Chapter 25: Return to Twilight Town

"Man, it's great to be back!" Pence said, stretching. They'd just arrived in Radiant Garden.

"Glad to see you guys are okay." Squall smiled, but frowned when he saw Cait Sith. "You brought him along too?"

Red XIII sighed. "He wouldn't let go of me long enough for me to leave him in the Pride Lands."

"Wait, you're saying that entire excursion was to get rid of me?!" Cait Sith shouted, jumping up and down.

"Pretty much," Yuffie said with a grin. "I came up with the idea." She seemed proud of that fact, too. That's when she saw Selena. "Hey, Selena!" she said, happily running up to Riku, who was carrying her. "You sleeping?" Yuffie poked the girl. "Hello! Wakie wakie!"

Riku shook his head. "She's lost her heart. She's not going to wake up any time soon."

"That is a problem," Squall commented. "Did the Organization XIII do this?"

Varan appeared out of nowhere. "No, Selena did it to herself." She turned to Roxas and the others. "I'm glad to see you all are all right." She looked tired, but she smiled despite that. She turned to leave. "His Majesty wishes to speak to you."

The group all looked at each other. "She's acting weird," Olette commented.

"She's been like that since the Organization took Selena," Yuffie explained. "I think she's just been super worried about you guys."

"Hurry up," Varan said mechanically. "King Ansem's waiting."

Naminé nodded. "She's definitely been worried." She ran to catch up with Varan. "Let's go."

It wasn't far to the castle from where they landed. Inside, King Ansem was rubbing his eyes. He seemed tired too. He glanced up from his paperwork when he heard the door open.

"Oh! Good, you're all safe and sound," Ansem said, smiling. He adjusted his tinted glasses. "I was afraid it might have gotten you."

"It?" Sora repeated. "What do you mean by 'it'?"

Varan nodded to Olette. "Check Olette's laptop. I know something was sent out to all magicians who has one of those."

Olette opened the laptop, and an article appeared. There was even a link to a news report. Deciding it was probably faster, she clicked the video.

A man wearing a top hat appeared. It was like a strange version of the nightly news broadcasts Roxas had seen in Twilight Town. "Recently, a strange being has been spotted throughout the worlds. It is similar to a Heartless, but magic weapons seem to have no affect on the creature. We have a sketch of what the being looks like." As he said this, the screen switched to a drawing of a woman in black robes with crow wings. Roxas recognized her instantly. "If you meet this Heartless, run. Try to escape. Do NOT allow her to take your heart. I repeat—" but Olette had already shut the computer off.

"This is terrible!" Kairi said. "That's Selena's heart, right? Why'd it become a Heartless?!"

Varan shook her head. "It's not a Heartless, or I don't think it is. The magic weapons would have defeated a Heartless. From the sounds of it, I think it's her heart just gone mad with power. After all," she added softly, "Selena's flesh was probably a limiter for her heart and soul's powers. Freed like this, it's possible the power went crazy."

"So that's why it's stealing hearts?" Hayner asked, raising an eyebrow. "That doesn't make much sense."

Ansem sighed. "Well, here's something that makes even less sense. This 'Heartless' is killing other Heartless and taking the hearts from them. It's also killing Nobodies. It's been making it's way through the worlds, taking hearts from whatever it can and—"

Ansem didn't finish his sentence. Selena had opened her eyes and was staring blankly around the room. Riku set her down, but she simply collapsed to her knees. She was like a living doll with no will of her own.

"She's like how Kairi was," Sora commented. He squatted down next to Riku to get a better look. "Remember? Kairi was all zombie-like when she lost her heart."

"She'd always react like this when you were nearby..." Riku stated. He seemed to put two and two together. "That must mean her hearts nearby!"1

Pence blinked, unable to follow Riku's train of thought. "Where do you get that logic from?"

"No time to explain!" Sora said. "We just know, so go with it!"

Roxas saw Selena had settled her gaze on the door. "Is it outside?" Roxas asked Selena. The girl didn't respond. She just stared unwaveringly at the door, waiting.

Olette noticed, too. "Guys, let's check outside."

Everyone nodded. Riku scooped Selena up and they rushed through the castle to the market. Standing there was the woman in black. She seemed disappointed that no one was around, until she saw them approach.

Selena lifted a hand and reached out for the Heartless woman. It was the liveliest motion anybody had seen her perform since she'd lost her heart and soul.

While everyone was distracted, the Heartless woman launched herself at the group. "Watch out!" Pence shouted, holding up his shield.

The shield glowed, and a barrier formed around them. The barrier was sparking and crackling with electric current. The Heartless woman seemed amused by the barrier and stood, waiting.

The drain on Pence was too much. He dropped his shield and collapsed to his hands and knees. He was panting and covered in sweat. The barrier had been stretched out over too big an area for him to keep it up for very long.

Hayner drew his sword to defend his friend. "Fire Arts!" he shouted. His sword caught fire and he swung at the Heartless.

The woman rolled her eyes, grabbed Hayner's arms, and twisted his one arm behind his back while the other was held in the air so that he couldn't move. She then shoved him into Donald and Goofy, who were preparing to fight as well.

Smiling, she reached down for Pence. Her hand passed right through his chest, and a horrified expression played out across Pence's face. Still grinning, she pulled her hand swiftly away, revealing a heart that glittered with a strange purple light. Then, she swallowed it.

Pence almost fainted. Roxas was sure if it weren't for him holding his friend's shoulders, Pence would have. "How—How could you!" Roxas shouted at the woman. "Why'd you do that?"

The woman's smile quickly became a frown. She didn't reply as she vanished. Before she was completely gone, though, Selena muttered, "Twilight Town," before slumping back into her sleep-like state.

"Pence, you okay?" Hayner asked, rushing to his friend's side. Olette was already there, fanning a bit with her hand. "Give him some air, guys!"

Shakily, Pence nodded. "I... I think I'm all right... I'm not sure how, but... I'm still here and me..."

Riku shook his head. "You're a Nobody now. You must have a strong enough will to stay in a human form, but you don't have a heart anymore."

If it were possible, Pence would have become paler. As it was, he was already white as a ghost. "I don't feel good," Pence mumbled. He was in shock.

Donald and Goofy looked at each other uselessly, and then at Varan. Varan spoke, but everyone had to strain to hear her quiet voice. "Maybe if you defeat her, Selena's heart will release all the ones she took." She sounded uncertain, but her suggestion was better than nothing.

"We'll have to try that," Roxas said. He helped Pence up. "Let's get going to Twilight Town."

"Gawrsh, why there?" Goofy asked.

"Because Selena said it when her heart left. My guess is that's where the Heartless is heading." Roxas didn't want to refer to Selena's heart as a Heartless, but that was what it had become. It had taken Pence's heart. "Let's hurry before someone back home becomes a victim." Hayner, Pence, and Olette all agreed.

Vivi was walking to the Sandlot in Twilight Town. He was supposed to meet up with Seifer, Fujin, and Raijin for their patrol of the city as the Disciplinary Committee. Basically, Seifer threatened the would-be bullies that go after Vivi or other kids. That's why Vivi looked up to Seifer so much. If it weren't for him, Vivi would still be a major target for bullies.2

He rounded the corner and froze. Seifer was on the ground, and a tall woman in black was standing over him. Fujin and Raijin were also on the ground, standing. Fujin saw Vivi. "Run!" she called.

Vivi was rooted to the spot. He watched in horror as the woman's hand phased through Seifer's chest and pulled out a sparkling object. He couldn't even call for help. The woman ate the glowing object, and Vivi could only be silent. He wanted to run—to get help—but his feet wouldn't cooperate.

That's when the woman rounded on him. "My, your heart looks delicious as well," she said, licking her lips.

"Vivi! Stop standin' there like a statue, ya know?" Raijin shouted. "Run for it!"

Still, Vivi couldn't move. The woman came closer, smiling a dark smile. Vivi glanced around for something—anything—he could use as a weapon. He spotted Seifer's struggle bat not three feet from him. Vivi dived for it and grabbed it. He stood in a fighting stance, ready for the woman.

He didn't have to defend himself. At that moment, Roxas jumped in, using two strange swords to slice at the woman. She jumped back, and Roxas's swords cut air.

"So the Keyblade Master finally gets here," the woman said sarcastically. She looked behind Roxas and Vivi at something.

Vivi turned and saw that she was looking at a small girl who was staring, as if in a trance. The girl reached out an arm, as if she were trying to touch the black angel. The woman scoffed and vanished.

"She ran again!" the duck next to Hayner shouted. He was jumping up and down and stomping his feet. He was not happy.

Olette ran over to Seifer. "Are you all right?" she asked him. When he didn't respond, she drew a spiraled stick with something bright on the tip—it looked like a star taken right out of the sky. "Cure," she said, pointing it at him.

Seifer was engulfed in a green light for a moment, and then sat up. "Ow... Who knew an old hag could fight like that," he grumbled, rubbing the side of his head.

"Wait, hag?" Hayner repeated. "Did she look like an angel with black wings?"

Roxas nodded. "She ran off when I stopped her from getting to... uh..." he struggled to remember, then said, "Vivi, right?" He was addressing Vivi.

Vivi nodded. He was still looking at the oddly shaped swords in Roxas's hands.

"Who was that?" Raijin asked. "She came outta nowhere, ya know?"

"Too strong," Fujin added.

Vivi stumbled over to Seifer. "What was that...? What was that bright, sparkly thing she took from Seifer?" he asked quietly. His voice shook from fear.

"Uh oh..." Donald muttered. "This is bad, really bad!"

"What's bad?" Seifer growled. He seemed to be just short of shouting. "Who was that woman, and why'd she attack us out of nowhere like that?!" Vivi flinched at the harshness of his voice. Seifer sighed. "Viv, you've got to grow up and stop being a scaredy cat."

Roxas was about to answer, but Kairi drew her Keyblade. "Don't look now, but we have company," she said.

A dark portal had appeared while they were talking. A tall man with dark hair streaked with gray stepped out of the portal. He had an eye patch over one eye. "No, do go on," he said sarcastically. "I'd love to hear what you all think that Heartless is up to."

Roxas blocked the man's view of Seifer and Vivi. "What do you want, Xigbar?" he asked. "Aren't you getting a little old for this?"

Xigbar snorted. "Aren't you a little young to be talking that way to your elders?" he replied. He pulled out his guns and pointed on threateningly at Roxas. "Look, I've just come for you and the three Nobodies behind you. Come quietly, and I won't be forced to shoot anyone."

Pence flinched at the word. Roxas noticed and swung his swords threateningly. "Why are you so bent on kidnapping me anyway?"

"Because you have not one, but TWO Keyblades!" Xigbar said. He fired his gun, and it hit the boy with silver hair straight in the chest. He fell to the ground, dropping the sleeping girl. Vivi saw that he was still alive. "Call that a warning shot," Xigbar said. "He'll just be stunned for a while."

Everyone drew weapons of various shapes and sizes. Somehow, Hayner's sword, Pence's shield, and Olette's staff looked familiar to Vivi, but he couldn't place where he'd seen them before.

It didn't matter, anyway. Xigbar shot all of them in the blink of an eye. Now, only Vivi, Pence, Seifer, and the sleeping girl were left unstunned. The little girl couldn't do anything, a strange woman had just beaten Seifer, and Pence didn't look too well. Gathering his courage, he picked up his struggle bat and rushed in front.

"Aw, come on!" Xigbar groaned. "I just want those four!" He pointed at Pence, Seifer, the sleeping girl, and Roxas. "Can't you just run along and play somewhere else?"

Vivi shook his head. 'Courage,' he thought. 'Gotta have courage!'

Xigbar rolled his eye and shot the struggle bat right out of Vivi's hands. Vivi stared at his empty hand a moment before backing away from Xigbar's approach. He tripped over an uneven brick and landed on his butt.

"Sorry, I don't like to kill kids, but you started this fight." Xigbar pointed his gun at Vivi.

Vivi closed his eyes and felt something rush up from inside of him. 'Not again!' he thought. He'd had a headache all morning, and finally something was happening because of it. He felt the air become hot around him and heard an explosion. When he dared to open his eyes, he saw Xigbar sprawled on the ground a little ways from him. He knew the others were staring at him, but he didn't dare look behind him.

Xigbar struggled to get up. "Pretty good, kid," he commented. "Looks like I'll just have to—"

A sword was stabbed straight through him. "The only thing that's worse than a Nobody is one that picks on children," the black angel said. She withdrew her sword and allowed Xigbar to crash to the ground.

The sleeping girl seemed to wake up and stood shakily. She approached slowly and passed Vivi. She stopped next to Xigbar and fell to her knees next to him. The girl had no expression as she offered him a shining object with streaks of light zipping from one side to the other like bullets.

The bright jewel sunk into Xigbar's chest. Once it had, Xigbar vanished completely. The girl then glanced up at the woman in black and reached out to her. Something glimmered in the woman's eyes—fear, maybe?—and then vanished, along with the woman. The girl fell asleep again, but muttered, "The mansion."

Everyone was able to move again. Roxas3 breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, that was rough," he muttered. He knelt next to Vivi, who was still on the ground. "Are you okay?"

Vivi blinked and looked up at him, teary eyed. He quickly wiped his tears away, though. "I'm fine."

"That was the most powerful magic I've ever seen!" Donald said. "You must be a master magician!"

"That's silly!" Raijin said with a laugh. "There's no such thing as magic, ya know?" He helped Seifer off the ground.

Olette raised an eyebrow. "Then what do you call what I did to heal Seifer earlier and how Vivi blew up that Nobody?"

Seifer, Fujin, and Raijin didn't reply. Neither did Vivi. Nobody said anything for a few moments until Goofy said, "Gawrsh, Pence, are you feelin' okay?"

Roxas turned and rushed over to his friend. "Pence! What's—"

He didn't have time to finish his question before he got the answer. Pence's body glowed a moment, and standing where his friend had once stood was a Dusk. Roxas jumped back, startled.

"What?" Roxas heard Pence ask. The Dusk looked at its tentacle hands and almost fell over in shock. "What happened?! Why do I look like this now?!"

Roxas was just as surprised. "Er... Pence...? You're still Pence, right?"

The Dusk nodded. "I thought I was strong enough to keep a human shape!" he practically sobbed. "Now I'm a monster that's gonna be forced to attack you and—"

Seifer put his finger in his ear in an attempt to clean in out. "What's going on?" he asked. "And can you tell that thing to stop shouting? It's getting really annoying."

"Seifer, it's not talking, ya know?" Raijin said. "You feelin' okay?"

Riku scooped Selena up. "It's because he's a Nobody now. He and Pence are pretty much the same, so he's able to hear Pence talk."

"Nobody?" Vivi repeated. He looked at where Xigbar had been. "Was he a Nobody too?"

"Enough of this!" Seifer snapped. "Who are you?" he demanded. He was talking to everyone, including Roxas. "Who was that guy that got blown up? Who was that woman? What's a Nobody?" It was the first time Roxas had seen Seifer lose his cool.

Roxas sighed. "We'll explain later. First, we have to go to that haunted mansion and beat that woman in black. Once we do that, everyone should go back to normal."

"Are you sure?" Naminé asked quietly.

"No, but what else can we do?" Roxas put away his Keyblades. He then started toward the mansion.

Seifer grabbed his arm. "Hold on, you've never been to that old mansion!" He glared, and his grip tightened. "How do you know where it is?"

Roxas smiled, but it seemed detached somehow. "I just do. Let's get going before she has a chance to get away."

The sky was overcast and the smell of rain hung in the air. This made it easy for Pence to get around without being spotted; no one was there to spot him. Without the detours they would have needed to take, they reached the mansion quickly.

The woman was standing before the gate. She smiled coldly as they approached. "So you haven't given up?" she asked. Roxas shook his head and drew his Keyblades again. She drew her own sword from nowhere. "Very well. I will go back to her, but only if you prove stronger than me, Roxas."

Roxas nodded and stood ready. The woman snapped her fingers, and a barrier glowed a moment around them. "Now we won't have any interruptions."

The fight began before Roxas could blink. He knocked the woman's blade away and tried to strike back. She dodged and swung at Roxas. The battle continued with neither fighter landing a blow on the other. Roxas had become good dual wielding Keyblades, but this woman was better with her blade. He was too busy blocking her attacks to attempt to strike at her.

Roxas was panting now. He could barely keep up with her before, but now that he was tired, he was slowing down. He looked for an opening, a mistake, anything that would allow him to hit her.

His chance came. The woman stepped on a slick patch of wet grass and slipped. Before she could regain her balance, Roxas had one Keyblade pointed at her and the other in the air, ready to strike. He grinned, despite himself.

The woman looked long and hard at the blade, and then dropped her sword, which vanished in a cloud of darkness. "You win," she said, her lips curving into a smile. "Just what I expected from the Shadow Hero." She ignored the curious look in Roxas's eyes. Instead, she approached Selena and turned into a ball of darkness.

The ball shrunk as it released hearts, and soon the shadows around it dissipated. Only a single heart was left, and it flew into Selena's chest. Most of the hearts that had been released shot away, but two floated down. One went to Seifer; the other went to Pence.

Much to Roxas's relief, Pence returned to his original form. "Well, that was an adventure I never want to have again," Pence commented. A huge grin spread across his face. "I never want to be a Nobody again."

Selena twitched and opened her eyes. She seemed out of it for a few moments, but then she straightened up. "I hope I didn't cause too much trouble," she said, blushing. Riku let her down off his back, but caught her when she wobbled. "Guess I haven't walked enough lately." She laughed. It was as if she'd never been unconscious.

"What's going on here?" Seifer demanded again, this time of Selena. "What was that... thing... and what did it do to me and Pence?"

Selena glanced around the place. "This is Twilight Town, right?" she asked.

"Answer," Fujin said coldly.

"Just tell us what's goin' on, ya know?" Raijin said. Irritation had creeped into his voice as well.

"I wasn't dodging the question, if that's what you think I was doing," Selena said. "I was just asking where we were, since I've been out for... How long have I been out?" she asked Kairi.

"Two days," Kairi replied.

"Man, you guys put me back together faster than I thought you would," Selena said with a grin. "Anyway, Twilight Town is famous for walls having ears, if you catch my drift. Know any buildings nearby?"

Olette raised her hand. "The Hangout." When Selena raised an eyebrow, she explained, "It's the restaurant my dad runs. That'll work, right?"

"Perfect! Lead the way, Olette!"

This irked Seifer to no end. "Answer my questions!" he shouted at Selena. He backed away when Riku gave him a cold glare.

Selena, meanwhile, stopped following Olette. "Very well. That thing that attacked you was my heart gone crazy with power so that it was similar to a Heartless. You got attacked because you have a relatively strong heart. It stole your heart and Pence's because it was crazy with power. That answers your questions."

She paused, and turned to Vivi. "You're Vivi, right? I remember you from the Struggle Match."

Vivi nodded. He fidgeted nervously under Selena's stare. Every time he looked up from under the brim of his hat, he'd look right into her eyes and be forced to look away. "W-why are you looking at me like that?"

"Am I right?" Donald asked excitedly. "Is he a magician?"

Selena shook her head, but her eyes didn't leave Vivi. "He can't be a magician. His magic's too wild to have ever cast a proper spell in his life. A magician's a master, but he's not even a mage yet."4

"There's no such thing as magic, ya know?" Raijin said. He crossed his arms defiantly. "Viv's just a normal kid."

"A normal kid that blew up a Nobody," Hayner scoffed. "That was definitely magic! I don't know much, but even I could tell that it was!"

Selena walked closer to Vivi and tried to peak under the short boy's hat. She was just tall enough that she hand to bend over a bit to see his face. Of course, Vivi turned his head away shyly. She leaned to one side to get a better look, and he turned the other way. Before he could do that again, Selena caught his chin and forced him to look into her eyes. "Do you believe in magic?" she asked.

Vivi was taken aback by the question. He wasn't expecting such a simple question. "Yes."

She dropped his chin, but he still looked at her. "Well then, we'll have to get a magician to teach you," she said with a smile. "I know just the person too!"

"Stop making things up!" Seifer said. "Magic doesn't exist! There's no magician that can teach Vivi anything because there's no such thing!"

Selena raised an eyebrow again. "Er... Didn't you just get your heart eaten?" She signaled for Roxas to lean in a bit, but still said loud enough for Seifer to hear, "Is he a little dense?"

That did it. Seifer grabbed Selena by the front of the shirt and lifted her off the ground so that they were eye-level. "I dare you to say that again."

"You're dense," Selena repeated. She grabbed his arms and pulled herself up a little so that she wouldn't choke from her shirt collar. "Even after all that's happened, you still deny the truth."

"Stop it!" Vivi cried. "Put her down, Seifer!" Vivi felt the familiar surge of power again and flinched.

A lightning bolt shot down, hitting Seifer's hands. He let go of Selena instantly and stared at his still shaking hands. The blast hadn't been too powerful, but it still looked like it had hurt. Roxas winced at the sight.

"Vivi!" Fujin rushed over to the small boy. He'd collapsed to all fours and was breathing heavily.

Olette drew her wand, but Selena lowered her arm. "I was going to use Cure!" Olette explained, but Selena shook her head.

"That won't help exhaustion caused from uncontrolled magic use," Selena said. "Roxas, do you have an Ether in your bag?"

Roxas dug through the pouch with the silver leaf pattern on it and pulled out a small bottle. He handed it to Vivi. "Drink it, you'll feel better."

Vivi did as Roxas said. He was right, too. Vivi didn't feel quite as tired, and his head wasn't spinning anymore.

"Now, before we have any other surprises," Selena said, "let's get to the restaurant. That way, you guys," she pointed at Hayner, Pence, Olette, and Roxas, "can call your parents and let them know you're all alive."

Roxas and Hayner looked at each other. Both had the same frightened expression. "Mom's gonna kill us," Hayner said. Roxas could only nod.

"Come on!" Olette said, snapping Roxas and Hayner out of their thoughts of what Mrs. Yoake was going to do to them. "I don't know about you, but I'm hungry!"

The promise of food urged them to go to The Hangout, despite the consequences. Still, Roxas knew they were in for it.

1 If you don't remember (or somehow never played KH1) Sora had Kairi's heart.

2 I decided to play with Point of View a bit for this chapter. It's being told from Vivi's standpoint at the moment.

3 Now back to Roxas PoV...

4 See Varan's discussion room.

That's it for this chapter! I hope you all liked it! I put a lot of work into it. Yep, Vivi's able to use magic. He's a pretty powerful person too. I wouldn't wanna get in a magic fight with him...

Anywho, school's started for me, so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to update after this. I'm hoping to be able to at least once a month, but we all know how that goes... Well, see you all when I update, I guess!

Varan's Discussion Room

Hello all! I can't believe it, but I have no questions to answer today, so I'll just straight into explaining magic using.

There are three main types of magic users, but these types can be split up even more. The main categories are decided by the alignment of your heart. If your heart is aligned with the light, you are an enchanter or enchantress. If your heart's dark, you are a witch or wizard (like myself). Those aligned with twilight are called sorcerers and sorceresses. Sorcerers and sorceresses are the rarest. Despite these categories, all users are really the same, regardless of their heart. This doesn't affect what magic they can do. It might make it easier to cast a spell in that particular alignment, but the affects are negligible.

There is also a level of mastery. The types in that are magicians, mages, and apprentices. Magicians, such as myself, are masters of magic. We are considered "knowledgeable" enough to teach others the way of magic. Apprentices, on the other hand, are the students of magicians. Apprentices are still learning magic, and their master is responsible for any messes they may accidentally create. Mages are a step above apprentices. Mages know enough about magic to keep themselves out of trouble and can learn magic from other sources besides their masters. Mages are responsible completely for their own magic.

To become a mage, you have to pass a test given by the Magic Council. Once the apprentice passes, they get a "magic license" and are considered "mature" (responsible) in the magic world. They aren't considered adults until they're legal in whatever world they happen to be in.

There's also a kind of magic that doesn't require any magic power. The spells Donald typically use (fire, blizzard, etc.) are basic spells that were originally designed to give apprentices with powerful magic (like Vivi) a way to release their power without casting something potentially dangerous and to teach the apprentices to focus. It was later discovered that it actually required very little magic to cause the spells to work. It was discovered that non-magic users (like Sora) could use these spells.

Non-magic users are those with little to no magic. I say "little" in the sense that they can't cast spells except for fire, blizzard, and so on. Sora falls under this category. Olette barely slips out of this category, but I doubt she'd be able to do much more than the basic spells.

Anyway, that's it for this discussion room! See you next time!