Chapter 29
No Heartless remained atop the mountains near the Royal City. A thick blanket of snow rocked free by Axel's explosion flooded the field and buried everyone that survived the blast. As the first to regain consciousness, Axel awoke to a pounding head and ringing ears, remembering nothing of the incident. He lifted himself from a pile of snow, resurfacing to a calm environment long after the avalanche subsided. Brushing what frost he could from his face, he surveyed his surroundings with a growing sense of terror.
"Sora!" he called. Though a terrible haze clouded his thoughts, one thing remained certain: Sora should've been nearby. But no one, bar himself, stood visible in the giant expanse of white. He tried calling again, this time louder, but nothing stirred across the field.
A numbing chill pulsated through Axel's body as he trudged through the snow in search of his friend. It never occurred to him to set his body aflame and warm himself; only Sora mattered. "Sora, where are you!" he shouted just before stumbling face first into the frigid ground. Some ice lodged itself in his nose, and he snorted it out like a bull as he pushed himself back to his feet. "Sora!"
"He's probably unconscious."
Axel snapped his eyes towards his shoulder where Jiminy appeared covered in frost. "What happened here, Cricket? Did the Colossus do this?"
Jiminy shivered and blew his nose into a hanky before replying. "No, Axel; you did."
"What!" Axel lost all sensation in his body, either due to frostbite or fear.
"Don't you remember?" Jiminy said through chattering teeth.
His face contorted in disgust and shame, Axel dropped his head to avert his gaze. "Would you believe me if I said I don't?"
Before he could so much as think of a response, Jiminy fell into a fit of sneezing and sniffling that almost knocked him straight of his perch. His once green complexion turned pale blue with every sneeze until Axel offered him a piece of cloth stripped from his cape as a makeshift blanket. Once wrapped snug in the fabric, Jiminy calmed down a great deal.
"I do believe you," he replied after steadying himself. "Was it the voice again?"
"I don't remember."
"This is partly my fault. As your conscience, I should have recognized the signs and stopped you."
Axel lit his fist on fire.
"What are you doing?"
"Saving Sora."
Steam flew up from under Axel's feet as the snow around him started to melt. With a wave of his enflamed hand, he launched a wave of fire into the air just a few millimeters from the ground where it launched across the field. Axel grasped at his aching chest with his free hand as he controlled the flaming wave, brushing it repeatedly over the snow until patches of armor peeked out from the melting snow. Within minutes, the bodies of those lost in the last avalanche resurfaced.
With an exasperated grunt, Axel hobbled through the slush. He passed all the soldiers, not so much as giving them a second glance as he trained his eyes to search for the slightest sign of the Keybearer.
"Aren't you going to help them?" Jiminy urged.
"Later," came Axel's terse reply. He trudged on, feeling his strength waning with each new step, but his drive to find Sora propelled him forward. Soon, he came upon something yellow jutting from the snow. With hopes high, he ignored his fatigued and raced to free the one trapped. Cold pain rushed through his lungs as he channeled all of his energy into his search and rescue efforts rather than heating himself. He dug out the snow with his bare hands, but instead of unearthing one of Sora's big shoes, he uncovered Donald's beak instead.
With an irritated groan, Axel stood to leave him there. He walked away, unaware of the protests emanating from the small passenger on his shoulder. The ringing in Axel's ears grew louder and his vision blurred. But just as his knees buckled, he heard a cry that pierced straight through him. It was muffled by the blood pumping through his ears, and maybe it was imagined out of desperation, but Axel recognized it as Sora's voice.
Gritting his teeth, Axel pushed himself back to his feet and followed the distorted cries. He tripped many times in the slush as his body lost all sensation and he grew disoriented. Eventually, he depleted what little remained of his energy. A powerful sleepiness washed over him and he collapsed. Jiminy tried to rouse him, but Axel remained unresponsive until something grabbed a tuft of his hair and yanked his face from the snow.
"Wha…?" Axel squinted, not feeling a thing as his scalp endured harsh tension. A horse stood in front of him, biting his hair in its mouth only to spit it out upon gaining his attention. Not in good condition to ride, Axel instead grabbed the reins and used the horse to steady himself. He started walking again, and with the aid of the horse, reached a cliff from where Sora's cries for help emanated.
"That you, kid?" Axel said while peering his head over the edge. Even his own voice sounded muffled to his ringing ears.
"Axel, help!" Sora shouted. He dangled by the hoodie of his jacket from a jagged rock protruding several feet from the edge.
"Tch, of all the luck," Axel groaned. "Don't suppose you have a potion or something on you?"
"I had a mega-potion, but I think I lost it in the avalanche."
"No, Zack stole it from you," Axel almost blurted, but he collapsed from exhaustion long before he could utter a single word.
"Axel? Axel! Are you okay?"
"He's unconscious!" Jiminy called.
"Can you do something?" Sora asked. "I don't know how much longer I can stay like this. I feel the fabric starting to give!"
"Just stay calm and don't make any unnecessary movements," Jiminy instructed. "Everything's going to be fine, Sora; you'll see. We just need a plan."
Sora let out a worried sigh. "I hope you're right. I'm really cold, Jiminy, and I don't feel so well."
"Well maybe you should stop hanging around in the cold!" Mushu burrowed out from under a heap of snow and shook his scales clean. "Hah, I crack myself up. It's just something to hook the crowd! Get it?"
"Mushu, is that you?" Sora called.
"The one and only!" Mushu scampered towards the edge of the cliff. "I don't suppose you're hanging out with Mulan down there?"
"No, I haven't seen her," Sora replied. "Mushu, do you see that man behind you?"
The tiny dragon took a glance over his shoulder. "You mean that cow?"
"No, that's a horse," Jiminy corrected.
"Are you sure?" Mushu gave the horse a quick once-over and shook his head. "I'm pretty sure that's a cow. Maybe we should milk it just to make sure. Anyone have cookies?"
The thread binding together Sora's hoodie started to snap. "Mushu, please—I'm going to fall!"
"Okay, okay," Mushu said with a serious face. "I see the guy you're talking about." He squinted at Axel while he studied him. "Hey, this is the guy responsible for this mess! Want me to smack him around—give him the third degree?"
"No, I want you to set him on fire."
"While I'm all for poetic justice and all, joking aside—don't you think I should try to fish you off that rock first?"
"Trust me; just do it!"
"Well, alright. Who am I to question a kid flailing around in desperation?" Upon filling his lungs to the brim, the little dragon let out a steady flow of fire onto Axel. But instead of burning him, the flames were absorbed into his body. Not more than several seconds later, he let out a groan and pushed himself out of the snow.
"Uh, Sora? I think I should've just whacked him one instead," said Mushu as he backed away slowly.
"What happened…?" he said in a groggy voice.
"Axel!" Sora shouted. Gravity tugged his body in a slanted direction, and the slightest move could send him to his doom.
Standing at his full height, Axel craned over the ledge. "Hold on, kid! I'll get you!" With rejuvenated energy, he yanked the reins off of his horse and fashioned them into a lasso. "Summon the Keyblade!" he shouted.
Silently, Sora willed the Keyblade into his hand. The sudden weight increase tore the jacket, and Sora held his breath for fear that the next move he made would be his last.
"Quick, hold the blade up and I'll rope you in," said Axel. "Whatever you do, don't let go."
With a shaky hand, Sora eased the Keyblade above his head. Despite his caution, the sudden shift put too much strain on his hoodie. The rest of the threads snapped free and sent Sora plummeting.
"No you don't!" Axel tossed the lasso and looped the blade just in time. The sudden forward jerk almost sent him tumbling over the ledge, but his horse grabbed hold of the leather belt securing Axel's armor. Together, they reeled in Sora.
"Didn't see that one coming," Mushu mumbled.
Sora collapsed atop Axel, and the two fell in the snow. "Thanks, Axel," he said before getting to his feet and glancing around the snowy field.
"Yeah, don't mention it," Axel replied, although more to himself. He averted his gaze, unable to bring himself to look at Sora.
"Where are the others?"
"Buried."
"Oh, no!" Putting his frostbite aside, Sora started running. "We have to help them!"
Mushu slithered up Sora's shoulder for better speed, and the two rushed off to save their friends while Axel lagged behind them. With downcast spirits, he took his sweet time refastening the reins around his horse. When he finished, he didn't ride to catch up, but decided to walk. Each step he took weighed heavy, as if his boots were fashioned from bricks.
"Feeling guilty?" Jiminy ventured to guess.
Axel shrugged. "Maybe."
"Once everyone is safe, you and I will have a talk. But until then, our friends should be our priority. Don't you agree?"
Letting out a deep sigh, Axel craned his head up to the sky. A swirl of grey clouds hovered above, heralding an oncoming storm. What little energy boost Axel received from Mushu's fire was carried away with the wind as a chilly gust blew past him. In the absence of the sun's warmth, he could do little more than shiver in the wake of his internal crisis.
"I can't help them," he said as his knees buckled.
"Axel…" Jiminy put a comforting hand on the man's ice-cold cheek. "Every action we make has consequences—some of them are good and beneficial, while others are bad and harmful. When you choose to act, you must be willing to accept these consequences. If what you've done burdens you with grief, the best thing you can do is face up to your choices and strive to make better decisions in the future."
"But it wasn't a choice! I blacked out!"
"It's more complicated than that, isn't it? You've chosen to walk the path of light, and that means you're going to have to fight the darkness lurking inside of you."
"Aren't you supposed to help me with that?" Axel snarled. A suffocating pressure mounted across his chest. No matter how many deep breaths he heaved, he felt starved of oxygen. The ringing returned to his ears and he started to feel sleepy. "If anything, this is all your fault! You should've stopped me!"
"I'll admit it happened too fast for me to intervene," Jiminy replied without the slightest weakening in his stern tone, "but that isn't sufficient cause for blame. You and I have to work together or you'll never grow strong enough to stand on your own two feet."
"This isn't a walk in the park for me, Cricket. I'm trying!"
"I know, and that's commendable. But remember: turning away from the darkness isn't an easy task. You'll need to take it one step at a time, and right now, you're on the step involving actions and consequences."
"But I told you: I didn't choose any of this!"
"Maybe not, but you can choose to let today stand as a reminder of what will happen the next time you falter. Let this serve as fuel to propel you forward into the light. If what you see today truly disturbs you—if it weighs heavy on you and burdens your heart with despair—then you'll know at least one good thing has come of this travesty: you've learned to feel the true weight of your actions."
Excerpt from the reflective log of a man facing death:
I thought long and hard about what Jiminy had said to me that day in the mountains. I didn't do all that thinking in one sitting, though—how could I in the middle of that icy wasteland? I'm sure I don't need to tell you that fire and ice don't mix. But suffice to say his words meant a great deal to me and I would continue to reflect upon them as the days went by. His reasoning was solid, even if I felt sore and wanted to slap the blame on anyone but me.
When I used to work for the Organization, I didn't have to think too much. Plotting an assassination and reflecting over its consequences are two different things. You think I stopped to consider the lives I ruined by turning some kids' parents into Nobodies or about using some guy's cookie-baking grandma as bait for the Heartless? Yeah, I killed a lot of people back in those days, but I never cared. I never felt a thing. How could I?
The first time I was confronted by a serious decision was when Roxas wanted out of the Organization. I had to make a choice then—one that opened the door to a million others. That's reason I'm here right now; I'm here as a consequence of that decision long ago, and honestly, the first real choice I ever made as Axel was the best choice of them all.
As Sazh always used to say: having a heart isn't all sugar and rainbows. It comes with a whole slew of emotions that can sometimes make you sick to your stomach. Stress, worry, fear, doubt, guilt, grief—you know, all the big hitters—they come as a package deal. I didn't want to admit my faults and I used my shoddy memory as an excuse.
To this day, I can't remember what happened; I can't remember what the darkness whispered to me. But does the "what" really matter? The end result is what's important. I screwed up big time, and I almost got us all killed because of my inability to stay composed in the face of temptation.
It took some time for Axel to respond to Jiminy. Silence enveloped the two, interrupted only by the intermittent gusts that blew across the field. "Yeah, you're right, Cricket," he said after a while. "I have to take responsibility for what I've done, even if I don't remember exactly what happened." Axel let out a deep breath and then forced himself to his feet.
"Remember: you're not in this alone," Jiminy said. "We'll get through this together. Just one step at a time."
"If I don't kill us all first," Axel muttered as he mounted his horse.
"Think positive!"
"If I don't positively kill us all first," Axel corrected, and he spurred his horse to chase after Sora.
Jiminy sighed and shook his head.
Far across the field, the Keyblade master dug through the snow with his bare hands to free his friends. He wedged Donald free first, whose head Axel had unearthed earlier, then worked his way to Goofy and the others. The cold numbed his hands and turned his fingers blue, but Sora continued undeterred. When Donald regained consciousness, he warmed the frostbitten Keybearer's hands with magic, and then melted the rest of the soldiers and some horses free with a quick flash of fire.
After unearthing all the survivors, Donald cast Cure spells until depleting all of his magic reserves. Of the thousands of soldiers who marched towards the Tung Shao Pass, only a handful survived the Heartless battle and subsequent avalanche. Captain Li prepared to give a speech to his men when Axel arrived, sparking a passionate outburst from Donald.
"You can't hide the truth now, warlock!" shouted the magician as he marched to the front of the crowd. "You're a heartless murderer!" Donald took careful aim with his staff and blasted a huge icicle straight at Axel. The attack was blocked by a quick firewall, prompting Donald to launch another round. But Shang cut him off just as the cool mist gathered around the magician's staff.
"Are you the one responsible for this avalanche?" the captain asked.
Axel looked Shang dead in the eyes. "I am," he said without hesitation.
"Shang, please don't hurt him!" Sora ran after the captain. "He's my friend."
The captain paid little attention to Sora, focusing only on Axel. "You buried countless of my men—good men who fought with courage and dedication. If not for the Keybearer, the rest of us would have died as well."
"That's right!" Donald quacked, flocking to Shang's side opposite Sora. "He almost did us in! He's a menace—a villain! Stop him!"
Axel said nothing, but his eyes never broke contact with Shang's.
"Are you an enemy or friend to the Royal Court?" the captain asked.
"Enemy!" Donald shouted. "He's an enemy to everyone!"
"Donald, stop!" Sora implored, but his friend kept shooting off his bill until Goofy came to restrain him.
"Neither," Axel finally replied when all fell silent. "I'm here to protect Sora. If you're his friend, then I have nothing against you. But it's a different story if you try to hurt him."
"I see," said the captain. "Then you and I have no quarrel."
Donald went red in the face, struggling to break free of Goofy's arms. "But he caused an avalanche!" he exploded, pushing away from his best friend with the force of a bomb.
"That may be true," Shang agreed, "but when taken in context, he did what any honorable soldier would do: he sacrificed us to stop the Heartless progression towards the Royal City. Had I been in his position—faced with an overwhelming enemy and so few options—I too would have done anything to purge the field clean of those who would bring ruin to China. Our motives may be different, but the outcome is the same."
All the heated words Donald had pent up inside of him evaporated into the crystal air that hovered free of his mouth as he stood slack-jawed. Though motionless like a statue, his inner thoughts buzzed through his head like a swarm of angry hornets. Something snapped inside of him just then, and when Shang started marching towards his men, Donald erupted in a twitching fit. With a flick of the wrist, he completed the incantation from earlier and sent another blast of ice straight for Axel. And just like that, Donald and Axel went at each other, sucking Sora and Goofy into their conflict as desperate mediators.
While Sora's party tore itself at the seams, Shang confronted Mulan. "And now there's the matter of your transgression…"
"Shang, please!" Mulan fell to her knees and begged. "I only did it to save my father!"
With a heavy heart, the captain unsheathed a sword. Though the loss of his father allowed him to sympathize with Mulan, his sworn duty to uphold the law guided his hand.
"No, don't do it!" Ling cried as he and his two friends ran to try and stop their captain. But they were too late.
Shang raised his sword, and with a firm hand sent it crashing down into its target. The blade pierced into the snow just inches from Mulan's bowed head. "A life for a life," he said in a hollow voice, his gaze averted. "My debt is repaid."
Everyone held their tongues as the captain turned his back and walked past them, leaving Mulan alone and stunned in the snow. "Soldiers!" he commanded, still looking forward towards the Tung Shao Pass. "We march to the capital. Move out!"
The few remaining soldiers trailed after their captain, with Ling, Yao, and Chien-Po lagging behind them. Grief-stricken and ashamed, the three friends glanced at Mulan one last time before reluctantly departing. They wanted to help her, but couldn't afford dishonoring their families in the process. So they abandoned her, and felt awful for it.
Meanwhile, Axel and Donald were locked in a vicious battle. Ice went flying all over the place while flames erupted out of thin air, melting the snowfield into a pond. Goofy tried in vain to rein in his ill-tempered friend, while Sora put forth all his energy to keeping up with Axel the speed demon. Even low on spirits and inner flame, Axel could still move like a blur around the field, leaping from out of nowhere to catch Donald off guard only get a whacked by a barrage of icicles.
"Guys, please stop!" Sora cried, but he fell on deaf ears. His voice didn't carry enough presence, and at one point, Donald wound up shoving him into the water en route to placing a well-timed miniature snowstorm to blow out Axel's burgeoning fire tornado. The magician put all of Shang's training into good use as he met Axel blow-for-blow, and soon grew to surpass him in magical might.
Eventually, the two came to a standstill reminiscent of an old western shootout. They stood opposite each other—Axel twirling his chakrams at his sides, and Donald channeling magic into his staff. They stared deep into each other's narrowed eyes, waiting to see who would make the first move. At this point, both Goofy and Sora had been soaked to the bone and they clung together to keep each other warm in the freezing climate. No one said a single word aside from Jiminy, who throughout the entire battle kept his mouth shut until this very moment.
"Don't do it," he whispered into Axel's ear.
Axel said nothing, but continued to twirl his weapons.
"You're better than this. Don't do it."
Donald stroked the base of his staff with his thumb as the head emanated a light blue aura.
"It's not too late. Don't do it."
Axel's chakrams caught fire.
"Remember the consequences. Don't do it."
Frost collected along Donald's staff.
"Our choices make us who we are. Don't do it."
Do it.
Axel's eyes went wide.
With a rumbling battle cry, Donald charged in to make the first move. Staff extended, he cast the largest Blizzard spell yet. But Axel didn't move. He could've easily evaded and counterattacked, but instead, he dropped his chakrams where they disappeared in a puff of smoke. The blast hit the right side of his body, encasing him from the chest out in a solid block of ice. Donald didn't stop there, however. He fired off three more blasts and turned Axel into an ice statue.
"Ha, take that!" Donald quacked, and he spat at Axel's frozen feet. "Stupid warlock." Holding his beak high, he turned his back on Axel and waddled over to Sora and Goofy, who by now had contracted hypothermia. Feeling superior and benevolent, Donald cast a quick spell to both dry and warm his friends.
"What did you do?" Sora cried once his strength returned. "Get him out of there!"
"No way!" said Donald. "Are you crazy? That warlock wanted to eat our hearts. I just saved you, so you should be bowing down and kissing the ground I walk on!"
"You're the crazy one!" Sora contended. "Axel's the reason the Heartless are gone, and he saved me from falling off a cliff while you and Goofy were buried under tons of snow!"
"Well we wouldn't have been buried and you wouldn't have almost fallen off a cliff if not for that wicked warlock and his evil magic! So there!" Donald crossed his arms and stuck out his tongue.
"You promised you wouldn't accuse him of being a warlock anymore!"
"Well if the devil horn fits…"
While both Sora and Donald bickered with one-another, Goofy went up to Axel and knocked against the solid ice. It was thick and frigid, and nothing short of a blowtorch could melt it. Behind the clear, pale blue hue, Axel maintained a dejected face, with his mouth closed, head tilted towards his chest, and his eyes distraught. His empty hands hung limp at his sides, with his armor damaged in various places and the old, warped shield still strapped to his arm. Jiminy stood on his shoulder with a small, relieved smile, patting him on the ear.
"Hey, Donald?" Goofy turned around to where his friends continued to eat at each other. "Donald?" he tried again, but sill failed to illicit a response. He tried one more time before taking in a deep breath and then sticking two fingers into his mouth to let out a sharp whistle. That got their attention.
"What is it, Goofy?" Donald seethed.
"Melt the ice."
"Not you, too! He'll barbecue us!"
"I'm pretty sure if he wanted to hurt us that bad, he would've done it a long time ago," Goofy replied. "Besides, you froze Jiminy, too, and I don't think he'd still be hangin' around Axel if he thought he was a warlock."
Donald gave his head a firm shake. "That's not good enough, Goofy. Don't you see? You're just like Jiminy now: brainwashed into believing the warlock's lies! This is what he does to all of his victims! We free him now, and the second we turn our backs he'll try to kill us again. We have to find the King, Goofy, and that means we can't afford to waste anymore time nearly getting killed in one of the warlock's dastardly schemes!"
"But, Donald—"
"No buts! Now let's get moving. We've got to catch up with Shang and search that Royal City of his for signs of King Mickey." Donald started walking, but just then, Sora cut in front of him.
"You don't think those are good enough reasons?" he said.
"No," Donald huffed.
"Well then maybe this is good enough for you!" Sora summoned the Keyblade, and just as Donald held his staff up in defense, twirled the legendary blade and impaled it into the ground at the magician's feet. "My journey ends here."
"What?" Donald exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"We had a deal, Donald, but you're going back on your word."
"Don't you understand? He's not your friend; he's a warlock looking to steal our hearts and run away with the Keyblade!"
Sora shook his head. "He's just a man looking for help. I offered to help him, but after everything's that happened," Sora let out a shaky sigh, "Axel's the one who keeps helping me, and I owe him for that. I can't just walk away. But if you won't let me help him—if you're so determined to believe that there isn't anything left in him to save—then I've failed as Keyblade master and I don't deserve the title anymore. So here, take the Keyblade and go find your king. I'm done."
Shocked and speechless, Donald and Goofy watched as Sora backed away from the Keyblade and walked away. The once-Keybearer pocketed his hands to warm them as a powerful gust of wind blew past him, as if pushing him to go back. Yet he continued to walk against the wind, determined to push back harder as he retreated to where Mulan sat alone next to a campfire sparked by her guardian dragon.
"How are you doing, Mulan?" he asked as he took a seat next to her on a piece of wooden debris.
"I've been better…" she sighed, offering him part of her blanket. "Did you get into a fight with your friends?"
"Something like that," Sora replied as he snuggled into the blanket's warmth. "I guess both our journeys end here."
"You're not going to the capital?"
"There's no point."
"I see," Mulan hummed.
Just then Mushu came by dragging a basket of dumplings he had unearthed. "Hey, how're you doing?" he said in low spirits as he skewered a dumpling on a broken arrow and roasted it over the open flames.
Mulan sighed. "I should never have left home."
"I should never have left Traverse Town," Sora replied.
"Oh come on, you both did it for good reasons," Mushu said in a flat, half-hearted voice. "Mulan, you wanted to save your father's life, and Sora, you're the Keyblade master sworn to protect us from the Heartless."
A gust of wind blew in, swaying the tiny flames of the campfire. Mushu gobbled up the dumpling and roasted another one. "Who knew you'd wind up shaming yourselves and losing all your friends," Mushu added just as he broke into tears and started bawling.
"Maybe…maybe I didn't do it for my father," Mulan said suddenly. "Maybe what I really wanted was…to prove I could do things right so that when I looked in the mirror, I'd see someone worthwhile." She picked up a stray helmet from the snow and stared at her reflection. After several moments she dropped it and shed a single tear. "But I was wrong. I see nothing."
The helmet hit up against Sora's giant shoe and he collected it in his hands. "All I wanted to do was help people," he said while gazing into his own reflection. "I thought the Keyblade would give me the strength that I needed to help my friends, but the truth is I'm just another face in the crowd from a backwater island… What do I know about saving the world? I can't even save myself." He, too, dropped the helmet in despair, and then buried his reddening face in the blanket.
"Aww, this old thing just needs a good spit shine, is all!" said Mushu, trying his best to sound peppy again. He grabbed the helmet and tried polishing it, but frowned when he saw his own face reflected back at him. The truth behind what he saw weighed heavy on him, and with a sigh, he put down the makeshift mirror. "The truth is, I'm in the same boat. The Fa family ancestors never sent me; they don't even like me. Heck, you two risked your lives to save people you love—I risked your lives to help myself. At least you both had your hearts in the right place."
The three heart-heavy friends huddled together in silence, watching the crackling flames brave against the rushing winds when a sudden cry echoed in the distance.
"Sora!"
Donald and Goofy came rushing towards the small camp screaming at the top of their lungs.
"What do you want?" Sora asked without glancing up from the fire.
"Sora, look over there! It's Shan Yu!"
"What?"
Everyone turned to the far side of the snowfield where a shadowy figure climbed over the cliff and touched down on the icy ground. Though covered in bleeding scars and bruises, the unmistakable large frame of Shan Yu stood tall in the raging wind. The Hun leader threw his head up towards the sky and howled as darkness enveloped him. He grew several feet taller, sprouting large claws and a muscular torso that ripped his animal hide coat. An electric blue glow pulsated through a large network of visible veins branching across his body.
Circling the sky above with a similar blue aura, Shan Yu's faithful hawk Hayabusa screeched as it took a nosedive towards his master. He spread his wings, which grew to gigantic proportions, and clawed his talons deep within Shan Yu's back. Within moments, Hayabusa melted into the darkness leaving only his demonic wings.
With one final mountain-shaking battle cry, the mutated Shan Yu launched from the ground and took flight. He soared through the darkening sky and made way above the Tung Shao Pass.
"He's heading for the Royal City!" Mulan exclaimed.
Goofy gripped his shield. "We have to go after him!"
"Quick, get your Keyblade and let's go!" Donald said, shaking Sora's shoulder.
But the Keyblade master refused to move. "No."
"But Sora, this is an emergency!" Donald contended.
Sora shook his head. "I meant what I said: if I can't help others when it counts, then I don't deserve to be Keyblade master."
"I'm not unfreezing the warlock if that's what you're getting at."
"Then go without me."
"Quit being all brainwashed and moody, and let's get going already! The King could be in that city!"
When Sora didn't reply, Donald flew off his rocker. He exploded into a fit of unintelligible quacks and swung his fists in every direction. Just inches away from slapping Sora silly, he stopped when Goofy bonked him on the head with his shield.
"That's enough, mister!" Goofy said in a stern tone. "We're not gettin' anywhere with you goin' off the handle like that. Go get Axel and we'll put all this behind us."
"No!"
"If King Mickey's really in that city and Shan Yu attacks, d'ya really want to be responsible for not gettin' us there in time?"
"Well no, but—"
"We'll have us all a good long talk about Axel and warlocks after we take care of Shan Yu," Goofy asserted. "Until then, we need him if we want Sora, and we definitely need Sora. Understand?"
"Yeah, but—"
"Good. Now get goin'!" Goofy had put his foot down, and that was that.
Though Donald opened his mouth to protest, he shut it not even a second after and then made a beeline for Axel. Not even a sliver of ice melted from the imprisoned man in all the time that passed. With a quick spell, Donald liberated the two trapped in ice, and at once Axel fell to his knees shivering from head to toe. After encased in ice for so long, the below-zero temperature sapped him of all his fiery strength.
"There, he's freed," Donald huffed, tapping an irritated foot. "Happy? Now let's go!"
"Heal him first," Sora said as he approached.
"Do I have to?" Donald whined.
"Yes."
"Tch, fine!" The magician waved his wand, conjuring a healing green aura that replenished Axel's energy.
"Thank you kindly, Donald," said Jiminy with a tip of his hat.
"Yeah, yeah… Now can we go?"
"What's going on?" said Axel as the fog lifted from his head.
"No time to explain," Sora replied as he took the Keyblade in hand and yanked it from its resting place. "Shan Yu's alive and he's flying towards the capital as we speak."
Axel's eyes widened. "Did you say flying? Boy, I must've missed some party…"
"In any case, there's no time to waste," said Mulan as she rode Khan up to the others. "Someone can ride with me."
"And I'll take whoever's left," Axel said, mounting his own horse.
"I'll go with Axel," Sora said before Donald could get a word in edgewise. The second he was securely mounted Axel spurred his horse towards the pass, leaving Donald and Goofy to ride with Mulan.
"Why that no good rotten…" Donald muttered. He ate everyone's ears off about the danger Axel possessed all throughout the trip.
Night fell by the time Sora and his friends reached the Royal City. All the lights and festivities in the city lit up the nighttime sky with a brilliant indigo hue. Various lanterns and flags decorated the buildings, and music filled the air. Thousands of people crowded around to cheer the surviving soldiers as they marched through the streets sandwiched between acrobats and drummers.
Yet despite their victory, what few remained of the Imperial Army felt anything but elation at their victory. For although everyone celebrated the defeat of the Huns, Shang and the others knew deep inside that the true heroes of the war would never bask in the glory of their triumph. As they paraded up to the Imperial Palace, the soldiers remained the gloomiest men in the kingdom.
"I'll find Shang and warn him," said Mulan as she pulled in front of Sora and Axel. "The rest of you scout the city for Shan Yu. He could be hiding anywhere."
"Right," Sora nodded and jumped off the horse.
Donald and Goofy also dismounted, and along with Sora, disappeared into the crowd.
Mulan galloped towards the parade, leaving Axel alone to hitch his horse to a nearby post.
"How are you doing, Axel?" Jiminy asked, getting out his journal and pen.
"Just going through the motions right now," Axel replied in a flat tone. He elbowed through the mob while keeping a sharp eye out for the Hun leader.
"How do you feel?"
"Numb."
Jiminy made a quick note. "That isn't good."
Axel shrugged. "It's getting me by without frying your squawking pal."
"Axel, I don't want you to suppress your emotions. You're supposed to be piecing your heart back together, remember? That won't happen if you don't allow yourself to feel."
"So you'd rather I set the loud-mouthed duck on fire?"
"No; ideally you want to show some self-restraint. Everyone feels urges to do things that aren't proper to do. The trick is to learn to accept those urges for what they are and not give into them."
Axel scoffed at the idea as he pushed past two old, fat guys flirting with a young woman.
"For example," Jiminy continued, "I have the urge to jump into that piping hot cup of tea over there and take a refreshing bath." He pointed to a nearby kiosk selling tea to the crowd and took a big whiff of the calming, herbal steam. "Do you know why I don't just get up and do that?"
"Because you'd get ingested?"
"No, because I'd spoil some poor, unsuspecting person's drink and I'd leave you all alone to fend for yourself!" Jiminy replied. "See? Self-restraint."
Axel rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Cricket."
Excerpt from the reflective log of a man facing death:
That night as I wandered the streets of the Chinese capital, I told Jiminy that I felt "numb," but that doesn't even begin to describe my true feelings. A thought cropped up in my head—one I prayed I'd never have again. I repeated a secret wish to myself the entire time I was supposed to be searching for Shan Yu.
You may want to argue this—and I wouldn't stop you from doing it—but that night, I hit my lowest point. Jiminy knew nothing of it, and maybe I could've spared us all a lot of grief down the road if I had just opened my mouth to spill my guts to him the same way I am to you. Well, hindsight's 20/20, right?
While I stalked around like a zombie, all I wanted to do was find a nearby bench or something and just plop down forgetting about everything. I didn't want a heart anymore; I didn't think I could handle the depression that came hand-in-hand with defeat and failure. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to be a Nobody again. I wanted to get rid of my pain the only way I knew how: by getting rid of the one thing that allowed me to feel pain.
So yeah, I numbed myself, but the heart of the problem ran so much deeper than that.
While everyone searched high and low for Shan Yu, Mulan rode up to the front of the parade. Shang led the procession, and when Mulan appeared next to him, he almost fell off his horse from shock.
"What are you doing here, Mulan?" he demanded.
"Shan Yu is here in the city," she replied, but Shang turned his head away from her.
"You don't belong here. Go home."
But Mulan wouldn't give up. She spurred Khan forward and barred the captain's path. "Shang, I saw him climb back up the mountain and unleash some new dark powers. He's almost like a Heartless now."
"Why should I believe anything you say?" the captain seethed.
"Why else would I come back?"
The two studied each other's eyes until Shang broke contact and steered his horse around Khan. The other soldiers followed suit until Mulan backed away and rode along side Ling, Yao, and Chien-Po.
"You three keep your eyes open," she warned them. "I know he's here."
The three soldiers nodded wordlessly and continued their march.
"That could've gone worse," said Mushu, sticking his head up from his hiding place.
Mulan steered Khan in the opposite direction. "If Shang's not going to listen, I'll just have to find someone who will." She galloped away to find a good place to hitch Khan then took to the streets.
Fireworks shot into the sky and exploded, earning another wave of loud cheers from the crowd just as Shang climb the steps leading to the emperor. Meanwhile, Mulan scoured the masses, taking various men aside to warn them of Shan Yu's imminent arrival. But no one would listen. Some men shoved her aside and walked away in a huff, whereas others spat on her and mocked her.
"I don't understand," she said after getting knocked into a wall by a stuffy, middle-aged man. "Why won't anyone listen to me?"
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Mushu said, nonchalantly filing his claws against his scales.
"Mushu!"
"Hey, you're a girl again," the guardian dragon reminded her, and just as he did, the gong rang, bringing silence to the city.
The emperor descended the grand steps of his palace to greet the victorious captain. Dressed in the finest silk robes, he stroked his long, white beard and held his hands out with pride. "My children," he announced, "heaven smiles down upon the Middle Kingdom. China will sleep safely tonight thanks to our brave warriors!"
As the crowd cheered, a dark shadow appeared over the palace. A haunting battle cry filled the air to drown out the city folk as Shan Yu flew down behind the emperor and grabbed him.
"It's Shan Yu!" Shang shouted, unsheathing his sword along with the rest of his men. But the mutated Hun leader gave him a quick kick to the chest, sending the captain tumbling into his soldiers.
The demonic Hun leader grinned, showing off his devilish fangs as he pressed the emperor's cheek up against his. "You're mine now," he said in a sinister voice. While the soldiers scrambled to regain their bearings, Shan Yu took flight with the emperor in hand and flew over the crowd, earning gasps and panicked screams from everyone. After several passes above the masses, Shan Yu pulled up and flew through one of the palace's windows. He then dragged the emperor to a balcony for all to see and pushed him forward.
"Tell them," said Shan Yu, his beady, yellow eyes scanning the crowds. "Tell them the truth about your Middle Kingdom! Tell them about your dark secret!"
"I know not to what you refer," said the emperor, calm and unfazed by monster holding him hostage.
"I tire of your arrogance!" Shan Yu snarled. "Tell everyone what you've done to my people! How you've exiled your own blood, forcing them to live in poverty and disease. All the children you murdered, the infants you poisoned, the women you tortured and executed! Tell everyone the real reason you built that wall and waged all those wars!"
"You seem to be mistaken," the emperor replied. "My people and I want nothing but peace and light. You and your kind are the ones borne from darkness. You brought your wicked fate upon yourselves."
Shan Yu lost his cool and roared like a beast for all to quake in terror. "It will be your head if you don't speak the truuuuuth!" he hollered at the top of his lungs, the power of his breath swaying the emperor's beard.
"I have nothing more to say."
"Then bow to me!" Shan Yu ordered, but again the emperor remained calm.
"No matter how the wind howls, the mountain cannot bow to it."
The demonic Shan Yu let out a stronger, unearthly roar and raised his claw to strike the emperor when the Keyblade cut through the air and impaled him in the back.
"Not so fast!" Sora shouted as he and his friends barged through the door. He reclaimed the Keyblade and blocked an enraged claw swipe.
"Don't interfere!" Shan Yu warned, but Sora whacked him upside the head. "Fool!" The electric blue aura pulsating from the Hun leader's veins grew brighter as the darkness melted from his body and gave birth to a squad of Neoshadows.
While Sora, Donald, and Goofy tangoed with the Heartless, Shang and Mulan pushed forward to retrieve the emperor.
"This way, your Highness," said Shang as he grabbed the emperor by the arm and led him back to the door. But Shan Yu caught him in the act and slashed him, his claws going clean through the captain's armor. He almost suffered a fatal blow from a second attack, but Mulan blocked it with her sword.
"Get the emperor out of here!" she said to Shang as she lured away the demon.
With Shan Yu distracted and the Heartless almost gone, Captain Li managed to escort the emperor outside where Ling, Yao, and Chien-Po awaited with their swords drawn.
Enraged by the loss of his target, Shan Yu extended his arms just as all four warriors came at him, and he grabbed them each as if giving them a big, asphyxiating hug. He pressed them hard against his big, muscular chest and then jumped off the balcony, crashing on the steps below just in time to cut off Captain Li's path.
"Going somewhere?" growled the demon as he tossed aside his unconscious captives.
Shang stepped in front of the emperor with sword extended, but he was effortlessly knocked aside. Ling and the others lasted an even shorter amount of time, and the emperor lost his defenses all at once.
High above the clouds, Lieutenant Colonel Jihl Nabaat's silent helicopter circled the Royal City. The few remaining scientists onboard operated the machinery they saved from the avalanche, monitoring and reporting various energy levels while simultaneously cranking up the power whenever ordered by the colonel. Aside from dishing out orders, the colonel peered down at the chaos below, watching Shan Yu's rampage through a pair of thermal binoculars.
"Ah, the fruits of our labor," she said with a cunning grin. "How sweet the results."
"Ma'am, Thoroughbred is approaching maximum capacity," warned one of the scientists. "Phase III has been self-activated."
"And?"
"W-well, ma'am, should we flip the kill switch?"
"Why, whatever for, mister…?"
"Dr. Lawrence Kraven," recited one of Nabaat's surviving aides. "Aged 44, blood type O-, divorced, two children."
"Dr. Kraven, then," said the colonel, looking up from her binoculars.
"T-to, well, keep him stable," said Dr. Kraven, beads of sweat collecting along his balding scalp. The colonel never asked for his name before, and he felt even more pressure in the spotlight.
"And why, Dr. Kraven," the colonel said, leaning in close, "would we want a stable death machine, hmm?"
The colonel was so close to him that Dr. Kraven could smell the barrel of the gun that killed his colleagues. Taking an audible gulp and blinking uncontrollably, he stuttered out his answer. "W-well, t-that i-is t-t-to s-s-s-s-say…uh…w-we, uh…w-w-w-wouldn't?"
Letting her eyes linger on the doctor's for a bit, Jihl waited until the man's perspiration soaked his collar before backing off with a smile. "Very good, Dr. Kraven. What an astute observation." Jihl turned to look out the helicopter once more. "Will that be all?"
"Y-yes, ma'am."
"Carry on, then."
Dr. Kraven lowered his head and continued to study the instruments while the colonel zoomed in with her thermal binoculars. On a thermal scope, a colored scale depicted heat ratings, with green ranking the lowest and white indicating the greatest; various shades of yellow and red signaled the typical heat set of an average individual. Everything in the city below took various shades of green, yellow, and red, depicting the fleeing masses and knocked out warriors. Shan Yu, the largest red figure, loomed in on the tiny, yellow-orange emperor who, despite the catastrophe, continued to stand tall.
"My, would you look at that!" she said in amusement as a bright, solid white figure entered her view. The figure flicked its arms and hurtled two, jagged, white objects at Shan Yu, pushing him back from the emperor. "If it isn't our old friend. Come now, Mr. Fire Man; let me see the glorious color of your extinguished corpse!"
Back outside the palace, Shan Yu prepared to decapitate the emperor with his claws when two chakrams sliced through the air and struck the demon's back. Axel ascended the stairs, an empty look worn on his face. The chakrams returned to him just as the demon wailed, and just like that the two charged towards each other.
Though big and powerful, Shan Yu lacked speed. Axel ran circles around him, cutting into him with his chakrams every few passes, and setting off explosions at every available moment. When the demon grew frustrated, he launched himself high into the air and crashed back down, destroying the steps and shaking the city. But Axel just jumped clear of the impact and counterattacked with a fiery tornado.
Shan Yu's rage soon escalated to a new plateau. With another thundering roar, he channeled the darkness bubbling within him, giving birth to more Heartless that shielded their master while he underwent another metamorphosis. The veins along his body bulged as he grew taller and sprouted a layer of protective scales. Gnarled fangs twisted out from his steaming mouth as he heaved deep breaths and exhaled poisonous fumes.
While Axel contended with the demon, the others regained consciousness and offered their aid. Shang and his men spirited away the emperor, hiding him deep within his palace, while Sora and the others carved a path to Shan Yu before he grew too powerful. But by the time they dispatched all the Heartless, Shan Yu's second mutation was complete. He resembled nothing of his former self save for his strong chin and nose that now bore dozens of tiny, black scales. The thick web of veins running across his frame glowed to almost blinding proportions, making him hard to focus on for extended periods without suffering temporary vision loss.
The demonic Heartless growled and set his hungry, yellow eyes on the Keyblade. He leaped towards Sora, and before anyone could so much as blink, grabbed and hauled him into the air. No matter how the Keybearer struggled, he couldn't free himself. Even if he did, he'd fall to his doom from such a soaring height, and this time Axel didn't have a horse waiting for him.
In fact, Axel didn't do much at all. He gave a nonchalant wave of his hand, willing away the chakrams before strolling over to the nearest undamaged step. Sitting down there, he supported his chin in his hands as he hunched forward and let out a resigned sigh.
"What are you doing?" Jiminy exclaimed. "Aren't you going to help Sora? Get up and get moving!"
"Why bother?" said Axel in a flat tone.
"He's your friend and the whole reason you've come out here!"
Axel shrugged. "Not interested right now."
Thinking perhaps he misheard that last few words, Jiminy liked his finger and used it to clean his ear. "Say that again?"
"Not interested. Find someone else."
"Now you listen here, mister," Jiminy said in a stern voice as he tugged his top hat forward and hopped onto Axel's nose. "You came along on this adventure looking for a heart, but you're not going to get one acting like that! Follow your conscience; listen to what I say—heed my counsel—and you'll piece yourself together soon enough!"
"You're right." Axel got to his feet.
Jiminy gave a proud nod. "I'm glad you've come to your senses." He made to jump back onto Axel's shoulder, but he was pinched out of midair. "Hey, what are you doing?"
Axel kneeled down and dropped Jiminy on the stone step. "Goodbye, Cricket." He then walked away, deafening himself to his conscience's pleas.
"Axel—come back here! Axel!" Bearing a deep frown, Jiminy bounced after his charge, determined to follow him anywhere he went.
