::27::Star Loop Seven::
"Fifty-five percent in progress."
A ring of ten shadows stood about the enormous white room, each person with a weapon of their own from spears to exquisite musical instruments. Sitting before them, on a high majestic throne, sat an older man with long white hair and golden wicked eyes. He was unfazed, staring down venomously against the lone figure reporting to him.
"If we take Them out, perhaps it'll progress even faster." said one of the shadows.
"Fool, it'll only take even longer!" The Speaker lashed out.
"…And what of this Roxas?" asked the white-haired man. A cracked smile slit through his lips as he leaned forward, curiously.
"He's coming." Another voice answered. Everyone turned to look at the boy, who wore the face identical to Sora's friend. "Master Xemnas."
"Replica." Xemnas murmured.
Replica's cool green eyes met against the Master's.
"Even those eyes…" the man stopped.
"…I'll walk the way to Dawn!" the boy cried out, pointing his Keyblade at Xemnas.
"You traitor!"
Suddenly, to the man's surprise, one of the Ten cloaked shadows quickly struck down the Speaker with a Keyblade, and when one of the remaining Nine grabbed hold of the culprit's trench-coat—it came to reveal the attacker as a Mouse, cladded in belt-decorated outfit and enormous shoes.
"King Mickey?" Replica murmured in shock, strapped to his frozen spot. "What…?"
Xemnas' golden eyes widen before darkening into an uncontrollable anger. "King Mickey, how dare you…!" Leaping off the white throne, the man plunged his dark hand into the Mouse's chest, willing to dig out the Heart. "How could you interfere with my Plan?"
"I came to give the Chosens more Time!" the warrior yelled out, struggling to pull himself free. Then, using the Keyblade, he whipped the weapon's sharp blade against the man's stomach—forcing Xemnas to release him. "You have ruined the very Sanctuary that Ansem the Wise and I have built for these children, and not only that, you had the guts to destroy the Hopes and Light they had followed for so many years!"
King Mickey flinched however when the Nine Nobodies revealed their glinting weapons, a few burning with fire. He then swallowed and kept guard, looking about the towering figures—all of whom were approaching him quietly and steadily.
"You are quite the fool to believe that you can stop Time so easily." said Xemnas. "For I have hidden the Hourglass well from the likes of you." A sickening wicked smile implanted itself into his lips. "You have only come to your eternal doom just as Ansem have left the Academy to fade away…into Darkness."
"You tricked him!" King Mickey clenched his teeth. "You got him to leave the Academy and all of the Keyblade wielders with you!" His eyes widened. "Wait…is that the Hourglass?"
Alerted by this, Xemnas and the Nobodies turned to look over their shoulders—only to see Replica standing in the white throne while holding up the tiny Hourglass.
"Replica, what are you doing?" Xemnas asked in panic. "Put that Hourglass down and get away from this place."
But the boy didn't. Instead, with his cool green eyes, Replica averted his slow attention back to the Organization members and held onto the object tightly. He narrowed down his eyebrows and turned to look back at the intruder with a glint of hope.
"He said he came to give the Chosens more Time." said Replica. "I used to wonder how I came to be, where Namine came from and how she came to be, and everyone else too." He paused to hold the Hourglass before him into the air. "Well, now, I want my Answers, and I'm sure Everyone else wants them as well."
"NO!" The Nobodies screamed.
Without second thoughts, the young teenager dropped the glass object.
"Things will change." Replica murmured, softly, eying Xemnas. "You might and may not see the same People day after day. Events will repeat. Time will not move forward. You are stuck. You will be figuring out puzzles. You will be sad. You may cry. You're going to discover things within yourself. "
The sound of glass breaking and colliding with the white floor echoed across the entire castle.
"This…is the curse of a Time Loop." Replica smiled. "…Good luck, Roxas."
Almost instantly, a bright white light filled up the entire building structure, blinding Xemnas, the remaining Nobodies, and King Mickey.
! Tightening his jaw altogether, the small warrior was nearly taken back with the strong shining light and heavy wind currents deriving from its source. What are the attributes of this Hourglass?
"Curse this!" Xemnas screamed. "Replica, you have gone MAD!"
But his scream was instantly drowned by the wind currents, capturing his entire figure into Darkness.
