his fears. The silver-haired prince only smiled back awkwardly, unable to shake the fear within his mind.
The sound of Aqua yelling turned the pair's attention towards the blue-haired woman just as she thrust her Keyblade into the burlap sack body of Oogie Boogie. With another yell, she turned her weapon and sliced upward through the head, literally cutting the bag of bugs in half. The remains of the villain quickly burst into ashes and disappeared like Captain Hook.
At the same time, Coral shattered Jafar's staff with a well place hit upon the staff head, robbing the slithery man of his powers. She took a quick step forward and delivered a hard kick into her opponent's stomach. Jafar went flying across a short distance before he fell over the platform. She leaned over the edge and watched as the man disappeared into the fiery magma with a viscous splash followed by a column of fire flaring upward.
She turned to see Mickey attacking Shan Yu aggressively, hopping around the burly warlord in his unique battle style. Riku continued to hover over Kairi protectively lest some attack came their way. And Terra and Aqua were making headway against Hades despite his tendencies to disappear in clouds of smoke, only to reappear behind them before unleashing a fireball at the pair of Keyblade wielders. The scowl upon Terra's face told Coral that he was getting frustrated by his opponent's slippery strategy. But thus far, neither Terra nor Aqua appeared to be much affected in the battle.
It wasn't long before Mickey defeated Shan Yu, disarming the heavy sword from the burly man's hands. In one swift stroke, the mouse lord stabbed him in the chest with his Keyblade, unsurprised at the lack of blood that flowed from the wound. Instead, shadowy wisps exited the cut, surrounding the dying villain. The Darkness consumed him until nothing was left then faded away like the others.
Hades was the only one left.
With numbers on their side, the Keyblade wielders eliminated Hades' ability to move about at will without getting hit one way or another. Even the power of Darkness wasn't enough for him to triumph over the determined warriors of Light. The speed at which he had to dodge the slashes and lunges kept him from even throwing his trademark fireballs.
The dance continued on for several moments, but the Keyblade wielders had no intentions of giving Hades any time to retaliate. At last, in uncanny synchronicity, Mickey, Coral, Terra, and Aqua all stabbed Hades at the same time from different directions. The blue-skinned man exploded with such a powerful force that knocked all of the combatants away.
"Aqua!" Terra shouted in horror as his sister fell off of the platform from the explosion. He quickly scampered over to the edge and tried to catch a limb, but it was too late; he could only watch with despair as she fell further away.
Aqua cried hysterically, her mind unwilling to accept her death that was surely imminent. She looked upwards to lock eyes with her brother, finding nothing but despair within the blue depths.
Then, all of a sudden, she found sparks of light flying through the air past Terra, heading straight for her. Her descent stopped as the light surrounded her and soon, she was on her way back to safety. Trilling laughter echoed around her as she ascended. She tried to look for the source of the laughter, but wherever she turned, she only caught glimpses of blurry faces smiling back at her.
The sparks set her down gently on the platform before racing around the caldera, as though they were waiting for something.
"Aqua," Terra said with a sigh of relief, engulfing his sister in a bear hug. Aqua only smiled as she returned the embrace.
They were all fascinated by the spectacle that surrounded them.
"What are they?" Kairi asked, the pain from her wound temporarily forgotten as some of the sparks surrounded her. She raised an arm as the sparks traveled to her fingertips before falling back down to orbit rapidly around her midsection. Slowly, they began to gather near the bounded gash at her side and a stream of gold light flowed into her.
"They're healers," a voice answered, "from Kingdom Hearts."
"Ventus," Mickey greeted with surprise.
"Hello, Mickey."
"I should have known you were behind this, Ventus," Xehanort spat with displeasure while black wind whirled about them. The ethereal form of Ventus the Youngest stepped out of the body and smiled at the villain with amusement.
"So you know then?" asked the spirit. "And yet you chose to retrieve the Key. I wonder why that is."
"Light is weak, easily smothered by the Darkness. Why do you delay the inevitable?"
"You have lost sight of the Light, Xehanort," Ventus answered. "The Darkness is not the inevitable end for the worlds; my own time in the Darkness has taught me that. It cannot survive without the Light; that is why this world chose you to open the doorway between the two worlds, so it can continue its existence in this vast universe. Without the Light, this world will fade into nothingness. That is the nature of Darkness: a destructive force that will destroy itself when all is said and done. Even you will fade into nothingness without the Light."
Xehanort scowled angrily at the statements. "Then let's have our final battle. See who wins in the end, Light or Darkness."
"You've sealed your fate the minute you killed Sora," Ventus said softly, the smile on his face turning flat as he rejoined the thousands of spirits that entered Lost Memory to help in the final fight. Roxas stared at Xehanort as he raised the Nameless Key, pulling in the essence of Chernabog that had been circling them in a whirlwind. When Xehanort lowered the weapon, he was covered in a black armor that glinted coldly under the pale light of Kingdom Hearts.
Neither fighter spoke a word before they engaged in combat. The first contact between Light and Darkness was so violent, it sent a shockwave through the air, deepening the crater underneath them and destroying several smaller ones of the surrounding islands. The two didn't pause in their battle as their weapons struck repeatedly, causing destruction to even the island where they battled. As the fight continued, the gargoyles that had perched on top of the half-dome crumbled with the repeated blasts. The half-dome itself crashed down on the silver throne, destroying yet another one of Xehanort's creation.
When their weapons met for the thirteenth time, neither fighter backed down, pushing against each other while lightning sparked from the point of contact. The deadly bolts seared the land where they hit, creating rocky debris that hung in the electrifying atmosphere. At the bottom of the crater, a crack in the land formed, widening with each passing moment before hot lava erupted. The molten rock rose like water fountain, filling the basin without cooling. Slowly, the rest of the islands sank beneath the lava, leaving the island where they fought the last isolated landmass.
They finally broke apart after the prolonged contact just as the island ceased to float in midair and began rocking gently upon the lava pool.
The frown on Xehanort's face deepened as he looked down at the weapon in his hand. The power that he could feel was waning and the armor around his body shifted to accommodate the change in strength. He knew that he had to end this quickly lest Ventus the Youngest discovered his weakening.
The avatar of Light regarded him coolly; the boyish face belying absolutely no emotions. This lack of expression only goaded Xehanort into resuming the battle. He raised the Keyblade at his side and ran forward, slashing diagonally at Roxas. The boy simply parried the slash and continued fighting his enemy. If Roxas had been conscious, he would have noted the growing desperation in Xehanort's assault as the attacks came haphazardly. A slash there and a lunge here were easily blocked and parried.
When one particular horizontal slash was blocked, Xehanort lashed out with his offhand, backslapping Roxas with such force that the boy was spun around before he fell to the ground on his backside. The black-haired man sneered triumphantly at the blood at corner of the teen's mouth. But the sneer quickly faded as the boy stood back up, unperturbed by the blood that stained his lips. Xehanort scowled with displeasure before he summoned a dark orb in his offhand then threw the said orb at the stoic teen. Roxas stepped to the side to evade the projectile and raised the Lost Memory Keyblade to deflect another one.
The onslaught of magic continued, but each time Roxas was able to deftly move out of the way or swiftly deflect the shot.
Still, as an orb came too fast for him to step aside, Roxas bent backwards to let the orb fly past him dangerously close before he followed through with a back flip. Xehanort quickly used the brief moment when the teen was vulnerable to attack. He chased after the boy with a dash, roaring loudly as he slashed downward. Roxas quickly brought his Keyblade up as best as he could.
A loud shattering echoed through the suddenly still air.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion before Xehanort's eyes. He stared wide-eyed as the Nameless Key broke in half where it hit Lost Memory. The tip of the broken blade flew over the kneeling boy's head, cutting none of the strands as it passed through the mop of yellow hair. The remains of the broken weapon in his hands were powerless and no longer glinted under the pale moon. The champion of Darkness was defeated.
The broken Keyblade exploded into dust, releasing what's left of Chernabog and the tormented souls of Iifans who had turned into Heartless. The spirits filled the air with their anguished wails, swarming about Xehanort and Roxas. The black-haired man swatted futilely at the ghosts, saying nothing as each swat only brought them closer to him. Even his magic orbs did nothing to the ghosts. Scowling, he refused to meet eyes with the powerful boy in front of him, looking over at Chernabog as it slowly rose from the lava.
"Chernabog!" he cried, but he no longer controlled the corrupted entity of Iifa.
The fiery creature slammed a lava-covered hand onto the island, causing the unstable landmass to nearly capsize. When the island rebalanced itself, the lava rapidly cooled, proving to both combatants that Chernabog had weakened greatly. Xehanort could say nothing as Chernabog came crashing down on him, engulfing him in the devouring fire that died as soon as he perished. At that same time, the once hot lava pool suddenly cooled and the basin that was once there was no more.
The spirits that had surrounded Roxas all faded while Chernabog remained motionless, encased in obsidian rocks.
Slowly, Roxas raised Lost Memory and pointed at Chernabog's head. Light gathered at the tip of the Keyblade as the time finally came for Darkness to relinquish its hold on Iifa.
"Be cleansed, ancient Iifa. You have strayed from the Light for far too long," the voice of countless different beings echoed forth. Light shot from the tip of the weapon and streamed towards Chernabog continuously. The power that had possessed Roxas suddenly faded away and the boy was once again in control of his own body.
He slumped onto the ground, exhaustion making his body unresponsive. He watched with tired fascination as cracks appeared in the lava shell and white light passed through each crack brightly. Wherever the light hit the sky, clouds dispersed, letting even more light into the world. A loud explosion created a powerful gale that sent Roxas skidding across the ground before he came to a rest against a large rock. He winced slightly at the hard impact, though he couldn't feel any injuries that he might have incurred.
The largest of all the light beams hit Kingdom Hearts, causing it to slowly disintegrate as golden sparks fell from the sky, passing the boy on their way towards the slowly closing doorway behind him.
When the wind receded, he stared at a white dragon where Chernabog once lied. The opalescent scales shimmered with rainbow colors as the dragon moved, rising and spreading its wings tenderly. Iifa looked down at the seated boy with its pupil-less sky blue eyes. Slowly, it bowed down toward Roxas in reverence, silently thanking the boy for releasing it from the Darkness. Roxas only smiled in return, unable to command his own limbs to acknowledge the gratitude from the potent being. Still, Iifa didn't need the boy to acknowledge its thanks. It rose back up and flapped its wings, hovering briefly before soaring into the air.
Surprisingly, Roxas was able to follow the path the majestic creature took, squinting his eyes when the dragon disappeared into the glare of the yellow sun. He heard a resonant roar before the white dragon appeared again as it dived into the earth like it was water rather than solid ground. Where it entered the earth, a patch of green grass appeared, spreading across the black ground around him.
His eyelids drooped in exhaustion and his eyesight blurred the longer he remained seated against the large rock. He had almost fallen asleep before he saw a strange sight: shimmering figures approaching him.
At first, he thought he was hallucinating and he wished he could bring his hands up to rub at his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. However, as the figures got closer and closer, he knew he wasn't imagining the spirits that sat down around him, that smiled at him with both happiness and sadness.
"Sora?" he breathed tiredly, leaning into the brown-haired teen's hand as he touched him. "Is it over?"
"Yes, my love," Sora answered him in a wispy voice. "It's all over. You can rest now."
"Sleep, Roxas," Naminé's voice added. "Let go."
"When you wake, you'll be home," Stella said. By that time, Roxas had fallen asleep, cocooned in the warm comforts of safety.
Gently, the three spirits lifted the sleeping boy up and began their final journey back to their world. Lilting laughter followed them with the last procession of souls on its way to the Promised Land.
With their departure, Iifa could begin its own renewal and breathe life back into its children before they had collectively forsaken the Light.
"Ven!" exclaimed Coral. "How are you here!"
"Hello, Coral," smiled Ventus. He didn't answer the obvious question, only looked over to Kairi and pointed at her wound.
Kairi looked back down at her side and goggled in amazement at the disappearance of the gash in her side. The sparks that had surrounded her quickly dispersed to join the rest of their friends around the edge of the platform. She unwrapped the bandage and found the skin to be smoothed over, not even a scar was left. Riku was just as amazed as she was.
Silently, Ventus looked back at the open doorway where more sparks continued to move out into their world. The platform shook momentarily before it gradually rose upward above the simmering volcano. Gasps sounded all around as the Keyblade wielders gazed upon the magnificent display of Light.
At the points where they left the individual Keyblades, pillars of light shot upwards into the sky to pierce the dark clouds that covered the land. When the clouds finally dispersed, a ring of light appeared in the night sky, expanding quickly to reveal a light-filled paradise.
When the platform stopped ascending, the sparks that had been circling around the platform deviated from their orbits and flew past the Keyblade wielders before soaring toward the portal in the sky. Faint laughter surrounded them as each spark passed, adding to the effervescent feeling each one of them felt at that moment.
"Soon, it'll all be over," Ventus said with a hint of regret at the journey's end. A soft smile graced his face as he gazed upward, his unfocused eyes gazing upon figures that were invisible to all but the two Chasers.
"Roxas?" Aqua asked worriedly, the previous bubbly feeling within her fading away as the reality of her brother's absence occupied her mind once again.
"He'll be here soon," the spirit simply answered. He turned to look at the doorway once again, waiting patiently for his companions.
Aqua fidgeted worriedly in her brother's arms as they waited for Roxas to emerge from the slowly closing doorway. The bubbling laughter that continued around her was not enough to assuage her fears despite Ventus the Youngest's peaceful countenance.
The man in question watched the doorway silently, smiling at the freed souls as they zoomed back into their world and frolicked their way up to the Promised Land. He knew that the others were watching him carefully, their questions unasked as long as he waited quietly. His smile grew wider when he found the trio of spirits that slowly progressed towards them with their precious cargo.
"Here they are," he said at last, breaking the wordless silence and stepping farther away from the doorway to let the others see.
"Ven!" Aqua exclaimed with happiness at the sight of the sleeping boy. She hurried over and knelt down next to the unconscious blonde before looking up in disbelief at the three spirits that had carried him.
"Naminé…" Kairi whispered, tears blurring her vision. She let out a soft sob and ran over to the dead girl, partly surprised that she was able to hug the ghost. Riku slowly walked over to the pair, trying hard not to let out his own tears in the presence of the dead Nobody. He smiled painfully when Naminé gently squeezed one of his hands.
"I'll take care of Kairi," he said gruffly.
"I know," Naminé answered with a knowing smile.
"And I'll take care of Riku too," the red-haired princess sniffed, pulling away from her ghostly love. Naminé could only giggle at her mistress's puffy face, earning her a pout from the older girl.
"Not funny," she murmured, wiping away the tear stains on her cheeks.
Terra looked at his dead sister sadly. "Stella," he acknowledged, knowing that her time there was short, as were Sora and Naminé's.
"Terra," she returned with a smile. Suddenly, Terra embraced her tightly, his frame shaking with stifled sobs. She returned the embrace gently, happy that this last meeting between them before they meet again brought closure for the red-haired man.
"This isn't good-bye," she added. "We'll be waiting for you in the Promised Land."
"It would be decades before we meet again," Aqua said quietly, turning her eyes down at the unconscious boy in her arms. She looked up to meet Sora's ghostly face smiling at her, though she could clearly see the sadness within his eyes; the pain of having to leave Roxas behind would stay with him until the blonde joined him in the Promised Land.
"Take care of him for me," he said, caressing Roxas's face and hair lovingly. "Know that Destiny Islands will welcome you all no matter what."
"It's time, my friends," Ventus the Youngest said, ending the brief reunion of friends and family. Stella, Naminé, and Sora all nodded in acknowledge and distanced themselves from their living loved ones.
"You too," he gestured to Mickey and Coral. "They're waiting."
"Welp," Mickey laughed, looking over to Coral. "We should go now."
Coral looked over at Kairi and Riku with her gray eyes before turning her eyes to the three siblings that were the bodily reincarnations of the original three. Her face betrayed no emotions until she smiled toothily at them all. "Bye."
"Good-bye," the mouse lord waved, stepping towards Ventus the Youngest alongside Coral. The two Chasers took Ventus's outstretched hands and smiled at each other as they both turned into stars and soared towards the Promised Land.
"Sora," Kairi called out. "Take care."
"You too," he grinned. "Don't do anything stupid."
The red-haired princess scoffed dramatically before laughing. "Shouldn't you say that to Riku?"
"Hey!" her silver-haired lover protested indignantly.
They all shared an easy laugh until the dead was unable to resist the pull from the Promised Land. Sora, Naminé, and Stella all waved good-bye before they turned into stars and joined everyone else from Kingdom Hearts in the Promised Land.
Only Ventus the Youngest remained as he watched the last of the dead pass from Iifa into the afterlife. He looked back down at the Keyblade wielders that remained and raised one hand. He made a motion in the air as though he were pressing on an invisible button and opened a light-bordered portal behind them.
"Your way home," he said cheerfully. "It'll take you directly to Twilight Town."
"Thank you," Terra said, stopping mid-bow when his ancestor laughed heartedly.
"No," he shook his head. "Thank you for finishing what we couldn't finish all those centuries ago." He looked down at Aqua and Roxas. "Thank you for doing so much. Tell him… I'm sorry I couldn't save Sora."
Aqua shook her head. "He doesn't fault you for Sora's death. But, he will know your gratitude when he wakes up," the blue-haired woman smiled back. Ventus chuckled softly in understanding.
"Farewell," he said, looking at all of them. "Until we meet again."
He closed his eyes and shrunk into a star. The spark of light regarded them briefly and flew directly towards the still open portal to the Promised Land. As soon as Ventus the Youngest disappeared into the portal, a loud thud echoed from the doorway between the two worlds following the closing of the doors. The closed doors disappeared in thin columns of light while a flash of white in the sky severed the Promised Land from the living world with the extraordinary passing of everyone who had died to the Heartless.
Though he was unconscious this whole time, Roxas dreamed of a happy ending. He knew that one day, they will be reunited. Until that day, he will not let Sora down and rule Destiny Islands in his stead.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts and associated characters, places, items, etc. I wish I owned Sora, Roxas, Riku, Kairi, Naminé, etc. etc. of course. But I don't, so don't sue me.
A/N: My apologies for taking such a long time to post this chapter. I know it's a long chapter, but there was no way for me to really split it up into two chapters; not when I feel slightly peeved at how long it took me to finally finish this entire fanfic.
In any case, I can proudly say that this story has been completed now and I will be posting the epilogue in the next few days. Then I will continue to my next project or projects depending on whether I can actively follow multiple unrelated storylines, haha.
Reference-wise, there are a few—mostly from Final Fantasy XIII. The title "Nascent Requiem" is the final boss's theme from FFXIII. Captain Rygdea is also from FFXIII. Edgar is a reference to Edgar Roni Figaro from FFVI. Besaid Islands is the starting location in FFX. The Promised Land is of course from FFVII. And finally, the entire phenomenon with the portal in the sky leading to the Promised Land is similar to the events in FFXIII towards the end of the game. You'll know what I'm talking about if you've played the game. XP
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Until the epilogue, then. X3