(Battle Music Cue: Rage Awakened – Any version: KH2 Final Mix, BBS, or KH2 Remix)
Xehanort stood staring down the Lingering Sentiment with a scowl as the Traveler stepped back and away from the two. Xehanort decided to make the first move, sending his Guardian Armor flying towards the Sentiment with a fist reared back but the Sentiment seemed to take a single swing of its Keyblade, but in truth it sent out a flurry of swings so fast that only the streaks of light reflected off the Keyblade as it swung could be seen. The Guardian Armor was struck multiple times, creating a loud metal-on-metal racket and sending the armor flying. Xehanort was taken by surprise by the ferocity of the move but had little time to react as the Sentiment came flying towards him. Xehanort barely had time to spin clear, leaping into the air and spinning towards the Sentiment who spun towards him.
"Begone!" Xehanort yelled, summoning a wall of Ethereal Blades behind him, firing a barrage of the blades towards the Sentiment. The Sentiment instead took off running, dashing forward and nimbly leaping up onto a small ledge on the wall and using it to leap up towards Xehanort, Keyblade drawn back for another attack. Xehanort scowled as the armor brought its Keyblade around for another swing but instead struck a Guard Wall, causing it to recoil. Xehanort smirked and launched forward, lashing the armor up the chest twice, first with the Ethereal Blade in his off hand, and second with his Keyblade before bringing both down on its head, sending it flying down into the ground, a cloud of blue dust erupting from the ground and a huge crack spreading across the ground on impact. Xehanort landed nearby, standing at the ready.
"XE-HA-NORT!" the Sentiment roared as the dust started to settle, revealing the Sentiment with what appeared to be a massive cannon on its shoulder. It was Terra's Ultima Cannon Shotlock. Xehanort's eyes widened in alarm and he quickly ran clear just before the Sentiment fired off the shotlock, the red cannon ball crashing into the wall with a blinding light, the force of the blast sending more cracks into the walls and floor. Despite this, nothing shattered. Xehanort quickly rushed in towards the Sentiment which turned and blocked the Keyblade Master's attack, their blades pressing against one another's.
"I'm getting…the feeling that you don't like me." Xehanort grunted as he pushed against the Sentiment but the Sentiment didn't respond. The Sentiment was suddenly grabbed from behind by the Guardian Armor, being held in a tight bearhug. The Sentiment struggled as Xehanort smirked at it and reared back his Keyblade to attack when the Sentiment suddenly broke free with a powerful shockwave of dark magic.
"XEHA-NORT!" the Sentiment roared as it dropped to the ground, reared back its Keyblade and slammed it down onto the ground, sending a line of sharp jagged earthen spikes to barrel towards Xehanort who blocked with a guard wall. The Sentiment came charging forward towards the wall as it vanished. The Sentiment then came to a stop with its Keyblade held across and down at its left side as petals of pink energy floated around it. Xehanort recognized the move immediately.
"Zantetzukan!" he exclaimed, quickly leaping clear just seconds before the Sentiment blew past, its Keyblade held out to the side, just missing Xehanort who turned with his Keyblade ready to fight back. The Sentiment turned and glared at him again.
"XEHANORT!" The armor roared before launching at the Keyblade Master again with its Keyblade raised. Xehanort stood ready to defend, defiant and ready to fight back when…
"Xehanort!" a familiar voice called as a familiar suit of armor leapt in between Xehanort and the approaching Sentiment. It was Eraqus in his armor. The Sentiment brought its Keyblade around to strike as Eraqus moved to block but the Sentiment suddenly froze mid-swing (End Battle Music). They looked and saw the Sentiment standing perfectly still. It's cape still fluttered slightly but it otherwise didn't move. Finally the Sentiment pulled its Keyblade back, standing to stare at the two, namely at Eraqus.
"Mas…ter." The Sentiment said, staring at Eraqus for a moment before planting its Keyblade into the ground immediately in front of it before dropping down onto one knee, placing its hands on the pommel of its Keyblade and bowing its head. The armor remained in this position for a moment before a plume of brown dust erupted from beneath it, consuming the armor within it. When the plume cleared, the Sentiment was gone.
"Who was that?" Eraqus asked as his helmet vanished.
"Not sure. Just someone with a grudge against me if the Traveler's to be believed." Xehanort said as Eraqus shouldered the Tempus Fugit-D on his right shoulder.
"Where is the Traveler anyway?" Eraqus asked as Xehanort looked towards where the Traveler had last been seen and saw he had escaped.
"He's run off. I don't know what he's looking for but he can't have gone far." Xehanort said as Chirithy ran up to them.
"He's trying to catch a glimpse of the future to see how it plays out." Chirirthy said, taking Xehanort by surprise.
"What are you?" Xehanort asked curiously.
"The name's Chirithy, but I don't have time to explain. Come on, I can take you to that Traveler guy." Chirithy said as Eraqus gave Xehanort a reassuring nod. Xehanort shrugged.
"Alright then lead the way." Xehanort said as Chirithy started running towards one of the passages through the Tempest.
"So I've been wondering. What happens if we break some of this glass, even accidently?" Xehanort asked.
"Oh don't worry, nothing happens! This place is kinda like a fancy art gallery. You only see windows into time here. The people you've encountered, like that guy in the armor, are different. They've been lost to time or are waiting for something to happen in the future. It's kinda hard to explain." Chirithy explained as they ran.
"So if we break something here it won't hurt the timeline right?" Eraqus asked.
"That's right." Chirithy replied as they rounded a corner and saw a large cavern ahead of them, the Traveler standing, looking around ahead of them.
"This is it. Good luck you two." Chirithy said as Xehanort walked on ahead but Eraqus knelt down and pet Chirithy on the head, earning an appreciative cooing from the spirit.
"Thank you, Chirithy, for everything. I hope you find the person you got separated from." Eraqus said as Chirithy gave a nod to him.
"Don't worry about me. I already know he'll show back up again. He won't remember me, but so long as he's okay, I'm content watching him from here." Chirithy said as Eraqus smiled at him.
"I'm glad you have such a positive attitude about it. I hope you get to reunite with him." Eraqus said before standing up and catching up to Xehanort. Chirithy quietly watched them enter the cavern before he turned and walked away. Inside the cavern, the Traveler was looking around and hadn't noticed Xehanort and Eraqus approaching. The cavern was a domelike chamber with no other passages save the one they came in from. As they entered, glass shards began growing over the entrance, sealing them inside.
"Traveler! It's over!" Xehanort said as the Traveler turned towards them with an audible growl of frustration.
"So it would seem. The Tempest has proven to be a complete crock! I've seen nothing of my future. I've only seen things I've already known. I can't find anything that would point me to how my future will play out." The Traveler grumbled.
"Welcome to normalcy. No one save a Foreteller can see the future. Like the rest of us, we just have to take the future as it comes." Eraqus said as Xehanort gave a nod.
"The future is unknowable. All you can do is plan for possible scenarios and hope that you've accounted for every contingency. I can understand the desire for wanting to know how your plans play out. But unfortunately we don't have the luxury of foresight." Xehanort said as the Traveler growled.
"My Master explicitly sent me here to try and find what I could about my future. I've achieved every objective he's given me and yet this one task is proving to be the one that defeats me." The Traveler grumbled.
"It's not the only thing that's going to defeat you." Eraqus said as Xehanort held out his free hand.
"Give us the Keyblade, and we will allow you to return to your time without incident." Xehanort said as the Traveler looked at the Tempus Fugit in his hand for a moment before chuckling to himself.
"Perhaps I wasn't clear. I said I didn't find anything related to my future. Yours on the other hand…" The Traveler said, driving the Keyblade into the ground. The ground didn't crack but the various prisms and surfaces of the room began to shift and distort until they started reflecting what appeared to be a dark shoreline with black rocks and black sands with a single moon reflecting off the water. It was a place the two had only heard rumors of…
…The Dark Margin.
"What is this?" Eraqus asked.
"The Realm of Darkness. Are you trying to imply that our futures end in Darkness?" Xehanort asked as the Traveler gave a light shrug.
"Hard to say. I tried to look into your futures and this is what I saw." The Traveler said as he dropped into a fighting stance, summoning his Demon Gauntlet to his hand (Battle Music Cue: Dismiss – BBS or KH2 Remix).
"As for surrendering the Keyblade…come and take it." He said as Eraqus and Xehanort dropped into fighting stances. The three immediately charged at one another, the Traveler suddenly vanishing in a haze and reappearing to Eraqus's right, the two quickly engaging in a series of rapid strikes. Eraqus however proved the better swordsman and managed to match the Traveler blow-for-blow before Xehanort lunged in and drove the Traveler back. The Traveler raised its clawed hand towards the two of them and fired off a large beam of blue light.
"GUARD!" Xehanort yelled, conjuring a guard wall and deflecting the blast as Eraqus zipped around the wall towards the Traveler who quickly swept the beam around towards him but Eraqus leapt into the air. The Traveler quickly raised his Keyblade to block, the Keyblades ringing out as they struck, causing a shockwave to erupt from them on impact. The World projected around them suddenly shifted to the Throne Room of the Land of Departure. The Traveler glared at Eraqus from beneath his hood.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to break this Keyblade." The Traveler said as Eraqus snarled at him.
"Maybe I am!" he replied, the two rearing back and striking three times at each other before locking blades again. Xehanort quietly circled around to the side, to Eraqus's right and the Traveler's left, waiting for a moment to strike.
"And potentially destroy your last hope of saving your beloved?" the Traveler asked but Eraqus smiled knowingly.
"I think we both know what will happen if I break that Keyblade." Eraqus said as the Traveler's head movements indicated surprise.
"You'd take that risk?" he asked.
"Even if it means never seeing Lillian again, so long as she isn't suffering in your hands!" Eraqus said before leaping back just as Xehanort came flying in with his Ethereal Blades in both hands, striking at the Traveler in a series of rapid strikes. The Traveler leapt back just narrowly dodging the Guardian Armor as it attacked from the side with a Xehanort's Keyblade in hand in a powerful downward swing that struck the ground, cracking the glass floor a little on impact. The Traveler turned to see Eraqus streaming light off his body as he came charging towards him, having activated his Hikari Command Style, zigzagging towards him. The Traveler quickly vanished in a haze, reappearing behind Eraqus but his attempted attack from behind was prevented as Xehanort fired a short volley of Ethereal Blades at him. Eraqus spun around towards the Traveler just as Xehanort moved in to trap the Traveler between them. The Traveler looked back and forth between them before quickly having to use both his Keyblade and his Demon Gauntlet to deflect and parry their attacks.
"Give it up!" Eraqus said as they continued the attack.
"If only you knew what the future held for the two of you!" The Traveler growled towards Eraqus, vanishing in a haze again just in time to dodge another swing from Eraqus which struck the ground, causing the chamber to shift locales again. Now they were back in the Keyblade Graveyard only far off in the distance. The sky was dark and a Heart Shaped moon could be seen overhead. In the distance, they could see flashes of light and hear the sound of metal striking metal along with the occasional blasts of magic power coming from the base of and atop a tall earthen spire. Xehanort and Eraqus saw this battle taking place in the distance but couldn't make out the figures doing battle due to the distance.
"Your futures hold nothing but pain and betrayal! You honestly believe you'll get to spend your days with your beloved Foreteller? I know how it ends!" The Traveler's voice echoed around them but Eraqus turned away with a scowl.
"I know. Lillian herself told me that although our love will not wane, the two of us will not ever be together." Eraqus said as Xehanort looked at him pityingly.
"And you'd rather let her die than use the power of the Tempest to keep her alive? To make it where you both will be together?" The Traveler asked as he appeared nearby, Xehanort and Eraqus turning towards him.
"Lillian wouldn't forgive me if she ever found out I did that. I'd be acting selfish. I'd rather lose her than do anything to destroy our love." Eraqus said as the Traveler shook his head.
"So be it then." He said before thrusting his Demon Gauntlet towards the two, sweeping another beam of energy across towards them but they both rolled out of the way. He then vanished in a haze, reappearing behind Xehanort who glanced over his shoulder just in time to be struck hard in the lower back by a punch from the Traveler.
"AUGH!" Xehanort cried out as he collapsed onto his hands and knees, gritting his teeth in pain as a black flame rose from the place he was struck. The Traveler quickly had to turn and defend just as Eraqus came crashing into him with his Keyblade.
"Augh my back!" Xehanort hissed as he crawled away on one arm while putting a hand to his back, patting out the flame.
"What did you do to him?!" Eraqus asked but the Traveler glanced towards Xehanort as he continued crawling, his Guardian Armor standing guard.
"It looks like…predestination." The Traveler muttered. Eraqus let out an angered yell towards the Traveler and took a swing but the Traveler caught the Keyblade in his Demon Gauntlet, causing him to drop onto one knee from the blow. The Traveler glanced towards Eraqus for a moment before chuckling and tightening his grip, the Tempus Fugit-D cracking in his grip. Eraqus tried to pull free but the Traveler swung at him with his Keyblade, forcing Eraqus to leap back, letting go of the Keyblade. The Traveler laughed as he held the other Keyblade in his grip.
"And now you've lost your grip on Time it seems." The Traveler said, not noticing the wounded Xehanort glaring at him, the Guardian Armor vanishing into the ground.
"Now with both of these Keyblades, perhaps the Tempest will obey my commands!" The Traveler said as the world around them shifted again, beginning to transition to a solid dark area of infinite darkness, a transitional phase in shifting between locales (End Battle Music). The Traveler proceeded to raise both Keyblades and hit them into the ground but nothing happened save for a small crack in the ground. The Traveler looked around but saw nothing.
"What?" he asked, confused. He struck the ground again but all that happened was the world shifted again, returning them to the Keyblade Graveyard, only with storm clouds overhead with the faint rumble of thunder.
"Still it defies me?! How?!" The Traveler asked as Eraqus scowled at him.
"Maybe it isn't the Tempest that defies you." Eraqus said as the Traveler growled and raised both Keyblades into the air with an angry yell but was suddenly grabbed by the wrists from behind.
"What?!" he yelped as the Guardian Armor grabbed onto him, crushing his wrists to force him to drop the Keyblades. The two Keyblades clattered to the ground and suddenly vanished in flashes of light.
"NO!" The Traveler hissed as the Guardian Armor disappeared, returning to its Master as he limped towards Eraqus. Xehanort was standing in a slight forward hunch with a pained expression. The Traveler looked and staggered back slightly as he saw Eraqus and Xehanort both holding the Tempus Fugit Keyblades, Eraqus holding the one formed from Lillian's Heart and Xehanort holding the Tempus Fugit-D.
"What?! How?! How did they answer your calls?!" The Traveler asked as Eraqus looked at the Keyblade in is hand.
"You forgot whose hearts you used to forge them. Their hearts are still within these blades, waiting for us to free them." Eraqus said as he took the Keyblade in both hands, jamming it into the ground in front of him, grabbing hold of the blade by the guards with both hands. The Traveler knew what he was going to do and recoiled in alarm.
"No! Don't-!" He exclaimed but Eraqus twisted the Keyblade with a loud grunt of effort and proceeded to snap the Keyblade in two, shattering it at the center to reveal a heart in the center. The fragments of the Keyblade turned to pure light before flowing into the heart as it floated up into the air. The Heart suddenly let out a shockwave of light before vanishing, the shockwave shaking the whole cavern, causing large chunks of glass to break from above and fall to the ground, shattering on impact. The falling glass created a strange hole in the ceiling.
"What have you done?" Xehanort asked but Eraqus just smiled peacefully.
…
Back in the Keyblade Graveyard, outside of the Tempest, Master Yen Sid remained knelt at Lillian's side, her body still within the dome of light. He suddenly opened his eyes when he heard a strange rumbling sound nearby. He looked to see a small round hole of blue light appear in the air and saw a small comet of light fly out from inside, spiraling around in the air towards them before stopping directly over Lillian's body and then shooting straight down into her chest. Yen Sid watched closely as Lillian's eyes shot open and she took a deep breath, convulsing slightly from the shock.
"Lillian! You're alive! They did it!" Yen Sid said with a grin as the dome of light faded, Lillian sitting up and catching her breath with a hand on her chest and a look of shock. After a moment she looked at Yen Sid, still looking shocked.
"Master." She said as Yen Sid gave a reassuring nod.
"I'm here, Lillian. Take it easy, you've been through a lot." He said as Lillian caught her breath.
"Yes I…I know." She replied as she looked at him worriedly, looking him over.
"Master, there's…something different about you. Are you alright?" she asked as Yen Sid grimaced a little.
"I don't know. I tried to keep the gates to the Tempest open but in doing so, I fear that I've…broken something." He said as Lillian nodded worriedly.
"I know. I can feel it. Your power seems to be…bleeding from you." She said before realization suddenly hit her and she started looking around in alarm.
"Eraqus, Xehanort, they're-…" she said as Yen Sid gave a nod.
"They're in the Tempest right now. They're-…" "They're fighting the Traveler, I know. I saw them. I could see everything." She said as Yen Sid looked at her curiously.
"You did? What did you see?" he asked as a tear ran down Lillian's face.
"I saw everything. And not just what happened in the Tempest, but everything that happens between now and the Traveler's time. Oh Master, we've been betrayed. The Darkness my sister has foreseen, it is coming. And now there is naught we can do to stop it from coming." Lillian said as Yen Sid placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You're certain?" he asked, Lillian nodding in response.
"Very…but, I think I know something we can do so that when it arrives, we have a chance of withstanding it." Lillian said as Yen Sid arched a curious eyebrow.
"What is it?" he asked as she looked at him with a serious expression.
"It's drastic, and it will involve no shortage of pain and hardship…but it is what must be done." Lillian said as Yen Sid gave her a stoic nod.
"Whatever I can do to help, name it." He said. She bit her lip in hesitation before leaning in and whispering into her Master's ear. His face scrunched up with curiosity for a moment before a sad tear formed and rolled down his cheek. She then sat back and looked at her worriedly.
"You're certain?" he asked as she gave a nod.
"Very." She said. He then took a breath and rose to his feet, his Keyblade in both hands.
"Very well. I'll miss you, Lillian. You and your sister were fine students." He said as Lillian rose to her feet, standing in front of him.
"And you were as fine a father as either of us could've had." She replied with a caring smile.
"May your Heart be your Guiding Key…Master Lillian." He said as she smiled tearfully. He then pressed the tip of his Keyblade against her chest as a bright light formed that enveloped them both. When the light faded, Yen Sid stood alone in the Keyblade Graveyard, his Keyblade at his side, a sad smile on his face. He looked at his Keyblade, noticing a small chink in the shaft that hadn't been there before. He sighed, recognizing the toll his overuse of power had taken. He then looked to his right towards the sky, towards where the Tempest Gate had been.
"Eraqus, Xehanort, the future depends on you." He muttered softly.
…
Back within the Tempest, Eraqus had just shattered the Tempus Fugit, freeing Lillian's Heart from within the Keyblade and causing part of the chamber they were in to rain large shards of glass upon them but neither Eraqus, Xehanort, nor the Traveler were harmed by the falling glass.
"What have you done?!" The Traveler asked.
"Freed Lillian's Heart. Don't ask me how I know, I just do." Eraqus replied as he summoned his Keyblade back to his hand. Xehanort stood holding Tempus Fugit-D as the Traveler growled in anger, clinching his fists before letting out a sigh of frustration.
"So be it. You've won. I will concede." The Traveler said as the two looked at him suspiciously.
"Just like that? How stupid do you think we are?" Eraqus asked but the Traveler turned away, his Demon Gauntlet fading away.
"I did what was instructed of me. I accomplished all of my tasks, save for one. This mission, the mission to learn the outcome of all mine and my Master's efforts and planning, will have to be learned the normal way. In my time, the Foretellers are extinct, and with them, the door to the Tempest is forever blocked. That is why I was sent back in time by my Master. To a time where two Foretellers existed. But with the both of them dead and the Key in the hands of those who would stop me, the door is forever closed to us." The Traveler said before putting his hands behind his back.
"So while I fail this objective, my other objectives are accomplished. The board has been set for the future to play out as desired. To that end, this victory, although pyrrhic, is mine." The Traveler said as he summoned his Keyblade and turned away, pointing it straight out to his right. His Keyblade glowed a little before a small beam of blue light shot from the tip and struck something in midair, opening a round blue portal. The Traveler looked at Eraqus and Xehanort one last time.
"Masters, I bid you both farewell." He said before walking through the portal that closed behind him. Eraqus and Xehanort looked around but saw nothing. The chamber shifted back to its normal glass cavern. Xehanort then let out a gasp in pain and dropped to one knee, dropping the Keyblade in the process. Eraqus quickly knelt down at his side.
"Are you alright?" he asked as Xehanort shuddered in pain.
"My back. It still burns. Ah!" he grunted. Eraqus picked him up under the arms, throwing Xehanort's right arm around his neck before picking up the Tempus Fugit-D.
"Come on. Let's go home." Eraqus said as he looked around.
"How do you propose we do that?" Xehanort asked. Eraqus smiled at him and then at the Keyblade in his hand.
"Easy…" he said as the Keyblade started to glow with a white light, emitting a dulcet tone (Ambience Cue: Passion – Orchestral Version – KH2 or KH2 Remix).
"…we'll let our hearts be our guiding key." Eraqus said as the Keyblade proceeded to dissolve into small sparks of light, moving in front of them to form a door made of light.
"The Door to Light." Xehanort said in surprise as Eraqus started to carry him towards the door.
"Our way home." Eraqus replied with a smile. Eraqus glanced back as they approached the door, noticing Chirithy watching them depart from the reopened entrance to the cavern. He also saw the Master of Masters poking his head from around the corner, giving a friendly two-fingered salute before both ducked back behind the corner. Eraqus smiled and looked back ahead as they passed through the Door to Light.
End Chapter 35
What happened to Lillian? You won't have long to find out. The end of this story is just around the corner.