Special thanks for Ri2 for his support throughout the writing of this chapter.
XXX
Euterpe took a large jump back and landed on the top tier of the fountain. She raised her spear. "Hark, it is an omen! As hymns resound, thou shall be offered as a sacrifice upon the feast of madness! Carnage Anthem!" Dark red energy surged forward from Euterpe's body, slamming into the party members.
"Ugh, that was a potent spell," Mickey said, using his Keyblade to prop himself back up.
"When has she ever relied on magic?" Terpsichore asked.
"Never," Clio said. "That's weird. Her fighting style usually emphasizes physical attacks."
"Goofy, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Donald asked.
"I think so, Donald, but why couldn't Shiro Amano draw Vexen right? Or the Square animators in Re? He looked like his family's done a lot of inbreeding."
"Uh, shouldn't you have forgotten what Vexen looked like?" Riku asked.
"Only when it's not funny," Goofy replied. "That's why it's called the Rule of Funny, hyuck!"
"You're right, now that you mention it," Riku said. "I wish I could forget Chain of Memories. Especially the cumbersome game play in my mode."
"Everyone does!" Polyhymnia said. "But it really wasn't as much of a rehash as Coded."
Donald glared. "Hey, you're supposed to be listening to me!"
"So what were you thinking?" Goofy asked.
"That we should fight fire with fire!" Donald snapped.
"That sounds like a bad idea. What if you use fire on something that absorbs fire? Like Hades?" Goofy responded.
"I meant magic with magic, but whatever! Now cover me!" Donald raised his staff. The jewel on the end glowed green. "In the abyss, the lord of hell's trident dances, dripping crimson truth and lighting the one true path! Maleficent Harm!" He swung the wand as if swinging a golf club. A large wave of neon green energy flowed forward from the wand itself. It hit Euterpe with such force that she was thrown thirty feet backward and into a wall.
"Maleficent Harm?!" Sora asked.
"What the fart?" Riku added.
"Oh, I know this one!" Clio seemed particularly pleased with herself. "Maleficent invented this spell. It was originally named Maleficent's Harm, but it got shortened over time to simply Maleficent Harm."
"I'd like to do Maleficent Harm," Riku muttered.
Meanwhile, Euterpe groaned and rose to her feet.
Erato drew her gun. "I loaded this baby with armor-piercing bullets."
Euterpe seemed unfazed and moved closer to Erato. "Go ahead, then. Fire at will."
Erato shrugged. "All right, since you so politely asked to be fired on first..." She fired a volley of bullets at Euterpe, all of them direct hits. Euterpe's armor now resembled Swiss cheese.
However, the rain of bullets didn't seem to slow Euterpe's progress.
"She's just shaking those bullet wounds off like bee stings!" Donald cried.
"I'm glad she was on our side until now," Goofy observed.
"I wish she was still on our side," Donald said sourly.
Euterpe jumped Erato and punched her several times in rapid succession.
"Dark Break!" Riku did several lunge attacks on Euterpe in rapid succession, shaking the ground.
"Protectga!" Clio cried. White hexagonal shields briefly appeared around the party members. "There. That should take the bite out of her high Strength stat."
Euterpe glowed red. "Divine Strike!" She beat Clio about the head and shoulders with her heavy spear. Clio stumbled backward to get impaled by three light-elemental spears. Euterpe jumped, her glowing white wings appearing on her back, and hurled her spear at Clio. A powerful explosion followed the final strike.
"Ugh," Clio struggled to stand up once the debris from the explosion settled down.
Goofy spun rapidly as he invoked his infamous Goofy Tornado attack. Euterpe got caught in the wind and she bounced around comically in the column of air. The loud sound of metal clanging against metal echoed through the halls.
"Are you all right?" Mickey asked Clio.
"I can still fight," Clio said.
Donald pointed to the damaged floor. "I hope we don't get blamed for this."
Meanwhile, Goofy finished his Tornado attack with a flourish, prompting Mickey to run forward and chain together several hits with his Keyblade in succession while Euterpe was dazed.
Sora was next, adding another powerful combo attack to Mickey's.
Terpsichore balanced on the point of her right toe shoe, and spun faster and faster until she was a pink blur. Large white balls of hot plasma flew from her spinning form.
Everyone ducked or jumped to avoid the pulses of energy. Euterpe was hit with several, and the party members yelped as the burning balls came too close for comfort.
"Hey, no friendly fire allowed!" Donald complained, his tail feathers singed.
"Whoops," Terpsichore chuckled sheepishly as she slowed to a stop. "I knew there was a reason I don't use that move that often."
Polyhymnia cast a multi-target healing spell. Green flowers appeared above everyone except Euterpe's head and sprinkled green light over them.
Euterpe held her spear vertically. "Carnage Anthem!" Once against, everyone was slammed to the ground from the spell.
"What is that spell?" Terpsichore demanded.
"An amplified Earth spell," Clio explained. "The base spell is called Stone Torch."
"Guess she's still looking for punishment," Erato observed. "Well, there's plenty to give. Riku, back me up."
"All right," Riku nodded. He hurled a large Dark Firaga at Euterpe. While she was distracted dodging, Riku ran forward, Keyblade glowing, and slammed into Euterpe. While she reeled, both Riku and Erato gave a golden glow.
"Limits, good idea!" Mickey said.
"Hikari to Kage no Roman!" Erato and Riku cried in unison. Erato drew her gun and fired small pulses of dark energy. Riku fired Pearl shots from his Keyblade, similar to Sora's Wisdom Form. They moved closer together, still firing their respective weapons. Erato joined her right hand with Riku's left. Black rosebushes with thorny vines sprouted around Euterpe, pinning her briefly in place before Riku sent his Keyblade flying like an arrow. The Keyblade slammed into Euterpe with such force that the vines shattered, and impaled Euterpe with pieces of glass-like shrapnel.
Terpsichore twirled. "Dance of Recovery." Warm light surrounded the party and healed their wounds.
Sora and Goofy ran up to Euterpe and flanked her, then struck her with their weapons, which knocked her back. Then they threw their weapons in perfect unison. Finally, Sora lifted Goofy effortlessly. Goofy 'took off' like a rocket, leaving a trail of smoke and zipped back and forth across the battlefield, hitting Euterpe and bopping her in the air.
Euterpe landed near Polyhymnia. She picked herself up again.
"You don't have to keep fighting!" Polyhymnia cried. "Why are you doing this?"
Euterpe was wordless as she slugged Polyhymnia in the jaw.
"Now, fight," Euterpe said.
A black whip materialized in Polyhymnia's hands. She cracked it at Euterpe's feet, but Euterpe jumped to avoid it.
"I gave you Melpomene's essence for her protection, not for you to exploit!" Euterpe's tone was even, but belied anger.
"I didn't want to!" Polyhymnia insisted. "You're giving me no choice!"
"Don't be ridiculous!" Euterpe snapped. "As the wise man Viktor Frankl said, you can take everything from someone, except to 'choose one's own way.' The magic words 'I have no choice' are just a shield for you to hide behind. You have more to fear from your own cowardice than my attacks!"
Meanwhile, Donald nervously played with his staff. "What do we do, Clio? Obviously a magic attack since that's our bag, but what? If only we had another mage to do a fusion spell."
"Euterpe's strong, but she isn't immune to the laws of physics," Clio said reassuringly, adjusting her glasses. "Perform your strongest fire spell."
"All right," Donald nodded. He pointed his staff in Euterpe's direction as his spell seal took shape under his feet. "I invoke the rites of fiery Muspelheim, and give thy soul up to the inferno's embrace! Ifrit Caress!"
Euterpe disappeared as great globes of fire fell from the ceiling and engulfed her completely.
A spell seal appeared under Clio's feet. "Surely thoust can feel it! Thy days are numbered, thy death is at hand! Crystal Strike!" Ice spikes layered over Euterpe, encasing her in case, then a powerful shot from Clio's bow shattered them.
Euterpe kicked Clio in the side, then landed a powerful punch to her face. Clio's glasses shattered.
"Are ya okay?" Goofy asked as Mickey jumped and smacked Euterpe with his Keyblade.
"It hurts," Clio said. "But I guess it's supposed to."
"Can you see at all without your glasses?" Goofy asked.
"My vision is actually 20/10 both eyes," Clio explained. "My glasses are a fashion accessory. Plus they boost my accuracy. And my magic power."
Meanwhile, Mickey had launched Euterpe into the air with a strong punt, jumped up in the air and hit Euterpe down with a potent smack, rained several Pearl orbs on her and hurled his Keyblade in a powerful Strike Raid. This was his powerful limit, Disaresta.
"Isn't it strange?" Riku asked. "She seems to be fighting in the same pattern: her Carnage Anthem spell, then a heavy single-target combination attack. And then her limit break."
"Why would she do that?" Erato asked. "Wouldn't we be able to predict her attacks, then?"
"Video game bosses always fight in a pattern," Clio said. "That's nothing new."
"This is prose!" Donald retorted.
"Divine Strike," Euterpe cried, but Goofy stuck his shield between her and her intended target, Mickey. She bounced off comically.
"I know the King just hit you with a limit break, Euterpe," Goofy said, in a gently chiding voice. "But your behavior has been very bad. You broke your sister's glasses, and you attacked my king. That's just not OK, hyuck!"
Euterpe said nothing, just stared at Goofy as if daring him to attack her.
Goofy straightened his helmet. "This is going to hurt you more than it hurts me!" With that, he head-butted Euterpe. There was a sickening crack.
"Was that either of their skulls cracking?" Riku asked.
"Nah, Goofy's skull is too thick," Donald observed. "You saw what happened during the battle at Hollow Bastion in Kingdom Hearts II."
"Really?" Sora asked. "Because we both thought Goofy really died…"
"Shut up, Sora!" Donald snapped.
"Ahem!" Euterpe coughed. She lifted her helmet, revealing a crushed gold diadem. She slipped it off her head.
"What is that?" Clio asked.
"What they used to control me," Euterpe replied. "A Slave Crown of some sort." She dropped the crown to the floor, and then ground her heel into it. Before long, it was an unrecognizable mass of wires and chunks of metal. "I thank you, Sir Goofy, for breaking it."
"Well, that explains a lot," Sora said.
No duh, Roxas added.
"According to what Megaera told me," Euterpe explained. "The crown controls the wielder, but leaves them fully aware of the situation. Calamity told me to wait here and retrieve the Dainslef keychain if you refused her offer for a truce. She didn't give specific orders, so I was able to purposely behave suspiciously. I knew you wouldn't give it up without a fight. So I raised my weapon. I hoped you would destroy me."
"Why would you hope that?" Goofy asked.
"I betrayed you and my sisters," Euterpe replied. "Aren't traitors the lowest of the low?"
"If you were a traitor," Riku said. "You'd have betrayed us long before this. But you didn't, until they kidnapped you and stuck that thing on your head."
"You wouldn't be so merciful if you knew what I was capable of!" Euterpe retorted. "The crown was on my head when I woke up. Alecto, Tisiphone, and Megaera ordered me to torture Calliope, who was restrained and unable to stop me. They filmed it. I suspect the footage is already on their website. Watch it."
"Why would we want to watch that?" Polyhymnia asked with a look of disgust evident on her face.
"So you can see me for what I really am!" Euterpe snapped. "I'm not a person! I'm darkness! You have to destroy me before I hurt anyone else! I thought all this time, I could stop myself. It turns out I can't. I truly am the spawn of the Ghost of Sparta."
"You're our comrade," Terpsichore said. "How can you yell at us and expect us to kill you?"
"We're sisters," Euterpe replied. "We're not friends."
"Well, you see, Euterpe," Goofy said. "I kinda thought we were all friends."
"You thought wrong," Euterpe answered.
"No, Goofy's right!" Sora said. "We are friends, whether you admit it or not."
"And we won't punish you for something that wasn't your fault," Mickey added.
"That you have the grace to accept responsibility makes you a good person," Riku commented.
"But I'm guilty," Euterpe said, drawing her spear. "This spear is the Holy Spear Eunomia, the same spear I used to inflict injuries to most of you. Eunomia means law. I must uphold the holy laws. All sinners will be judged, no exceptions. I can't very well give myself an exception. Why are none of you comprehending this? I feel like I am screaming at a brick wall!"
"You're a victim," Mickey said. "Not a sinner. Blaming a victim is morally wrong."
"I do not like to repeat myself," Euterpe replied. "If you turn a blind eye to my crime, it is as if you're party to Calliope's suffering: minatur innocentibus qui parcit nocentibus."
"'Who spares the guilty threatens the innocent'," Clio translated. "How about this: 'actus me invito factus non est meus actus'?"
"The action done by me against my will is not my act?" Euterpe asked. "Does not apply here. There was no gun to my head, no blackmail."
"It was against your will, though," Polyhymnia observed. "I'm guessing Calamity figured this would happen."
"Calliope was the victim of all this," Euterpe insisted. "Not me. She forgave me!"
"What was that?" Clio smiled softly.
"She forgave me for torturing her!" Euterpe repeated. "She is a far better sister than I. There is nothing I can do that she can't do better."
"If she forgave you, that settles it." Clio said. "It'd be mutiny for the rest of us to disobey our fearless leader. Isn't that right, my sisters?"
"Yes," Terpsichore agreed.
Erato giggled. "Calliope's the boss."
"Hmph," Euterpe's spear vanished from her hand. "What is your next course of action?"
"Continue what we set out to do," Mickey said. "Gather silver threads. We still need the orichalcum candlestick and the charm feather, though."
"Then my path is clear. I shall obtain those items for you," Euterpe suggested.
"You can't!" Sora cried.
"It'd be reckless of you to go alone," Polyhymnia said. "There is strength in numbers."
"We were together before," Euterpe said. "Please let me make this up to you, Keybearers."
"I don't know," Mickey said.
"I'd suggest you jump," Euterpe said. "Earth Glaive!"
Sharp spears made of brown stone popped out of the floor, shattering the marble tiles and sending them every which way. The party members yelped and jumped. Dust flew into the air.
Clio blew away the dust using an Aeroga spell. "She's gone."
"Why does she get earth spells and I don't?" Donald whined. "She's not a mage-type character like me!"
"Now is not the time, Donald," Sora lectured.
Erato clasped her hands together and concentrated for a few minutes. Then she sighed. "Darn it! Euterpe is using a spell to disguise her presence. I don't know where she is."
"Let's leave her be," Riku said. "She's already upset. Chasing after her would be pointless. If we try, she'll probably just keep running from us. Maybe she'll find those ingredients. Giving her some space and letting her help in her own way should help her heal."
"I guess you would know the value of going off alone and angsting," Terpsichore remarked acerbically. Riku only gave her a self-depreciating smile.
XXX
In Destiny Islands' little town, the impromptu 'Ghost busting squad' composed of Lulu, Tidus, Wakka, and Chappu walked through their neighborhood. Their faces were sullen.
Sharon Beechwood, leaving her house, waved them over. "Children? Whatever is wrong?"
The kids looked at each other, unsure what to say.
"Why don't you I serve you some cookies?" Sharon asked. "Lionel is inside. I have to leave to pick up the triplets from the harbor, but I should be back within the hour."
The four kids started.
"Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo are coming back?!" Wakka cried.
"Why didn't you tell us earlier?!" Chappu cried.
"We could have made plans to be elsewhere!" Lulu said with an icy glare.
"I think we'd rather take our chances with the ghost!" Tidus said. "Run!" The kids fled, leaving Sharon alone in her yard.
XXX
Two hours had passed since the fight with Euterpe.
Sora sighed. "We're finally done." He stuffed the last ball of silver thread into one of his pouches.
"Let's just get out of here," Donald said. "I'm tired, and I never want to see another blind stitch as long as I live."
The party, tired from their busywork, left the store in a bunch and walked back to the glass entrance.
Riku drew his Keyblade and inched toward the doors.
"Um, why are you taking a defensive stance?" Sora asked.
"Because we're going to get into a boss fight the second we walk out this door?" Riku replied. "Did you forget how this works?"
"We already fought the area boss," Donald said.
"Euterpe was so obviously the mid-boss!" Riku snapped.
"She would kill you if she heard you say that," Terpsichore observed. "Mid-bosses are weak and pathetic."
"And she was a tough fight," Sora said. "So it's perfectly safe to leave. Watch. I'll prove it." He pushed the door open. "Any bosses out here?!"
"Nope!" A high-pitched voice answered. "No one here!"
"See?" Sora said.
Riku sighed. "We know you're out there! Show yourselves!"
"We'd prefer it if you would kindly step outside!" A second voice chimed.
"Yes, you're letting the cool air out of the building!" Another voice.
The party members shrugged and passed through the mall entrance, weapons ready.
"All right, we're out!" Sora yelled. "Where are you?"
"Look up!" A fourth voice called from above.
Vayne, Lezard, Loki, and Hades were standing atop four of the columns lining the portico.
"Well, isn't this ironic?" Clio asked. "That two who so scorned the gods now stand besides them?"
"No," Yet another voice chimed in, and suddenly Marjoly was on a fifth pillar. "Irony is the Alanis Morissette song 'Irony' having absolutely no ironic situations in the lyrics."
"How meta," Gant appeared on another pillar.
"So all six of you are going to fight us?" Riku asked. He turned to Sora. "I told you so!"
"Hey, aren't you forgetting me?!" came the high-pitched first speaker. Everyone looked to the left. On another pillar was Cartman, hopping up and down in rage and resembling a fat, young, makeup-less Kefka.
"No, we have no hostile intentions," Lezard said, ignoring Cartman. "We came here simply to warn you."
"Warn us?" Sora asked. "You mean taunt us?"
"That too," Marjoly said, pulling out a silk fan and fanning herself in what she apparently thought was a coy manner.
All seven struck a dramatic (or so they hoped) pose. "We are the Seven Pillars!"
"But you can call us the Seven for short," Lezard added. "Or sirs. We're not particular."
"You've met most of us individually," Vayne explained. "However, in interests of dramatic tension, we decided you had to see what you were up against!"
"How...generous of you," Erato said sarcastically.
"As you can see," Marjoly said. "We are Calamity's elite guard and enforcers."
"Why are you guys helping Calamity?" Sora asked. "She's obviously evil!"
"She is not evil," Vayne countered. "And I resent you implying that we are."
"I know Hades is," Sora said. "And I know Loki killed Urania for no reason."
"I had a good reason!" Loki protested. "I was bored! And Calamity said so! Oh, crap..."
"You're not helping your case here," Clio said.
"I guess we shouldn't give away the giant demon army about to invade Radiant Garden, then," Marjoly said. She wasn't even looking at the party. She had a compact and was looking at her mirror to make sure her heavy makeup was immaculately applied. "Oh, and we hired a hitman to take out Sora, and he's the best in the biz. So I'd watch out."
"Why would Ezio Auditore da Firenze want to kill Sora?" Donald asked. "Doesn't killing the innocent go against his Creed? You can't get more innocent than wide-eyed Sora."
"Betcha can't say that name ten times fast," Goofy commented.
"See, I said DeKiller was a bad choice!" Gant said. "But did anyone listen to me?"
"DeKiller?" Goofy asked. "Isn't he being a little upfront with his name?"
"What about that demon army?!" Terpsichore demanded. "Why are you doing this?!"
"One, we're only doing this kind of stuff when it's funny," Loki said.
"And when isn't it?!" Cartman asked.
"Two," Vayne continued. "Demon army is a blanket statement. Most of them are demons. But there are other species. They willingly signed contracts for Calamity. Just as we willingly agreed to work for her."
"Lousy know it all," Hades muttered under his breath.
"Three, we have to stop you," Gant said. "You wanted Merlin to purify those crystals for you, but he won't be able to without his lab."
"You're threatening an entire populace just to have a chance to destroy one building?!" Riku demanded. "I know you guys are evil, but you're just going overboard here."
"Stop calling us evil!" Vayne said. "Just because we're smart, ambitious, and unsatisfied with our current standards of living doesn't mean we're bad people. Lezard here is doing this for love, for example. Even if romantic love is a psycho-social construct..."
Lezard sneezed hard. The sneeze generated so much force that he pitched backward. He attempted to regain his balance, but only succeeded in pivoting briefly on the edge of the pillar's top before falling on the ground. A large cloud of dust flew up.
The other executives burst out in laughter, except for Hades.
Loki smirked at Hades. "You owe me five thousand munny."
"You bet that the smarmy magician would fall off the pillar?" Gant asked.
"No, Hades bet that if anyone lost their balance, Cartman would be the first to fall," Loki explained.
"Are you okay, Mr. Valeth?" Sora called.
Lezard brushed dust off his clothing and straightened his glasses. "You're asking if I'm all right? Your enemy? Hmph, you really are too nice for your own good."
"But you fell down and your allies are laughing at you," Sora replied. "Shouldn't you be upset?"
"To be fair," Lezard replied. "I'd probably be laughing if it had been someone else."
XXX
Inside the Velvet Room, Maia stood up. "There's someone in the Garden of Gods!"
"Who?" Gordon asked. "An enemy?"
"No," Maia said. "One of my sisters, but I'm too far to tell which one. Let's go investigate."
Maia, Gordon, Auron, and Kairi thus set out from the Velvet Room. Maia opened the door to reveal a beautiful green garden filled with flowers.
"This is beautiful," Kairi said. "Look at all these flowers!" She moved to take a closer look. "I've never seen some of these varieties before!"
Gordon gestured ahead. "There."
A figure sat, in full body armor and a winged helmet. It was Euterpe, though only Maia knew her by name.
Auron drew his sword and pointed it at the sitting figure.
Euterpe rose, turned toward the party, and lifted her helmet. She undid her bun, and her red-gold hair fell gracefully around her shoulders. Smiling, she said to Auron, "You've aged gracefully."
Auron grunted. "You haven't."
"So you two know each other?" Gordon asked.
"We've met," Auron said.
Euterpe looked at Maia. Her serene expression transmuted to a troubled one. "Sappho? Is that you?"
Maia wrung her hands. "Yes."
"How...?" Euterpe said. "You look so old! It's practically giving me vertigo, seeing my little sister looking older than me!"
"Maia's not that old!" Kairi insisted. "I don't see why she keeps lying about her age."
"Maia?" Euterpe asked.
"My human identity," Maia explained. "I was apparently reincarnated as a mortal."
"Not a straight revival?" Euterpe asked, brow furrowing. "Hmm...I wonder why not."
"I don't have a definite answer," Maia replied. "I know only what I've observed. My mother also sealed away my memories. It would have been better for me never to remember." She shook with rage. "I wish I had never remembered!"
"Why?" Euterpe asked.
"Because it would have been simpler," Maia said. "Living a quiet life as Maia Pleiades. But beyond that...being human is so much better!"
Euterpe's face blanched. "Pleiades?! As in Sora Pleiades?"
"Yes," Maia said. "Sorrel Pleiades is my son, though everyone calls him Sora."
Euterpe let out an aggravated scream.
Gordon reached out an arm to reassure Euterpe. "Are you okay?"
"Don't!" Euterpe looked up at Gordon. "Don't look at me with Sora's eyes!"
"What's the matter?" Maia asked. "Did something happen to Sora?"
"I happened," Euterpe said. She outlined the previous events, from Calamity's awakening, to Mnemosyne's daughters splitting up, to her personal meeting with Sora at Disney Castle, to the long list of preparations for the final fight against Calamity. Finally, she described her kidnapping, the Slave Crown, and the subsequent battle.
"I attacked my own nephew," Euterpe finished. "How could I? I have to make amends. And I know exactly what to do."
"Oh?" Auron asked dryly.
Euterpe began to explain. "Before my abduction, we acquired a piece of the Primordial Flame. A flame hot enough to purify the Phozon Crystals we needed for the Soul Separation ritual. We took the crystals and flames to Merlin, but Merlin was in need of some additional supplies. And we couldn't find another sorcerer with both the necessary lab equipment and expertise on such short notice. Sora's group is working on collecting a large amount of silver threads, but they still need a charm feather and a candlestick made entirely of orichalcum. I volunteered to look for them while they acquired the threads. I just came here to collect my thoughts."
"Why don't we go it together?" Gordon asked. "There's no reason for you to be alone."
"You would have me?" Euterpe asked.
"Of course," Maia said. "I've missed you."
"But I attacked your son!" Euterpe replied.
"I know you didn't mean it," Maia insisted.
"Oh, Sappho," Euterpe blushed. "Sometimes I think out of all of us, you're the closest to Kore."
"Closest to Kore?" Gordon asked.
"I suppose you have the right to know," Euterpe said. "As you're Sappho's husband. I'll try to keep this as brief as possible. My mother bore children with her consorts to create the Omega."
"Omega?" Kairi asked. "The last letter of the Greek alphabet?"
"Yes," Euterpe said. "My mother considered Kore to be an ideal human. One that all mortals should emulate. Kore died a long time ago, but Mother wanted to bring her back as a goddess. Except it was more than taking Kore's soul and placing it in a divine body. Mother said that Kore deserved a construct truly worthy of her beautiful soul. So she planned to have a daughter and cultivate a wonderful personality within her. That daughter would be the Omega, or the end. Kore herself is the Alpha, or beginning. And when the Alpha and Omega meet..."
"She was going to put Kore's soul in the Omega?!" Kairi blurted out. "But...wouldn't that be problematic? Naminé and I manage to share a single body, but..."
"It takes a lot of energy to maintain a divine body," Euterpe explained. "A divine soul can inhabit a divine body easily, but to place a mortal soul in one? The aim was for Kore to use the Omega's soul as an energy source. Consume it, so Kore's soul would become divine."
"I don't think Kore herself would have accepted our Mother's gift," Maia said. "So I've never given the talk of who'd be the Omega much thought. I know a selfless person like Kore would never use the life of another to keep living, even at the behest of her best friend."
"I concur," Euterpe said. "At any rate, Mother failed in her plan. She gave up."
"Gave up?" Auron asked.
"Because we weren't good enough," Euterpe continued. "It was no use. No matter how many daughters she created. No matter how hard we tried. None of us came close to matching Kore's radiance. I was only the second attempt. The second failure. Calliope, the firstborn, was the daughter of a Demon Overlord. Mnemosyne chose the Overlord, Krichevskoy, for qualities she wanted in her Omega: leadership, strength, understanding. But Calliope must have been too demon-like. When she fights, she remembers her true nature as a demon. I was the daughter of Kratos, a man born a demigod who defeated a god. And became one. He was the original immovable object. Not even death stopped him. I inherited a robust body and superhuman strength, but also my father's temper. I suppose it isn't his fault I can barely control myself. Clio, attempt three, was the first child of a Keyblade Master."
"A Keyblade Master?!" Kairi asked. "Who?"
"Master Yen Sid," Euterpe said.
"He's that old?" Kairi inquired. "I knew he was old, but..."
"There's a reason for that," Euterpe interrupted. "But perhaps you should ask Clio herself. In any case, that is all I have to impart on my mother at the present time." She looked to the others. "There are five of us here. Let us go to the Velvet Room." Without waiting for an answer, she walked toward the glowing blue door. The party members shrugged and followed her into the overly blue room.
Theo was still the sole occupier of the Velvet Room. "Lady Euterpe?"
"Theodore," Euterpe said. "Perfect. Would you be willing to help us in our quest?"
"My orders were to assist in any way I can," Theo replied. "However, if I were to venture out into the World of Light, I must return before long. The other residents are starting to become overtaxed."
"It should be quick," Euterpe said reassuringly.
"So what is this idea?" Maia asked.
"I had a problem," Euterpe began. "Most orichalcum artifacts are not pure orichalcum, but an alloy."
"That makes sense," Gordon said. "Isn't orichalcum very rare and expensive?"
"Yes," Euterpe replied. "But there's another reason. Orichalcum is hard to manipulate in its purest form. Most metalworkers mix it with other metals to make it more malleable. Only the most skilled metalworkers can work with pure orichalcum. The dwarves in and around Conde Petie are some of the best makers of pure orichalcum artifacts. Their specialty item is candlesticks. But only married couples are allowed in the sanctuary. We could pair off. So..." Euterpe got down on her knee. "Auron, will you marry me?"
Auron's cheeks flushed. "WHAT?!"
"You don't believe in marriage," Euterpe explained. "You even faced the wrath of your boss for refusing to marry his daughter."
"If you had met his daughter, you'd walk out during the ceremony too," Auron replied.
"I agree with you," Euterpe interrupted. "Marriage is an antiquated tradition that does nothing but maintain discriminatory ideas of gender. A holdover from when a woman was just another form of property. The vows admit it: to obey. I will obey no man. Especially not an arrogant mortal."
"If you're that opposed to marriage," Auron responded. "Why propose to me at all? Those dwarves must sell their products. We could buy a candlestick from a merchant."
"A valid counter," Euterpe said. "However, we don't have much munny. The Black Mages who network with the dwarves are shrewd traders and not easily cheated. The dwarves are much more agreeable, especially if you can drink them under the table. Besides, if you and I – two unbelievers – marry, we'll be using it as a tool for subversion. We're proving how ridiculous it is!"
Auron shook his head. "This has got to be the strangest marriage proposal ever. Ah! Marriage vows are only good till death do you part! I'm already dead!"
"Check your pulse," Euterpe said in a singsongy voice.
Auron felt his wrist. "Aw, crap."
"Materialization completes a functioning body over a period of time," Euterpe explained. "But I knew you'd have a heartbeat by now."
"Can't you marry Theodore?" Auron asked.
"I cannot," Theo interrupted. "It would be an incestuous union."
"What, you're related?" Kairi asked.
"Not in the typical sense," Theo said. "However, I am an aspect of Master Philemon, who is Miss Euterpe's younger brother."
"I don't think that really counts," Auron mumbled.
"Since Gordon and I are already married," Maia suggested. "We'll go ahead and look for a charm feather. We'll meet up later."
XXX
An hour later, Kairi and Theo, as well as Auron and Euterpe, were inside a chapel to perform an expedited double marriage ceremony.
Father Heartguard bowed. "You may kiss the bride."
"On the lips?!" Auron cried. "I did not sign up for that."
Euterpe, wearing an elaborate white wedding dress and veil, smiled. "Well, if you won't, then I will." She put her arms around Auron's shoulders and kissed him on the lips.
Auron gave a disgusted look. "So, anyone know a divorce lawyer they really hate?"
Theodore, standing beside Kairi in his usual blue suit, was scribbling something in a notepad.
"What are you writing?" Kairi asked. She was still wearing her dress, but she had pinned a white flower in her hair.
"Just some observations," Theo replied. "I don't get to experience the real world very often."
Kairi held up her left hand. She had a ring on her fourth finger, set with a diamond the size of a cashew. "I figured."
"Do you like it?" Theo asked.
"It's nice," Kairi admitted. "But this is just a pretend wedding. Don't you have someone special in your life that you'd rather give this to?"
"I do not," Theo said. "But I suppose if there are infinite parallel worlds out there, there could be at least one where I have met my true love. By the way, is that purple octopus a friend of yours?"
Kairi turned around. "Uh oh!"
"Thought you'd seen the last of me?!" Ultros was walking down the aisle, despite the fact octopus legs aren't meant to support the octopus' weight.
"Ultros again?" Kairi palmed her face. "At least Gordon's not around to wet his pants."
There was some creaking noises. Everyone's eyes went to the skylight above. There was a large being standing on the glass and blocking the light. The glass shattered, and Gilgamesh, all of his arms holding cheap-looking swords, fell with a crash in the middle of the floor. Dust fell all around him.
"Time for you to face me!" Gilgamesh announced, not sounding the least bit embarrassed. "Gilgamesh, the greatest swordsman..."
"Hey!" Ultros cried. "I was in the middle of engaging them!"
"No, I was," Gilgamesh replied. "Wait your turn!"
"No, you wait your turn!" Ultros snarled.
"No, you!"
"No, you!"
Auron looked to Euterpe, Theo and Kairi, who nodded. They tiptoed away while Gilgamesh and Ultros continued to bicker.
XXX
Gordon and Maia passed easily through Conde Petie, venturing along the nearby mountain trails.
"You seem to be in better spirits," Gordon said.
"I feel a lot better," Maia admitted. "I'm still nervous about meeting with Sora. And the rest of my sisters. And especially my mother. Let's change the subject. How about when this is over, we have another baby?"
Gordon stopped short. "WHAT?!"
"A girl, maybe? Or perhaps another boy?"
"We have two half-grown sons!" Gordon moaned.
"We could get it right this time." Maia said teasingly.
"It wasn't your fault Roxas turned out to be a gang member. And it was good that he was a teenager when he was born. Why would you want another baby? Don't you remember what a nightmare it was? How Sora would get our attention in the morning? By throwing toys at us from inside his crib?"
"How bad was it really?"
"Once, when you went to get groceries, you left me to watch Sora. And he would not stop crying. No matter what I tried, he wasn't having it. So I remembered babies know their mama's unique scent, and put on one of your blouses from the hamper. I held him to my chest and he stopped crying."
"That was one incident."
"Need I remind you of the spittle? The farts? The time he crawled into my lab and spilled my bottle of tartaric acid? Oh, and used all my best photo paper for origami? That he wouldn't go to bed unless and until we served him ice cream? Or the time we shared a picnic spot with the Beechwoods and he threw one of his toys and it missed us...but hit Riku on the head. And Riku just bawled and bawled. And Sora began to cry and we had crybabies in stereo!"
"All right. You're against having another baby. I get it."
"I'd be willing to have another one if you really want one, but I'm not sure you've thought this decision through."
"How strange," Maia laughed. "It's usually me telling you to think stuff through. I suppose you're right. A decision this big I should sleep on for a few nights. Let's get back to our task."
"So what is a charm feather, exactly?" Gordon asked.
"A feather imbued with magic," Maia said. "The most common source is a cockatrice. But they come from lots of different species: griffons, harpies, Featherfolk. Even normal birds exposed to enough magic can produce charm feathers."
Gordon stopped. They were at the base of a cliff. He bent down. "I almost stepped on something."
A bald infant bird the size of a guinea pig was sitting on the ground, looking up. "Peep!"
Gordon reached out for the chick.
"Stop!" Maia said. "Won't the parents abandon it if they smell your scent on it?"
"That's an urban myth," Gordon replied, scooping up the baby bird in both hands. "Birds usually have a poor sense of smell. It still isn't a good idea in general to handle baby birds because birds do have very good vision and tend to stay near their nests. You can't see them, but they can see you."
"So why are you holding it?" Maia asked.
"Simple," Gordon said. "The parents aren't home. They wouldn't have left his guy on the ground where something could eat him if they could still see him." He scanned the chick. "Doesn't seem to be hurt. Birds' bones are brittle because of the air pockets inside. Which means he fell from a short distance." He looked up at the cliff. A few feet above them, there was a dark hollow in the cliff. Putting the bird on his shoulder, he climbed quickly. Maia followed. Together, they entered the small cave. The cave was wide, but the ceilings were low. Gordon and Maia had to crawl side by side on their hands and knees.
A large nest, big enough for Gordon or Maia to sit in it comfortably, was at the end of the cave. It was filled with straw, but the wind had exposed part of a gray egg. Presumably more were under the straw.
"Impatient guy," Gordon said, setting the bird inside the nest. "He got bored waiting for his brothers and sisters to hatch."
"Still, shouldn't the mama be here?" Maia asked. "Keeping the eggs warm?"
"Isn't that kind of old fashioned?" Gordon remarked. "Assuming the mother stays with the eggs while the father gathers food?"
A loud screech echoed through the cave.
"Maia?" Gordon chuckled nervously. "That's a really good impression, but maybe you should save it for later. This cave might...cave in."
"That wasn't me!" Maia retorted.
"Uh oh," Gordon looked behind. A massive eagle with shining golden feathers was blocking the opening to the hollow. The eagle's wingspan was at least seven feet.
"Nice birdy!" Gordon cried. "Good birdy!"
The chick peeped in delight. The eagle flew over Gordon and Maia's heads, barely maneuvering through the low clearance and landed near the nest. The eagle made some noises to the chick, and it seemed to reply with more peeps.
"I think the baby is telling her that we're not trying to harm her nest," Maia said.
"Ah, so your superpowers extend to translating bird?" Gordon asked.
"Birds don't have their own language," Maia said. "But they have nonverbal ways of communicating. And they have strong instincts. I think she can tell we're parents, like her."
"Can you tell her we're done here?" Gordon asked. "And we didn't mean any harm?"
"I don't know how to do that," Maia admitted. "I'm not a telepath, and she doesn't understand English. I can read her soul like I can read a human's, but I'm not getting much. All I know is that her name is Marahute, and her mate is deceased. That's why she went hunting by herself."
"Well, it's dinner time for the kid," Gordon observed. "So let's leave." Both Maia and Gordon crawled backward.
Marahute screeched. She bent her head down and picked up a loose gold feather that was sticking out of the nest. He held it toward Gordon.
"For me?" Gordon asked. He took it. It shone even in the dim light of the cave. "I'll treasure it."
Marahute seemed satisfied, and made no further movements or noise as Gordon and Maia crawled out of the hollow and climbed the rock back down to the ground.
"I think the feather Marahute gave you will suffice as a charm feather," Maia said. "Let's go back and see the others."
"All right," Gordon said. They clasped hands and walked back toward Conde Petie.
"I hope Sora takes it well," Maia said. "I knew his life was hardly normal before, with the Keyblade and the quests, but now he'll never have a normal life."
"I think he's used to weirdness," Gordon said. "If not, he will soon. Life before feels like a dream. When my biggest worry was Lionel. You know, Riku told me something strange."
"What was that?" Maia asked.
"Riku said that Lionel imparted the whole ugly story between the three of us. Apparently, Lionel wished his son not to repeat his mistakes."
"Apparently, Lionel didn't try hard enough," Maia said bitterly.
"But don't you think it odd?" Gordon asked. "That Lionel disclosed everything? We've kept Sora in the dark about that chapter of our lives."
"Well, what were we supposed to do?" Maia retorted. "Oh, your best friend's dad beat up your dad?"
Gordon didn't reply. He looked ahead. "Oh, there are the others!"
Euterpe, looking happy in her white dress, held a gleaming candlestick in her right hand. Kairi and Theo followed, with Auron – looking more dour than usual – bringing up the rear.
"Look what we've got!" Gordon held out Marahute's feather excitedly.
"A charm feather!" Euterpe said in delight. She held out the candlestick. "Mr. Pleiades, I'll give you this to hold."
Gordon accepted the stick. "So exactly how did you guys get this?"
"Easy," Kairi said. "The dwarves have this bargain: if someone can outdrink them with Jello shots, that person can have an orichalcum candlestick free of charge. I'm underage, so I couldn't participate. Euterpe said she was a lightweight, and she wouldn't let Auron do it."
"She didn't want me to ruin my newly materialized liver," Auron complained.
Kairi finished. "So Theo had to do it, and he won. Fourteen Jello shots!"
"I could have had more," Theo said, speech only slightly slurred. "But I don't like Jello." He wobbled for a few seconds, then passed out.
"I guess we better take him back to the Velvet Room," Maia said.
"Philemon is not going to be pleased," Euterpe added.
Gordon and Auron picked up Theo by his shoulders and legs and carried him as Euterpe opened a portal to the Velvet Room.
Once everyone entered the Velvet Room, Gordon and Auron set Theo on the blue couch in a seated position.
"Auron," Euterpe said. "Could I talk to you?" She pointed toward one of the smaller 'guest rooms.' "Alone?"
"I don't particularly want to," Auron said. "But I know you won't take no for an answer." He followed her into the small room.
Euterpe sat on the blue bed. It was still unmade from that morning.
"Why do you want to talk to me without the others present?" Auron asked.
"I know you're embarrassed." Euterpe said. "I'm curious. What has taken root so deeply in your soul that it bothers you still?"
Auron said nothing.
"If you do not wish to discuss it, I will leave you," Euterpe said. "However, I feel obligated to remind you that you cannot be ready to move on to the next life until you have left your cares from this life behind."
"Actually," Auron began. "I did have some questions."
"Yes?" Euterpe asked.
"To put it plainly, I still don't understand what you tried to say to me all that...time ago. When we first met. When you looked like a little girl."
"Let me tell you a story," Euterpe began. "There was a warrior. His name was Seifer Almassy. He was not a nice guy. He died, but was reincarnated. And not alone. His ties with his two best friends allowed them to reincarnate together in Twilight Town. Seifer still has a long way to go before he reaches his Catharsis. He's a playground bully. But it is a far cry from what he was. I can only hope he continues this growth. Think of Catharsis as the top of a spiral staircase. And each incarnation – birth, life, death – as one complete revolution. As one walks in a circle, they also ascend the staircase. And different souls ascend at different rates. Keats had it right," Euterpe said. "He said that the sense of identity is formed from three 'grand materials acting the one upon the other for a series of years.' These materials we call the soul, heart, and body. Sometimes the soul is referred to as the mind, as it is the seat of intelligence and personality. The heart is the source of emotion and attachments. The body is 'elemental space suited for the proper action of mind and heart on each other for the purpose of forming the intelligence destined to possess the sense of identity.' He compared the body to a school, the heart a hornbook, and the child able to read 'an intelligence': Do you not see how necessary a world of pains and troubles is to school an intelligence…a place where the heart must feel and suffer in a thousand diverse ways."
"That's your justification for human suffering?!" Auron asked in an incredulous tone. "To 'learn'? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."
"I find it a grand system of salvation," Euterpe replied. "Catharsis cannot be achieved overnight, but there are infinite chances at it. No one incarnation is a waste."
Auron shook his head. "You say it is grand? To live and die over and over again. To grieve and suffer again and again, with no release until the soul is 'enlightened' enough to go back to Kingdom Hearts?! And gods wonder why humans hate them?"
Euterpe shrugged. "You propose it's because we're exempt from this process, but I always thought it was an inferiority complex on the part of humanity."
Auron took a minute to process that comment, but decided not to reply to it. He opted to change the subject. "So you were telling me I'm stuck."
"You've been held back by something," Euterpe said quietly. "You see, Calliope thought you were ready to go on to the next reincarnation. But I said you weren't. We argued. Mother stepped in. I expected her to side with Calliope, but she did not. It's the only victory I've ever had over Calliope. I placed you in a pocket of the Astral Plane that served as a receptacle for other stuck souls. I thought by conversing with them, you'd gain insight into moving forward."
"I recall their stories," Auron said. "Like Rasler Nabradia. He died shortly after he got married, and wished to wait for his rebirth. So he could be reborn with his wife Ashe, and spend the life together they didn't have in Ivalice. Absurd."
"I do not think so," Euterpe said. "Love is a powerful force."
"It didn't help him and his wife, though I admit Hercules needed it." Auron said. "How did Hades summon me?"
"Easy," Euterpe answered. "That astral pocket is right below his Underworld, which is part of the material world. Even if its denizens aren't exactly...material. It wasn't right of him to do that, but Hades does not comprehend something as simple as his own place."
Auron grunted. "For once, we agree on something."
"I wanted to tell you something," Euterpe said. "When all this is over, I'll let you reincarnate. But you have to forgive yourself for what happened. You can reincarnate right away, or wait until this new life Sappho gave you expires. Just tell me when this is over, if I am still alive."
"Still alive?" Auron repeated.
"There's a perilous fight ahead," Euterpe answered. "I might die. I wish to continue to live, but there is a chance I will fall. If I am gone, simply ask Calliope. She should survive."
"So it seems death is the ultimate fairness after all," observed Auron. "It comes to all, even immortal goddesses."
"If I do die," Euterpe commented. "I want my death to have meaning."
"Death is always meaningless," Auron replied. "You would simply die, as your sister died."
"Sappho?" Euterpe said. "Something tells me that you and I meeting her was not chance. I wonder if it is a sign. That since I failed my oldest sister, I should protect my youngest sister? Is that my path to salvation? Is it that simple?"
"Sounds like you're having trouble taking your own advice," Auron commented.
"That is a false dichotomy," Euterpe said. "Our situations are not parallel. What I did was unforgivable. What you feel guilt over is not. You seem to think gods are privileged, but we are not. We aren't allowed to forget our sins. If we die, there is no new life waiting for us. I think I can see why Sappho said being human was so much better."
"If I may change the subject," Auron said. "You make a clear distinction between human and god, but...is Sora divine? Or human?"
"Ah, a very human-like question," Euterpe said. "Well, Sora is a new soul."
"A new soul?" Auron repeated.
"Most souls have been through at least one incarnation," Euterpe explained. "Since I'm a daughter of the Memory Queen, I can sense the forgotten memories from the previous incarnations. Sora has no such buried memories."
"And where do new souls come from?" Auron asked.
"New souls are periodically born to replace souls that have achieved Catharsis," Euterpe said. "They're formed from fragments of the parents' souls that have broken off and merged together. Very much like how humans and similar species bear children by combining a gamete from each parent. Now, Gordon is a mortal soul in a mortal body. But my sister Sappho's soul is divine, though she's been trapped in a mortal body. Sora is only semi-divine, and his body is fully mortal. However, the divine parts of his soul affect his body and make aspects of it...superhuman, for lack of a better word."
"I see," Auron said. "The soul affects the body."
"Don't think of it just as a prison for the soul," Euterpe said. "The body is still an essential part of an individual. Regardless of his unorthodox parentage," Euterpe continued. "Sora is still my nephew and worthy of my love and respect. I hope to interact with him more once this situation with Calamity has been resolved."
"...Poor Sora." Auron said simply.
"Can you leave me?" Euterpe asked. "I want to think of what to say to Sora and my sisters when we meet them."
"All right," Auron said, leaving the room and closing the door quietly.
Euterpe sat alone on the bed. The room had no windows, so Euterpe settled for gazing at the soothing blue wallpaper.
"Euterpe?" A feminine voice called.
Euterpe spun around. Calliope was standing in the middle of the room, looking...well, normal. Her clothes were clean and pressed, and her ever-present gold tiara gleamed on her forehead. She had no signs of external trauma.
"Calliope?!" Euterpe ran forward.
Calliope drew her sword quickly and slashed.
Euterpe looked at her arm. The sword had cut easily through her gauntlet. A long gash was oozing blood. It wasn't serious, but it was deep.
Calliope's eyes widened. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I just didn't want you to hurt me again." She embraced Euterpe in a hug.
"That's understandable," Euterpe said. "How did you escape?"
"They got careless," Calliope answered.
Euterpe broke away from Calliope. "It doesn't feel the same."
"What?" Calliope asked, sounding worried.
"What I did came between us," Euterpe said sadly. "I've envied you. Your superior fighting power, your infinite patience, how you command respect from our younger sisters. I'd wish something bad would happen to you. And it has. Calamity was right. "She held up the still oozing gash. "Your sword cuts through darkness and leaves the good of heart unblemished. It shows me for what I really am."
Calliope was silent.
"You'll take care of Auron and our sisters?" Euterpe asked.
"I most certainly will," Calliope said, with a strange smile.
"I have only one more request of you, then," Euterpe began. "Draw your sword once more."
Auron had returned to the main area of the Velvet Room, after leaving Euterpe.
Gordon was seated at one of the tables. "Maia's helping the other 'residents' of this room. Kairi volunteered to pour some of her Princess of Heart light into the Astral Plane. I don't really understand it, but they said it would stabilize the balance of the worlds."
"All right," Auron sat down.
Auron looked down at his left hand. The ring Euterpe gave him earlier during the ceremony was dull. "That's odd."
"What is?" Gordon asked.
"She said that the rings we used for the wedding were special. That each one dulls as the other wearer is in danger."
"That's a fancy mechanism," Gordon said. "Why would she give you such a gift for a sham marriage?"
"She's just concerned about my safety, nothing more," Auron said dismissively. "Something's here. I can feel it in the air. Go get the others."
"All right." Gordon rose as Auron cautiously approached the room.
Upon opening the door, Auron came up a rather grisly sight. Euterpe was lying on the ground, bleeding from a gash across her throat, her stiffening hands around a sword blade. Apparently, Euterpe had caught the sword. But how did her throat get cut? A large white orb floated from her corpse and floated to a figure standing nearby.
The figure was wearing a green military uniform and a gold diadem. She had long, dark hair and pointed ears.
Euterpe's body glowed golden, and dissolved into tiny particles that faded away. A yellow acacia was all that was left. A thorny plant, Auron thought. It suits her, indeed.
The girl laughed, snapping Auron back to attention. Her dark hair lost its shine and became completely opaque, as well as lengthened to the floor. The green uniform transmuted into a long crushed velvet red dress. Her ears became rounded. Her facial features changed only subtly, and Auron observed that both the figure's appearances bore a resemblance to Euterpe herself. Is that the family resemblance?
"Hello," the figure said. "We haven't formally met, have we? I'm Oblivia, the true Memory Queen. Though people like to call me Calamity. As, in 'the great.'"
"What's the meaning of this?" Auron demanded.
"Oh," Calamity explained. She was holding a very large greatsword that glowed an otherworldly shade of blue. "I just tweaked her perception. She thought I was Calliope, and this..." She raised her sword. "Was the Holy Sword Dike. The sword of justice that rends evil. Euterpe was wounded and believed herself to be evil. So since her sister was free, Euterpe sacrificed her life to pass her essence. To her perfect older sister."
"You tricked her into killing herself," Auron said simply.
"Yes," Calamity admitted. "It was surprisingly easy. Euterpe has a strange vulnerability to mental assaults, just like her father. And this is the Astral Plane, where labels such as fantasy and reality have no real meaning. The barriers that keep my associates out of here have no effect on me, as long as I remain in Mnemosyne's body." She pointed behind her. "See that camera? It's been on this whole time. You can watch the footage if you don't believe me. Consider it my gift to you."
Auron said nothing.
"Do you know what this sword is?" Calamity asked, admiring the gleam of the sword blade. "It is the Blade of Olympus. Forged from the heavens and earth of a certain world. The world in which Euterpe's father, Kratos, was born. Kratos ran himself through with this to kill himself and release Hope to a ruined world. Seems self-destructiveness is genetic. The goddess Athena removed the blade and tossed it aside, then Mnemosyne retrieved it. See, Mnemosyne knew something about the Blade of Olympus. As it claims lives, it grows ever stronger. The amount of power it gains is proportional to the strength of those who are felled by it. The sword has tasted Kratos' blood not once, but twice."
"Are you done?" Auron asked.
"I'm giving you valuable information," Calamity said. "Do you know why I'm doing this?"
"No," Auron replied.
"It's because I like you. You take crap from no one," Calamity said. "My point is, that Sora can't win as long as I have this."
"He has the Dainslef," Auron said. "Didn't that kill you once?"
Calamity burst out laughing. "That's your counter? Dainslef? Am I afraid? Do I look afraid?"
Auron answered, "No. You seem amused."
"I am!" Calamity laughed. "You see, my power has grown a lot since Kore Big Nose beat me with the Dainslef. And there's a little quirk about that keychain. As Keyblades are picky about their owners, so are some of their chains. Dainslef is extremely powerful in Sora's hands, but that power pales in comparison to when it is held by its true owner. Kore Noble, who is long dead. Rumors stated that Dainslef disappeared with Kore, but that is a mistake. Keybearers did use it after her death. Some for good, some for evil. But it never lived up to expectation. Eventually, Mnemosyne won the keychain from its last owner in a game of strip poker and tossed it into the Seraphic Gate. I offered Sora a chance of surrender, but he spurned me. Don't you think he's going to be in for a surprise?"
"You could be bluffing," Auron said. "I would be a fool to take your words at face value."
"Fair enough," Calamity said. "So for the purposes of full disclosure, I will tell you this. Sora could kill me with Dainslef. Hypothetically, if I stood still while he hit me over and over with it for several hours on end. Except why would I do that? I told Sora I was afraid of it, but I lied. And now that the Blade of Olympus has tasted Euterpe's blood, why would Sora want to get within a light-year radius of me? Not to mention I possess Euterpe's essence now."
"Clearly, you don't know what an utter idiot Sora is, or how determined he is when things look hopeless."
Calamity shrugged. "From your tone of voice, I assume you wish to fight by his side again?"
"Of course," Auron said. "I owe him my life, figuratively speaking. I was, after all, dead when I met him in Hades' Underworld."
"We don't have to fight," Calamity said in an almost pleading tone. "Me, you, Sora, Mnemosyne's disgusting offspring...we could all be friends. Are you saying you don't want to be my friend?"
"I wish to be your friend as much as my old homeland wanted Sin," Auron replied.
Calamity shook her head. "And I'm being so nice to you! I didn't have to tell you any of that."
The door opened, and Maia, Gordon, and Kairi rushed in.
Calamity did not look surprised. "Took you long enough, Sappho, Mr. Pleiades, Seventh Princess of Heart." There was the glow of a teleportation spell.
Calamity, Auron, Maia, Gordon, and Kairi were now standing in the middle of a green field with countless white lilies.
"Do you recognize this place?" Calamity asked.
"Yes," Maia said. "This is where I buried Gareth."
"The lilies hadn't bloomed since your death," Calamity explained. "But look at them now. They're welcoming their mistress."
Gordon's chest burned. "What's this feeling?" He felt like liquid was trickling down his chest, so he unbuttoned his shirt to investigate. To his horror, the mysterious wound that appeared on his chest previously with no explanation was seeping bright red blood. "What's going on?"
"You don't realize it, do you?" Calamity asked. "You don't remember it, but your body does. Your body reacts to me. Because the one who stabbed you all those years ago…was me!"
"You?!" Maia cried.
Calamity laughed. "You see, Mnemosyne heard you giggling, and opened your door to investigate. And when she saw you kissing, she kind of had a…moment. A shock to her system. I was able to control her body briefly. So I killed Loverboy. Did you like my impression of Mnemosyne?"
"It was you all along…?" Maia said.
"And you never saw that coming, idiot," Calamity replied. "All this time, you've hated your mother for something she didn't even do! And Mnemosyne's spirit is listening to this." She leaned forward. "What exactly did you plan to say to her? You can tell Auntie Oblivia. Would you have said you hated her?"
"That's enough!" roared Auron. "You won't trouble Maia anymore!" He raised his sword. "I'll see to that personally."
Calamity blinked. "I don't get it. I was nice to you, Sir Auron. I freed you from that miserable ball and chain!"
"I didn't ask you to do that," Auron said. "And Euterpe wanted her death to have meaning. Not that farce!"
"Farce?" Calamity repeated. "Ultimately, she died to give me more power. I can't think of a better meaning! So if that's what is bothering you…"
"It's not the only thing," Auron said.
Calamity laughed. "This is so rich! You hated her! Why are you suddenly sticking up for her? You did hate her, didn't you? You might as well admit it!"
"Yes, I hated her," Auron replied.
"You're a rational man," Calamity said. "You're the type to learn from your mistakes. You won't make the same one twice! Pretty soon, you'll see the foolishness of this and stand down."
Auron ran forward.
Calamity repeated herself. "See the foolishness of this and stand down."
Auron ignored her, leaped high into the air, and aimed his sword at Calamity. Time seemed to slow as the sword entered through Calamity's chest, and exited out her back. Blood soaked the front of her dress, staining it a darker red.
Calamity's eyes widened to almost anime proportions. "You…you really did it?!" She gave a howl of mixed rage and pain. "You bastard! I treated you with kindness, and this how you repay me?!" She twisted hard to one side and fired off a gale-force wind spell. Auron lost his grip on the sword hilt, which was already slick with blood. He landed with both feet on the ground.
Calamity jumped a few feet in the air, the sword still sticking out of her. She gathered a ball of glowing energy in her palm and fired it at Auron. It happened very quickly, and Auron had no time to dodge.
You'll have to forgive him. AGL is Auron's dump stat, if you recall from Final Fantasy X.
But back to the story. The ball of energy struck Auron, and there was nothing except a few iridescent pyreflies. No ashes, no shreds of clothing.
Kairi gasped. Oh, great. We made her mad.
Sort of. Auron made her mad. Naminé chipped in from inside Kairi.
I don't suppose you or Maia could fix this, Kairi said.
I can't. It's a little beyond my scope of powers as a Memory Witch. Naminé sounded regretful.
Meanwhile, Maia held out her arms. The pyreflies floated to her hands and vanished.
Calamity grimaced and gripped the sword hilt. Then she yanked. It took several tugs, but she got the sword out. A gaping wound was visible on her chest momentarily, but closed. The tear and bloodstains on her dress remained. With a snarl, Calamity threw the sword down, where it landed on green grass already flecked with red. "Why did he do that to me?" She glared down at Maia, Gordon, and Kairi. "And I bet you enjoyed seeing that! Always the same! People are horrible to me for no reason! Even when I'm nice! Why do they think they can treat me like that?! I am a goddess and a representative of Kingdom Hearts, damn it!"
Gordon moved in front of Maia. Calamity looked at him, their eyes meeting.
Then Calamity broke the epic staring contest in the making by laughing. "Mr. Pleiades, whatever are you doing?!"
"What's it look like?" Gordon replied. "I'm protecting my wife."
Calamity giggled some more. "Are you hoping I'll die of laughter? I mean, Auron considered himself her Guardian, and look what just happened. Doesn't it bother you that he died like that? And you did nothing to help him?"
"I didn't particularly like him," Gordon said. "And I don't think I could have saved him. So I'm just going to accept what I couldn't change."
"Move aside, Mr. Pleiades," Calamity ordered. "Now."
"I won't!" Gordon snapped.
"You just saw a man with ten times the balls you have…" Calamity stopped. "Actually, no. Ten times nothing is still nothing, so that insult wasn't quite accurate. You really want to disobey me? I can destroy you."
"I'm aware you can," Gordon said. "Just as I'm aware that my son surpassed my abilities long ago, and that my wife could surely survive without me. They may not need me, but I need them. So I won't leave them. Go ahead." Gordon threw out his arms. "Strike me down. But I will protect my family, to the last drop of my blood."
"This is absurd!" Calamity protested. "Why would you throw away your life like that? Unless Sora's stupidity was genetic." She sighed. "Well, we're getting nowhere with this. How about negotiation?"
"You're going to try to bribe me with stupid promises?" Gordon asked incredulously. "Money? My own castle? Power?"
"No, because nothing I offer will make you reconsider," Calamity said, folding her arms. "I will talk for twenty minutes. If you can withstand that, I will concede defeat and leave empty handed. If not, I'll leave with Sappho."
Gordon frowned. "Would you be that honorable?"
"I'll let that slide," Calamity said, taking out a gold pocket watch. "I'm going to talk about…shoe shopping!"
"Nooooo!" Gordon cried.
Five minutes later…
"And I finally found a pair of Bunny Shoes," Calamity said. "But they were lime green, which clashes with this Red Oni look I've got going on. Don't you think I look good in red?"
"Must…stay…awake…" Gordon said.
"Wow, he's trying so hard," Kairi observed. "Sora would have checked out three minutes ago. And he should know about shopping for shoes. Most stores don't carry size seventeen EEEEs."
Ten minutes later…
Calamity went on. "Oh, I just love strappy sandals!"
"Me too!" Naminé said.
"Naminé!" Kairi scolded. "Don't egg her on!"
…Sorry. You should wear strappy sandals more often.
If we get out of this alive, I'll buy three pairs for you. Me. Us, Kairi thought.
Yippee! I'll hold you to that. Can I pick them out?
Yes, sure.
Three minutes later…
Calamity continued. "Why don't they make more mid-calf boots? They're so adorable, but nooo…boots are mostly either ankle boots or knee high, with little inbetween. It's probably because most women don't have pretty calves like mine…"
Gordon slumped to the ground. "Zzzz…"
Maia raised her wand. "Leave me alone, or I'll blast you to kingdom come."
"You couldn't blast me to kingdom-three-feet-from-here!" Calamity retorted. She teleported behind Maia and grabbed her.
Kairi drew her Keyblade. "Aren't you forgetting me?"
"No, but you speak as if forgetting you is hard," Calamity replied. "The writers even forget you're there sometimes. And your own boyfriend."
"Don't remind me," Kairi said.
Calamity shook her head. "I'm not going to fight you. You have no time to do so."
"What do you mean by that?" Kairi asked.
"I mean that you need to see your boyfriend. In Radiant Garden. Because the city is on the brink of invasion by my demon army. The army hasn't been given the order to march on the city yet, but it's only a matter of time. So your last chance to see Sora will pass soon." Calamity smiled. "And before I go, thank you, Naminé. You sped up my plans by over a hundred years." With that, Calamity disappeared, along with Maia.
Gordon was still snoring.
Well, this sucks, Naminé said after a few minutes.
"Yup," Kairi agreed. "Now what do we do?!"
XXX
Upon docking the Gummi Ship, Sora looked around Radiant Garden. The streets, usually bustling with activity, were quiet.
"So you came after all," came Marjoly's voice tauntingly from above.
"Good little boy, so obedient!" came Lezard's voice.
There was a roar of cocky laughter.
Wow, Roxas said. It takes talent at 'evil laughing in unison' to beat the Organization. Of course, the Organization had Demyx. Why did Xemnas even let him join in the group laugh?!
"All right, show yourselves!" Sora yelled. "How does that saying go? Fool me once, shame on you..." He scratched his head.
In puffs of rainbow colored smoke, Hades, Gant, Marjoly, Vayne, Loki, Cartman, and Lezard appeared on the rooftop across the street.
All seven pulled out bugles and blew them. Calamity appeared behind them, in a cloud of black smoke. Maia was behind Calamity, unrestrained but obviously not able to move.
"What do you think?" Marjoly asked. "Is the smoke too much? We couldn't decide."
"I'm curious. What's with the fat kid?" Riku asked.
"Arrgh!" Cartman's face scrunched into a mask of hatred. "You said it! You said the eff word! I'm not fat!"
"Fine," Riku said. "What's with the kid afflicted with an overabundance of adipose tissue?"
"What does adipose mean?" Cartman asked.
"It means you got attitude," Marjoly lied.
"Damn straight I do," Cartman said. The other executives snickered.
"Amityville," Gant said. "I'm confused. Why exactly did you promote this child to your sixth executive chair?"
"Are you questioning me?" Calamity asked.
"We all are at this point," Marjoly said. "I guess he technically is from a video game. Stick of Truth. But…"
"Marjoly, Damon," Calamity looked perturbed. "I'm open to your input. But can you please wait? We're right in front of the Keybearers! You're making me look like I'm not in control!"
"Oh, right," Marjoly looked at the Keybearers sheepishly and waved.
"Sorry, Amity," Gant said. "It's just been bugging me for a while."
"It's all right, Damon," Calamity said. "I appreciate your feedback."
"It seems your mother has something to tell you," Calamity said. "And it's rather difficult for her to tell you straight, so I'm going to help her. Sora, who is your maternal grandmother?"
"The late Pleione Atlus," Sora replied. "What's this got to do with anything?"
"You see, that simply is not so," Calamity said. "Your mother led you to believe you were human. But you aren't. At least, not entirely."
"Stop talking in riddles!" Sora said. "Of course I'm human! I think I'd know if I were anything else."
"Then how did you not know that Mnemosyne is your maternal grandmother?" Calamity asked.
"We went over this!" Clio said. "Sora is not Philemon's son, and none of us Daughters of Mnemosyne have had children!"
"So I'm lying?" Calamity asked.
"Of course you are!" Erato replied.
Calamity smirked. "Are you sure? You callous bitches. Denying the existence of your nephew right in front of him. Even as your dead sister stands before you."
"What?!" Polyhymnia asked.
"Go ahead, Sappho," Calamity jeered at Maia. "Tell them. Tell them why you're still around, when they thought all this time you got reabsorbed back into Mnemosyne."
"Sappho?" Erato squinted. "Is that really you? You...you look so different."
"My mother reincarnated me as a human," Maia explained. "That's where I've been. Living life with my human love, dying, being reborn with him. Over and over."
"I knew Mother wouldn't just let you die!" Clio cried, tears in her eyes. "This is wonderful!"
"Um, she's kind of been kidnapped," Erato said. "And we can't exactly attempt to rescue her, with Calamity and her entourage right there. So I'm going to go out on a limb here and say this is very bad."
"Sora is our nephew?" Terpsichore shook her head. "Isn't that great news, Sora?"
Sora stood still, looking down. I'm like them? So when I someday die, I'll dissolve? Like Melpomene did?
But I did die once already, and I left nothing behind. In this exact world. So is that why? Because I have no actual tie to this world, or to any world?
What am I?!
"Why didn't you tell me?!" Sora demanded. "Mama, why didn't you say anything before?!"
"I didn't remember," Maia replied. "I know that sounds stupid, but it's the truth."
"How can you forget something so earth-shattering?!" Sora cried.
Riku groaned. "Sora, pot to kettle: black."
"Yeah, about that," Calamity interrupted. "Sappho's memory really was sealed, but Naminé got involved. And you know when that happens, memories tend to get fucked up."
I should protest her badmouthing my girlfriend, Roxas said to Sora. But she's technically right. I mean, you were out for an entire year. Not that I'm complaining. I got to eat sea-salt ice cream almost every day! And karaoke with Axel too. And hang out with those nice simulated copies of Hayner, Pence, and Olette. So I guess it was a good thing she messed you up. For me, at least.
"Shut up, Calamity!" Sora snapped, ignoring Roxas' comment completely. "This doesn't concern you!"
"It doesn't?" Calamity said in a tone filled with mock surprise. "Because we're related. I'm your great aunt. So, Sappho, got anything further to say?"
"Sora," Maia said. "I know that I have no right to ask for your forgiveness, but I am sorry. This was not the inheritance I planned for you."
"Why didn't you tell me when you remembered?" Sora asked. "Because it sounds like you've known for a while."
"I wanted to, I swear!" Maia insisted.
"Prove it!" Sora said.
Maia took off one of her shoes and held it up. "I bought this shoe recently. Look at how badly it's worn. I've traveled to many worlds and walked several miles. And all that time, I tried to think of how to tell you. This was not the way I wanted you to find out."
"Now, is there anything else you have to say to your son?" Calamity interrupted.
"I love you," Maia said. "Please don't ever forget that."
Calamity smirked. "Come to my throne room. Your mother and I will be waiting for you. If you're fast enough, that is."
"Please let me have a few more minutes!" Maia protested. Calamity simply shoved her backward into a waiting darkness portal. Maia vanished into the inky darkness, which disappeared.
"Mama!" Sora cried.
"You know how it works," Calamity said. "If you want her back, come get her yourself. Unless you want to punish her for keeping such a big secret by letting her die. And that assassin still has you in his sights, so be forewarned."
"Wait," Riku said. "Why are you warning us about the assassin?"
Calamity gave a serene smile. "Even though you spurned my request for a truce, I still intend to play fair."
"You took a hit out on Sora, kidnapped his mother, and claim you're fighting fair?!" Erato snapped. "Then what the heck do you consider fighting dirty?"
"Oh, I know this one!" Cartman interrupted. Everyone turned to him. "Mud fight!" Everyone stared blankly at him. "Like when Loki convinced Thor and Tyr that fighting together in a mud pit would strengthen their muscles! And he filmed it and put it all over YouTube!"
For a full thirty seconds, no one said anything.
"Let's just pretend that never happened," Hades said.
"Agreed," chorused the rest of the Seven except Cartman and Loki. Loki just looked nonchalant, while Cartman looked confused.
"Did I say something weird?" Cartman asked.
"No matter what, nothing is going to sound dramatic after that," Lezard whined. "Let's just leave." And with that, he teleported away. The rest of the Seven and Calamity followed suit.
Riku looked bemused. "So Sora is a god. Though he got cheated. He should have gotten immortality, but he did technically die."
"Sherlock Holmes supposedly survived a fall from a waterfall with a total drop of eight hundred meters," Goofy pointed out. "Heroes dying and coming back is nothing new."
"How can you crack jokes? Why don't either of you seem surprised?!" Sora asked, tone sour.
"Because I'm not," Riku replied.
"Why not?" Sora demanded. "I sure am!"
"I always knew you were different somehow," Riku explained. "That you were someone special, and that I was…less than you. That's why I was so jealous before. Why it felt so good to take the Keyblade from you, as well as your friends. I know I can never truly make up for how I acted back then…"
"Yes, you were being a jerk," Sora said.
"Kind of an understatement there," Donald said. "He stole your Keyblade and only left you a wooden sword in a world crawling with Heartless."
"Yes," Goofy added. "And who left Sora alone?"
"Waak!" Donald cried. "Be quiet, Goofy!"
"But to have the grace to accept responsibility makes you a good person. That's what you said to Euterpe," Sora smiled. "You're sorry, so I forgive you. And what you felt was wrong! You aren't less than me at all! We're peers! We've come so far together!"
"Peers, huh…?" Riku said thoughtfully. He shrugged. "We should figure out our next move."
"Hey, Sora," Goofy said. "You might want to invest in some Clearasil. You're getting a zit."
There was a red dot on Sora's forehead.
"That's not a zit," Riku cried. "Duck!"
"Ugh, my name is Donald," Donald said, annoyed.
At the same time, Terpsichore jumped toward Sora, looking like a pink blur.
A single gunshot ran out. Almost immediately, Erato drew her own gun and fired a volley of shots in the direction it had come from.
Sora thought a moment. Wait. This isn't what getting shot feels like. It's more like when those weird car Heartless hit me. I always did hate those. He opened his eyes.
Terpsichore was on top of him, arms around his waist, in a position that would have been comical were it not for the gaping bullet hole in her back.
"Terpsichore?" Sora asked. "Um, can you get off before someone snaps a picture of us and Kairi finds it on FaceBook?"
"Your feelings for her are that strong?" Terpsichore asked.
"Her tantrums are," Sora replied. "Please?"
"I can't move, Sora," Terpsichore said. "Do you have any trauma?"
"I don't feel like I've been shot, if that's what you mean," Sora answered. "But I do feel like I got hit by a truck. How much do you weigh, anyway?"
"If I could, I'd totally deck you," Terpsichore snapped.
Goofy and Riku helped lift the injured Terpsichore so Sora could crawl out from under her. Sora had no signs of external trauma.
Polyhymnia kneeled beside Terpsichore as Goofy and Riku gently set her down. "This is bad."
"How bad?" Terpsichore asked. "Because I feel awful." She winced. "Don't sugarcoat it. Just tell me."
"It's like Melpomene," Polyhymnia said, trying to cast a healing spell. "The bleeding just seems to get worse with the healing spells I'm casting."
Terpsichore bit her lip, in an effort to not scream from the pain. "One bullet can do that much damage?"
"Don't try to talk," Clio said. "Wait. Why was there only one shot? Why not fire on Sora again?"
"Not a good angle since Terpsichore was blocking him," Riku said. "The shooter must have been far away. Maybe he even ran after taking a single shot. Smart, considering Erato fired in the direction he shot from."
"But if this was a professional assassin, he'd know to shoot to kill," Clio said. "Why wouldn't he empty his magazine?"
"This is all just speculation," Polyhymnia said. "I don't know if I can heal her. This is beyond me. Her vitals are dropping so fast. I don't think it was an ordinary bullet."
"Why did you take the bullet?" Sora asked. "You said that life was a terrible price to pay for life."
"I know," Terpsichore answered. She coughed, and her sputum was bright red. "I said that, and I still believe it."
"Then why?!" Sora cried.
"You're Sappho's kid," Terpsichore replied. "She'd be pissed if I let you die. And I fear her angry more than death. But beyond that, no matter what I want, I have to protect Kingdom Hearts. It's my duty as a Daughter of Mnemosyne. I really want to stay here with you, but you can protect the worlds better than I can. You weren't meant to die here."
"You weren't meant to die here, either!" Sora said. "Please! I don't want to lose you!"
"Doesn't this suit me?" Terpsichore laughed slightly. "I'm a ballerina. Ballet heroines always have tragic ends: Sylphide, Giselle, Juliet..." By now, Terpsichore's pink leotard was soaked red, with more blood running down her side in rivulets. "Sora, don't cry. Your smile can't be refused. I wish I could see it one more time, but…" Terpsichore closed her eyes and her head slumped. She had lost consciousness.
"That's something my mother told me," Sora said quietly. "She said that she knows that every mother thinks her child is the prettiest one, but my smile can't be refused. It even brightens up the sun. What am I going to tell her now? You're her sister, aren't you, Terpsichore? Don't you think she wanted to see you again?! Stay with me!"
"She's about to die," Riku said.
"Wait," Sora said. He laughed. "It's so simple! All we have to do is put the blood back!" He laughed more, the sound of someone losing their grip on reality. He tried to collect the blood in his fingers and let it drip back into the wound. "Riku, help me! There's so much we have to put back!"
"What the…" Riku asked.
"The reason Melpomene died," Sora said, trying to scoop up as much blood as he could. It ran out of his fingers and dripped on the ground. "Was because we let it come out. It has to go back where it belongs. Inside her! Hey, if you won't help me, I'll save her myself!"
"Sora, you're having a psychotic break," Riku said, shaking Sora's shoulders. "Snap out of it!"
"I need a sponge!" Sora wailed.
Riku slapped Sora across the face, hard.
Sora rubbed his cheek. "How many times am I going to get slapped before this is over?"
"Good, you're back," Riku said.
One final drop of Terpsichore's blood hit the ground. Her body glowed and vanished, leaving a creamy yellow jasmine flower behind. The petals were stained bright red.
Sora picked up the flower. "A jasmine. I wonder what this means in floriography. My mom would know." He said, almost inaudibly: "I want my mama."
Clio took Terpsichore's essence solemnly. "My sweet little sister. You did not run." She held the glowing orb to her chest, and her own body was shining brightly for a moment. "You are truly the proud Seventh Daughter of Mnemosyne."
There was silence.
For a few minutes. Then ominous organ music. Everyone turned in the direction the music was coming from.
Damon Gant stood there, wearing only black swimming trunks and flip-flops. The trunks had a print of red sevens.
"You know, you'll never be able to sneak up on anyone with that theme music playing every time you show up!" Donald said.
"It's an effective way to announce my presence! When I was still Chief of Police, I rigged the speakers in the police department to play whenever I entered a room!" Gant shrugged. He was holding a silver tray, which he held toward Sora.
Sora ignored the tray and stared at Gant's rather sizable chest muscles. "Why does everyone have to be buffer than me?! I am never going to live down the humiliation from Atlantica! How can a wrinkly old guy have a nicer chest than me?!"
Everyone looked at Sora, who shifted uncomfortably under their gaze.
Gant coughed. "I come bearing a message."
"From Calamity?" asked Clio.
"Amityville," corrected Gant. "And no. It's from the assassin."
"Assassin?" Sora said. "And you're delivering notes from this scumbag?"
"What kind of scum does that make you?" Riku added.
Gant's face darkened. "It was not my idea to hire that lowlife DeKiller. I wanted to spring for that delightful Altair fellow, but he told me basically to go screw myself. I can't quote him directly in front of ladies." He jauntily balanced the tray on the palm of one hand.
Clio picked up the envelope that was on the tray. Sora's name was written in black script.
"Don't you know how rude it is to read someone else's mail?!" Gant said coldly.
"Just making sure there's no curse," Clio replied sweetly, tearing open the envelope. A single card with a seashell design on one side and a brief message on the other was inside. "Sounds just like DeKiller," she said. "But it's safe to read."
"Mr. Gant?" Goofy asked. "How did you get here with the note so fast?"
"Because I was with DeKiller when he fired," Gant replied. "He scribbled that note and asked me to dispatch it when he missed."
"And why were you even there?" Mickey asked. "I'm sure you and the rest of the Seven have ways of watching us from a distance."
"You really want to know?" Gant fiddled nervously with his lightning-bolt shaped bangs.
"Yes!" chorused everyone.
Gant's expression went from cold to downright angry. "I wanted to see DeKiller fail. This plan wasn't going to work, and neither will his next one. You can't shoot a cockroach."
"Um, is Sora the cockroach in this analogy of yours?" Goofy asked. "Cause he only has four limbs. I don't get it!"
Donald groaned. "Goofy!"
"And what was that about me being a cockroach?!" Sora snapped.
Gant continued, and his face returned to his default jolly expression. "I told Lizard that it was idiotic. But the other reason was on the off chance DeKiller succeeded...I wanted to put a bullet in his head."
"What?!" Donald cried.
"For nearly twenty years, I've had to clean up after him," Gant explained. "He never left evidence to nail him or his clients. And this act, killing a little boy, is unforgivable. What was that delightful phrase Terpie loved to say? 'All sinners will be judged, no exceptions'? It would have been DeKiller's turn to face judgment. But alas, it seems that it is out of my hands for now." He bowed deeply. "We are certain to face each other again. Until then, ladies and Keymeisters." He vanished, still smiling.
"He's one to talk on being a lowlife," Erato commented. "What does the note say?"
Sora looked upset. "DeKiller wants me to meet him at the Bailey in thirty minutes. Or else the demon army will march into Radiant Garden. He says I have to come alone."
"You're not considering going?" Donald asked. "You couldn't make that trap anymore obvious if that card said 'trap' in all caps."
"But what can I do?" Sora asked. "We can't stall for time. And the city is barely prepared."
"Let's think strategically on this," Clio said. "Shelly DeKiller is a strange assassin."
"Because he has a girl's name?" Goofy asked. Everyone looked at him. "What?"
"It's short for Sheldon," Clio answered. "DeKiller has an odd hangup. He values trust above all else. He won't take any client, and will go to extremes to keep his clients from suspicion. And if a client should betray his trust in any way, DeKiller...will make that client his next target."
"So what? We trick him into thinking his clients are betraying him?" Riku asked. "What makes you so sure he'd believe us? Or even listen?"
"I have an idea," Clio said. "But, Sora, you have to follow it to the letter."
"All right," Sora said.
"The rest of us will go to the gates and make sure the demons don't attack prematurely," Mickey said.
Clio leaned in and whispered her plan in Sora's ear.
XXX
Gordon groaned. "Ngh." He opened his eyes. "What happened?"
Kairi was sitting nearby, at the base of a tree. She had her knees to her chest. She looked tired.
"Kairi?" Gordon asked.
"I couldn't do anything," Kairi said, her voice sounding devoid of hope. "Sora's in the path of one big booby trap, and I can't do anything."
"My head's a little fuzzy," Gordon said. "What happened?"
"Game over, man," Kairi answered in the same deadened tone. "Game over. It's over. Auron's dead. Calamity blew him up. Then she took Maia, and told me that if I wanted to see Sora again, I should haul buns to Radiant Garden."
"Oh, so Auron getting vaporized wasn't a dream," Gordon said. "Nuts. How long have I been out?"
Kairi shrugged and stood up. "I don't know. I don't have a watch. It felt like a long time. I tried to wake you up. I yelled, I shook you. I even tried the alarm clock we found in the Stellar Graveyard. But you just kept sleeping and sleeping, and I didn't know what to do. I wanted to go to Radiant Garden, but I didn't want to leave you behind. Plus it's probably a war zone by this point."
"Kairi, just relax," Gordon began. He stopped. "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Kairi looked at him, confused.
Gordon looked around. The surrounding area was devoid of people or animals. Auron's Yoshitsuna lay on the ground where Calamity had dropped it. "I thought I heard something." He gestured to a patch of white lilies. "From this way. It sounded muffled. Like…it was coming from below ground."
"You think someone's been buried alive?" Kairi shivered.
Gordon took out his machete. "I think something's telling me to dig here." He bent down and used the blade of the machete to loosen the dirt, and used his hands to slowly remove soil. A few minutes later, Gordon saw a dull glint. He looked closer. The object was a white gold ring. It was dull, as if it hadn't been polished in years. "This has been here awhile."
White sparks flew from the ring, followed by white mist. The mist thickened until it formed the outline of…Gordon himself? No, Gordon thought. The apparition looked like a younger version of him. Mid-twenties at most.
"I have waited so long," the apparition said, in a younger-sounding version of Gordon's voice.
"Who are you?" Gordon asked.
"I am thou, and thou art I," the apparition said. "To be more precise, I am pieces of your soul that broke off many lifetimes ago. At that time, your name was Gareth."
"Gareth?" Gordon repeated.
"Yes," Gareth said. "Our souls aren't static things. They grow. Fragments come off and land in objects important to us. The remaining soul grows back the fragment. Life is a constant maintenance of one's soul. Shed soul shards can grow, as well. Like cuttings from a plant. Lady Sappho buried my body here. She left the ring under a few inches of dirt. Over time, the shards in the ring grew. I remember, though the rest of me has forgotten. I've been here, waiting. Waiting for when I could someday return to my soul."
"Return?" Gordon asked. "This isn't going to give me a split personality or anything, is it?"
"No," said Gareth.
"Just making sure," Gordon replied. "So I guess you can come to me…me?"
Gareth turned back into white mist, which flowed into Gordon's body. Gordon glowed white, but it quickly faded.
"That was strange," Kairi said.
"I don't feel different at all," Gordon said. "I wish, though…"
"What?" asked Kairi.
"That I could have asked him about being heroic," Gordon answered. "Or at least talked with him more. Not every day you get to meet your younger self." Gordon looked at the fallen Yoshitsuna. "I wonder…" He walked toward it.
"You want to get a hernia?" asked Kairi dryly.
"I feel like it's possible," Gordon said. "Maybe he gave me some optimism." He grasped the hilt with both hands. The sword easily came off the ground.
Kairi's eyes widened. "Holy…"
His other self is giving off strength, Naminé observed. That, or he had the power all along, but a mental block stopped him from accessing it.
Gordon looked at the dried blood along the blade. "Didn't we need Calamity's blood?"
"Yes, we did," Kairi said.
"Auron gave us just enough," Gordon said sadly. He shook his head. "We have to get this to Sora."
"Right," Kairi said. "Naminé, make us a darkness portal." As Naminé projected herself to make the portal, Kairi smiled at Gordon: "I said if you could lift that sword, I'd never doubt you again. And I always keep my promises."
XXX
"How could you be so cruel?" Maia demanded.
"Cruel?" Calamity asked. "How was I being cruel? I told Sora the truth."
Snoops walked in, a goblet on a silver tray.
Calamity picked up the goblet. "Want some water?"
"No," Maia replied.
"Are you certain?" Calamity asked. "They have a sweetness to them, Calliope's tears. You don't expect that from a demon."
Maia let out a cry of disgust.
Calamity drank down the glass. "Do you wish to see Calliope?"
Maia nodded.
"Follow me," Calamity said.
A pungent smell assaulted Maia's nostrils as she followed Calamity into the room.
Calliope was chained in a prone position to a high platform. The chains looked ridiculously oversized and heavy. The platform may have been white once, but was stained brown. Calliope's clothes were a muddy brown, and her face was caked with dried blood and dirt.
Maia gasped. "What…what have you done?" She moved to Calliope's side and began casting a healing spell.
"Don't bother," Calamity said. "Those chains absorb magic. Your spell won't help her."
Maia stopped the spell and dug in her pockets. She pulled out an elixir, propped Calliope up into a sitting position, and poured it in her mouth.
Some color returned to Calliope's face.
"You could have just waited," Calamity commented. "Calliope can recover from anything. The demons had fun injuring her to the point where her body failed, and then timing how long it took for her to revive. They called her Lady Lazarus."
"You're disgusting," Maia said.
Calliope stirred and opened her eyes. "You…?"
"Yes, Calliope," Maia said reassuringly. "It's me. Your youngest sister."
"Sappho," Calliope said in obvious delight. "I'm happy to see you again."
"Yes, well, I'd be happy too," Maia replied. "But you…you've seen better days."
"You don't have to euphemize," Calliope answered. "I feel like bathing in bleach won't make me clean."
"Not your fault," Maia said. "The fault of our abominable snow aunt."
"I'm right here!" Calamity snapped. "How many times do I have to tell people I am not abominable! Do you want me to cry? Would that make you happy?!"
Maia winced. "I'd be happier still if I knew a way out of this."
"Sora's coming soon enough," Calamity said. "See, kidnapping the hero's girlfriend is so cliché. Kidnapping the hero's mother is better. Especially if the hero is a little mama's boy like Sora."
"But you sent an army after Sora!" Maia retorted.
Calamity laughed. "When have armies ever posed a problem for Sora? Remember when he killed a thousand Heartless without breaking a sweat? He's going to come here. I'm sure of it."
Maia snorted. "Who'd have thought you'd be the one to reassure me that my son would prevail?"
"But there's a problem," Calamity said, sounding sweet. Calliope gave Maia a worried look. If Calamity saw Calliope's expression, she ignored it and continued: "Who is going to greet Sora?"
"I'm getting tired of your mind games," Calliope said.
"This is my last one," Calamity said. "And you obviously already get the gist of it. Calliope, which one of you will die?"
"Called it," Calliope said.
"But wait!" Maia interrupted. "If you're going to kill one of us, how can you kill Calliope? She's immortal and I'm not. She can't die unless…"
"She wills herself to die?" Calamity said. "Yeah, that rather obnoxious protection spell Mnemosyne cast. It's even stronger than the one she cast on Euterpe. Oh, you're wondering how that is?"
"Yes…" Maia said.
"Fair enough. Mnemosyne cast the spell on Calliope with a full ingredient list. The most important ingredient was thirteen Orichalcum Doubleplus crystals, which are very rare. At the time of Calliope's birth, Mnemosyne didn't realize that she'd have another child. But eventually, she gave birth to Euterpe. Which was a problem. She only had seven Orichalcum Doubleplus. She used an Energy Crystal to halve the number of needed ingredients, but the spell was less effective as a result. Euterpe never even knew that she had a weaker version of the immortality spell cast on her. She just attributed her rapid healing rate and ability to survive almost anything to the genes she got from her daddy," Calamity explained. "Mnemosyne never bothered casting the spell on her later children. She figured Calliope and Euterpe could protect them." She snickered. "You can see how well that's turning out."
"So you want her to will herself to die," Maia observed. "Because you can't kill her any other way."
"Only if she wants to," Calamity said. "If she chooses to die, you'll live. Perfectly fine. But if she decides she'd rather live, I'll throw you to my demon army's reinforcements. They're awfully bored, since the main army got to be deployed at Radiant Garden. Imagine what they'll do to you once they learn you're Sora's mother. And Calliope will have a front row seat to your execution. She'll need it, so she can explain exactly to Sora how his mother died…"
"Shut up!" Maia cried. "You're bluffing!"
"Are you sure of that?" Calliope asked.
"She needs me as a hostage," Maia reasoned. "If I get so much as a scratch, Sora will be furious. And if you push my son too far…"
"That's assuming Sora can go berserk," Calliope said.
"Don't give in!" Maia cried. "You're playing right into her hands!"
Calliope shook her head. "I can't deny her this time. I can't let Calamity take any more of my sisters. I've already failed." She swallowed. "Melpomene, Thalia, Urania, Euterpe…"
"She's trying to guilt you into it," Maia said. "You're the most powerful of us. She was afraid of what you could accomplish by Sora's side. You have to realize those fears! You have to believe that Sora will save us!"
"I can't," Calliope said. "I can't risk your life. It's too heavy a price."
"Why won't you listen to me?!" Maia snapped. "This is just what she wants! Our mother's watching! What do you think she's thinking right now? You're her favorite!"
Calliope burst into laughter. "Her favorite? Tell me, Sappho. If I was her favorite, why did I fail? I wasn't perfect enough to become the Omega. I'm a failure!"
"We were all failures," Maia said. "None of us could match Kore's radiance. Mother would just have another baby. And she'd be happy. Then she'd see the flaws. And had another child. The cycle just repeated, over and over."
"Until you," Calliope said. "You are the last child. Did you ever stop to ask why?"
Maia was silent.
Calliope continued. "It was you all along. The Omega. You are worthy to become a perfect girl. Don't you see how much you've changed? You used to be a timid flower, and now you're a beautiful, mature woman. You brought forth Sora, who protected the ephemeral and flickering worlds. What further proof do I need?" She smiled softly. "You must take my heart and soul, without remorse or regret."
"No!" Maia screamed. "I won't take it! The Omega has to be selfless, and taking your essence would be the height of selfishness!"
"You don't yet realize your own selflessness," Calliope said. "You wish for me to remain alive, just as I will selflessly give up myself. Eat me, drink me, love me."
"I can't," Maia sobbed. "Why won't you listen to me?! Did you get more stubborn since I've been gone? Or were you always this stubborn and I just forgot?"
"Goodbye," Calliope closed her eyes. A shining orb rose from her chest and slammed into Maia before she had a chance to react. Maia glowed brilliantly.
A flood of emotions surged in Maia. First negative ones: regret, despair. Then they gave way to positive emotions. Calliope's hopes, dreams, faith, and above all, her love. Love for their mother, their sisters, for Maia herself, for Sora, and for all living things. It was exhilarating and wonderful.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and so did Maia's euphoria. The warmth filling her body subsided, as did the heavenly glow. Maia saw a blue gladiolus where Calliope once was. The noble gladiolus, which symbolized strength of character and generosity. She began to cry.
"Must you always be a crybaby, Sappho?" Calamity asked.
Maia turned and glared at Calamity.
"Why that look?" Calamity asked. "As promised, I won't harm you. At least, assuming Sora's fast enough."
"I have Calliope's power," Maia said. She raised her right arm and her wand materialized. "That power you were terrified of…"
"Too bad using it would overwhelm your fragile mortal body," Calamity said calmly. "Nice try."
Maia hesitated, but held her wand horizontally, with the tip toward Calamity.
"There is a way to use Calliope's full power," Calamity said calmly. "Without damaging your mortal body beyond repair. If you used her soul as an energy source, you could fight. You could even summon the Hikari no Tsurugi. And regain your lost divinity. Only problem is, Calliope's soul will be consumed. Like wood in a fire. But...isn't Calliope your mother's favorite? And didn't you want to hurt Mnemosyne for taking your true love away from you?"
"You took him from me, not her," Maia said.
"Even better. I'm here in front of you," Calamity said. "Don't you want to fight me?"
Maia slowly lowered her wand to her side.
Calamity laughed. "Just like your idiot son."
XXX
Sora reached the Bailey, panting. "I think I made the deadline."
"You almost did not," came a cold voice. A man crossed from the other side of the bridge. "You certainly know how to keep a man in suspense." The man was tall, wearing a black tuxedo. His skin was pale. One eye was obscured by an opaque-looking monocle. The man's most salient feature was a long, stitched up scar that ran vertically down the entire length of his face. It was probably old, but it looked fresh. "I take it you know who I am."
"Yes," Sora answered. "You're Shelly DeKiller."
"Then you understand this is not personal. It is simply my job." DeKiller's expression did not change, nor did his voice fluctuate.
"Your job?!" Sora felt his temper flare. "You're a creep who kills people for a living!"
"For a very good living," DeKiller corrected.
"You killed Terpsichore," Sora said. "My dear, darling aunt!"
"That was not my intention," DeKiller answered. "She jumped in the way."
"How can you be so calm?!" Sora snapped. "You killed the wrong person!"
"And I intend to redress that problem," DeKiller answered. "They only gave me one Electric Haircut, so I have to make do with standard ammunition."
"Electric Haircut?" Sora asked. "What the heck is that?"
"The bullet I fired. They code-named it Electric Haircut," DeKiller explained.
"Why that?" Sora asked. "It's a weird name."
"Well, Sora-B-Gone was considered, but voted down for not being serious enough."
Sora palmed his face. "And Electric Haircut is serious? How big a threat are the Seven, really?"
"You're about to die," DeKiller said simply. "Does that answer your question?" He drew an antique revolver. "Goodbye, Sora Pleiades."
"Wait!" Sora said. "I...can I ask you something?"
"What is it?" DeKiller asked.
"Could you kill me without the gun?"
"Of course. What kind of professional assassin would I be if I could not kill a child with my bare hands?"
"Could you do that instead? I'd rather not be shot." Sora tried to look nonchalant.
"You are in no position to make requests, but I suppose it is fair enough."
"Can you put the gun down?" Sora asked.
"Very well." DeKiller set the gun down and stepped forward. He kept moving closer to Sora, until he was almost in arm's reach.
"Stop!" Sora cried, taking a step back onto the ledge of the bridge. "Or I jump. That would violate your contract, right? Because I didn't die by your hand." Sora had one hand behind his back.
"How do you know that?" DeKiller's expression was calm, but a few beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He dove forward, but Sora threw himself backward.
Sora's hand was clenched around the dragon charm. Elliott materialized in a cloud of pink smoke, swooped down, and caught Sora just before he hit the ground.
"You tricked me!" DeKiller's face contorted in rage. "You knew the terms of my contracts, so you should know that I kill double-crossers!"
Elliott flew up to the roof and bore down on DeKiller, who stood his ground. Elliott grabbed DeKiller in his talons and popped him in his mouth. Then chewed and swallowed.
"Blech," Elliott said, belching black smoke. "This guy's definitely going to repeat on me."
"I'll buy you a metric ton of gas relief capsules," Sora promised.
"Yay!" Elliott said.
"...After we deal with the demon army," finished Sora. "Now fly to the Postern. Fast."
Elliott sighed, but obeyed Sora. He reached the Postern, where the Restoration Committee members were gathered to prepare for battle.
"Gimme a light," Cid said, holding out a cigarette.
"You're supposed to have quit," Leon replied.
"If I die here, I'll haunt you for not letting me have a last cigarette!" Cid snapped. "I'm entitled!"
"Fine. Whatever." Leon used a fire spell to ignite the end of Cid's cigarette.
Cid took a long drag. "Seriously, I'm too old for this shit."
"Cid!" Tifa scolded. "Watch your mouth around Yuffie!"
"Eh, that's nothing," Yuffie said. "I already know all eleven words you can't say."
"Eleven?" Aerith asked, confused. "I thought there were only seven."
"Not if you're a soldier," Cloud said with a slight smirk.
"Um, who ordered a dragon?" Yuffie asked. "Cloud, have you signed up for that Materia-of-the-Month Club?"
"Wasn't me," Cloud said.
"Hi, guys!" Sora called from Elliott. "How's the town?"
"All the civilians have been evacuated, and the guard has been mobilized," Leon reported. "The security is operating normally, and Tron has fortified the food and water supplies."
Sora smiled. "Good old Tron."
"Your friends are at the gates, dealing with the first waves," Aerith reported.
"We'll handle things here," Tifa finished.
"All right," Sora said. "I'll go there now."
Elliott flew to the city gates. As expected, Sora's party was separated into small bunches, each dealing with a small group of demons.
Sora dismounted from Elliott and dismissed him. He drew his Keyblade.
A giant meteor fell from the sky above and plunged into the ground, barely missing Sora but vaporizing about a hundred demons at once.
"HA HA HA HA!" A young boy with pointed ears and two large strands of hair that stood up like antennae was standing on the meteor, which was miraculously still intact – albeit half lodged in the ground.
"Who are you?" Sora asked.
"Me?" The boy asked. "Dumbass! How can you not know the Overlord Laharl when you see him?!"
"And Fallen Angel Flonne!" Flonne, in her usual white dress with red pumpkin pants, and red hair bow, popped out from behind Laharl. Her perky devil's tail was whipping back and forth like a puppy's.
"Um, are you leading the demons?" Sora asked.
"Don't be stupid," Laharl said. "Some of these demons are from my world. They've been a constant pain in my neck for a couple of years now. So I've come to teach them a lesson."
"Why do they hate you?" Sora inquired.
"They don't recognize me as the legitimate Overlord," Laharl said. "Even though I'm the previous Overlord's son! Can you imagine that?! Impudence! And Calamity considers my dad to be one of her mortal enemies, so they agreed to be her mercenaries in exchange for her favor. Which I suppose means she's cutting me next. The beef Calamity has with my dad she should take up with him directly. I mean, it's not like he's actually dead! He's just taking an early retirement."
"Oh, and Calamity has imprisoned Laharl's half sister!" Flonne said. "That's really mean!"
Laharl started. "Ah! Pretend you didn't hear that!"
"So you want to rescue your half-sister?" Sora asked. "Seems reasonable."
"No, I do not want to rescue her!" Laharl said. "I never even knew she existed until recently! And besides, saving people is what a hero like you does. Not a demon Overlord! I have a reputation to maintain!"
Flonne looked around. "Where's Miss Etna? Didn't you text her to meet us here?"
"Dunno, but she's missing out," Laharl said. "She loves senseless violence almost as much as I do."
"Etna?" Sora asked. "As in a red-eyed demon girl with pigtails and a squadron of exploding penguins?"
"Yup, that's her," Laharl nodded. "Why do you ask?"
Sora blanched. "Please don't tell her you saw me here. In fact, if my name ever comes up, I'm begging you to point her in the opposite direction."
Laharl smirked. "And why would I do something nice for a dumbass hero I barely know and don't particularly like? And why are you so nervous about Little Miss Washboard Chest?"
"It's because I sort of...canned her boyfriend." Sora explained.
Laharl stared blankly at Sora for a few seconds, then roared with laughter. "HA HA HA HA! You?! You, scrawny little stick, defeated Isa? As in, high level Warrior of the fifth rank?! HA HA HA HA!"
"But I did!" Sora wailed. "I mean, he went by the name Saix at the time and I had no idea he was a demon. Stop laughing!"
Laharl wiped tears from his eyes. "Sorry. Just a funny image. Ordinarily, I'd say you're on your own, but I hated that asshole. Anyone who can kick his sorry can is a friend of mine. So if Etna ever does find you, she didn't hear it from me. Capisce?"
"Thanks," Sora said.
"Fair word of warning," Laharl said. "Don't expect her to get over it anytime soon. I'm still apologizing for eating her unmarked pudding cup."
"You do care about Miss Etna!" Flonne said happily. "You told me that Isa was the wrong guy for her and-"
"S-stop it, Flonne!" Laharl cried, hair-antennae sticking up.
XXX
Kairi and Gordon emerged from the darkness portal. They were in a deserted alley.
"Ooh-kay," Kairi said sarcastically. "Not ominous at all."
Just then, two large bipedal lizard-like demons crossed into the alley. One was clutching his stomach as he slumped against a wall.
"I told you not to devour those vats of ice cream when we passed by that ice cream factory," the standing demon told his friend. "But nooo, you didn't listen to me!"
"Always at the worst time," Kairi whispered.
"That's Murphy's Law for you," Gordon whispered back.
"How was I to know I was lactose intolerant?" retorted the second demon.
"If you were lactose-intolerant, you'd be dead right now," said the first demon. "Anyone would feel sick after eating their weight in ice cream." The demon turned and spotted Kairi and Gordon. "What have we here?"
"Uh oh," Kairi said.
"I'm too stuffed to fight," whined the second demon.
"Then cover me," said the first demon.
Gordon took a defensive stance and drew his machete. "Kairi, run!"
"Um, Gordon?" Kairi asked. "I don't mean to be rude, but I don't think you can take them."
"I think you're absolutely right," Gordon said. "But I think I can hold them off long enough for you to find Sora."
"I'm not going to leave you," Kairi replied, hands on her hips.
"I'm not afraid of getting hurt," Gordon said. "But I can only take so much! Get Sora!"
The demon, who was apparently unarmed, landed a hard punch to Gordon's stomach. Gordon took a quick swipe with his machete, only for the blade to shatter into thousands of pieces against the demon's bare hand. The demon then body-slammed Gordon, sending him flying.
The charm feather in Gordon's shirt pocket flew up. It caught the light and glimmered briefly.
There was a loud screech. A golden blur streaked across the sky. Marahute swooped down, a gleaming silvery sword in her talons. She remained out of reach of the fighting demon as she dropped the sword near Gordon.
Gordon immediately dropped the broken hilt of the useless machete and seized the new sword. He rose to his feet. His body began to glow white. "What is this feeling? A new limit?" He made ten slashes rapidly in a row, and the area exploded with white light. "Ray of Brilliance!"
The alley was now engulfed in black smoke, and the smell of burning flesh permeated the air.
Gordon clutched the new sword ever tighter. "Is this Gareth's power? No, it must be my power."
The fighting demon was lying unconscious on the ground. Its entire body was charred black.
The other demon had managed to avoid the brunt of the attack, as his scales were only slightly singed. "All right, let's cut a deal, wielder of the Illumina."
"Illumina?" Kairi repeated.
"That sword," the demon said. "And don't interrupt, little girl. How about I pretend I didn't see you and you go on your merry way?"
"That sounds fair," Gordon said.
The demon clamped a claw over his mouth. "Excuse me." He got up and waddled out of the alley. The sounds of retching could be heard.
"Strange, yes," Kairi commented. "But I'm not one to look a gift demon in the mouth."
"Why would you even want to?" Gordon asked with a grimace.
"Let's go find Sora," Kairi said cheerfully.
"Yes, sooner than later," Gordon agreed. "I'm not sure I'd be able to pull off that super move again without some help..."
XXX
The fight against the demons was going well. Laharl swung his large, especially for his size, sword and sliced through the demons like a scythe through ripe wheat. Flonne jumped with agility, shooting enemies in the most awkward places with her bow. The battlefield rang with her giggles, making any observers wonder if her transformation from angel to demon was more than just cosmetic.
Sora, Donald, and Goofy – like old times – were fighting together, trying to keep the demons from reaching the inner city. Mickey, Riku, and the three remaining Daughters of Mnemosyne were just beyond them, catching any demons that slipped past Sora, Donald, and Goofy.
Laharl stood next to Sora. "Human, it's time for us to part."
"You're not going to keep helping us?" Goofy asked. "Why not?"
Laharl gestured to the thirty or so odd soldiers the party was currently fighting. "I've been flying and observing the situation from the air, and these stragglers are the last. These losers aren't even worth my energy."
"What about your sister?" Donald asked.
"Like I said," Laharl replied. "I don't care about her. But if you should happen to rescue her, goody-goodies that you are, I guess I can't complain. Come on, Flonne. If we hurry, we'll catch the next episode of Game of Thrones."
"Oh, goody!" Flonne leaped into Laharl's arms and he flew into the air, though his small wings hardly seem suited to the task.
Sora groaned as the soldiers, now down to about twenty, started to close in. "He could have helped a little more. I'm starting to get worn out!"
"Just grit your teeth and keep going," Donald griped. "Goofy, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"I think so, Donald," Goofy replied. "But don't ducks not have any teeth? That's why they're a hockey mascot?"
"I was going to say no one's going to come to our aid a second time," Donald responded.
"Oh," Goofy said.
A sudden rain of Pearl orbs came crashing down, stunning several demons.
"Impressive, Your Majesty!" Donald said happily.
"That wasn't me," Mickey called from afar. "My spiritual power's all drained, so I can't cast Pearl right now."
Sora, Donald, and Goofy turned. Gordon Pleiades was slashing at the stunned demons, with Kairi slashed at some others with her Keyblades.
"Kairi's here?" Riku asked as he rejoined the group after dispatching his own demons.
"Is that guy some sort of hero?" Goofy asked.
"Actually, that's my father," Sora said.
"Makes sense," Mickey observed.
"How?" Goofy asked. "I don't see the resemblance."
Donald rolled his eyes. "They look exactly alike!"
The last demon fell over.
Kairi ran over. "Sora!"
"What are you doing here?" Sora asked. "I'm happy to see you, but didn't the last time you didn't stay put, you got kidnapped? Twice?"
Kairi made a face. "Well, I haven't been kidnapped this time. Chased by a giant purple octopus, yes. Shot at, yes. Gotten my arm broken, yes. Performed in an opera, yes. Almost a typical day for you."
Gordon put away the Illumina and approached the reforming group. Erato, Clio, and Polyhymnia also arrived.
"Dad, it's terrible," Sora said. "Mom's been kidnapped!"
"I know," Gordon said. "It was my fault. I'm sorry."
"We have to get her back," Sora said. "Did she tell you…?"
"That she's the reincarnated lost Daughter of Mnemosyne?" Gordon asked. "Yes. She went on a journey as soon as she remembered. Kairi and I came with her to help."
"I have no idea what to say," Sora said.
"It's hard to process," Gordon answered. "But you're still Sorrel Pleiades."
Sora flushed pink. "Dad, I told you never to call me that in public!"
"You'd prefer Sorrel-berry?" Gordon replied with a smirk.
"Now you're just being silly!" Sora retorted.
Gordon laughed. "You started it." Sora laughed as well.
"Sorrel?" Donald asked. "That's your real name?"
"You can guess why I never used it on our quests," Sora said.
"You do understand why we chose that name, don't you?" Gordon explained. "In the language of flowers, the wood sorrel symbolizes joy. You brought us such joy that we had to tell the world."
"You know it means joy," Sora responded. "But other people don't know floriography. If I had a hundred munny for every time I've been wedgied, I'd be as rich as my grandpappy, Lord Pleiades."
"So you're royalty as well as a god?!" Donald cried. "Geez, Sora, how little have you told Goofy and me about yourself?"
"It's nobility, not royalty," Sora answered. "And it's not something I like to brag about. Grandpa Auguste wasn't even named the current Lord Pleiades until recently. When we spent a year asleep. His older brother died without heirs. On my island, it meant nothing. Grandpa Auguste moved his kids there so they could live happy lives without stupid preoccupations about who your parents are and how to dress and how to eat with a knife and fork. Because of that stupid title, he had to move away." He looked downcast. "I miss him."
"We can visit him once this is over," Gordon suggested.
Sora threw his arms around Gordon. "Dad, promise me you won't leave!"
"Strange of you to ask me that," Gordon said. "You've gone on quests that have taken you to places far away, haven't you?"
"I'm sorry to be clingy all of a sudden," said Sora. "I can't help it. For a while, I lost my home, Kairi was missing, and Riku was acting like a total jerk." A guilty expression crossed Riku's face. "You and Mama kept me grounded through all those disasters. Whenever I was scared, I thought of you. My adventures with the Keyblade have taken me down lots of roads, and I know I have to go down a lot more, but I will always look for the one that leads me back home."
"Speaking of which," Gordon said, sounding a lot sharper than before. "Your mother was quite upset to learn you left home without telling her. So if you rescue her immediately, she might forget to give you a lecture."
"This is Mama," Sora looked sheepish. "She never forgets anything. I think she's kept track of all the times we flooded the house by accident."
"Good point," Gordon agreed. "How about we say I gave you the lecture?"
"She might feel the need to supplement lecture, so what if we said you made me cry?" Sora suggested.
Gordon shook his head. "She'd never believe it."
"Go ahead," Sora sighed. "Let's get this over with."
"Later," Gordon said. "There's some more things I have to give you."
"Like the Talk?" Riku snickered.
Gordon cleared his throat. "Actually, it's gifts." He handed Sora the Yoshitsuna.
"That's Calamity's blood," Kairi explained.
"Goodness, it's all over the blade," Sora commented. "How'd you do this?"
"It wasn't me," Gordon admitted. "But before I explain, there's more." He took out the orichalcum candlestick and the charm feather.
"Ah!" Sora said happily. "Just what we need to purify the crystals! Let's take this stuff to Merlin right now!"
"One last thing," Gordon said, taking out the Jack Frost doll. "A good luck charm for the fight ahead."
Sora laughed. "Hi there, Mr. Jack Frost!" He took the plushie and hugged it tight. It gave a cute squeak.
"You do realize Jack Frosts are demon snowmen?" Riku asked. "They're only cute to disarm opponents."
"They're friendly!" Sora insisted. "It's the Black Frosts you have to watch out for."
"The endgame of Digital Devil Saga 2 doesn't ring any bells?" Riku asked dryly. "You know, the Jack Frost who tries to blow the main characters the crap away for no reason whatsoever? Ach, never mind. Glad to see you're still in one piece, Gordon."
As the newly converged party traveled toward Merlin's house, Gordon briefly explained the events of his and Maia's quest.
"So Euterpe and Auron are gone too," Sora said.
"So sad," Goofy commented. "For both of them."
"We saved Auron in the Underworld," Donald added. "And he..."
Sora sniffled. "Auron, why did you have to die like that?"
The party reached Merlin's house and opened the door.
Merlin sat at a desk, writing something on parchment with a quill pen. He glanced up at his visitors. "Ah, have you gathered the necessary materials?"
"Sure have!" Sora said triumphantly, placing the silver threads, jar of polar drops, charm feather, and candlestick on the desk's blotter.
"Good work," Merlin said. "Please make yourselves at home while I purify the crystals for you." He slipped the four items into a Bag of Holding and went into his research lab.
Sora waited until the door closed. "I'm going to take a walk."
"Are you sure?" Kairi asked.
"It'll be fine!" Sora insisted. "I'll just walk down the street and back. Maybe buy some ethers and elixirs from the Moogle Shop."
"Just be careful," Gordon said.
Sora nodded. "See you in a little bit." He went out the door, slamming it behind him and tilting a portrait on the wall.
Mickey stared at the door. "Do you really think it wise to allow Sora to go alone?"
"Sora may not look it, but he is stubborn as a black bear," Donald observed. "Best thing to do is give him some time alone to cool off."
Goofy nodded. "I know, because I have a teenage son myself."
"Yes, and the jury is still out on how it happened," Donald mumbled.
"Hey!" Goofy cried, slightly hurt.
"I'm sorry, Goofy," Donald said. "It's just that out of the three of us – you, me, and the King...who'd have thought you'd be the first to have a kid?"
"Why don't we play a friendly game of mahjong?" Mickey suggested. "It'll refresh our minds so we can focus on defeating Calamity."
"Except we need a fourth," Donald said. He looked around the room. "Kairi? Would you care to join us?"
"Me?" Kairi pointed at herself. "I'd be delighted! I'm actually quite good at mahjong."
"You?" Goofy asked. "No offense, but I don't know many fifteen year old girls who play."
"Yeah, look at my track record in the games," Kairi said. "I spent most of the original Kingdom Hearts in a coma. I wasn't physically present in Chain of Memories. I had only brief moments of screentime in Kingdom Hearts II and wasn't even in 358/2 Days or Coded. I had to get a hobby to occupy my time!"
"You think that's hard?" Donald complained. "King Mickey got two minutes of screentime in the original game. Goofy and I are bona-fide party members, yet we often get ignored in cutscenes. Like in Chain of Memories when Axel killed Vexen, only Sora got a reaction. We didn't say a word, or move to protect Sora We just stood there like statues if the scenes in both the original and remake are to be believed. Did the writers really think anyone would just stand there when they witness a murder?!" Donald sputtered.
"We weren't in Mission Mode of 358/2 Days from the outset, either," Goofy said.
"Everything is always about Sora!" Donald finished.
"Except when it isn't," Goofy said. "I mean, he only appeared briefly as a kid in Birth By Sleep's game proper and for a few seconds in Blank Points. King Mickey had a much larger role. Not to mention Sora slept clear through 358/2 Days and is the hardest playable to unlock in Mission Mode."
"Stop contradicting me, Goofy!" Donald whined. "Let's just play!"
Meanwhile, the remaining three Daughters of Destiny were gathered in a corner of the living room.
"Any luck analyzing the enemy's base?" Clio asked.
"Yes," Erato replied. "The whole complex is covered with a complex anti-teleportation shield. Except, and here's where it gets weird, there's a hole in the shield. Right in front of the throne room. Isn't that the last place there'd be a weak spot? Aren't that nerdy wizard, Emperor Vain Prettyboy, and Marjoly the Token Female supposed to be high-level sorcerers? How could they leave such a flawed shield up?"
"That's not weird," Polyhymnia said. "She and the Seven are taunting us. You really need to be more genre-savvy."
Erato shook her head. "What do we do? I can't find any other weak spots in the shield. And casting a dispelling spell strong enough to clear it would take hours. Hours that we don't have."
Clio thought a moment. "Enter through the hole and proceed as planned. First chance we get, we'll hit Calamity with the Soul Separation."
Riku pored over an old-looking scroll from a nearby bookcase.
"What are you reading?" Gordon asked.
"A spell called Final Contrition," Riku replied. "It looks really useful, so I'm trying to memorize it."
"Ah," Gordon said. "I'll leave you to it, then," He turned away.
"One minute," Riku said. "Gordon, what happened to you?"
Gordon turned back to face Riku. "I beg your pardon?"
"Well, last time I checked, you were a nerdy photographer. What changed?"
"I guess my son brought out the best in me," Gordon suggested.
Riku seemed satisfied. "He does have that effect on people."
"You've changed too," Gordon said. "You seem more mature."
"You'd be amazed at what being possessed by a megalomaniac identity-stealing Heartless can do for your self-reflection," Riku said. "Do you think Sora will ever change?"
"I doubt it," Gordon said. "I just hope he doesn't run into trouble on his own."
XXX
Sora strolled casually through the streets of Radiant Garden.
Was this really such a good idea? Roxas asked. You just survived two assassination attempts and helped fend off an enormous army.
"I just need a few minutes of air," Sora replied, passing by a trailer. "Alone. So...begone."
Fine. I'll shut up. Just don't come crying to me when something bad happens.
"Oh, young man!" A woman with black hair and a set of black wings on her back called. She carried a clipboard. Unknown to Sora, it was Crowdia, last seen in Beauty Castle. "Would you care to donate some blood?"
Sora glared at her. "I have given the worlds my sweat and my tears, and now you're asking for my blood?! Seriously?"
"We have cookies," the woman said sweetly.
"Sounds fair!" Sora said without missing a beat.
XXX
Hades and Loki sat together in solid stone chairs inside an empty lounge area.
"So where did your wife go?" Hades asked.
"Went to take the kids home," Loki said. "I guess it isn't so much home as the run-down shack we're reduced to occupying. As you can see, we're not exactly welcome in Asgard."
"Zeus has an all-you-can-eat ambrosia buffet in his place," Hades said. "I have deliveries from Speedy Pita, and by the time the delivery boy's soul reaches my domain, the feta cheese is always cold. So I can relate."
Loki stretched his legs. "I'm bored."
"The Nerd Squad's preparing their ceremony," Hades said.
"Boring," Loki replied. "So how are your latest attempts to woo the fair Persephone?"
"Nonexistent."
"You haven't been trying?"
"No, it's just been so sitcom-worthy that it might as well not be trying."
"Want me to help?"
"I don't think I should be taking relationship advice from a god who once got laid by turning himself into a horse. A female horse, at that."
Loki shrugged. "As you wish. It was totally worth it, by the way."
XXX
Inside Merlin's study, Riku was still studying the mysterious spell scroll. Gordon looked at some photographs of his family. Photographs he himself had taken. Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi were absorbed in their mahjong game. Clio was writing a letter to someone, using a levitated ball point pen and memo pad. Polyhymnia was perusing one of Merlin's magazines (titled Bewitching Beauties and featuring Nimue as the cover girl). Erato was filing her nails.
The door opened, and Sora stepped in. He looked fine – no torn clothing, no external signs of injury.
"Feeling better?" Gordon asked.
"Yes," Sora replied. "I have an idea. Before we leave, why don't some of us go to the Bloodmobile down the street? The three ladies running it are really nice."
Riku sighed. "Sora, you realize that donating blood will leave you weak, and that you need to rescue your mother?! Oh, and fight an evil goddess!"
"No worries!" Sora said. "They only filled this little vial. They said it was because my blood was really rich, so the vial was equal to a pint from anyone else. Makes sense, since I'm part god, no?"
Riku stared blankly at him.
Sora scratched his head. "Though I had no idea Featherfolk lived in Radiant Garden. I thought they were confined to the Tria System."
"Featherfolk?" Riku repeated.
"Yeah, the lady in charge had black wings."
Riku grabbed Sora's shoulders and shook him hard. "Tell me one of the staff members didn't look really butch!"
"Yeah, how did you know?" Sora asked.
"And did one look like a little girl in a pink dress and kitty ears?" Riku asked.
"Yup," Sora said. "Friends of yours?"
Riku released Sora's shoulders and palmed his face. "Sora, you're so stupid you probably think the Sarah McLachlan song is about you!"
"Huh?" Sora asked. "What are you talking about?"
"Those three ladies – and I mean that word in the loosest sense – work for Marjoly the Evil Ugly."
"Oh," Sora said. "Why would she want my blood?"
"I don't know, but it has to be something nefarious. Like mixing it with her bathwater. I hear witches bathe in virgin blood to make themselves look young."
Sora wrinkled his nose. "Doesn't seem to be doing her much good. All those wrinkles. She must have six pounds of makeup on her face, and I could still see them. At a distance. Wish I could unsee them…"
"Once you see it, you can't unsee it," Riku joked. "Just like the live-action Last Airbender movie."
XXX
Meanwhile, in Calamity's meeting room…
"Marjoly, your three assistants have our eternal gratitude." Vayne held the vial of Sora's blood. "No one would ever know how special this blood is just by looking."
"Isn't that the case with all blood?" Gant replied from across the white alabaster table. "Looks all the same. Red, smells like freshly sheared copper…"
"Please, Vaynie!" Marjoly wailed. "Let me have a little taste."
"No." Vayne held it above Marjoly's head while she reached frantically for it. "It's too valuable."
"Just a few drops!" Marjoly moaned. "You know how hard it is to find virgin blood these days?! I could drink the blood of very young kids, but their blood is too thin."
The door opened, and Larsa walked in. He held a handkerchief to a bloody nose. "Vayne, is this going to take long?"
"What happened?" Vayne asked.
"I was playing Super Smash Brothers with that weird obese kid," Larsa explained. "And he lost his grip on his remote and it hit me in the nose."
"See, Larsa, this is why our game was on a console without motion controls," Vayne said matter of factly. "Play control on a Wii was a nightmare due to the erratic controls."
Larsa removed the handkerchief and a few drops of blood landed on the white floor.
Marjoly dropped to her knees and licked it off.
Gant palmed his face. "Joly-Poly, you did not do what I think you just did!"
Marjoly gagged. "Never mind. It's not virgin."
"Your palate is probably not refined enough," Vayne said with a glare.
Larsa tried to look nonchalant and whistled.
"Am I right?" Vayne asked.
Larsa shifted uncomfortably under Vayne's gaze. Marjoly and Gant glanced at each other with a near-equal degree of discomfort.
"All right, out with it," Vayne said. "Who was it?"
"It's not a big deal!" Larsa insisted.
"I will not ask you again," Vayne replied. "Who. Was. It?"
"No one you know!" Larsa answered.
"But I know everyone worth knowing in Ivalice!" Vayne frowned. "This is serious. You're a minor. The age of consent in Archadia is eighteen."
"She was only seventeen," Larsa said.
"A minor as well," Vayne said. "While I'm relieved I do not have to prosecute your trashy consort for statutory rape…"
"Trashy?" Larsa snapped. "She wasn't a common whore."
"Do not interrupt me!" Vayne replied.
"You don't even know her, so you shouldn't insult her." Larsa argued. "Why are you overreacting? Most brothers would be happy their brother got laid."
"I am not overreacting, and I am not done, young man!"
"This is going to take a while," Larsa lamented.
"Do not give me sass! I am your legal guardian!" Vayne continued.
At the same time, Marjoly had taken out her pink smartphone and was working on some selfies. Gant took out his phone as well, but was playing Angry Birds.
"Are you going to disinherit me now?" Larsa asked.
"No," Vayne said. "You know I can't stay mad at you very long. You're the one person in all the worlds who would never hurt me."
"You have…interesting new friends," Larsa observed, gesturing toward Marjoly and Gant, who were still on their cell phones. "At least you're not spending all your time hanging out with that creepy glowy-eyed thing anymore."
"He's not a thing!" Vayne insisted. "It's all right, Venat. He didn't mean it!"
Larsa palmed his face.
XXX
Merlin's study door opened. "Voila!" Merlin cheerfully held a platter covered by a metal dome. He levitated the dome with magic, revealing sparkling purple Phozon crystals.
"Wow, that's strikingly pure," Erato commented.
"We are truly in your debt, Merlin," Clio said.
"Think nothing of it," Merlin said.
"Except we're missing one ingredient," Clio said. "We've got the purified Phozon crystals, the blood of the target. We just need the tears of a god."
Erato turned to Polyhymnia and said, "You're pathetic and your fling with Lodovico was your only shot at being loved!"
Polyhymnia burst into tears. "Waaah!"
"Problem solved," Erato said with a smile.
"I guess we technically need those tears," Clio said, holding a small cauldron under Polyhymnia's face so her tears dripped inside. "It still seems rather mean spirited."
"Hey, I work with what I've got," Erato retorted.
Polyhymnia sniffled.
Clio took a mortar and pestle and ground the Phozon crystals to a fine powder, which she added to the cauldron. Erato scraped the dried blood off the Yoshitsuna's blade and into the cauldron as well.
"Are we ready to teleport to Calamity's lair?" Erato asked.
"I know I am," Donald cried, rising from his seat. "Goofy, the King, and I just got our butts kicked at mahjong by a little girl!"
Sora nodded. "It has to end now."
Clio held the cauldron to her chest. "I'll now cast the teleportation spell. Everyone, join hands and stand in a circle around me."
Mickey linked hands with Riku and Donald. Sora got between Gordon and Donald. Kairi took Gordon's other hand and stood next to Goofy. Polyhymnia moved between Goofy and Erato, who joined with Riku.
Clio chanted softly. The floor beneath the circle glowed as a complex spell seal appeared.
Merlin waved. "Good luck, everyone!"
The party faded into white light and was gone.
Sora and company found themselves in a marble white hallway. A set of double doors was several yards to their right. Otherwise, the hall was empty.
"Hmm," Clio said. "This was obviously a trap."
"You think they forgot to set a trap?" Goofy asked.
"How could they forget something like that?" Donald replied. "They knew we were coming. They flat out told us to come here! And this was the only weak spot in their anti-teleportation shield."
Erato concentrated. "Calamity's in the throne room, right where she said she'd be. And I sense Sappho's presence. They're not alone."
"Another army?" Mickey suggested.
"Try three," Erato replied.
"Three measly reinforcements?!" Sora cried. "Maybe Calamity is playing nice."
"I doubt that," Polyhymnia said. "She's only slightly nicer than the Wicked Witch of the West."
Sora walked toward the door. "Let's go in."
"Not yet," Riku said. "That anti-teleportation shield is blanketing the whole castle except for this spot, right?"
"Yes," Clio said.
"Which means no reinforcements can teleport into the throne room proper," Riku observed. "A few of us should guard the door in case Calamity tries to summon more help."
"So who should stay behind?" Gordon asked.
"I can stay," Erato volunteered, holding up her gun proudly. "I'll be able to sense intruders."
"I'll stay as well," Polyhymnia said. "I'm a little nervous."
"I suppose I should stay, too," Clio said. "I want to be with my sisters."
"Except you're all distance fighters," Mickey observed. "Riku, could you assist them?"
"Sure," Riku said.
"Does anyone mind if I stay here, too?" Kairi said. "I don't want to be left behind again, but..." She summoned her Keyblade. "Keyblades are close-range weapons. Two wielders out here and two in there."
"All right, it's settled," Sora said. "Riku, take good care of Kairi. And my aunts."
"Be careful," Riku said.
Clio handed the cauldron to Donald. "You're the Mage, so if you get the opportunity..."
Donald nodded. "I understand."
Sora grasped the handles of the doors and threw them open. Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Gordon followed close behind. The doors slammed shut behind them.
The throne room was almost empty. The only furniture was a white marble throne at the far end of the room. A large white sarcophagus was next to the throne. There was a thin catwalk up above. Marjoly was standing on the catwalk just above the throne. On the left side of the catwalk, Cartman was standing, leaning on the rail and eating from a large carton of sea salt ice cream. Directly across him, Vayne stood at attention.
Calamity was sitting on the throne, reading The Purpose-Driven Life. She lowered her book, looked briefly at the party, and raised the book again.
"Argh!" Sora groaned. "She's insufferable! Hey! Don't ignore us!" Sora ran forward, then there was the sound of an explosion. Sora disappeared, and a puff of smoke marked the floor where he had been.
Goofy let out a yelp. "Sora stepped on a landmine!"
"No," Donald said, looking at the smoke and debris where Sora had stepped. "It was a teleportation tile. One set to self-destruct when someone stepped on it. Wizards use them all the time."
"So where did he end up?" Goofy asked.
"Straight ahead!" Gordon pointed toward the throne. Sora had reappeared just in front of it.
"We're comin', Sora!" Goofy ran forward, and hit an invisible wall.
Donald fired off a blizzard spell in Calamity's direction, but it bounced off the invisible wall and coated him in ice crystals. "WAAAK!" He turned red, making the crystals melt and turn to steam. "This is very exasperating."
Mickey felt the invisible wall. "Hmm. I could try to dispel this thing, but who knows how long that will take?"
"Your Majesty?" Gordon asked. "What exactly were the odds that Sora would step on that tile? There were five of us who entered, so I would guess 1 out of 5, but the bad guys had no idea we were going to split up..."
At the throne, Sora raised his Keyblade. "Where's my mama?"
Calamity pointed to the sarcophagus. "In there. If she's still breathing. That thing is airtight."
Sora ran to the sarcophagus and pushed the stone lid off. It landed on the floor and broke into two pieces.
"Mother-" Sora was suddenly tackled by Maia, who hugged him tightly.
"My baby!" Maia's hair was frizzy and her clothes were coated in a fine layer of white dust, but she looked fine otherwise.
"Are you all right?" Sora asked.
"Yes," Maia said. "It was dark and it was getting stuffy in there just before you opened it and I think I might be just a teensy bit claustrophobic and oh, I sound like a total idiot right now, but that doesn't matter!" She gave Sora another hug.
"Um, Mama? I think I should deal with Calamity first." Sora gently pushed Maia away.
Calamity was still reading her book. "Uh huh." This time, she didn't look in Sora's direction.
Sora drew his Keyblade and walked toward Calamity's throne. "Now, you listen, and you listen good!"
"Well, not good," Maia corrected.
"Well, I guess," Sora continued. "You're a mean, nasty lady and I think you..."
"Sora!" Mickey cried, looking up at the catwalk. "Move from there! Now!"
"What?" Sora asked. Three beams of light, one each from Marjoly, Vayne, and Cartman, struck Sora and knocked him into the air. A golden field of light appeared around him.
Sora looked like he was in an action movie and someone had hit the pause button. He hung in the air, Keyblade still in his right hand. His eyes closed. A doubled image of a boy with spiky blonde hair floated out of Sora's body, but was otherwise motionless.
"You can't do the Soul Separation!" Mickey cried. "His soul will break from the pressure!"
"You should have thought of that before you said no to my bargain," Calamity said. "You've got no one but yourselves to blame."
The Jack Frost doll Sora had in his pouch floated up. White mist oozed out of it, and coalesced into the shape of a young woman. A young woman in a long white dress, with red hair under a tiara and veil.
"Is that Kore?" Goofy's question summed up everyone's thoughts.
"What's Kore doing in Sora's doll?" asked Donald.
"Would you like me to explain?" Calamity asked.
"YES!" chorused everyone.
Calamity waved her right hand at the field enclosing Sora. "Stopga. There. I'll only explain this once. Kore's soul was in Sora's doll, but who put it there?" She pointed at Maia. "It was you, Sappho! Calliope pretty much told you everything."
"What?" Maia frowned. "I don't understand."
"Oh, she spelled it out when she said you were the Omega. The Omega is the perfect girl that Mnemosyne hoped to create. The only vessel worthy of Kore. Granted, Mnemosyne abandoned that idea after her first failure, but still."
"You're saying Kore was inside me?" Maia asked. "That's absurd! I would have noticed!"
"Not if it was sealed," Calamity said sweetly.
"The sealed object I found?" Maia asked. "Don't tell me...!"
"Yes, it was Kore's soul," Calamity explained. "Hidden behind two seals. One that could only be broken by a Keyblade, the other a condition seal. That condition was to be exposed to a Soul Separation ritual."
"Sora was not your original target, then?" Mickey observed. "You wanted to extract Kore from Mrs. Pleiades?"
"Precisely," Calamity answered. "But Sappho found Kore's soul. She didn't know what it was, but she stuck it in the doll. I had to change my plans accordingly. But Gordon was able to find Sora and give him the doll for good luck."
"I knew there was a reason you refused to kill me back then," Gordon replied.
"You knew, and you still played right in my hands," Calamity giggled. "How does it feel? That after all that nonsense you spouted about protecting your family, you're the direct cause of your son getting his soul broken for the third time?"
"It's your fault!" Donald snapped.
Calamity shook her head. "I didn't want to do this to Sora. I rather like him. He was just a bit of collateral damage." She held her right index finger and thumb an inch apart. "I was this close to being able to say Kore was in Sora the whole time, but no. She was in Sora's mama."
"But why?" Maia demanded. "Why was she in me?"
"Very good question," Calamity said. "You see, Sappho. It all began when Mnemosyne tied your soul with that of the human you fell in love with. The two of you would reincarnate together, not even able to live without each other. But before she sent you two lovebirds on your honeymoon Samsara Cruise, she realized something. That as long as your memory was sealed, no one would be able to find you. Not even Mnemosyne herself. And by then, I was in the back of her mind. She wanted to keep Kore safe in the event I woke up again. But just putting your soul and Kore's in a mortal body was problematic. Your soul and hers might end up in conflict over the body. Even if that didn't happen, the two souls would separate upon the death of the mortal vessel. Then Kore would be floating in the Sea of Souls. Vulnerable without a material body. So Mnemosyne placed Kore's soul deep in the confines of Sappho's soul. So deep that it wouldn't escape through Sappho's myriad rebirths. And a minimal risk of Kore awakening. Does this satisfy you?"
"Awfully nice to explain it for us," Goofy said.
"Thank you," Calamity said. "I'm not a complete bitch."
Donald snorted. "You say that after all you've done to Sora."
"Exactly," Mickey said. "For someone who claims to like him…"
"Yeah, and we didn't forget about DeKiller, either," Goofy added.
"DeKiller fired a bullet code-named Electric Haircut at Sora," Calamity said. "But I knew he was going to fail."
"You…knew?" Mickey asked.
"Because Sora is extraordinarily lucky," Calamity said. "I thought DeKiller would sneeze at the moment he fired the gun, making it miss Sora entirely. But the outcome I got was even better. He hit one of Mnemosyne's stupid brats, and a strong one at that." She giggled. "Pretty dumb of her to jump in the path of that bullet, wouldn't you say?"
"But she saved Sora! Protected him!" Goofy cried.
"A meaningless effort," Calamity said.
"Meaningless?!" Mickey snapped. "She's your niece, and it's your fault she died!"
"How was it my fault?" Calamity said. "I did not ask her to jump in the path of that bullet. I did not create it, either. That was a product of Lezard's research. And before you accuse me of killing my other nieces. Two died by suicide. Melpomene's death was an accident, as was Thalia's. And Loki killed Urania."
"He killed Urania on your orders! He stole her essence because you told him to get it!" Mickey sounded irritated. "Quit dodging the blame!"
"Besides, those girls' very existence are anathema to me," Calamity said. "I didn't kill them, but I'm not sorry they're dead. So if you want me to express sympathy for Mnemosyne, you're going to be sorely disappointed."
"I have nephews," Mickey said. "I know your sibling's kids can be annoying, but this is extreme!"
"Your Majesty!" Goofy interrupted. He pointed at the field surrounding Sora, which was flickering ominously.
"The stop spell is running out!" Mickey cried.
"Can't we do something?" Gordon asked in frustration.
Maia stepped toward the field.
"Seriously, not a good idea, Sappho," Calamity said. "If you get too close, your own soul might get drawn out. Along with Auron and Guido's. Though Hades would like those two safely returned to him."
Maia defiantly took another step forward. She extended her arm toward the golden-haired mirage floating just outside Sora's prone body. Her hand touched the field just as it dissipated. Roxas vanished. Maia threw herself forward and caught Sora's unconscious body just before it hit the ground.
Kore's soul remained where it was, looking straight at Calamity. Glowing yellow lights fluttered near her serenely.
"Is Kore protecting him?" Mickey asked.
Calamity smirked at Kore standing her ground. "Your selfless nature shines through, Kore. Too bad it's going to be your undoing." Calamity raised her right arm. A beam of white light shot from her hand.
Simultaneously, two pairs of wings sprouted from Maia's back, shredding the back of her dress. One pair, her familiar white and feathery wings, wrapped around herself and the still unconscious Sora. The other – large, black, and leathery – reached toward Kore. Unfortunately, Maia's timing was too slow. She had hoped to wrap the wings around Kore's soul to deflect the incoming spell, but a flash of light filled the room. It was too late.
The light was blinding, but faded after a minute.
When the light faded and everyone in the room got their vision back, Kore's soul was encased in a six foot light blue crystal. Her eyes were closed, and her arms hung limply by her sides. Her soul looked oddly solid, as if a living person were inside sleeping. Calamity had taken advantage of the light's intensity to teleport next to the crystal, a few yards from Maia and Sora.
Calamity wrapped her arms around Kore's crystal. "It's mine! It's finally mine!" A single tear ran down her cheek. She looked at her furious-looking audience. "It's been lots of fun. Really, it has. But Kore and I have some catching up to do." And with that, she vanished, taking the crystal with her.
Marjoly, Vayne, and Cartman – who had been watching the drama below them unfold silently – looked at each other, then teleported away as well.
Goofy had been leaning on the invisible wall, and fell on his side as it suddenly vanished. "Ow."
Gordon wasted no time. He broke into a sprint and ran toward his wife and son. Mickey followed, with Donald and Goofy close behind.
"Donald," Mickey ordered. "Quick, cast your strongest magnet spell on the bits of Sora's soul!"
Donald nodded and twirled his Wand of Apocalypse. "Magnega!"
The floating yellow lights lazily drifting away suddenly zipped toward Donald's spell and coalesced into a golden orb. Donald held out his hands, and the orb floated serenely to them.
"Now put it back," Mickey ordered.
"Right," Donald said, holding the soul to Sora's chest and allowing it to osmose in.
Sora's eyelids fluttered. He groaned. "Mom? Dad?"
"Did it work?" Gordon asked.
"Yes," Mickey said. "Without a doubt. Kore's influence probably kept the soul bits from straying too far. But it's hard to believe a single soul could do that."
Goofy scratched his head. "I remember how fast the little pieces flew away at Hollow Bastion, while Donald yelled at them to come back."
Donald flushed. "Thanks for reminding me."
"I love you, too, Donald," Sora said sweetly. "Even when you bopped me on the head the way Little Bunny Foo Foo bopped those mice."
"Shut up," Donald snapped. "Leave the sarcasm to Riku. He's much better at it!"
"So what happened?" Sora asked. "I remember charging Calamity, and I lost track of everything. And what was that about Kore?" His eyes brightened. "Did you find her?"
"It's a long story," Mickey said. "We'd better meet up with Riku and the others. Sora, are you feeling strong enough to walk on your own?"
"I feel fine," Sora said. "Except I feel a little…empty. Uh oh."
"What?" Gordon asked.
"Roxas," Sora said. "I can't hear him. Or sense him." He patted his chest. "Roxas? Are you okay?" Silence. "Roxas, stop playing games!"
"Um," Goofy said. "When Roxas was there, didn't it kind of look like there were two of him?"
Donald frowned. "Now that you mention it…"
"Not important right now," Mickey quipped.
"Do you want to see Roxas?" Maia asked.
Sora nodded hard.
Maia extended her right hand. "Then I need you. Your body has contained Roxas' thoughts. You are the material object that can give him shape once more."
Sora grasped Maia's hand. "What do I have to do?"
"Not much," Maia said. "I can handle it." She squeezed Sora's hand, and released it. There was a flash of light, and Roxas' hand was holding Sora's.
Roxas looked just as he did before his merging with Sora, clad in his white checkered jacket, black shirt with x-shaped zipper pull, black pants with white panels, and red and black sneakers.
"I'm sorry," Maia said to Roxas. "This is the best I can do at this point in time."
"I understand," Roxas replied quietly.
Sora jumped Roxas and squeezed him in a bear hug.
"Hey!" Roxas cried. "Just because Nobodies are resistant to damage doesn't mean you can compress my lungs! Ow!"
"I'm sorry," Sora said, releasing Roxas. "I just wanted to welcome you back. Oh, and I'm sure your parents want a turn. I promise they'll be more gentle."
"Hi, Roxas," Gordon said, always one to simplify words.
Roxas was embraced by both Gordon and Maia in turn. "This…this is real," he said quietly. A single tear ran down his cheek.
"Roxas," Maia said. "We need your power. Would you be willing to lend us your ability to wield a Keyblade?"
Roxas gave a self-sure smile. "I can do better than that." He raised his right hand. With black light, the heavy and ornate black Oblivion Keyblade materialized. The beautiful white and blue Oathkeeper did likewise in his left hand. "I'll wield two."
"Let's meet up with the others," Mickey suggested. "And plan our next move."
"Um, Your Majesty?" Donald asked. "We've run into three of the Seven so far. What are the odds we'll run into at least one more? Goofy? What are you staring at?!"
Goofy was looking intently at the spot where Kore's soul had floated before Calamity encased it in crystal. He bent down. "Kore left something behind." He held it up. "Do ya think her tear froze? It's cold in here, but not that cold."
The object was a Keychain that resembled a blue teardrop-shaped faceted jewel. It caught the light and sparkled like clear water.
With a shaking hand, Sora took the charm from Goofy. "Tear of Aqua," he commented. "The sadness of being unable to help a friend, and of a promise left unkept." He slipped it on his keyring of his spare keychains. "It's okay, Kore. We'll help Mnemosyne. His Majesty's right. Let's go see Riku and Kairi."
"Right," everyone else chorused. They exited the throne room in a bunch and went down the hall.
Riku, Kairi, Clio, Erato, and Polyhymnia were standing just beyond the door, facing Lezard. They were holding their weapons.
"You see, Lezard," Riku said. "Queen Odette tends to get rather irate when people take jewels from her land without asking. She gave us something extra along with Phozon crystals for chasing you and Vayne out."
"And what was that?" Lezard asked.
Riku smirked. "A BDD."
"A BVD?!" Lezard scrunched his brow. "She gave you underwear? I did not need to know that."
"No!" Riku flushed red. "A BDD. Boredom Dispelling Device. So if you give your boring speeches, we won't fall asleep again."
"I could have used one of those things earlier," Gordon said to no one in particular.
"I could have taken five, easily, but..." Lezard looked at Sora and his party. "Twelve against one would take me more time than I have at present." He vanished in a red glow.
"Why couldn't he just admit he was outnumbered?" Donald grumbled.
Riku pointed to Roxas. "Please tell me I'm hallucinating."
Roxas stuck out his tongue.
"Seriously?!" Riku snapped. "After all the work I put into putting him back! I looked like Xehanort for this?!"
"It was an improvement!" Roxas said. "Looking at Xemnas' face makes me ill, but yours is so much worse."
"Roxas!" Maia scolded. "Apologize this instant!"
"I'm sorry I pointed out how ugly your face is, Riku," Roxas said. Maia palmed her face. Riku just shrugged. The others snickered or at least looked amused.
"Well, at least we solved three mysteries," Mickey said once he had explained what happened in Calamity's throne room.
"Oh, yeah!" Goofy said. Then he scratched his head. "Remind me what they were again."
"Haven't you been paying attention?!" Donald snapped. "That just happened!"
"I don't get it either," Sora said. "What were those mysteries again?"
Donald grumbled. "No one ever feels sorry for those with high INT stats."
Mickey shrugged. "The three mysteries were: why were Lezard and Vayne stealing Phozon crystals from Queen Odette, why Marjoly's three assistants went to such great lengths for a vial of Sora's blood, and why Calamity kept that kid around. The answer to all of them is because they planned to do the Soul Separation ritual themselves to get Kore's soul. Originally, it was in Mnemosyne's lost tenth daughter, but Mrs. Pleiades unknowingly moved the soul into a doll."
"And the fat kid?" Goofy asked.
"Same reason," Mickey said. "The ritual requires a mage, a child, and a leader of men to be present at the casting. Cartman was the child, Marjoly the mage…"
"And Vayne's an Emperor," Donald finished. "I get it now!" Everyone looked at him. "I mean, I knew that all along!"
"Hi, Kairi," Roxas walked up to Kairi. "Nice that you get to see me in the flesh instead of just a projection."
"I suppose it is," Kairi said. She extended her hand. "It's nice to meet you as a person."
Roxas took Kairi's hand. "Um, why are you wearing a wedding ring?"
"Because I'm married," Kairi answered.
"What?!" Sora and Roxas said in unison.
"When?" Sora asked.
"And to whom?!" Roxas asked, not letting go of Kairi's hand. "And more importantly, does that extend to Namine?"
Kairi's smile faded. "Wait, something's wrong."
"What's the matter?" Sora asked.
"I feel lightheaded of a sudden," Kairi stumbled forward, almost collapsing in Roxas' arms. "And my heart is pounding." Her body was glowing, and light, diaphanous wings sprouted from her back. A glowing, transparent image of Naminé floated above, and then seemingly solidified as she descended slowly. As she fully materialized, her feet touched the ground. She was wearing her famous white dress, with blue sandals. Her long blonde hair was loose and messy. The wings of light vanished.
"Naminé!" Roxas cried in joy. He nearly dropped Kairi and ran to his girlfriend.
Naminé stood still, eyes wide. She said nothing as she met Roxas' gaze.
And then she slapped him.
To Be Continued
Author's Notes: I wanted to end on a cliffhanger, but the punchline was just so hilarious, I thought it'd be a better end. Naminé slapping Roxas. Hysterical.
Another note is that in my storyline, Isa really is a demon from Laharl's Netherworld. Before the events of Birth By Sleep, a war tore Laharl's Netherworld apart. And some demons emigrated to other worlds. Isa, who was 1,598 years old, moved with his parents to Radiant Garden. There, he met Lea. They became fast friends, and the rest is history.
As for why I made Isa a demon as opposed to human, there are a few reasons. One is that his sword looks just like the swords in Disgaea, down to the scale. (So do his alternate weapons in Days.) Saix's Japanese title translates to "Moon dancing demon." Three was that blue hair and pierced ears are common among demons in Disgaea. And fourth is that Saix acts like a demon.
According to World of Disgaea, a demon reaches his/her full adult height at the age of 1600. So that is why Saix is much taller as Isa, though demons age at a much slower rate than humans.
Isa's mom was a Mage Knight and his dad a Warrior. Mage Knights have a divination ability called "Zone," which is a play on Saix's English title, Luna Diviner.
I apologize for not putting this information in any of my previous Kingdom Hearts stories. It will be in Chasing the Rainbow, but I have not finished the upcoming Chapters 2-4.
I forgot to mention this in previous chapters, but this is pre Dream Drop Distance. It functions as basically an interquel between Kingdom Hearts II and Sora and Riku's Mark of Mastery exam.
