Author's Notes: Well, my friends – we have finally reached the penultimate chapter of Chains of Destiny. One last push through the End of the World before the final battle with Ansem – Seeker of Darkness and his guardian. The end is very near – I can almost taste it!

I've got two names for Makarov and Soul's Keyblades, but no designs… guess I'm going to have to count on my old buddy Fullmetal to help me – whenever he shows up since I know that he is busy with life and whatnot. I'm patient and can wait for him…

If there is nothing else to discuss, let's dive into the chapter! I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Soul Eater or Fairy Tail! They are owned by Tetsuya Nomura, Atsushi Okubo and Hiro Mashima.

Chapter 47 – End of the World!

After saying goodbye to Leon's group in the Grand Hall along with Kim, Ox, Kilik and their weapons, the group returned to their Gummi Ship and started flying to the place that Ansem made his retreat.

It seemed that they were going in the right direction due to the Heartless ships getting stronger and powerful. Eventually, the Gummi vessels reached their destination – a world with shattered lands and dark energy everywhere. Ansem has been very busy indeed…

The group were shocked at how much worlds the Heartless had destroyed in order to create… this... this… monstrosity of a world filled with dark energy.

"My god…" Lucy began.

"You said it, Lucy. How long has Ansem been destroying world after world?" Maka asked.

"He's been doing this for years – no doubt about that." Donald answered.

"Then we need to stop him and fast before the Heartless destroy every living thing in the universe." Maka stated with a determined tone in her voice.

"Agreed, sis. Let's get ready to disembark…" Kairi said, as got up from her chair...

(On the ground…)

After disembarking from their ships, the group found themselves in a cave at the Gate to the Dark. Exiting it, they find fragments of dense snowy rocks floating in a pool of unknown substance; destroyed lands and dark spheres falling from the sky.

"Jesus Christ… Now I've seen everything." Soul muttered to himself.

"What an evil place…" Lisanna stated.

"Gawrsh, is that all that's left of the worlds taken by the Heartless?" Goofy asked.

"It seems so." Lucy answered.

"The worlds will be restored when we defeat Ansem, right?" Maka asked.

"You betcha!" Donald answered with a smile.

"But, I've got a question – if we do defeat Ansem and all these worlds become restored and disconnected… what's going to happen to us?" Sora asked.

The group looked at each other and acknowledged Sora's point – what will happen to them once Ansem is defeated and the worlds are restored?

"Well, this is a Heartless world, so maybe it'll just disappear." Goofy calmly stated which got a look of shock from everyone when the group turned to look at him.

"Goofy! We're trying to save the worlds, defeat Ansem and then leave this place alive! Not die in the process!" Maka yelled with a hint of anger in her voice.

"Not cool, dog. Not cool." Soul said with a frown.

"Guys, calm down." Lucy said.

Maka turned to her. "Lucy, if this world disappears after we defeat Ansem – we might die!" She stated.

Lucy, on the other hand just gave her a kind smile. "We won't die, Maka. Do you remember what Aerith said – no matter what happens to us, our hearts will bring us together again. Even if this place disappears, we'll find each other again. Nothing bad is going to happen, guys." She calmly explained.

This little speech managed to calm the rest of the group down and they all gave Lucy a nod.

"You're right, Lucy. We'll find our friends again." Lisanna agreed with her.

"I agree as well." Soul agreed.

"So do I." Sora agreed and then looked on ahead – it was time to start finding the Seeker of Darkness and defeat him.

However, at this very moment – Kairi pulled out her lucky charm from her pocket. "Sora, I have something to give you." She said.

The spiky-haired boy turned to her and she shoved the lucky charm in his hand. "What's this, Kai?" Sora asked.

"It's my lucky charm – the one that I made back on the islands. I know that you and Maka are a couple, but you still are my best friend. So, I've decided to let you have it." Kairi explained.

Sora was surprised as he looked at the charm. "Wow… thanks Kairi. I don't know what to tell you or how to thank you…" He said.

Kairi gave him a giggle. "No need to thank me, Sora. I'll let you have it on one condition – be sure to bring it back! Don't lose it or else!" She warned him with a playful tone in her voice.

Sora gave her a nod. "I'll bring it back, don't worry." He assured her.

"Promise?" Kairi asked.

"Promise." Sora replied.

Kairi smiled. "Good. Don't forget, Sora – Maka and I are always with you." She assured him.

Sora gave her a nod and then turned to look at Maka. "You ready?" He asked his girlfriend.

Maka gave him a nod and smiled. "Yep. Oh, and Sora…?" She said.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Be sure to bring back the good luck charm that Kairi made. Wouldn't want to make her mad now, do we?" Maka asked with a playful smile.

Sora became embarrassed at the fact that Maka overheard the little talk that Kairi and he had a couple of seconds ago. "Damn it…" He mumbled to himself, as he pocketed the charm.

Maka playfully giggled and then looked ahead. "Alright, guys! Let's go and defeat the Seeker of Darkness!" She ordered and the group started moving forward.

Unfortunately, they did not get very far as a dark sphere fell out of the sky. The group tried to dodge it as best they could, but ended up being caught in it.

Finding themselves in another area with Heartless appearing, the heroes took out their weapons and attacked.

Sora, Maka, Kairi and Soul slashed them with their weapons while Lisanna went into her Bunny form and kicked them. Lucy summoned Taurus who chopped them with his axe while Goofy bashed them with his shield. Donald casted Fira and Blizzara on the Heartless. The Keyblade Wielders used Sonic Blade and Strike Raid to finish their opponents for good.

The dark sphere was gone and the group continued on their way. Unfortunately, another dark sphere fell onto them and the heroes found themselves in another area filled with Heartless.

Sora and Maka casted Firaga and Thundaga while Soul slashed with his summoned scythe arm. Lucy summoned Aries who used Wool Bomb and Lisanna went into her Cat form and clawed the Heartless. Meanwhile, Goofy threw his shield at them while Kairi attacked with her Rapier.

More Heartless showed up to which Kairi and Soul both slashed with their weapons. Meanwhile, Sora and Maka both used Sonic Blade while Goofy bashed them with his shield. Lucy used her whip first and then summoned Sagittarius who fired a couple of arrows that were lit on fire. Lisanna went into her Bunny form and kicked the Heartless as hard as she could. Finally, Donald casted Fira and Blizzara, which destroyed their opponents.

The second dark sphere had disappeared and the group continued walking towards the white hole at the end of the area.

"Looks we're nearing the exit." Maka said.

"Hope you are right, Maka…" Soul told her with a hint of worry in his voice.

The group stood in front of the white hole, but before they could enter it – a third dark sphere fell onto them. Arriving in a new area, they discovered that their opponent was a Behemoth Heartless.

"Great… this bastard again." Soul muttered to himself as he summoned his scythe arm.

"We've defeated him once and we can do it!" Maka assured her group, as she summoned her Keyblade.

"Let's defeat Gigantor!" Sora yelled, which caused Kairi and Maka to laugh quietly at Sora's little joke.

Maka casted Thundaga while Sora used Strike Raid on the horn. The Behemoth started stomping the ground in an attempt to hit the group, but they dodged. Lisanna went into her Bunny form and started kicking the weak spot while Donald casted Fira at it. Meanwhile, Goofy threw his shield and Lucy summoned Aries who used Wool Bomb on the horn. Soul and Kairi slashed it with their weapons.

The Behemoth charged his horn and caused energy balls to fall from the air. Maka quickly casted Aeroga to shield herself and the group from the Heartless' attack. Donald used Gravira, which stunned the Behemoth and allowed Sora to climb onto its back. The spiky-haired started slashing the horn followed by the Sonic Blade ability. Soul attacked the weak spot with his scythe arm while Kairi used her Rapier weapon. Lucy summoned Taurus who used his axe to strike the horn while Goofy bashed it with his shield. Donald casted Blizzara and Thundara at the weak spot and the Behemoth was vanquished.

The dark sphere teleported the group to a lower giant crevasse that was filled with green web-like structures and different colored crystals.

"Where are we…?" Lisanna asked.

"No idea, Lisa…" Lucy replied.

"The better question is where Ansem went to?" Maka asked.

"If we go down into the most dangerous place, we'll find him!" Donald answered.

Maka gave him a nod. "It's a risky move, but it's worth a shot. Good thinking, Donald!" She thanked the duck wizard for suggesting the idea.

"Let's get moving!" Sora yelled.

The group nodded and started descending down step by step in the hopes of reaching the most dangerous place where Ansem laid. Along the way, the heroes were surprised that no Heartless showed up and attacked them – did they get scared and ran off to gain more power from their master?

Well, it did not matter to the heroes – soon, every Heartless along with their master would be destroyed.

The group finally reached the lower part of the giant crevasse where they saw a green hole in the ground. Entering it, Sora and Maka find themselves in a dark area but the rest of their friends and companions were nowhere to be found.

"Huh? Where are Donald, Goofy and the rest?" Sora asked, as he looked around.

"No idea… Sora, look up ahead!" Maka yelled, as she pointed at something.

Sora looked at what Maka was pointing and saw six portals – a blue, green, red, yellow, white and a light blue one.

"Where did these portals come from?" Maka asked.

Sora gave a shrug. "I have no idea… But they might lead us to our missing friends." He suggested.

"It's possible… Let's go and check them out." Maka said.

The couple entered the blue portal and found themselves in a very familiar area – Traverse Town's Third District.

"Sora! Maka!" A familiar voice called out to them. It was Donald, running towards them.

"Donald! There you are!" Maka said, completely relieved that Donald was okay.

"What happened?" Sora asked.

The duck wizard gave a shrug. "No idea! When we entered the green hole, I found myself in what looks like to be the Third District of Traverse Town! I didn't see you two or the rest of our group anywhere!" He explained.

Sora and Maka looked at each with confusion on their face – why hadn't Donald or the rest appeared with them after they jumped in the green hole. Was this the work of Ansem?

Before they could ponder on the main questions, the Heartless showed up out of nowhere.

"Oh, great… They have a perfect timing to show up unexpectedly." Sora stated with a groan and took out his weapon.

"Don't worry, Sora. We can beat them!" Maka assured him as she took her Keyblade.

"Here they come!" Donald yelled.

The Heartless charged, but Sora slashed with his weapon while Maka used Sonic Blade. Donald casted Blizzara and Thundara, which stunned the creatures for a couple of seconds. Sora and Maka both used Sonic Blade while Donald unleashed a couple of Fira spells. The Heartless became un-stunned and tried to hit the Keyblade Wielders, but they both casted Aeroga to shield themselves. Donald used Thundara to finish the creatures for good.

"We did!" Maka cheered.

Just then, a green portal appeared in front of the doors leading to the First District.

"Where does that green portal lead to?" Donald asked.

"Only one way to find out." Maka answered.

All three entered the portal and found themselves in the rabbit hole in Wonderland where they saw Goofy standing his ground against different types of powerful Heartless.

"Goofy!" Maka yelled in concern.

The knight turned to the group and smiled. "Guys, there ya are!" He replied.

Sora, Maka and Donald charged forward and attacked the Heartless. They attempted to claw the heroes, but the Keyblade Wielder blocked their attack and slashed back. Donald casted Blizzara while Goofy bashed them with his shield. The Heartless managed to claw Maka a little, but Sora casted Curaga on her and used Strike Raid. Goofy threw his shield as a boomerang once again and Donald casted Fira, which finished the wave of enemies for good.

"Yahoo! We did it!" Goofy cheered.

"Yep! Another wave of Heartless down." Sora declared.

The captain of the Royal Guard turned towards his friends. "So, guys – where did ya all go?" Goofy asked.

"Long story…" Maka replied.

Then, a red portal appeared in front of the group.

"Now, where will this one take us?" Sora asked.

"Let's find out." Maka answered.

The four entered the portal and found themselves in the courtyard of the Olympus Coliseum.

"Sora, Sis – guys!" A familiar voice called out to them.

It was Kairi, who was running towards the group.

"Sis, there you are!" Maka exclaimed in happy tone as she embraced Kairi in a sisterly hug.

"Kairi, are you okay?" Sora asked in a concerned tone.

"Yes, I'm fine. But why is there only four of you here? Where the rest of our friends?" Kairi asked.

"No idea. We think that Ansem might have had something to do with this…" Maka answered.

"Really? Why do you believe-" Kairi was cut off by Sora yelling, as he took out his Keyblade. "Heartless!" The Heartless appeared the rest of the group summoned their weapons.

Sora and Maka charged forward and attacked the dark creatures with their Keyblades while Kairi slashed with her Rapier. Meanwhile, Donald casted Firaga and Blizzara while Goofy threw his shield like a boomerang. The Heartless managed to claw both Sora and Kairi, but Maka used the Curaga spell to heal the two completely of their wounds. Donald casted Thundara while Goofy bashed with his shield. Sora used Sonic Blade and Maka finished off the Heartless with the Strike Raid move.

A yellow portal opened in front of the gates to the Lobby.

"Another portal?" Sora asked.

"Where do these portals keep coming from?" Donald asked.

"Unknown, but wherever they are coming – they probably lead us to our missing friends." Maka replied.

"You might be right, Maka." Sora agreed.

"Only one way to find out." Donald said and the group nodded.

The group entered the yellow portal and found themselves in the bamboo area of the Deep Jungle where Lucy was standing her ground against the Heartless.

"Lucy!" Maka called out to her.

The blonde-haired girl turned and smiled at the sight of her friends. "Guys, thank goodness you are okay! Mind giving me a hand?" She asked.

The group nodded and charged forward in order to help Lucy. The Heartless tried to attack, but Kairi and Maka both blocked with their weapons. Sora used the Sonic Blade ability while Donald casted Thundara. Goofy bashed the Heartless with his shield while Lucy summoned Sagittarius who fired a couple of arrows. The dark creatures managed to give Sora and Maka a couple of nasty scratched, but Donald healed them using Cura. Goofy threw his shield and Kairi slashed the rest of the Heartless. Maka used Strike Raid to finish them.

Once they were all gone, Lucy turned to her group. "Thank god! I worried that something bad might have happened to you guys! Where were you exactly?" She asked.

Maka gave a sigh. "Long story…" She answered.

A white portal appeared in the bamboo area.

"What's up with the portal?" Lucy asked.

"They probably lead us to our missing friends." Donald answered.

"Really? Are you sure?" Lucy asked.

"Only one way to find out…" Maka answered.

The group entered the white portal and found themselves in the city of Agrabah where Lisanna was standing her ground against the Heartless.

"Lisa!" Lucy called out to her.

Lisanna turned and smiled when she saw her group coming towards her. "Guys, you're okay!" She exclaimed in a relieved tone.

"We can talk once these Heartless have been defeated!" Maka replied.

The Heartless attacked and managed to wound Lucy a little, but Maka casted Curaga while Sora slashed them with his Keyblade. Donald used Fira and Blizzara while Goofy bashed with his shield. Lisanna went into her Cat form and started clawing the dark creatures. The Heartless tried to attack the heroes once more, but Donald casted Gravira, which stunned them. Lucy summoned Aries who used Wool Bomb while Sora used Sonic Blade. Maka and Kairi both slashed with their weapons and Goofy threw his shield like a boomerang, which destroyed this group of Heartless.

"Another group of enemies down." Maka declared in a calm tone.

Lisanna nodded. "Yep. Guys, what happened and how did you get here?" She asked.

"Long story…" Maka replied.

A new portal opened – this time it was light blue.

"Another one…" Lucy said.

"It might lead to Soul." Maka suggested.

"Only one way to find out." Kairi said.

"Let's dive in and check." Sora said.

The group entered the light blue portal and found themselves in the water world of Atlantica. Sora, Maka, Lucy, Donald and Goofy entered into their sea forms followed by Lisanna who gain a purple dolphin tail and blue bra. Kairi also received a pink dolphin tail and bra.

"Yo, guys!" A familiar voice called out to them.

It was Soul who was approaching the group.

"Soul! Are you okay?" Maka asked.

Soul nodded. "I'm fine. But where did you-" The albino's question was cut off by the underwater Heartless appearing.

"We'll explain later! Right now, we gotta fight!" Sora yelled, as he took out his Keyblade.

The Heartless charged forward, but Sora and Maka attacked with their Keyblade. Lucy summoned Aquarius who used Torrent while Lisanna used mermaid-based attacks. Donald casted Blizzara and Goofy threw his shield towards the Heartless. Soul slashed with his scythe while Kairi attacked using her Rapier. The Heartless attacked and managed to hit Maka a little, but Donald casted Cura on her while Lisanna launched herself and started striking the creatures with her dolphin tail. Sora attacked using his Keyblade while Kairi slashed with her Rapier. Soul finished the Heartless for good by slicing them with his scythe arm.

"Well, that was close…" Maka said in a relieved tone.

Soul gave a sigh. "You said it… Glad you all are okay. What happened?" The weapon asked.

"Somehow we found ourselves on the same worlds that Sora, Maka and the rest of us visited during the adventure. It's the work of Ansem, no doubt…" Lucy answered.

"Don't worry, Soul… We'll find him soon enough and make him pay." Maka assured him.

Soul gave her nod – the sooner they find Ansem, the better.

"Right, now how do we get out of here?" Sora asked.

A new portal opened – one that confused the group. Didn't they already find each other? Where would this portal take them?

"Where does this portal go to?" Lucy asked.

"Who knows?" Maka replied.

"It might leads to where Ansem." Soul suggested.

"Let's find out!" Kairi said.

The group entered the portal and found themselves in a very familiar place – Oogie Boogie's Torture Room in Halloween Town. The group assumed their costumed forms with Lisanna and Kairi being witches while Soul resembled a zombie.

"Back in Oogie's Torture Room again?" Lucy asked.

"It would appear so…" Maka replied.

The Heartless appeared once more and the group attacked. Sora, Maka and Kairi slashed with their weapons while Goofy threw his shield. Donald casted Fira and Blizzara while Lucy summoned Taurus who axed some of the Heartless. Meanwhile, Lisanna went into her Bunny form and started kicking the creatures as hard as she could. Soul cut the last of the Heartless with his scythe arm and they ended up disappearing.

Another portal appeared and the group entered it. The place that they were on right now was the Egg Carrier in Sonic's world.

"Where are we right now?" Lisanna asked.

"On the Egg Carrier – it's one of the places we searched for Kairi and Soul." Lucy answered.

Just then, the Heartless showed up again and the group took out their weapons.

"Oh, great! How much longer do we have to keep on fighting?" Soul asked -annoyed at the fact that he had to continue fighting Heartless.

"As long as we have to!" Maka replied.

The Heartless charged, but Sora and Maka managed to block their attacks. Kairi and Soul slashed with their weapons while Lucy summoned Sagittarius who fired a couple of arrows at the creatures. Lisanna went into her Cat form and clawed them while Goofy threw his shield at them. Donald casted Gravira, which stunned the Heartless. Sora used Strike Raid while Maka slashed with her Keyblade. Goofy bashed with his shield and Kairi attacked with her Rapier. Soul cuts the remaining Heartless with his scythe arm.

They disappear and a new portal opens – the group enter it and find themselves on Hook's ship in Neverland.

More Heartless showed up and the group attacked. Sora slashed the Heartless while Donald and Maka both casted Firaga. Meanwhile, Lucy summoned Aries who used Wool Bomb while Lisanna went into her Bunny form and stated kicking the creatures. Soul and Kairi slashed with their weapons and Goofy bashed with his shield. The Heartless were defeated and a new portal opened.

Entering it, the group found themselves in the Hundred Acre Woods. Everyone took out their weapons and waited for the Heartless to show up… surprisingly, they did not.

"Where are the Heartless?" Maka asked.

"Maybe they aren't attacking Pooh's world because it is a peaceful one…" Sora suggested.

"It's possible." Donald agreed.

"Well, since there are no Heartless around… we should keep on moving." Lucy said.

The group nodded and found another portal – upon entering it; the heroes find themselves in a hallway with multiple orange holes and a Heartless symbol at the other end of the room.

"Where are we…?" Maka asked.

Lucy looked around. "This… looks like Hollow Bastion. But I've never seen a room like this before in the castle…" She answered.

Lisanna walked forward and then stopped in her feet, when she noticed a door that was closed. "Hey, what's this?" She asked herself.

Opening the door - her eyes widened when she saw a room filled with machinery, pipes and a giant computer terminal.

"Lisa, what's up?" Lucy asked.

Lisanna turned to the group and replied. "You guys aren't going to believe this…"

The group walked over to her and their eyes widened at the sight of the room.

"Whoa…" Sora began.

"I know." Maka agreed, as she entered the room.

The rest of the group entered the room and started examining it – needless to say, they were impressed at the sight.

"What is this place…?" Donald asked.

Maka gave him a shrug. "No idea… but if it is a part of Hollow Bastion, why didn't we see it while we were in the castle?" She asked.

"Good question…" Lucy answered while agreeing with Maka.

The ash-blonde Keybearer walked over to the giant computer terminal and examined it – maybe it held a clue to where this room was in Hollow Bastion.

It was then that Maka discovered a strange manuscript written on the computer terminal – something involving hearts and darkness.

"Hello… what do we have here?" Maka said to herself.

Sora overheard her and asked. "Maka, is everything okay?" His girlfriend nodded and replied. "Yeah, but I found something you all might want to listen to."

"What is it?" Kairi asked.

Maka cleared her throat and began to read. "Ones born of the heart and darkness, devoid of hearts, ravage all worlds and bring desolation. Seize all hearts and consummate the great heart. All hearts to be one, one heart to encompass all. Realize the destiny: the realm of Kingdom Hearts. The great darkness sealed within the great heart. Progeny of darkness, come back to the eternal darkness. For the heart of light shall unseal the path. Seven hearts, one Keyhole, one key to the door. The door of darkness, tied by two keys. The door of darkness to seal the light. None shall pass but shadows, returning to the darkness. Ones born of the heart and darkness, hunger for every heart until the dark door opens." She finished explaining the manuscript to the group.

The first person who spoke up was Soul. "Well… that was an interesting explanation." He stated with a whistle.

"What purpose does this manuscript hold and who wrote it?" Lucy asked.

'Two more questions with no answers unfortunately… But what intrigues me the most is the name – Kingdom Hearts. What is it and where does it lay…?' Maka thought to herself, as she pondered the name that she read in the manuscript.

Lisanna gave a sigh and turned to Lucy. "Two more questions and unfortunately… we don't have the answers." She replied.

"Maybe we will find the answers to our questions in the future." Kairi suggested.

"It's possible…" Sora agreed with the red-haired girl.

"Hey, Maka – one thing is on my mind… the name that me and the rest heard 'Kingdom Hearts' – what does it mean?" Soul asked.

Maka turned towards her group. "That's the million dollar question that I'm trying to figure out. So far, no luck…" She replied.

"Hmmm…" Sora began by crossing his arms before continuing to speak. "What about that the phrase – 'the great heart'?"

"What about it, Sora?" Kairi asked.

"Does it have another meaning or is it related to Kingdom Hearts?" Sora asked.

At this question, Maka's eyes widened. "Wait a minute, Sora… I just realized something – what if the great heart is Kingdom Hearts?" She suggested.

The rest of the group's eyes widened with surprise – were Maka's words true? Could the great heart be Kingdom Hearts?

"How can you be sure, Maka?" Soul asked.

"There are evidence in the manuscript to confirm this – the shadows are the Heartless, right?" Maka asked and the group nodded. "The Heartless want to devour the hearts of everyone in the universe, right?" The group nodded again. "Then that means… the Heartless are searching for the great heart, which must be Kingdom Hearts – where the hearts of all worlds lay!" She finished explaining.

The group's eyes widened at Maka's explanation – she was right! The great heart must be Kingdom Hearts! And if the Heartless are searching for the great heart that means…

"You might be right, sis! But if what you said is true and the Heartless are searching for Kingdom Hearts… that means that Ansem is probably doing the same thing!" Kairi stated.

Lucy had a shocked look on her face as she slapped herself in the face. "Now it all makes sense… Ansem releasing the Heartless on different worlds and devour the hearts of people. He wants to summon Kingdom Hearts so he could obtain more power…" She explained.

"My god… is Ansem crazy enough to do that? No, what am I saying – he is insane to summon Kingdom Hearts. We have to stop him and fast." Lisanna declared with a determined tone in her voice.

"We will, Lisanna - Don't worry." Donald assured her.

The group all gave each other nods of determination – they were going to find Ansem and stop him no matter what. They will not let him win and summon Kingdom Hearts simply for the sake of obtaining more power! It was either victory or death!

Satisfied and determined with their plan to stop Ansem, the group started leaving the room in order to continue on their journey but unfortunately, the Heartless appeared.

The group took out their weapons with Sora and Maka both using Strike Raid on the dark creatures. Soul slashed with his scythe arm while Kairi attacked with her Rapier. Lisanna clawed the Heartless in her cat form while Goofy bashed them with his shield. Donald casted Gravira, which stunned the dark creatures. As for Lucy, she summoned Taurus who cut them in half with his axe. Only one more Heartless remained, which was disposed by the combined efforts of Sora and Maka.

The group left the computer terminal room and the hallway area via another portal and find themselves in an area called the Evil Ground with a hole leading to god-knows-where.

Upon entering the hole, the group found themselves floating through mysterious and unknown dark air. Beneath them, they saw what looked like to be a volcano with something sitting inside of it. As they got closer and closer, the mysterious black thing spread its wings and it was revealed to be a gigantic, humanoid, muscular demon with yellow eyes, claws and sharp teeth along with pointed ears.

"Holy mother of…" Maka began in a shocked tone.

"What the bloody hell is that!?" Soul asked – shocked at what he was looking.

"It looks like a demon!" Sora answered.

"Never mind what it is! Even if it's a demon, we've faced tougher opponents before! We can do this!" Donald assured.

"Right!" Maka agreed with him.

The heroes charged forward and started hitting the demon in the face who breathed fire at the group. Sora, Maka and Donald all casted Aeroga to shield themselves and the rest from their opponent's attack. Lucy summoned Aries who used Wool Bomb while Lisanna clawed the demon using her Cat Form. The gigantic black monster roared and started shooting dark shots at the group. Maka and Kairi were hit but Sora casted Curaga on the two girls. Donald used Thundara while Goofy bashed with his shield. Soul slashed with his scythe arm.

The demon roared and summoned fire from below the volcano, but fortunately – the group were not hit as they were away from the blast range. Sora and Maka both rushed and slashed the black monster, but he swiped the two teenagers away with his claw. Donald casted Cura, which healed the Keyblade Wielders completely while Kairi slashed the demon with her Rapier. Lisanna went into her Bunny form and started kicking the monster while Lucy whipped him. As for Soul, he slashed with his scythe arm.

The demon breathed fire at the group once again to which Sora, Kairi and Soul were burned up. However, Donald and Maka quickly casted Cura while Goofy threw his shield. The demon roared and summoned fire from below the volcano but the group were not hit. Lucy summoned Aries who used Wool Bomb while Soul slashed with his scythe arm. Kairi attacked with her Rapier and Goofy bashed with his shield. Sora and Maka delivered the final strike on the demon who roared and bursted into a burning white flame and sinking into the volcano.

Once the demon had vanished, the group entered the volcano and started going down the crater until they discovered a white portal.

"Wonder where this leads to?" Maka asked.

"Only one way to find out…" Sora answered.

The group entered the white portal and found themselves in a long tunnel filled with dark vines, a grove of round trees in the first corner and stone debris in the second along with stuff that has been damaged.

"This stuff is possibly parts of worlds that were destroyed by the Heartless…" Lucy said.

"Which means…" Maka began.

"We're getting close to Ansem." Soul finished for her.

The group continued on their way and found another portal. Entering it, they find themselves in another hollow tunnel.

"We're getting closer and closer now…" Maka declared.

The group moved on and soon found themselves in a large room with a Heartless symbol placed at the other end on the wall.

"I can sense Ansem…" Kairi told the group.

"Really? Where?" Maka asked.

Kairi pointed at the Heartless symbol on the wall. "Through there…" She answered.

The group gave her a nod and started walking towards the symbol. Just then – a Behemoth Heartless fell from out of nowhere.

"Whoa! Where the hell did he come from!?" Soul asked as he summoned his scythe arm.

"Never mind where he came from! Let's get rid of him and get towards the symbol!" Maka replied, as she took out her Keyblade.

The Behemoth attempted to stomp on the group, but they dodged very easily. Sora and Donald casted Gravira, which stunned the big Heartless. Maka and Soul jumped on the back and started slashing the horn with their weapons. The Behemoth regained consciousness and shook the albino and ash-blonde teenagers off. Lucy summoned Taurus who attacked the horn with his axe while Goofy bashed with his shield.

The Behemoth Heartless became angry, charged his horn and caused energy balls at the group who dodged without problems. Maka used Strike Raid on the weak spot while Kairi slashed with her Rapier. Lisanna went into her Bunny Form and started kicking the horn. Donald casted Gravira, which stunned the Behemoth and allowed Sora to climb onto its back. The spiky-haired Keyblade Wielder started attacking the horn while Goofy jumped and bashed it with his shield.

The Behemoth became un-stunned and jumped into the air. Sora, Maka and Donald quickly casted Aeroga to shield themselves and the group from the big Heartless' wave attack. Goofy jumped and threw his shield while Lisanna attacked the horn in her Cat Form. Kairi and Soul slashed the horn with their weapons and the Behemoth was destroyed.

The group cheered for their success and started moving towards the symbol, but when they got close enough, the heroes saw that one of the Heartless emblem pieces had broken off and disappeared into thin air.

"Did you see that?" Maka asked.

"Yeah, we did…" Lucy answered.

"How did one of the pieces break?" Kairi asked.

The group thought about this for a few minutes until Soul's eyes widened. "That Heartless we just defeated…" He began.

"What about it?" Lisanna asked.

"Hear me out, guys – I bet that the first piece of the Heartless symbol was connected to the big creature we just fought a couple of seconds ago." Soul replied.

"Okay… but what is your point, Soul?" Maka asked.

"Maka, don't you see? If we defeat enough Heartless, the rest of the pieces will break and the symbol will disappear!" Soul explained.

The group looked at each other for a few seconds and then turned to Soul. "That… seems possible… very unlikely to work… but possible." Maka said.

"But how can we be sure that the rest of the pieces are connected to the Heartless?" Lucy asked.

"Well, we'll find out now because the Heartless have showed up!" Soul replied, as he summoned his scythe arm.

The group turned and their eyes widened – different types of Heartless showed up out of nowhere!

"Are you kidding me!?" Maka yelled, as she took out her Keyblade.

"Where did they come from?" Sora asked.

"Less talking, more attacking - spiky!" Soul replied, as he charged forward.

Everyone charged forward and started attacking the Heartless. They proved to be quite a challenge but the dark creatures were no match for the Heroes of Light. As the group continued fighting and defeating the Heartless, Soul's theory about the pieces breaking and disappearing into thin air was proven correct.

The group continued fighting the Heartless with their abilities until there was nothing left. Eventually, the heroes won and the last of the Heartless symbol pieces had broken off and disappeared which revealed a secret door.

"Guess you were right, Soul! The pieces on the Heartless Symbol were connected to the creatures we fought! Good work!" Maka congratulated her weapon partner with a friendly slug to the shoulder and a kind smile.

Soul chuckled. "Nothing to it. Now, let's get in there and find Ansem!" He declared.

The group stepped into the door and found themselves in a sandy chamber with dust falling through some holes in the walls along with a large ornate door.

Kairi pointed at the door. "In there. Ansem is in there – through that door…" The red-haired girl explained.

"Then let's open the door and confront him! I can't wait for the moment when we defeat him!" Soul declared with a cocky grin.

"Soul, don't get cocky now…" Maka warned him.

Sora and Maka approached the door and were about to open when the two heard a voice talking to both of them.

"Huh?" Maka asked.

"Sis, is something wrong?" Kairi asked.

"I don't know how to explain it, but I'm hearing something…" Maka answered.

"I'm hearing something as well." Sora agreed with her.

"Be very careful. This is the last haven you'll find here. Beyond, there is no light to protect both of you. But don't be afraid. Your hearts are the mightiest weapons of all. Remember, you two are the only ones who can open the door to the light." The voice explained.

"I don't hear anything, sis." Kairi said.

"Neither do I." Soul agreed.

Maka scratched the back of head. "Strange… I thought I heard a voice." She said.

"I thought the same thing as well…" Sora agreed with his girlfriend.

"Maybe you two need to take a rest?" Donald suggested.

Sora and Maka shook their heads. "No, we aren't resting. Any moment we waste, Ansem gets closer and closer to victory. We have to stop him!" Maka declared with a determined tone.

"I'm with you until the end, Maka!" Sora agreed, as he summoned the Keyblade in his hand.

"Same here, sis!" Kairi agreed.

"Just tell me what you need to do, partner!" Soul agreed with a smirk.

"We're here to assist in any way we can, guys!" Lucy stated with a grin and a nod from both her and Lisanna.

"I'm not running anyway from this!" Donald declared and took out his rod.

"Same goes for me!" Goofy agreed and took out his shield.

Sora and Maka looked at each other and nodded.

"You ready, Maka?" Sora asked his girlfriend.

"Yes, Sora. Let's do this!" Maka agreed with her boyfriend.

Sora and Maka walked over to the door and opened it - a bright light blinded the couple along with the group, but they stepped forward.

It was time to do the impossible… it was time to find Ansem and finish him once and for all... The adventure would soon be over and the group would go home as heroes.

Ansem – The Seeker of Darkness would not know what hit him…

Author's Notes: Well, guys – we've finally reached what I thought would be impossible! The penultimate chapter of Chains of Destiny is done and the next one is the final battle between Ansem himself along with a special guest…

Guys… I cannot thank all of you enough for the support you have all given and shown me. Without you, I don't think I would have completed the story and that would have been a big mistake. But I pulled through and finally made it to the final chapter of Chains of Destiny – thank amen for that!

The next chapter will be written once I get back from the beach on August 27th – I think… In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy some peace and quiet. Then I'll come back to the laptop refreshed and ready to write the final chapter of the story! I can't wait for the end to come!

News on the cover art – I have finally gotten a sketch and it looks amazing! Granted, it will take a while for me to receive the full cover art, but I will wait until it is finished - no matter how many delays or requests there are.

Well, guys – that's all the time I have for you guys. Nothing else to tell you besides the fact that I'm still waiting to hear about Soul and Makarov's Keyblade… Tell me in the reviews!

So, yeah – time for me to head off and leave you to read the next chapter of Chains of Destiny. Can't wait to see you at the final battle! Enjoy and until next time!

Bye, guys! See you in the final chapter of the story!