Hello there! Lilith here.

Well, I'm pretty sure some of you expected Zexion to take center stage as an enemy. But I gotta tell you, it was a hurdle to write down the whole situation.

And, yeah, I've noticed some surprise from my readers that I'm creeping closer to completing this storyline. I'd better get my notes ready for the next fic ready so that I could plan out the broad strokes before I get the next storyline started.

Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

To Gry22: Three things. One: Glad you loved the final chapter with Sora. Two: Yeah, I'm almost done. Shocking, isn't it? Three: Funny you should say that...

To Mattman: Calm down. I'm not calling you oblivious or ignorant. I thought I wasn't making sense, so I facepalmed myself. Also, I honestly never thought that the boss fight would be compared to Persona 5 (heard about it, but never played it) combat gameplay. Truthfully, I felt it would've been hard to imply cards in the battle scenes, so I just left that stuff out in favor of restricting the cards to travel purposes. As for matters regarding more reveals for KH3... Hoo boy! I'm more of biting my nails by this point. Who would be in the Organization were ranged from completely obvious to an eyebrow-raiser. But for the moment, I'd rather hold back on my thoughts with Vexen and Demyx and the possibly Riku replica for the time being. Secondly, on the matter of the Seven Hearts, I can't really be the proper judge on the matter; the past princesses that were used certainly had some that I loved (though it's still baffling that Alice is considered one), but we have seen an increase in variety of princesses in Disney nowadays, so I'd say it'd be best to wait and see. Thirdly, the box art... HOLY S**T! Whoever did that art really outdid themselves! I'd love to give the artist a cookie for just the effort.

I own nothing of Kingdom Hearts except my OCs.

Read, leave me a review, but flames are unacceptable.


Chapter 28: From Fear to Resolve

Down in the dark chamber of the castle basement, Zexion had a strong suspicion that something went horribly wrong. If Lexaeus has not reported back from his attempt to pursue Riku, then that could only mean one thing for him…

"Lexaeus is gone as well…" he realized.

He should've guessed as much. Vexen was eliminated topside, and now Lexaeus lost his existence. That can only mean the numbers of members in the castle have already begun to dwindle, and it's only a matter of time before all of them would perish by the very youths they've been chasing after. Just who could be next on the chopping block? It would seem they've been underestimating Sora, Luna and Riku at every turn since their arrival.

Then, he got a surprise when Axel showed up in the room, apparently knowing how everything turned out.

"Vexen, Larxene, Lexaeus…" Axel listed down the crew. "I wonder who will be next in line."

"I thought perhaps it might be you," Zexion answered sarcastically.

"Me? No way. I already took my pounding from Sora," the redhead replied with a dismissive wave, "He thinks I'm done for good. Can't guarantee the same thought from the girls, though… Nope, I think Marluxia's next. For defying the Organization and targeting Sora and Luna." His head wandered a bit. "I hope they move exactly as their hearts command them to." He paused a moment before turning to Zexion. "So, what about you? I thought you guys had plans for Riku."

"Yes, we were going to set him off against the traitors…" the young man replied in disappointment, "But with Marluxia gone, there is no need. He is nothing but a nuisance now."

As much as he didn't want to admit it, Zexion knew that he is faced with a dilemma now that the plans are coming apart. But he still wanted to take another chance at trying to obtain something – anything – out if it. And besides, if what Axel's implying is something to be interpreted, it's likely that Luna still gave the slip on those who tried to seize her. That part still left a bitter taste in his mouth at the thought of how she got away from him, her and her Guardian both. Her words especially stung because she was driven to find Riku despite what she knew he had been through, and worse still, she refused to give up on him.

"And he's dangerous as well," Axel added, "After all, he took down Lexaeus."

"You know that is not how I do things," Zexion insisted. But then, he had an idea. "Tell me, did you obtain the data on Riku's home?"


Elsewhere, Riku and Noir had just started to reach the next floor of the basement when – without warning, a violent quake shook the whole room. Both snapped to full alert as they braced themselves for the worst; but it soon died down as quickly as it came, leaving them baffled as to what caused a tremor of that great a magnitude to occur. Has something serious happened upstairs that caused it? If so, what was it?

"What was that?" Noir wondered.

Riku looked around, sensing something amiss. "What? One of the scents just died – a really strong one."

Any chances to figure out what happened were interrupted when the pair is unexpectedly greeted by the entrance of a new face, and one that is much younger than the last two enemies they've face before. They don't know who it is, but it can be seen he's wearing the same black coat, similar to Vexen and Lexaeus before him. However, it is apparent that he's not here for any pleasantries.

"The keeper of this castle, Marluxia, has just been felled by the Keyblade master and the Shadow Mage," the young man told them.

"Keyblade…Shadow…" Those two words in particular brought one thought into Riku's mind. "You mean Sora and Luna! They're both here?!"

That shocked Noir. "Then, my daughter…"

"Yes. Want to see them?" the young man replied, taunting him. "But…can you face them?"

"What's that mean?" Riku demanded.

"The world of darkness, and Ansem's shadow, still linger in your heart," he pointed out, "Do you plan to face Sora and Luna like that? Are you not ashamed? Sora's fate is to battle the darkness. He must oppose anyone who hosts the dark – in other words, it's you. And Luna – that poor little child – what she sees in someone like you, I don't understand. If you don't believe the words I say…" He pulled out a card from his pocket, and tossed it down, which Riku caught it with ease. "Then you had best see the truth with your own eyes."

Riku looked down at the card, and his eyes widened when he realized what the picture on it represented. It's his home world! Where did he get ahold of it, and for that matter, why was this given to him?

"This card! This is our –" he gasped in shock.

"Yes, it is your home," the stranger answered as he vanished into the darkness.

Riku looked down once more at the card in disbelief. He never thought that he'd be able to catch a glimpse of the place he called home. But something that the man said bothered him: why did he insist that his past affiliation with Ansem and the darkness has made him an enemy of Sora and Luna? He had fought against them, sure, but he was under the manipulation of Maleficent, especially because of the situation with Kairi's lost heart. Also…were his senses playing tricks on him, or did he notice a sense of familiarity when that young man spoke of Luna? Something just didn't sit right with him at all.

"What are we going to do, Riku?" Noir asked him, concerned about the situation. "Something about this isn't right."

"I know. I don't like what's going on," he agreed, sharing her worries. "But I can't shake the feeling that we don't have any choice."

She sighed deeply. "I suppose we don't. Even so…I'm worried about what we'll find once we use that card. I don't even like how he spoke of your friends. It's almost as though he's trying to cast doubts on you."

"Then we'd better cross our fingers it doesn't come down to that," Riku agreed reluctantly.

Left with no other choice, the duo made their way to the door and made use of the card given by that stranger. Once they passed through the light emanating through, there's no knowing what they'll be facing as soon as they enter this world; all they do is proceed with utmost caution should anything be waiting for them the moment they arrive…


Quick and hard footsteps echoed around the hallways as Nero made a mad dash to locate Riku as soon as possible. If there's one thing he knows considering what's happened in Castle Oblivion, it's that there might still be more of those guys somewhere in the castle; the problem is that he doesn't know how many more exactly. He had seen Vexen, Larxene and Marluxia fall before Sora's keyblade and Luna's Shadow Hands throughout their venture up the castle floors. It's not like he could count out Axel because he hadn't heard about that redhead assassin's fate. There had to be at least a couple more still alive – assuming that Riku hadn't brought any of them down already, that is. He wouldn't be surprised if the numbers have already rapidly dwindled elsewhere. Perhaps Riku is just as capable in combat as Sora is, if what's been experienced with the replica of him is any indication.

"So, you're out on a manhunt, Nero?"

Abruptly, he stopped in his tracks at the sound of the familiar voice. He quickly turned to find Axel casually leaning against the wall, playfully drumming his fingers as though he pretended to be waiting impatiently when he really isn't. Somehow, Nero felt he should've known better about that sly redhead.

Nero frowned, unamused. "What do you want?"

"Just biding time before I move on," Axel replied casually, "Although, I just checked up on a little something, and was on my way to take care of the rest until I saw you. Lemme guess: you're looking for Riku, am I right?"

"Yeah. How did you guess?" Nero asked suspiciously.

The redhead shrugged his shoulders. "Wasn't hard. Though I was sure little Luna would've wanted to find him. Are you doing the baby sister a simple favor?"

Nero glared harshly at him. "After what lies I've been fed by that conniving snake just to lure them into a trap? Yes, I am. And if you intend to stop me, then I'll make sure you join the ones who perished."

Expecting a fight, Nero positioned his hand to his broadsword as he waited readily for a reaction to come out of the assassin. He had half a mind to challenge Axel should he even think about trying to give him trouble. He is on a mission, and he is in no mood for dillydallying when he has other places to be. Besides, he would love to get himself, Luna and Namine as far away from those guys as possible as soon as the mess in the castle is cleaned up.

Instead, Axel gave an approving grin as he said, "Good for you, Nero. You finally grew a stronger backbone."

Nero had no idea what he meant. "Excuse me?"

"You'll find Riku and his companion on the third floor in the basement," Axel informed him as he started to walk away. "But you'd better hurry. By now, I'm pretty sure Zexion is preying on them as we speak. I'm sure the lady can handle herself, but I'd hate to think of how far he'd go to get rid of the boy Luna wants."

At first, Nero didn't have a clue what he was talking about. But then, something clicked in his mind: Luna mentioned something about another one of those people who tried to kidnap her, didn't she? And did Axel imply that whatever it is that Riku's next opponent intends to do, it's not for the most pleasant of reasons? Fearing the worst, Nero immediately forgot about his suspicions on Axel and bolted further down the hall, hoping he could reach the basement in time to help.

Once he was gone, Axel is alone, proud of what he did. "Well, that was easy. Speaking of Riku, I wonder where his copycat might be…"


"I never thought I'd miss the island winds so much…" Riku said as he looked out to the ocean. "There was a time I couldn't wait getting off this rock. And now I'm acting all relieved."

"Perhaps you're feeling a bit homesick," Noir suggested, "but there's nothing wrong with that."

When Riku and Noir had passed through the door, they found themselves relaxed on the small islet where two paopu fruit trees grew and bent over, and a bridge behind them leading out to the main island. Trees of all colors and sizes grew in hordes within the center of the isle, with ledges being covered in wooden bridges and platforms that shaped every known part of the land for the adventurous visitor. The ocean stretched out seemingly endlessly, glistening under the warm light shining from high in the bright blue sky.

For Riku, it felt surprisingly refreshing to be able to see his home again, even though it is only a figment of his memory. Noir, on the other hand, had other thoughts coursing through her mind, almost a sense of nostalgia for something she used to know long ago.

He actually noticed this, and asked, "Hey, Noir? Have you ever been on the island before?"

She sighed in bemusement. "I don't know how long it's been. But…I've been here before, once upon a time. It was one of the worlds I've visited when I was young, back when I was still in training as a Shadow Mage. It was here that my life went in a completely different direction forever. But that was so long ago…"

"I'd bet it was your first time on an island back then," Riku speculated.

"Yes, it was. It's one of those moments I could never forget," Noir replied.

As they started to move out to look around – Riku hopping off the tree he seated on and Noir simply straightening herself from her leaning position – something in the distance caught Riku's attention as he turned to see what it is. From his position, he can make out the figures of three young children about his age or less, and it seemed like the three of them are engaged in something together.

"Is that…?" he wondered.

Noir turned to him with curiosity. "What is it? Is there someone here?"

In fact, where Riku is concerned, there are other people on the island. He quickly recognized them: it's Tidus, Wakka and Selphie, other children who would come over to the islands for their own fun! He couldn't believe he was seeing them here, but they're there. He had to know whether they noticed he's here.

"Hey!" he called out loudly.

None of them appeared to have heard him. That was rather odd.

Noir peered at the dock, and wondered, "That's strange. You don't suppose the children might be distracted, do you?"

"I don't know," Riku replied as he scratched his head in confusion, "Maybe if we got closer, we can find out what's going on."

Immediately, Riku took the lead as he hurried across the bridge to the main island with Noir following close behind him until they reached the docks where the three youths were hanging around. Now that they're up close, it's pretty easily noticed that as they came closer, it appeared to them that none of them heard them coming over, let alone heard the sand under their feet as they were approaching.

"What's with you guys?" Riku asked them, "I don't think I've ever seen the three of you so quiet."

"Are you children alright?" Noir asked out of concern.

The children turned their attention away from their activities, and simply stared at them. But there was something completely wrong about it: it's like they're almost stone-faced, like gargoyles blankly looking at onlookers without any speech or expression. It felt incredibly unsettling…

"What, is there something on my face?" Riku asked, already feeling uncomfortable.

No answer came out.

"Guys?!" Riku tried to get a response.

But still, nothing came out. Instead, all three children vanished away like nothing. This alarmed Riku greatly. Was this one of that man's devious tricks, trying to convince him that he has nothing? No, that can't be right.

"Something's not right, Riku," Noir admitted her fears. "I can't shake off the feeling this is all a setup, or a trap to catch us in."

"Yeah…I don't like this, either," Riku agreed reluctantly.

But then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something hovering above them. He looked up toward the giant tree where the treehouse is to see who it is, but when he did, his eyes widened from shock. A young girl with doll-curled hair is standing lividly, gazing out toward the islet like she was lost in thought. But that's not what struck a familiar chord to him. He recognized her features anywhere – it's Luna! But is really her, or is she yet another illusion to dash his hopes away? He didn't want to get his hopes up too soon.

"Luna? What are you doing here?" he asked.

A small gasp of shock escaped Noir's lips as she looked up to where Riku has his gaze focused intently. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Riku…is it her?" she asked him nervously.

"Yeah…it has to be her. But what is she doing up there?" he answered, still dumbstruck.

But rather than turn to face them, they watched as Luna started to walk quickly down the steps and cross the land aimlessly. As she walked by the flora and the trees, Riku saw this as a chance to find what's goin on, or at least to confirm whether or not she is also an illusion like the others he had seen were not long before.

"Luna, what are you doing?" he called to her, trying to get answers. "Do you have any idea what's happening?"

But like the children before her, she didn't answer him. However, for a moment, she did stop, almost like she actually did hear him. But then, she started to run off elsewhere, almost as though she's chasing something seen only by her. This in turn motivated Riku to give chase in hopes of uncovering the situation with this world, which pushed Noir to follow along with him with the fear of what could be wrong.

.

.

However, that proved to be a bit of a wild goose chase because whenever they attempted to chase after Luna, she would disappear by the time they turned a corner; from there, she would reappear elsewhere, forcing them to turn back and give chase again. The chase led them all over the place until they finally crossed the bridge back to the islet – but unfortunately, Luna was nowhere to be found. It's like she vanished into thin air. They couldn't find her anywhere, and she hadn't reappeared anywhere else after they had chased her toward the bridge. The gravity of the situation has only served to rise more red flags to what's going on inside this illusory island, and they still haven't found any answers to the questions.

"This isn't making any sense," Noir started to feel unnerved. "It's like someone's trying to keep her out of reach."

"Or is toying with us," Riku added, his stomach feeling sick.

And it would be proven right once more when Riku turned around to find Kairi – but just like before, he can't shake off the feeling something still didn't sit right. He didn't see Luna with her, nor did he hear any speech coming out of her.

"Kairi… Hey, Kairi! Are you –" Riku started to ask her what's going on.

But before his eyes, Kairi also vanished without a trace, leaving him and Noir on their own.

"Ah…no!" he cursed in dismay.

"Surely you knew this would happen."

At the unwelcome voice, Riku and Noir turned to find that the young man is on the islet, and he certainly seemed to be enjoying the show that he produced.

"You've been to a number of worlds in your memory before this one," he said, "And in those worlds, you only met dark beings. That's all that's left in your heart: dark memories. Your memories of home are gone – each and every one."

"That's a lie! I remember everyone from the islands!" Riku snapped, "Tidus, Wakka and Selphie! Kairi and Sora and Luna, too! They're my…my…my closest friends…"

"And who threw away those friends?" the young man retorted, "Maybe it's your own actions you've forgotten. You destroyed your home!"

Without warning, darkness enveloped the entire island, blocking their view. The most Noir could do is hold Riku protectively as their visions are obscured, until they found themselves someplace different than before. Instead of the peaceful islands, they found themselves atop a broken part of the isle, dark stormy clouds surrounding the place as wood and stone flew around in a circular pattern; winds rushed around them with no escape anywhere in plain sight, almost like the whole place had been caught in the middle of a tornado, or maybe worse. That brought back bad memories in Riku's case, as it's at this point that things were never the same.

"This is…that night!" he gasped in shock.

"What happened here?" Noir wanted to know.

"All the islands you grew up on were sundered, scattered," the young man taunted him; "Many hearts were forever lost to the darkness. Because of what YOU did!"

He pointed his finger in one particular direction, forcing Riku and Noir to look to where he's directing them. To their shock, they spotted the form of – Riku! But that didn't simply get put there for just any reason. The worst to be heard was yet to come…

"You hated being an islander, so you opened the door to darkness and destroyed the islands," he continued, "It was YOU! You were pulled into the darkness then, and now you belong to the darkness. You should look – look at what you truly are!"

By that point, Noir has had enough. "Stop forcing him to relive his horrors! You don't even know what he's been through, with his friends or with himself! Who do you think you are, you monster!?"

The young man looked over at her warily. "Monster, you said? I'd rather be called by my name, madam: Zexion. I hope you'll remember that…assuming you survive, that is."

Any confrontation is stopped shortly after when the apparition of Riku changed into a blob of dark energy until it manifested into a giant Darkside, ready to crush the opposition. That provided ample enough distraction to Riku and Noir while their enemy disappeared out of sight without them knowing it. For the former, he felt horrified that he was compared to the fiends that he had been fighting against since his escape. He may have been the person responsible for the destruction of his home world, but anything else he had done wrong was because of the people he had been hanging around. What did all these efforts he made to fight the darkness really mean for him now?

"This…this can't be who I really am!" he refused to believe all he heard.

"Stay focused, Riku! We'll deal with everything else once that thing is gone," Noir ordered him.

Compared to the other enemies and Heartless they've face, the Darkside, for them, proved to be a struggle to deal with. Not only did its large size make it difficult to land a hit until it had the idiocy to make itself vulnerable, but there's the annoyance of the smaller Heartless emerging from the puddle of dark energy that surrounds where the creature tried to strike and impacted the ground. If that weren't enough, there were moments where it would charge up an orb of dark energy that launched and broke apart into many smaller orbs that rained down on them.

But luckily for Riku, at the very least he has Noir backing him up with her Dark Hands keeping the dark orbs at bay while he tore through the little Heartless to reach the hulking creature's arm in the middle of the dark puddle. The most both had to worry about is the occasional punches the Darkside would unleash against them, subsequently causing a tremor in the ground along with a shockwave to launch around to anything within reach. In that part, Noir Dark Hands provided the right intervention by elevating their position long enough to escape getting tripped up by the quakes; when it felt safe, they would return to ground level and the process would rinse and repeat in repetition.

By the time the beast fell, Riku couldn't help feeling a bit tired from having to hold his ground against the creature. Noir still stood, although she still felt on edge after their encounter with Zexion. It seemed like things should have calmed down with the Heartless gone, but something didn't feel right. Expecting something different to happen, Riku got a surprise when he spotted someone on the edge of the broken island with their back turned. But when he pinpointed the familiar clothing colors and the spiked brown hair, he realized it had to be one person he'd know well enough – Sora.

He gasped in surprise. "Sora?! Sora!"

Noir turned to see who Riku saw, and she also felt surprised. "Is that him? Then what is he doing here?"

Unknown to them, a door magically appeared behind them, leaving Riku and Noir right in between the door and Sora. Though, neither of them was too sure whether the Sora that is right there is really him, or if it's another copy that would vanish after it served its purpose. Riku certainly wanted to know whether it is his friend or not.

"Sora, it's me –" Riku started to talk.

Suddenly, without warning, Sora lashed out at him aggressively, forcing him to immediately jump back so as to not get struck down too soon. This distressed Noir as she hurried to his aid, fearing the worst of the situation. But then, Sora charged right at them, intent on attacking. Riku, not wanting his new companion to get caught in the crossfire, acted quickly and moved Noir away from him before he put up his own blade defensively, struggling to keep the keyblade away from him. None of this was making any sense, though: why is Sora attacking him like he's a threat? What did he do to deserve that?

"Stop it, Sora! Don't you recognize me?" Riku cried out.

"Yeah, I recognize you. I can see exactly what you've become!" Sora answered harshly. "You've become the very thing that Luna fears most!"

As their blades pushed each other away, Sora positioned his keyblade, firing a stream of light energy at Riku, knocking him off his feet and landing on his back. As he struggled to get back up, he had to hear more hard words coming out of someone who would normally never say such hard words without good reason to do so.

"How can the light hurt you? Riku…have you really become a creature of the dark?" Sora asked angrily. "You're not Riku anymore… You're just a pawn of the darkness. So be it. It's time for you to face the light!"

"Riku, look out!" Noir cried out in fear for him.
But everything after happened so fast that it felt like a new level of a nightmare. Sora raised his keyblade high to the skies, and from the tip of the blade, light began pouring out of it in spades, which Riku could barely keep his eyes open against because of its brightness. The only thing he could barely make out is the form of Tenebrae surfacing to shield her mistress from the radiance as all of them are engulfed in the eye-piercing light that filled everywhere…


"I'm…fading… Fading away…into the light."

He had no idea what exactly is happening, but he couldn't help feeling the sensation that he is losing himself into the blinding brightness of the light. He was so sure that he is done for, after so hard of a struggle to fight back against the darkness that many enemies he faced tried to convince him into otherwise. Though, he did have small hope that Noir might've survived the bath of light, probably to be able to continue making her way to her goal. It's too bad he won't be able to…

"You won't fade."

Wait… Who just spoke?

From the radiant light, a familiar female form appeared before him, someone that he knows so well. It's Kairi! He'd know that red hair and the spunky smile anywhere. But what is she doing here?

"You can't fade. There's no power that can defeat you – not the light, not the dark," Kairi said with encouragement. "So don't run from the light, and don't fear the darkness. Because both will make you stronger."

That confused Riku. "Make me stronger? Darkness, too?"

"Yeah. Strength that's yours," she replied confidently. "The darkness inside your heart – it's vast, and it's deep…but if you can truly stare into it, and never try to look away, you won't be afraid of anything again."

Huh… Now it's starting to make some sense to him. He couldn't believe what he had been doing this whole time without even realizing it from the start.

"All this time, I've tried to push the darkness away…"

"You've gotta just remember to be brave," Kairi told him, "Know the darkness is there and don't give in. If you do that, you'll gain strength – the kind that's unlike any other. You'll be able to escape the deepest darkness –"

"- and I'll be able to see through the brightest light," he finished.

"Follow the darkness," she instructed him, "It'll show you the way to your friends, and to her."

But he still didn't feel too sure. "Can I face them?"

Another girl's voice spoke along with the familiar. "Do you want to?"

"You know I do. Of course. And I will! With my strength – My dark strength!"

Now fueled by a stronger motivation and conviction, Riku finally resurfaced, restored and with the dark power he had rejected for so long by his side.

"Darkness!"

At his call, dark energy surged around him, forming into the very armor that he used time and again, but now nothing about it worries him. Then, he turned toward something that only he can see, and – with swift movement and one swing of his blade – he cut through the light and made his strike, returning him to reality once more.

.

.

As the light finally died down, the view of the ruined island returned to the picture. Noir, who had been hidden from the radiance under the protection of her Guardian, at last regained her vision as she realized that Riku had emerged from the light alive and now empowered by the very element he feared most. She couldn't help feeling the overflow of relief loosing itself out from knowing her young companion is not gone and not down for the count yet.

"Riku! You're alright!" she cried happily.

He gave her a reassuring smile. "It'll be fine, Noir. You'll see."

The same thing cannot be said for the Sora that they faced. In fact, after Riku had struck him, a telltale clue tipped them that this boy is not who he appears to be.

"Impossible!" a deeper voice cracked from pain.

It turned out that the 'Sora' they encountered wasn't actually Sora at all. Instead, the dark energy that dissipated his form reverted to that of Zexion, the real troublemaker who was giving them hell in the illusory world! Now, he had been exposed, crippled by the blow dealt to him and shocked at the knowledge that he had been caught red-handed for impersonating a familiar face just to snuff him out.

"How is it that you found me when you were there in the light?" he demanded to know.

"You reek of darkness," Riku replied plain and simple, "Even the light can't hide the smell. I guess I followed the darkness right to you."

By this point, Zexion has become very angry – no, beyond that. He is outraged that everything has gone south. First, his attempt to capture Luna had been thwarted by the very target he meant to detain on his leader's bequest. Then the plans to eliminate Marluxia by using Riku are bogged down by Sora's intervention. And now, his attempts to cast moral doubts on Riku have fallen apart somehow and his lies have been exposed. He's had enough of this! If he can't use Riku for his goals, then he might as well save himself the trouble and get rid of him now. Besides, he's been waiting for the chance to remove Riku from the picture since Luna won't come along quietly – all the better if he's out of the way.

"This is absurd…" he growled angrily, "Then I shall make you see… That your hopes are nothing – nothing but a mere illusion!"

"We'll see who's really delusional, Zexion!" Noir rebuked as she readied her Hands.

In a two-on-one battle, the illusionist summoned his lexicon and created extras as backup whereas Riku and Noir worked together to tag down their adversary. And boy howdy, their enemy doesn't make it too easy for them given his potency. More often than not, he would try his hardest to get enough distance from them in order to play the tricks up his sleeves.

In fact, one of the tricks he pulls is using his magic that created a cyclone which caught traces of the dark energy, which he used to copy Riku's blade and subsequently create several illusory clones to unleash against his empowered nemesis. Luckily, Riku knows himself well enough to keep up a defense against the clones before taking chances to go in on the offensive. In Noir's case, her Dark Hands kept the tomes at bay while she simultaneously worked to protect Riku from the unrelenting assault of the clones along with the aid of her Guardian, Tenebrae. But then, the devious illusionist opted to take a gamble at turning the tides with another trick – one that he hoped would give him an edge in order to elongate the fight a little longer.

"Let's see how you can handle this," he hissed as he played his hand.

All at once, the lexicons increased in incremental numbers as each used their magic energy to create extra clones for Zexion to let loose on the arena. However, there are two significant differences – the two extra clones have their hands replaced with black clawed hands, while Zexion himself conjured numbers of eerily familiar shadowy hands that surrounded him and his other clones.

The instant he saw the familiar shapes of the hands and claws on the clones, Riku immediately recognized them to have come from Luna and Medea. He had seen what they were like firsthand, especially since he's fought them before. But one thing about the sight of the creations sickened him: this enemy had the gall to create a mockery of Luna's abilities as well as create imitations of Medea's natural weapon so blatantly that he would use those powers for his own use. What did Zexion do to achieve that level of travesty? For that matter, when had he made contact with her to begin with?

Apparently, the illusionist noticed his disgust and asked smugly, "Recognize them, Riku?"

An angry frown crossed Riku's face. "You're sick. Using Luna's Hands like that – she would've been disgusted with you!"

"Oh, she already hated that. Pity that a reasonable conversation didn't play out well because Luna wouldn't give up on you," Zexion replied bitterly, "What she even sees in you, I don't understand. Why, of all people, does she refuse to give up on you after all you've done?!"

With a furious flick of his arm, the dummied Shadow Hands lashed out at Riku, forcing him into defensive reaction just to keep him from being overwhelmed by the presence of the pale imitations created on the maker's behalf.

At the very least, the brief conversation gave Riku a little clue as to what he's finding despite being in the heat of the battle. Unless he's heard wrong, the impression he got is that Zexion had encountered Luna before; and if Luna was there, chances are Medea was not far off (which would explain the claws brandished by the clones). But did he hear twinges of jealousy coming out of him when he spoke of her determination to find her loved ones? Wow, was that something he never thought he'd hear from someone he hardly knows. He'd hate to find out how he ended up being the subject of someone else's envy.

However, Riku wasn't the only one offended by the perverted mimicry of the shadows. Noir, when she saw firsthand what he had done, grew angry at the mockery and retaliated accordingly to what she perceived as a blasphemy to the power of the Shadow Mages.

"How dare you! Mocking the power of the shadows so brazenly," Noir snapped furiously, "and speaking so poorly of my daughter – I'll teach you the consequences for lying about her and for mocking the might of the Shadow Mages!"

Almost as though on instinct, Dark Hands by huge quantities surfaced around Noir's vicinity and launched out like rockets against Zexion and his clones in full force. While they weren't able to reach all of the crafted clones, some of them actually bought the distraction and hastily made efforts to repel the wave of Hands launching out. This in turn allowed Riku a ripe opportunity to get after the illusionist directly.

From there, it pretty much became a violent game of cat-and-mouse – except that the cat has to deal with the dual work of two mice giving him trouble rather than just one. Not even the clones brandishing copies of Riku's Soul Eater helped out Zexion all that much because he had trouble finding windows of opportunities to recreate the information on the prowess. And the icing on the cake about the problems for their enemy is that the clones and the copies of the lexicons proved to be a lot easier to eliminate than they initially thought it would be. After all, their enemy, it seems, is more akin to a magician, not a warrior; that provides all the more reason why he actually showed himself to be nothing more than a thorn on their side, and they want that thorn removed by any means necessary.

As soon as all of the clones were wiped out of existence by Noir's hands (figuratively and literally), it all boiled down to Riku charging right into the middle of the fray and cutting down their enemy until he was finally at their mercy. Finally, having been exhausted of nearly all his options, the trickster at last fell to his knees, hardly able to keep himself standing after how much pounding he took from Riku alone.

He couldn't believe it; he just couldn't believe it. After everything he tried to do to either break Riku or to terminate him, it all came down to nothing.

"After all your protests, you're still like us, on the side of darkness," he mocked dryly.

"I know who I am," Riku retorted.

"And nothing you say will convince him otherwise," Noir added.

Zexion shook his head in disbelief. "When did this happen? You were always terrified of the dark before –"

Riku has had enough by this point. "Not anymore!"

With one charge, Riku deal the deadly blow while Zexion could only stiffen from the shock that he was just about done for. Though the injury sustained from the blade was not anywhere near fatal, it gave the illusionist so much pain that he was forced to use the dark energy to form a portal to retreat into, leaving the two alone, freed from the lies of the deceiver that tried to tear them down.


By the time he opened the door leading inside, Nero felt a strong gust of wind rushing through the land as he tried to discern what's going on to warrant this scale of a storm. Had he arrived too late? Did something happen to Riku?

"I've got to hurry and find him," he motivated himself, "I just hope I'm not too late…"

Fighting through the gales of the storm, Nero pushed himself further and hurried toward the purple funnel that blocked off part of the island from his sights. As far as he's concerned, that had to be where he can find Riku. He can only hope that the boy he's looking around is a capable person as Luna thinks he is, or else he could be in serious trouble. Though, if he's noticing it correctly, it looks like whatever is blocking his way is about to subside, so there might be a chance that whoever was the enemy has vanished.


With their enemy gone, Riku felt like he can shed off the armor he had used throughout the fight, since there is no other threat at the moment. Not after he did so, however, he got a surprise when Noir abruptly embraced him tightly, not too willing to let go for a little while – not after everything that had happened to him.

"Thank goodness you made it through this!" she cried with tears of relief, "I almost feared the worst when he tried to destroy you with the light. But for the love of all that is good in Kingdom Hearts, don't make me worry about you like that ever again!"

He knew what she was talking about. Zexion came close to fooling them completely, wearing the mask of Sora and attempting to use the light against him like he did. Given what happened, he knew Noir had every good reason to be terrified for his life; she didn't get the chance to intervene because of how precariously the light was being used in force. But thanks to the support he had from an unexpected place, he knew better, and he found the strength to see past the lies and find the true problem.

"Sorry, Noir. I didn't mean to scare you like that," he answered sheepishly.

"Oh, you did more than scare me that time," she scolded him, "I almost lost you! I don't want to go through another loss ever again…"

Yikes. She was that deathly terrified for him? Well, he couldn't complain, really. Ever since she joined him through the basement, she pretty stood in like a surrogate mother and looked after his wellbeing like one. He didn't mind it. After all, she's been such a helpful ally along with the king.

"There you are!"

The new voice that broke through the subsiding storm and subsequent serenity caught the attention of Riku and Noir as they turned around to find that everything had changed back to the way things were. And to top that, they saw a strange man running across the bridge toward them like he's in a hurry. Naturally, after the fights they've been through, Riku's protective instincts kicked in as he summoned his blade in preparation for a potential fight as Noir quickly released him, not knowing exactly what's going on.

"Who are you?" Riku demanded an answer.

When the man recognized that there's immediate suspicion, he stopped dead in his tracks and raised his hands to his shoulders cautiously as though to say he means no harm whatsoever.

"Whoa, whoa, clam down!" he pleaded, "I'm not an enemy, honest!"

While Riku still didn't completely trust him in the slightest, a different emotion crossed Noir's face as she looked at the stranger. A stunned gasp escaped her as she felt a strong sense of déjà vu at the sight of the young man come to greet them. Was she seeing things, or…

Her voice cracked as she asked hesitantly, "You…are you Terra? Or are you just a mirage of him, mimicking him just to taunt me?"

He shook his head sadly upon hearing the questions. "No… I'm sorry, but I'm not him. I'm just an altered doppelganger crafted to impersonate the person you're thinking about." He coughed a bit before he straightened himself up. "My name's Nero. I came here to find Riku on Luna's behalf."

Now that tidbit of information caught Riku's attention right off the bat. This stranger actually claims he came on Luna's behalf? He didn't know what to believe. He had longed to reunite and return to her once he found a way of the realm of darkness, but he never imagined that he'd be coming this close to finding her again. Something about this felt rather strange to him. What did this Nero stand to gain out of coming all the way over here to fetch them?

"Did you know Luna?" Riku asked in disbelief. "How do you know her?"

"I met her sometime after she came to the castle with Sora," Nero explained, "Though…the things that happened between us is not easy to explain. But Marluxia is gone, and Luna has been worried sick about you. I hurried all the way down here to find you and bring you to her straight away."

"Luna? My daughter's in the castle?" Noir had her own questions about the situation.

"Well, if you don't believe me, then at least let me guide you," Nero insisted. "Let me prove it to you both. And besides, I have a friend who's watching her along with Luna's Guardian. They're just further up ahead."

Riku and Noir both looked at each other to quietly assess the startling news. The shock and disbelief on Riku's face signaled that he doesn't know what to think about the validity of Luna's whereabouts; but if it's true, then that means he's getting closer to finding her. Perhaps, for all he knows, Sora might be with her as well. For Noir, thought she has the disappointment of knowing the new visitor wasn't who she expected, she felt more shocked to find out that Luna is also in the castle and that she's alive and well. Although neither of them are too sure whether Nero's words rang true regarding the current situation, they couldn't shake the feeling that he was being honest regarding how much he's willing to prove his integrity and lead them to where they want to go.

So, Riku came to this decision. "If we go with you, would you mind explaining about yourself afterwards? I'd like to know whether you can still be trusted."

"Sure, if that's what it takes," Nero agreed, knowing he had a lot of work to do. "But I can't promise that anything I tell you will make a lot of sense. Besides, my friend would probably be able to explain everything that happened than I could ever do."