A/N: With E3 just around the corner, sure hoping for that KH3 trailer... yep. And in a surprise new twist we find out that it's not 'Now In Development' but we might actually get a 'release date announcement coming this winter' instead.

Chapter 34

Coming of the Storm

General Mari Seren was notably enthusiastic as she headed into Irva Torvald's room. Without any regard for ranks, she propped herself onto Irva's table and smiled at him.

"You have something to report something?" Irva asked, glancing up at her briefly before returning to his book.

"It might even brighten up your day. Have you been having a bad day, commander?" Seren asked.

"Why must you ask in such a condescending tone? I'm not a child," Irva replied.

"Really? That's a shame. I wouldn't have minded being your wet nurse."

Irva coughed and spluttered something fierce. Eventually he recovered and grimaced. "General Seren, I didn't hire you to make such obscene comments. If you have a report, out with it!"

"Aw, you're no fun," Seren purred. She hopped off the table and folded her arms. "Very well. A few of our scouts picked up on an unusual vessel near a town called Gravity Falls. Upon closer inspection, items no doubt relating to Sora were found on board. With your approval, I hope to take a force of elite with me at once to dispose of him."

"Very well. Then I approve of your actions, general," Irva said.

"Thank you, commander. I won't let you down," Seren said with a smile. "There's one other matter. While our scouts were searching, they spotted Janus in the town… eating donuts at a diner."

"Well, for his sake they better have been damn good donuts," Irva said, eliciting a chuckle from Seren. "I don't doubt that Janus will inevitably become a problem to the order we're building, but he seems to move from place to place without even leaving a trace. By the time this news got back to you, chances are he was probably already gone. He's not like my brother, who fell by Sora's hand due to his own hubris."

"Well, I think you're giving Janus too much credit. He would destroy society, and from the outside no less. We want to reform it, from the inside. No one could ever follow a man like that," Seren said. A knocking on the door interrupted their conversation. June Caster soon walked in and saluted.

"Am I intruding on something?" she asked.

"No. We just finished actually," Seren replied. She nodded at Irva before taking her leave. June waited for the door to close before talking again.

"We just received word of an explosion at the missile defence system on the eastern wall."

"Another one? Didn't we catch the culprit?" Irva asked.

June shook her head. "He seems to have been a copycat. Imitating the actions of the real culprits under the influence of Mother. This time the sabotage was undeniably caused by the insurgents. That's not even the worst part. People—citizens, who happened to be near the wall were caught in the blast. Thirteen injured, three dead, one who was even a child of about six years old."

Irva clenched his fist tightly and looked up at June from the corner of his eyes. "What a cowardly act."

"Now they have blood on their hands. They can't claim to be completely spotless anymore," June said. She began drawing patterns on his desk with her finger. "The thing is, though I would not wish to take advantage of someone's death, we can't let this opportunity slip through our hands either. You need to make a statement. Come out against this and condemn them. This is our chance to gain the public's support. Their trust."

"You wish to emotionally manipulate the public into liking us?" Irva summarized.

"That's no different than any other form of media. Tons of things rely on tragedy to motivate and encourage action. Look. Even if you don't want to see it as such, the people at least need to know that you're going to stand by them. They need to know that we value their safety and those who once sought to protect them do not," June said.

Irva cracked his knuckles for a bit before reaching for his pen. "I'll get to work on it then."

"Want me to help?"

"Ah, no. Wouldn't want to take you away from your duties. I'll call you when I'm ready," Irva said. June nodded and left, leaving Irva to himself and the piece of paper he had been writing on. He picked up the paper and stared at it for a moment before scrunching it up and tossing it into the garbage. He rested his forehead on the table and ran his hands through his hair. "That damn dream again."

On Board The Sheva

At Sea

Sora and Luna lay on the deck of Balthier's ship listening to the gentle sound of waves lapping against the boat. It was therapeutic in its own way, offering the peace and comfort that being on land could not. As soon as they reached land, they were constantly moving, constantly on their feet. It was these quieter moments that Sora wished there were more of.

"Have you ever wondered what it would be like if this war had never happened?" Luna broke the silence. "I mean… don't laugh at this, okay? It's kind of silly."

"Oh, that's okay. I've come to expect silly things from you by now," Sora said.

"Okay, Sora. You know, most people would usually say something like, 'oh, you're not silly', or 'I promise I won't laugh'. Something like that."

"Then it's a good thing I'm not most people," Sora replied. "But I obviously do like that quality in you so go right ahead."

"Well, I just thought we could, you know, get a house somewhere in Alexander and live together. Then I could work at Aunt Kit's bakery, save up some money and buy a cute little kitten for us," Luna said.

"Ah, so going from wanting to get away from your home to I want to go on adventures forever to I want to settle down back in Alexander? I see…"

"Well, not right now! I just mean that kind of future would be a lot clearer than it is now. And I guess I just miss Aunt Kit is all. She's pretty much the only thing I miss about that place, I guess. I don't know, would the Destiny Islands be better? Closer to Lara?"

"What? Ho ho ho, you wish. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable knowing that my mom was just down the road and could come over at any time. How about Radiant Garden? I mean, it sounds like the most obvious place but we've spent a lot of time there and it's where our friends are," Sora said. He turned his head to the right to look at Luna. "But I'm guessing that's not what you want?"

"Well, yes… and no. Agh, I'm a complex girl. I don't know what I want," Luna said.

"Well, that was obvious," Sora replied.

"Okay, enough with the cheek. It's not about where we live together, it's that we live together at all. After we're done adventuring of course," Luna said.

"I mean, I know I said you were silly but I don't think that's a silly thing to wish for at all. At least you didn't say something like 'I wish I could be a princess and have my boyfriend give me really expensive gifts', you know? Then there'd be problems," Sora said.

"I do NOT sound like that. And I'm not exactly the materialistic type. I prefer the simple things in life, not that I don't desire things from time to time," Luna said.

"You don't have to justify it to me. I know," Sora said. "And I'd think you want somewhere you could have a clear view of the stars. We'd just sit out at night sometimes and talk about stuff. Anything really, doesn't have to be important. We have to bring them back first of course. When I look at the sky now it seems aimless… empty. Sailors used to use stars as a waypoint to discover new lands or even find their way home. That was what my dad told me once. For you, it was what kicked off your adventure in the first place. I wouldn't have met you if it hadn't been for them."

"Aw, this sounds like the start of one of those clip show episodes when you're about to enter the season finale of a long-running TV show. My, that was really specific, wasn't it?" Luna asked.

Sora laughed. "Well, this isn't the end for us. Even after this, we'll keep going. Don't know where it'll be but that's where the fun is. So many possibilities… Artemis, are you listening in?"

"What would give you that idea?"

"Oh, hell no! You don't get to do that. That's creepy!" Sora yelled, bouncing up from his spot. Artemis appeared in front of them with her face resting on her left palm. Sora was surprised how quickly he had become used to Artemis after first meeting her in Gravity Falls a week ago. She had introduced herself as a goddess who had descended from Olympus and placed herself in Luna's Keyblade, except that wasn't exactly the truth. Artemis wasn't sure why she was connected to Luna's Keyblade, but she had brought up something interesting:

"I can tether myself to magical energy, which the Keyblade just so happens to be made of," she had told them not too long after they had been introduced. When asked by Balthier if the tethering could happen accidently, she told them that she was pretty sure that it had to be known. She had also told them that she had only done it once before with another Keyblade.

"It belonged to a girl… now that I think about it, something about you reminds me of her, Luna," Artemis said.

"How do I remind you of her?" Luna asked slowly.

"You kind of look alike. Her name was Moira."

The name had caused quite a shock among Sora and especially Luna, who stumbled and stammered her way to her next question. "Moira? Her name was… Moira and s-she looked like me?"

"Well… looks like you still have a way to go before you catch up to me at least," Sora jested, hoping to make light of the heavy atmosphere. Luna didn't laugh and Sora immediately felt like an idiot.

"Well, not exactly like you. I don't know. Maybe they were an ancestor of yours? Genes are funny things after all. It happens," Artemis tried to comfort her. Again, Luna wasn't having any of it, very much distant from the conversation that followed afterward.

Without even knowing or meeting her, Moira had somehow found a way into their lives bringing a new mystery to the forefront. It was scary how a girl who had lived centuries ago could have so much sway over them today. If she had been a Keyblade Wielder, had she managed to survive the final battle with the other Keyblade Wielders who were transported here? Somehow, Sora doubted that. If the Moira they were thinking of was the same as the one Kohle had named Moira's Crescent after, then there would have been no reason to name his group after her if she were alive. Then again, he didn't know the entire story. The only one who might know was Kohle and that was frustrating to recognize.

"So how are you two lovebirds getting along?" Artemis asked, rocking her head from side to side.

"Well since you already know, what's the point of telling you?" Sora asked.

Artemis' face screwed up as if she were about to cry. "WAAAH! Luna, your boyfriend's being mean."

"You're a goddess and you're throwing a temper tantrum? Now I truly have seen it all," Sora replied.

"Let's not ruin a nice moment, both of you. Happy Happy Joy Joy!" Luna cheered. The doors of the cabin opened up and Aya walked out with a grin on her face. Even with having to ultimately say goodbye to Caleb, she had shown strength that Sora considered even now to be unfathomable to him. Caleb may have forgotten his memories of them and using the Keyblade but Aya had spent the rest of their week becoming friends with him all over again. The conversations flowed naturally just as they had before the memory wipe, but every time Aya asked if he remembered anything, Caleb would make a guilty look on his face and apologize. If there had been anyone who had to act under the pretence of Luna's proclaimed 'Happy Happy Joy Joy', it was Aya.

"I see someone's in a happy mood," Aya greeted, taking a seat by Luna. "Man, I'm so jealous. I wish I could talk to my Keyblade. I mean, I know her true name—Mhaya, and I do feel a connection with her, but I can't physically see her like you can with Artemis."

"Still got one on me then. I can't get anything out of mine," Sora said. He frowned and asked, "So you know the truth about Keyblades?"

"Truth? What truth about Keyblades?" Aya asked. Sora nodded to himself and then proceeded to tell her everything they had found out about the origin of the Keyblade from the book that Mirage had written.

"No… that can't be. So Mhaya was an actual person? And her spirit or will, whatever you want to call it, is trapped inside my Keyblade?" Aya asked.

"I believe some among the gods were originally against intervening in this war for that purpose. You humans tend to be the instruments of your own demise in most cases, and this war is no exception. Not my words by the way, the words of my brother Ares. But I love humanity and I take the bad with the good. You are not alone, I promise you that. You have our support," Artemis said.

"Thank you, Artemis," Luna said with a beaming smile.

"So we're relying on a magical compass to take us to this Moira's Crescent?" Aya asked, changing topics.

"That's the plan. And you still want to find the Lunarians to warn them, right?" Sora asked.

Aya nodded. "I'll stick with the plan me and Caleb had in mind before everything went sour. It's important that there's a balance so that one faction doesn't hold too much power."

"I could argue that none of them should be holding any power in the first place but I understand not give them a blank check," Sora said.

"You guys were really planning on taking on all of them by yourselves? Horus, the Lunarians, Cephadalus and Oberian?" Aya asked.

"If it came to that, yeah," Sora replied. "Not to mention KRONOS and potentially Moira's Crescent, though I think I can convince them."

Aya sighed and let out a whistle. "Wow. You guys sure are brave."

Luna shook her head. "Being brave has nothing to do with it. It's as foolish as foolish comes and I'm scared about what lies in store but running away from it won't help. Sometimes you just have to dive right in and see how far you can go."

"It's better to try and fail than to have never tried at all. It's a good philosophy to live by," Aya said. "An even better philosophy is that you really need to listen to your stomach and grab a bite, which is what I'm going to do right now. Wanna join me?"

"Sure thing. I could sure fill my stomach right about now," Luna said, getting up. "You coming, Sora?"

"I'll join you guys in a few. I'd rather make sure my thoughts are left out here than continue in there," Sora decided after a second's pause.

"Take all the time you need," Luna said. She and Sora exchanged smiles and then Luna disappeared into the cabin alongside Aya. Artemis' physical form disappeared and became a tiny ball of light that flew back into Luna.

Sora turned back to the sea and stared out into the distance. As much as he wanted to find out the truth, he simply couldn't bring himself to go back there. Not until now anyway. It was as Luna had said— they couldn't run away.

He pulled out the key that allowed him to access the Perpetual Divergence and walked over to the cabin door. Placing it in the keyhole, he turned the key to the right, then back to the left and opened the door.

Sora walked through the pitch blackness, his path lighted by the ethereal light beneath him that acted as his road. Reaching the open space, he stopped for a moment and watched. In front of him was Yeul, looking up and mouthing silent words to the collapsed Kingdom Hearts. Whatever it was she was doing sure did look important, but it was also kind of creepy, talking to an inanimate object in the sky like that.

"Yeul, something up?" Sora alerted her to his presence. Yeul spun around, a little too quickly and seemed not to recognize him for a moment, but only just a moment as she smiled soon after.

"It's been seven days since we last met," Yeul told him.

"A month for me," Sora said. "I'm a terrible person, aren't I?"

"Why would you even say such a thing?" Yeul asked.

"The Gummi Ship that we were travelling in was destroyed. It was what I was using to talk to you. I don't even think until recently that I could use the cabin door of my friend's ship I'm on. I don't know how you don't feel lonely here. I really don't," Sora said.

"Well, maybe next time you can send a book my way from the outside maybe? And we could even spend some time reading it together… if that's not too much trouble," Yeul suggested with a hopeful look. Sora looked at her, his smile getting wider until he could finally stand it no more and burst out laughing.

"AHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, man… sorry, I really didn't expect you to say that. That's cute."

"What do you mean cute?"

"It's cute, that's- that's all I said. I mean, I can't say I'm much of a reader but I was trying for a while until the war happened so, I guess it wouldn't hurt to start again. The next town I get to, I'll buy a few books," Sora said. "But just know if it comes to down to having to choose between a potion and book, I'll take the potion."

"That goes without saying," Yeul said with a chuckle.

Sora nodded and tried to think of a smoother way to transition into more serious talk, but when that proved difficult, he gave up and decided to go for it.

"So I heard something last week. It's related to Horus' symbol. The eye?"

"What about it?" Yeul asked.

"It's not just Horus' symbol. I don't know if they just thought it was a cool thing and decided to take it as their own but it was originally used to symbolize Kingdom Hearts. He also mentioned the words 'The Naked Truth'. Do those words mean anything to you?" Sora asked.

"Naked truth? I've never heard the words associated with Kingdom Hearts before. But naked might mean that it wants you to take your clothes off."

Sora raised a brow at Yeul. "Ah, no. No, I- I really don't think so."

"Sora, it was a joke," Yeul pointed out.

"Oh," was Sora's reply. The actual idea of Yeul cracking jokes was a lost cause on him. It was hard to imagine given what he knew her to be like.

"Additionally, naked could also mean being expressively open. So coupled with truth, it's a truth that has been bared to all," Yeul said.

"Maybe it's implying that once Kingdom Hearts returns to the Realm of Light, it will reveal some kind of truth?" Sora proposed. "You can't ask it and find out?"

"I told you, unless Kingdom Hearts feels it's something I need to know, I'm mostly kept in the dark as well," Yeul said.

"Yeah. Sorry," Sora capitulated. He had wanted to challenge Yeul even further. He had wanted to ask if she didn't think it was funny that she was made to follow orders without understanding their purpose. The only thing stopping him was Kingdom Hearts hanging right above them. For all he knew, it was listening in on their conversation and Sora didn't want to give it the wrong impression. "I need to know one more thing. You can still see into the future, right?"

"Why do you ask?" Yeul asked.

Sora closed his eyes and tried to force himself to get the words out, but they wouldn't come. A warm hand on his face forced him to open his eyes and he looked back into her green ones.

"I… need to know if I'm going to die in this war," Sora eventually said.

"Is that really a question you want answered?" Yeul asked. "Even if I told you your future, how would that be of any benefit to you?"

"I don't know. I… I'd do something. There has to be something I can do to avoid that fate. I promised Luna we'd see this to the end and then after we'd find a new life. I want to see Riku again. I want to see Kairi. I can't die yet. I'm not ready," Sora croaked.

"And you never will be, even if I told you. Sora? Sora, look at me," Yeul said calmly. Sora raised his head and inhaled deeply. "Have you ever heard of a self-fulfilling prophecy? It tends to happen when a person knows of their fate and tries to avoid or alter it somehow, except it is through that intervention that the fate comes about. That's why I can't help you. Because if you tried something in hopes of averting disaster, that may be the very thing that brings it about. In the end, it really is best just to do nothing."

"But you can't guarantee that doing nothing will prevent it either, can you?" Sora asked.

"No. I can't," Yeul answered sadly. Sora let out a pained smile and nodded to himself. She was probably right, but Sora didn't want to admit it. He couldn't stand to be left in the dark until the time came. If it ever came. Yeul may have already known but she wasn't telling and Sora wasn't going to do anything to force it out of her.

"I understand. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up," Sora said.

"You shouldn't suppress things. It's natural to be curious but I don't want you to obsess over something like that. I do want you to think of our future though. If you really do intend to see me at yours and Luna's side, if you intend to see Riku and Kairi again, then you need to keep fighting. Sora, I believe in you," Yeul said. Sora's pained smile faded and a sheepish grin took its place.

"I should get back. I am pretty hungry right now," he said.

"I'll be eagerly awaiting your next visit then," Yeul said with her usual nervous smile.

Sora stepped out onto The Sheva's deck once more and looked up to see darkened clouds approaching in the distance. The water that had once been a most amazing and unusual blue now seemed dull and unwelcoming. If Sora had learned anything so far it was that the sea could be an ally and even friend one moment and then their enemy the next.

He was about to turn his attention away from the seas when something small caught his eye. He walked over to the railing and observed for a moment, the smile that had been on his face since leaving Yeul slowly disappearing as the Gummi Ships came into view. He counted seven of them heading straight for the ship.

"No. No no no no, you have got to be kidding," Sora murmured. He turned quickly and ran for the cabin door, barging through to see Luna, Aya, Balthier, Fran and Kupopo sitting by the table.

"You okay?" Aya asked.

"No, I don't think so. A bunch of Gummi Ships are heading our way," Sora said.

"And they couldn't even wait for us to finish eating. How rude," Balthier replied, getting up and walking over. Sora backed out of the doorway and walked back over to the railing with Balthier. They were shortly joined by the others.

"Maybe they're friends, kupo?" Kupopo asked in a tiny voice. "Or- or maybe they just happened to be passing by."

"Are we really going to wait to find out?" Sora replied.

"But how did they find us so easily if it isn't a coincidence?" Luna asked.

"Don't know, but I'm not planning on letting this be the end of us," Sora said, summoning his Oblivion and Oathkeeper in both hands.

"Hmm, three Keyblade wielders, a marksman and a hunter against a fleet of ships…" Balthier summarized. "This will get messy incredibly quickly."

"Well, I can't say I'm not used to getting dragged into messes, especially when they're yours, Balthier," Fran said.

Balthier let out a soft chuckle. "The honor is mine, Fran."

Sora rubbed his left temple with his index finger as he continued to stare at the warships. "Okay. Luna and Aya, you think you can protect us from oncoming attacks?"

"I don't really think thinking is going to help here so I'll just say yes," Luna said uneasily. She looked over to Aya who appeared incredibly skittish by the situation. Luna took hold of her hand and gave it a squeeze. "It's okay. You're safe with us."

Aya smiled and nodded at her before looking at Sora. "What about you guys?"

"We'll be the offensive, naturally," Balthier said as he prepared his flintlock. "And though I don't expect to take down one of those things in a single shot, I wouldn't underestimate me and especially not Fran either."

"Here they come," Luna warned. One of the Gummi Ships reached them before the rest and the door lowered to reveal a woman with mid-length silver hair looking at them with a smug smile. She tilted her captain hat downward and grinned.

"So you're the boy that killed the commander's brother? You don't look like much, but I'm no fool. I'm sure you're just fool of surprises," she said.

"And who would you be?" Balthier asked.

"General Mari Seren of the Caladbolg division of Horus, and I'm here to punish naughty children who ask too many questions," Seren said.

"Ms Seren?"

Aya stepped forward, looking up at her. Seren's grin turned into a miserable scowl.

"Well if it isn't Aya Miyabe. How long has it been since we last met? Seven hundred years or so?" she asked.

"Ah, I'm sensing a past between you two? Mind filling us in?" Luna asked.

"She was my homeroom teacher at the academy," Aya explained. "Then during the war she appealed to me to join her division but-"

"But you ran away. Like a coward. I was sorely disappointed. Still am, except I didn't realize just how long these feelings had lingered inside me until seeing you again. The intensity is the same. Utterly disappointed, and we can add joining an enemy of Horus to the list. Twice."

"I'm sorry I disappointed you, Ms. Seren. I really am. But for the first time in a while, I've found friends who support me. I don't feel pressured or left behind just because others are doing something that I can't. I ran away because I didn't feel I was strong enough to fight under Irva Torvald. I let other people—my peers, my friends—do the dirty work for me during many of my missions while I stood there like a coward because I couldn't bear the thought of killing others. But I won't run away anymore. These guys are what motivate me to become stronger, something I could never have found while still with Horus," Aya said.

A pained expression overtook Seren's face and she closed her eyes before smiling again. "And you used to be such an amazing student. A shame. Hmph, that's fine. I'll be sending your motivation to the bottom of the ocean anyway. You might as well join them."

"How convenient for you that she was such an amazing student until she became self-aware," Balthier said angrily. "It speaks quite a soliloquy about you and your practices. Unfortunately for you, you took it upon yourself to mess with the wrong ship."

"We'll see about that," Seren muttered. She disappeared from their view and the door of the Gummi Ship closed soon after. It sped off and rejoined the rest of the fleet who began advancing on The Sheva soon after.

The first of the Gummi Ships zoomed forward, firing off Fira-G artillery that hit the water as it headed towards their boat. Luna ran forward to the front of the boat and raised a shield with her Keyblade. The salvo of Fira-G projectiles smacked against the shield with such intensity that they threw Luna off her feet. Aya moved forward and caught her quickly, looking up to see the Gummi Ship whooshing past them and up into the sky.

Luna placed a hand on Aya's shoulder and steadied herself. "This is going to be a massacre, isn't it?"

"Yeah. For them," Sora said.

"Ooh, aren't you confident," Luna said. She looked back at the Gummi Ships and aimed her Keyblade at the second ship coming by, this time blowing the projectiles away with multiple casts of Aeroga.

A barrage of fire magic shot forth from Sora's Keyblade aimed at the Gummi Ship. Some flew past the targets while others hit the ship dead on, knocking it off balance only slightly. Aya moved quickly to the back while deflecting shots aimed for the ship itself and Balthier followed after, pausing every few second to shoot at the ships flying above them.

"Sora, light my arrows on fire," Fran asked of the brunette.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Sora turned quick on his heel and did as he was told, shooting the magic at the arrows just before they hit the Gummi Ship approaching them. There was a small explosion followed by the glass in the cockpit shattering. The next thing they knew, the ship was spiralling out of control and hit the sea bed not too far from them. Sora's mouth hung open and he laughed. "Oh. OH! Did WE do that?!"

"Don't get complacent," Fran told him.

"Yes, ma'am," Sora mumbled. He looked up at the sky to see the rain and wind picking up. It was something that was going to inevitably work to their disadvantage, especially for Fran's arrows.

"Don't worry about me. I haven't been hunting since I was a child just to let a little wind stop me," Fran said, as if sensing Sora's worries for her. Sora nodded before returning to dual cast magic with both his Keyblades. There was a certain rhythm and timing to each spell that increased their effectiveness although Sora couldn't say he was a master at this timing. He had only trained with Shantotto for a week and hadn't really done much practicing afterward. The biggest problem was keeping his aim steady after knockbacks from magic, not that his aim was particularly great in the storm anyway.

From aboard her Gummi Ship, General Seren steadied herself as her ship was battered by the violent storm. Around her, various ships were engaging with The Sheva which was putting up more of a resistance than she had expected. This should have been a total annihilation but instead she could only watch painfully as her fleet failed to do any damage. She growled and stamped over to the communication device, flicking the switch on and yelling into it. "What are you stupid fools doing? How could one itsy-bitsy target give you so much trouble? Rip them to shreds right now or I'll hand you all over to Grendel to let him play with you!"

Her voice echoed out of the ship itself causing Sora to let out a satisfied grin. "I think we're making her mad."

"Ooh, I guess that means we're doing good, then? Let's keep at it," Luna replied smugly. She looked away as Aya reappeared next to them.

"Balthier's trying to keep the ship steady. We just have to finish them off before they finish us," Aya said, casting some of her magic at the Gummi Ships. "They say the best defence is a great offence after all."

"Can't have a great offence if you're dead. Now less talking and more hitting," Fran pointed out. She twisted slightly and aimed above her just as a Gummi Ship passed over them before firing off an arrow. The arrow hit the engine on the back of the Gummi Ship, blowing it up and sending it into the tumultuous ocean waves.

Just then, a great white light flashed across the sky. Sora's eyes were drawn upwards for a while before looking back at his Keyblade. It was worth a try in his mind even though something told him it was also an incredibly stupid idea. He transformed both Oblivion and Oathkeeper back into one Kingdom Key and raised it skyward in hopes that salvation might strike in the next few seconds.

"Sora, what are you… AGH!"

Luna was cut short as a lightning bolt came down and struck his Keyblade, lighting it up. Sora looked back to the Gummi Ships and shot a beam of light from the tip. Powered up by the electricity generated, the usual beam now sped forward like a crackling bullet. One, two, three Gummi Ships… the bullet went straight through all of them, leaving devastation in its wake.

From her own ship that was not among those targeted, Seren smiled despite the look of disbelief on her face. "Holy shi-"

Her head turned as an explosion went off right near The Sheva. From the ground, the cause had been one of the Gummi Ships heading straight into the water nearby. The resulting explosion rocked The Sheva and Luna who had been by the railing was thrown back into and over it.

"Luna," Sora said, although the name was drowned out by the sound of booming thunder. He ran forward and jumped straight into the water without a moment's thought. Water violently pushed against him in all directions but his goal was in clear sight. He forced his entire body to keep fighting against the waves and reached out to put Luna's arm around him. "Lun- Luna! Are you… okay?"

"Yeah… what do we do?" Luna asked.

"Hey!"

The both of them turned, barely able to make out the figure calling to them through the cruel waves.

"Aya, just keep going! Can't turn the ship around. You'll be in danger," Sora yelled as loud as he could.

"What about you?" the taller figure being Fran asked, moving towards the railing to get a clear view of them.

Sora looked around quickly until his eyes settles on a small shape in the distance that looked like land. "There's an island over that way, I think. We'll meet up there!"

"Okay. Stay safe!" Aya yelled. As if on cue, shots from the enemy hit the water near Sora and Luna. Sora dived underwater and ensured Luna followed suit before heading in the direction of the island. A few seconds later, they emerged from underneath and kept swimming from there.

"Sora… I can't…" Luna tried to say as they continued swimming. Sora tried his best to look upwards as he heard the sounds of a Gummi Ship gaining on them. Conversely, he could feel his strength waning and the waves working haphazardly to prevent him from moving.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure you won't suffer long!" he could hear Seren's voice from above, followed by a streak of Comet-G missiles going off.

"Reflect!" Luna yelled, turning around to stretch out her hand. The missiles exploded upon hitting the shield but the impact was enough to blow Sora and Luna away. The last thing he saw before blacking out was a second explosion just a few second after.

Sora groaned and clawed his fingers back, bringing muddy sand back with them. This seemed to pique his curiosity and he opened his eyes. Other than the sensation of feeling sand in his fingers, he noticed more importantly that his entire body was in pain. He gritted his teeth and rolled onto his back to stare up at the sky, though he eventually had to look away when the onslaught of heavy wind and rain struck out at him.

"Ugh… how's that song go again? Had a bad day? Definitely need that blue sky holiday right about now," Sora groaned. He tried to sit up but his back was far more interested in ignoring his orders. "Can't stay here, idiot. Move."

Somehow, Sora managed to stand up. The first thing he saw was a big and beautiful full moon looking back at him. It was some semblance of calm in his chaotic predicament.

"LUNA! LUNA!" Sora called over and over. He heard nothing in response except pouring rain and the wind's howl. He took a few steps when he caught sight of a few figures just a few ways off from where he was.

"They're around here somewhere. Keep searching until you've found them," Mari Seren said.

One of her cohorts seemed less than enthusiastic about the search. "But they couldn't have survived an explosion like that-"

"Do you see any bodies? No? Then shut up and search!" Seren yelled back. She turned around and there was no doubt in Sora's mind that she had seen him, but he wouldn't wait to confirm that theory either. Sora took off into a sprint, trying his best to ignore the pain shooting through his body. Up ahead were trees that seemed to extend many miles. If there were ever a chance he could make it out of this mess alive, then it would be in there.