A/N: Oy, this chapter is looooooooooong. Also, work is cancelled for me for two weeks, which means more updates coming sooner than later!


Chapter 40: The Dread of Night

Upon Kairi and Anna reading the spell, the wind had picked up within the palace. It felt like something was stirring and just waiting to spawn before their very eyes. Xion and Naminé huddled together while Kairi and Anna's eyes scanned the room for anything. However, the wind seemed to die down. Much to their relief, but also their dismay, it seemed like nothing had happened. The two of them read the spell, leaving both girls to question whether reading the spell actually worked or not. Everything seemed untouched. Even the temperature in the room didn't feel any different despite the chilly wind blowing right through.

"Did it work?" Xion asked, looking around.

Kairi sighed as she sat all the way down and crossed her legs. "I'm not sure. It looks like nothing's changed. Anna?"

"I...I don't know. I don't even really know exactly what this spell was supposed to do or how it would happen. It's just supposed to grant your dreams." Anna answered, a sense of uncertainty in her tone. "Maybe it just takes time?"

"I could be wrong, but I thought magic spells were supposed to be instant?" Naminé assumed.

Xion folded her arms and leaned against the wall. "What exactly were you trying to do with that spell anyway?"

"I thought I could cure the Blight...but, I guess...more than anything, I just want my sister back…" Anna said in a low tone.

Kairi bit down on her lip before scooting closer to Anna. "Well, maybe Elsa will come back a little later and everything will work out."

"I hope so. I guess we'll wait here for Elsa and see if it worked."

Agreeing to wait for Elsa, Xion and Naminé got comfortable as well as Kairi and Anna. If they could be honest, nobody knew what to expect now. It was almost unsettling, especially with the painful pit that formed in Kairi and Anna's stomachs. It didn't help that once they heard the voices of Kai and Gerda on the other side, indicating that Elsa's counsel meeting was finished, there was no knock on Anna's door. This meant Elsa hadn't come to Anna's door yet. Xion wondered if they were waiting for nothing, but Anna insisted giving them more time.

This 'extra' time didn't mean much, for shortly after, Anna started to feel really drowsy and sleepy, almost to the point where she couldn't make it to the bed before falling asleep. Kairi followed suit, also growing really tired and falling asleep right on the floor. Xion and Naminé found it quite strange, but went along with it. Xion went back to her reading of mythological creatures. There was another creature that caught her eyes, the Huldrefolk. They were creatures that hid in the shadows and were had a way of finding lost things and keeping them for themselves. They reminded her of Heartless a bit, minus the heart stealing. Naminé went back to working on her sketch, taking advantage of the evening lighting.

Although it seemed like a normal sleep, Anna was in for a sleep that anything but normal. Within her dreams, she found herself deep in the woods outside of Arendelle, not a single bit of light shining through the towering trees. Elsa was nowhere to be found, which only stressed Anna out further. She called out Elsa's name numerous times until she could hear her sister calling back to her, albeit from a far distance. Following the voice, Anna sprinted through the woods, knocking any branches or bushes that go in her way. The stabbing pit in her gut told her Elsa was in trouble and nothing was going to stop her from helping her sister.

As she arrived into the fjord, Anna looked ahead and saw Elsa staring ahead, her back to Anna. She called out the queen's name before running across the field toward her. As she got closer, Elsa turned around, her face blank with a lack of emotion. Anna couldn't help but stop in her tracks as she saw her sister engulfed in dark matter, gasping as she saw Elsa collapse down right in front of her. As Anna ran forward, she could feel the burning pain of the darkness against her hand. She stepped back, grunting as the burn felt like it was popping against her skin. It was just enough room for the darkness to expand, another figure appearing right in the center of it all.

It was him.

He was just as Anna remembered him. He was tall, criminally handsome, but cold, underneath all of the charm. He wore the same sinister grin when he revealed his true intentions to Anna as she nearly entrusted her fate in his hands. There he was, standing next to Elsa, his foot pinning her unconscious body to the ground. Anna froze up in place as she watched the man engulf himself in darkness once again, this time, the darkness forming into a wolf-like creature with beading yellow eyes. It's dark violet, black, and teal colored body looked just like it always had whenever she had dreams like this before, but now, it felt real. Anna's body shook as the wolf ducked its head close to Elsa. She felt conflicted whether to try and stop the creature or if she would provoke it to kill Elsa.

Anna's conflict became too much for her. She screamed and ran forward, only for the wolf to lash out and knock her back. The wolf hovered over Elsa and howled before the dark matter that surrounded her, began to swallow her. Anna desperately scrambled up from the ground and reach out for her sister, only for the two to be separated. No amount of shouting each other's names would be enough to unite the sisters this time. Elsa had fallen to the darkness, and Anna was left without any options.

"Elsa!" Anna's eyes flew open as she shot herself back up from her sleep.

"Anna? You okay?" Naminé asked as she hurried over to her.

Anna nodded, catching her breath. "Yeah. Just a nightmare, it looks like."

"Well, Kairi seems sound asleep still." Xion chuckled as she looked over at the passed out redhead, who definitely seemed off as indicated by the dark energy that was forming around her.

Chirithy, feeling the energy, popped out, his face full of distress. "No she isn't! She's having a nightmare! At this point, if she doesn't wake up, Kairi may be swallowed by the darkness in the dream!" He said while shaking her.

Naminé gasped as she scrambled over to Kairi and began to shake her body. "Wake up, Kairi! Wake up!"

"Come on, Kairi!" Xion joined in with Anna and Naminé.

Kairi could hear her friends calling for her, but it wasn't enough to wake her up. Instead, she was still trapped in the nightmare she was having. It was her and Sora together, trapped in what appeared to be endless oblivion based on the pitch darkness the lack of any life source. There were floating in midair, with what appeared to be a transparent barrier between each other. They could see each other, but they couldn't feel or even hear each other. No matter how many times Sora and Kairi called each other's names, their voices couldn't soothe the anxieties that burst through each of them.

Sora finally started banging against the barrier, trying to get to Kairi as she fell backwards. Her eyes started to grow heavy, as they drifted shut, and her body went limp, almost as if her entire body had given up and was ready to accept the fate that beheld her. The further she fell through the darkness, the colder it felt and the more pain she was in. It almost felt like it started inside of her and worked its way out, attacking every part of her body. Yet, Kairi didn't fight back, she let the pain consume her.

Until, she finally heard his voice.

Even if she couldn't hear it before, Kairi finally heard Sora's voice. Hearing the distress in his call, she finally began to fight back, struggling against the nothingness that was the darkness. She could also hear her friends calling her name again. Only this time, Kairi was fighting to not only escape the darkness, but to finally wake up from this nightmare.

"Sora!" Kairi yelled as she shot up from her slumber. She continued to breathe heavily, her head searching around the room frantically. "Where's Sora? Is he here?"

Xion shook her head. "No, and Elsa hasn't come back either."

"Sounds like you were having a crazy dream." Naminé chuckled.

"She WAS having a crazy dream!" Chirithy said while shaking his head.

"Chirithy? You could see my dream?" Kairi asked as she rubbed her head.

"Yeah, and with the state your heart has been in, you have to be cautious with nightmares." He warned her. "Especially now that you've read that magic spell."

Xion groaned. "Why didn't you warn her?"

"Because I knew in her heart that nobody could stop her." Chirithy looked deeply into Kairi's eyes. "Kairi is someone who follows her heart. It's a blessing and a curse all at the same time."

Anna stood up and began looking around her room. "So, what exactly did the spell do? Nothing has changed."

"I'm not sure myself. All of this magic is beyond me." He said with a sigh. "But Kairi and Anna both having nightmares after this is a little uncanny for my taste."

"Maybe it just didn't work." Kairi said with a shrug.

"You might be right." Anna nodded. "Well, since we're all up, how about some hot chocolate? It'll help us fall right back to sleep."

"Sure!" The girls all nodded.

Chirithy perched onto Kairi's shoulder. "Coffee for me."

Keeping cautious, Anna led the other girls out of her room and through the royal chambers. Everything still seemed normal even outside of the bedroom. Kairi even had her Keyblade ready in case any Heartless showed up. Lucky for them, all seemed right, but the palace still seemed unsettlingly quiet. Anna almost wished Olaf would just come prancing out, yapping about nothing whatsoever just to calm her nerves down. Instead, she just assumed everyone was sleeping. Naminé and Xion followed close behind her, with Kairi bringing up the rear.

As she followed, Kairi couldn't help but stop in her tracks as she felt a certain presence behind her. She took a look back, not saying a word about it to the other girls in an attempt to not stir any worry with them. Especially since there was nothing there. Kairi grew suspicious, knowing that not everything was as it seems. She began to step in the opposite direction, only for Xion to call her attention away. Figuring that ignoring her wouldn't be the best idea, Kairi decided to leave it for now. She could always look more into it if it happened again.

The sweet smell of chocolate filled the room as Anna began starting on the wonderful concoction of warm milk and freshly ground cocoa. It could've easily been the only thing the girls could think about had Kairi and Anna not had their nightmares. If each of them could be honest, Chirithy's warning had them worried. Would this happen again if Kairi and Anna fell asleep again? Was this a result of them reading out the spell? Chirithy did mention they had to be careful when it came to having nightmares now they read the spell. It also didn't help that they suddenly heard strong footsteps from the hall outside the kitchen.

"What was that?" Kairi asked, hopping up from her seat.

Anna looked up from the hot chocolate, almost as if the hairs on the back of her neck were sticking up like a cat. "Kristoff?"

Was it Kristoff? It was possible that he arrived late from his visit with the trolls. The only problem with that speculation was that footsteps were definitely too big for a human, even for a stronger mountain man like Kristoff. Anna and Kairi looked at each other, the same look of suspicion spread across their faces, before stepping out of the kitchen and into the portrait gallery. The hot chocolate would have to wait.

"Kristoff, is that you?" Anna asked as she stepped forward.

Kairi placed her hand on her shoulder, keeping close behind. "Be careful."

Anna smiled and nodded, appreciating Kairi looking out for her. She listened closely, keeping her friends close behind her. The sound of the foot steps echoed from out of the portrait gallery, now sounding like they were coming from the royal hall. If the footsteps belonged to Kristoff, they were some really big feet. Anna held her candle forward, following what little light she got from it. The girls found themselves in the royal hall when there was nothing in the portrait gallery. Now, it sounded like the footsteps were coming from the Great Hall, only confusing the girls more.

Upon stepping into the Great Hall, Anna stopped and held her candle as high as she could. The light shed onto the polished wooden floor, revealing nothing out of the ordinary. That didn't stop Kairi from urging them to move forward. She didn't hear the foot steps leave the hall, which meant someone, or something, was still in there with them. Anna swallowed the lump in her throat that formed when her friends started pressing her onward toward the darkness. As Anna reached the other side of the room, she scanned the room with her candle, feeling a presence more than ever. Then, she saw it…

A pair of yellow eyes.

Anna had stopped breathing, recognizing the yellow eyes. She held the candle up and stepped back as the creature that the yellow eyes belonged to stepped forward, the low light slowly revealing this creature's full form. It was unlike anything even Kairi had seen. It had glowing yellow eyes like a Heartless, but it's body that resembled that of a werewolf and had a contrasting color scheme of dark violet, teal, and green with maybe a little red here and there. She summoned her Keyblade as she saw that Anna had frozen in place. She felt like her heart had stopped. She recognized all of it, the eyes, the growls, and its physical shape. It was the same creature from her nightmare...only this time...Anna was awake.

The wolf creature growled and snarled before lunging toward the fear-stricken princess. Kairi, with her Keyblade already summoned, rushed between the two and blocked the wolf. She grunted from the impact, but pushed back nonetheless, even with the wolf's jaw clenched around the Keyblade. Kairi was actually surprised that her weapon didn't snap in half with how strong its bite was. She was finally able to garner enough strength to push it back, if only for a moment.

"Anna! Go! Go make sure Elsa's okay!" Kairi demanded as Xion and Naminé joined her, ready to fight. She growled as she eyed the monster. "This Heartless...it doesn't look like the others…"

"Well, looking at it won't take it down faster." Xion said with a scoff.

Anna backed away, but still couldn't bring herself to run. It was almost as if she was hypnotized by the reality that she was seeing this monster while she was awake. Instead, she just gave Kairi, Naminé, and Xion enough room to try and fend off the beast. Unfortunately, this wasn't just an average battle against a Heartless. It was anything but. None of their attacks affected the beast. Their Keyblades would just bounce off the body and Naminé's magic would be deflected. Kairi even tried Seven Wishes move and Xion tried Sonic Blade, but neither of them were successful. The most the girls could do was block against any of the creature's attacks.

"My magic won't work on it!" Naminé gasped.

"I can't hit it!" Xion growled.

Kairi shook her head, as her heart started to panic. "Neither can I! What's going on? There's something off about this Heartless!"

Chirithy popped out, perching onto Kairi's shoulder. "That's because that is not a Heartless, Kairi! That's a Dream Eater, specifically, a Nightmare!"

"Okay, but that doesn't explain why my Keyblade won't work against it!"

"That's because this isn't any normal Nightmare. This one was spawned from the deepest darkest depths of the heart. Only the one whose heart this Nightmare belongs to can defeat it." Chirithy explained.

"You mean to tell us we're royally screwed right now?" Xion asked, her jaw clenched.

"Yep! So right now, you girls better get out of here if you wanna live!"

Xion and Naminé immediately turned and began running for the doors, prompting Anna to do the same. Kairi took one more look at the wolf, wishing she could just take it out right then and there. She didn't want to run. That's what she spent many years doing, just running away from anything that was remotely scary or dangerous, leaving it up to Sora and Riku to take care of it. It was the last thing she wanted to do, but with Xion and Naminé running back to pull her along with them, she didn't have much of a choice.

After slamming the doors behind them, hoping the wolf would at least be trapped in the Great Hall a bit, each of the girls took a quick breather. It wouldn't last long as the wolf suddenly reappeared in front of them from the other side. With Anna, Xion, and Naminé all screaming in terror, Kairi stepped forward, her Keyblade still gripped, and decided to try and fight off the wolf anyway. Even if she couldn't damage it, she could at least distract it while he friends ran past. The plan managed to work as Anna lead Xion and Naminé around the wolf that continued to lunge at Kairi, only for her to deflect it back. Once she found the opportune moment, Kairi decided to try a Stop spell. At least she found one spell that worked. The wolf stayed still for a few seconds, allowing her to catch up with her friends.

Anna stressed, trying to think of where they could go. She didn't want to go to Elsa's room right away out of fear the Nightmare would follow them. Instead, there was one person in the palace that she thought could help them. Kairi and the others picked up the pace as she heard her Stop spell wear off and the beast howling. They went into the room of Kai, one of the palace stewards that seemed to have a protocol for everything. If anyone could help in this situation where Keyblades didn't help, it was Kai.

After locking the doors behind them, Anna hurried over to Kai's sleeping form on the bed. She knew they didn't have much time until the Nightmare discovered their location. She began shaking him awake, only he remained completely still. Anna lit a candle from his bedside and held it over Kai's head, hoping it would help. Instead, he twisted and turned in his sleep, mumbling in a distressed tone, as if he was having a...nightmare. Kai continued on until Anna finally shook him awake.

Only, it wasn't the sight either of the girls wanted to see.

Kai's eyes flew wide open. Instead of his eyes being the usual brownish green color, they looked like two completely black ink pits. Anna staggered back while Kairi gasped, her mouth hanging open. Naminé covered her eyes and Xion put her arm around her. It was like something out of a horror movie. Kai sat up right in his bed and he screamed. He screamed as if long claws were tearing his heart out. Anna rested her hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him, but to no avail. Kairi, Naminé, and Xion all held their ears. This screaming was becoming too much even for them to handle.

"Now what's happening?" Naminé asked as she held her ears.

Kairi shook her head. "I don't know! But Elsa might be in danger if the other palace attendants are like this!"

"Elsa!" Anna cried out as loud as she could.

Kairi watched as Anna sprinted out of the room. Now, nothing else mattered to her other than Elsa's safety. Even with the Nightmare getting an idea to sent multiple copies of its head throughout the different parts of the palace, Kairi couldn't help but feel conflicted. On the one hand, Kai was suffering and she didn't want to just leave him here. On the other hand, it already seemed too late and the best option was to follow Anna and make sure Elsa was okay. With guidance from Xion and Naminé, the three of them opted to ignore copied heads and follow Anna back up to the royal chamber where they burst through the door to Elsa's room that was thankfully unlocked. She was also still awake, having not even changed out of her day clothes.

"Anna? What's going on?" Elsa asked with concern in her voice.

"Th-There's a wolf!" Anna stammered.

Kairi shook her head, her breath also uneasy. "No! It's not just a wolf! It's not even a Heartless! It's like this big Nightmare!"

"The palace attendants, it's like they're possessed or something!" Xion added.

"Girls, take a deep breath." Elsa said calmly. "Now, what did you see?"

Once she caught her breath, Anna told her everything she saw that had to do with the wolf. She told her how it had been tracking through the castle, how it tried to attack them, and that neither Kairi, Xion, or Naminé's attacks would work on it. She shared with Elsa the horror that was Kai's nightmarish state. The more Anna shared, the more Elsa grew concerned, but not necessarily in terms of the castle's safety.

"Are you sure you didn't have a bad dream?" Elsa pondered as she felt her sister's forehead.

Olaf yawned and rubbed his eyes, having been listening the whole time as he climbed out of his little bed. "Sounds like a bad dream."

"No! We're serious!" Xion argued.

"You believe me, don't you?" Anna asked, her tone slightly hurt.

Elsa sighed as she rubbed her temples. "Anna, I want to, but it's really late. We should all get to bed now."

"Question." Olaf asked as he unbolted the lock and peeked through the doors. "Wolves usually have four paws, two eyes, and long, sharp teeth, right?" Everyone else in the room nodded, only for Olaf to gasp while pressing a hand to his mouth. "Then, I'm pretty sure we should believe them."

The door flew open, the Nightmare rushing into the room. Elsa gasped as she held out her arms in front of Anna and her sister's friends. She didn't want to believe there was a giant monster running through the castle and now, she had no choice but to believe her as the beast began creep its way toward the group, Olaf jumping into Naminé's arms out of fear. It followed them as the girls circled around the room with Elsa still standing between them. However, before Anna or anyone else could react, a wall of ice erupted from the floor. Thick ice crystals formed a barrier that separated the girls from the Nightmare. It one of these moments where Elsa was grateful she was born with her magic powers.

"Now do you believe me?" Anna asked.

Elsa's heart raced, her breathing uneven as her eyes scanned the room. "We have to go find-"

The Nightmare started thumping against the ice wall, cutting off Elsa's words, and increasing the panic among everyone. Elsa as the only one who seemed not afraid and the only one who had the perfect way to thwart it off. Even if it didn't do damage to the Nightmare, it could at least hold it off, similar to how Kairi was distracting it.

"Run! Get out of here!" Elsa demanded as she held her arms up.

"But Elsa-" Anna argued, concerned for her sister's safety.

"Anna, she'll be okay. Come on." Kairi said in a calm manner.

Anna took one more look at her ice-casting sister before finally agreeing to go with Kairi. Xion and Naminé had already made some good distance down the hall, past the counsel chambers, with Naminé carrying Olaf. At this point, their priority was to get out of the castle. If Elsa wasn't safe, then nobody was. Anna led the trio and Olaf down the various flights of stairs and to the first floor where front doors were. It also didn't help that random Heartless were spawning now and again during this escape. While Naminé was carrying Olaf, this left Kairi and Xion to sweep any Heartless that got in there. Lucky for Kairi, she knew enough magic to annihilate the ice-elemental enemies while Xion went all out with her Keyblade. They didn't have time to strategize. This was urgent.

As the girls reached the front doors, Anna immediately came to a stop, causing Kairi to collide into her form behind, Naminé and Xion doing the same thing. There, blocking their path, was not only Kai, but also Gerda. Gerda was also under the same nightmarish state Kai was. This time though, they weren't stagnant. In fact, they were strutting toward them. Both of them were screaming with their mouths wide open, and each of them had something in their hands that they were lurching at the girls. Kai had a red hot poker while Gerda had a pair of scissors, and they were both shouting inaudibly, as if their mouths were gagged.

"Well, this can't be good." Olaf whispered.

Anna's breathing started growing heavy, as did Kairi's. Her numb hand finally curled into a fist while her other one gripped her Keyblade even tighter. She knew this was something she was capable of, and it was like a fire that was burning within her heart. Kairi stepped forward, getting between Anna and the stewards.

"Kairi? What are you doing?" Naminé asked.

"If it comes down to it, we're gonna have to fight our way through!" Kairi answered back, keeping her eyes fixated on Kai and Gerda.

Anna shook her head and ran forward. "We can't! We'll hurt them! There has to be another way…"

Xion tapped her foot in anticipation. "Well if there is, you may wanna think about it quick."

Kairi, while gritting her teeth, slowly started to back away. They didn't have a lot of options at this point. Using a Stop spell always took a lot out of Kairi and she had already used it once before on the Nightmare, not to mention how much it took to cast her other magic spells that she had used on the Heartless due to Naminé taking care of Olaf. At this point, it was fight Kai and Gerda off, or run. While Kairi was contemplating her own decisions, Anna was thinking back to when she had discovered the blueprints to the castle in the same room where she found the Magic Makers book. She started to remember that there was a secret tunnel that went under the castle. She didn't know exactly where it went, but it would at least get them out.

"Wait! I know how we can get out of here! Follow me!" Anna waved the trio in the opposite direction.

From the front doors, it was back to the kitchen. Anna explained that there was a secret passage in the ice room that could not only hide them from the Nightmare, but also get them to safety. Elsa finally joined them. She had spent a notable amount of time trying to hold off the wolf with her ice powers, but it had finally gotten to the point where Elsa was wearing herself down and needed to conserve her energy, otherwise, that would mean worse news. There was so much circulating through everyone's minds, so much so that nobody noticed Kristoff had returned from his trip. He was sitting at the table just eating a sandwich with Sven, his reindeer, next to him. It was obvious he had no idea what was going on and there was no time to explain.

"Hi, Kristoff!" Olaf greeted as he and Naminé darted into the kitchen and past the table. "Bye, Kristoff!"

"Run, Kristoff!" Anna yelled, grabbing him by arm and pulling him along with her.

"Mwaf?" Kristoff asked, his mouth full of sandwich. He looked back and noticed the wolf dashing right into the kitchen, its roars echoing throughout. "MWAFFFFFF!" He yelled, dropping his sandwich.

Now that everybody was together, Anna lead the way into the ice room, bolting the door behind them. It was a long shot considering the Nightmare was able to vanish and reappear on the other side, but with a small room like the ice room, it gave everyone hope that they could at least have enough time to escape. Anna knelt down and picked up a particular flagstone in the ground that opened up to reveal a stairwell that plunged into darkness. Kairi smiled and nodded, relieved that there was finally a safe way out of the palace. Each person went one at a time, starting with Olaf and ending with Kristoff, who pulled the flagstone back over them, making the current room almost pitch black.

"Okay, now that we're all here and out of that thing's way, can someone please tell me what's going on?" Kristoff asked, taking a deep breath.

"Well...we don't even know exactly what's going on." Kairi answered. "All my friends and I know is that that thing isn't a Heartless, it's a Nightmare, and we can't hurt it with our Keyblades."

"Wait...back up a sec. Who are you three?"

"Oh!" Anna hurried over to the trio. "This is Kairi, Naminé, and Xion. They're friends of mine!"

Xion smirked and folded her arms. "I take it you're Kristoff, right?"

"Yeah...and this is Sven. Okay, now that we've got that out of the way, what is this about Heartless? Are they causing problems again?"

"Well...yes and no." Naminé explained. "We had a couple encounters here, but I don't think they're the ones responsible for this."

Kairi nodded in agreement. "We'll do what we can to help, but this creature is new territory for us and we don't know much about it."

Kristoff sighed and threw his head back. "Great, my night just keeps getting better…"

"Well, in the meantime, can we get some light in here?" Elsa asked as she peered around, unable to see anything in the dark.

"Sure, let me get out my lantern." Kristoff said while digging into his travel pack.

"I've got you covered with the fire!" Naminé chirped as she held her Keyblade against the lantern, a small flame lighting it up.

"Thanks. Now, new question, where the heck are we?"

"This is the Earth Giant's Passage. It believe it goes under the fjord and will hopefully lead us far enough away from the wolf." Anna answered, a bit of uncertainty in her tone. "I'm not completely sure. The blueprints weren't exactly clear."

"Well, standing here won't answer our question." Elsa said as she brushed past the rest of the group and started down the path. "I'll go first, in case there's anything dangerous up ahead. Olaf, do you think you could…?"

"Put my eyes on the back of my head?" Olaf asked as he turned his head 180 degrees. "Already done!"

Kairi, Naminé, and Xion stuck close behind Elsa. "We'll back you up, in case there are any Heartless." Kairi said with the utmost confidence that brought comfort and relief to the stressed out queen.

With Kristoff's lantern lighting the way, the dark and quiet passage almost felt like a blessing. The girls had all spent a significant amount of time listening to a howling wolf and screaming stewards. Plus, they finally weren't running away from anything dangerous. In fact, it was such a barren passage that Kairi would be surprised if they did find anything of value. Although, she did have a tendency to pick up loose munny, which wasn't much, but considering she had been doing that all throughout the journey, it added up.

The tunnel finally widened up until it was a chamber. If there was any opportunity for anything dangerous to ambush the group, it was here. Instead, there was something that looked very serpent-like based on how the light shone on it. It wasn't a real creature though, but a carving. It was a carving of the finest wood anyone in this world would ever see or touch.

"It's a dragon!" Xion gasped.

"It's a boat shaped like a dragon." Anna pointed out.

Elsa thought for a moment as she studied the boat. "Everyone, this isn't just a tunnel. I think this is a tumulus."

"A tummy what?" Olaf asked.

"Long ago, people used to build large dirt mounds called tumuli and lay their fallen leaders in their boats, along with everything they would need to take with them to the afterlife." Elsa explained.

Kairi brushed her hand along the boat. "Interesting. Usually at the islands, if something happened to sailors, they rarely ever returned. Even with a crew, if member didn't make it, then the whole crew went down." She pulled out her lucky charm, holding it out for everyone to see. "This is why we make lucky charms out of thalassa shells. They're meant to ensure a safe journey home."

Olaf sighed as she stared at the charm. "Aww, that's sweet. But...that one's broken. It doesn't look very lucky to me."

"Well, we're working on fixing it. But right now, my friends need me." Kairi said before putting her charm away. Even if it meant delaying finding the next piece, she knew this is what Sora would have wanted. He would rather she help his, no, their friends first.

Anna smiled and nodded. "We'll help you in any way we can too."

"Of course." Elsa also nodded in agreement. "Just as soon as we can get this problem with the wolf fixed, we'll gladly help you with your search for Sora."

Despite everyone making progress toward the other side of the passage, Anna had something that was holding her back, both mentally and physically. In fact, she walked toward the back with Olaf instead of staying close to Kristoff or Elsa. She knew in her gut where the wolf came from. She knew that it was because she read the spell that the wolf was here. It all made too much sense to her. It was a spell that made dreams come true, and it wasn't specific on what dreams would come true. Anna couldn't continued to waltz around and act like she had no idea what was going on. She had to tell someone who she knew would listen to her. From the back, Anna called Kairi's name and waved her to the back.

"What is it, Anna?" Kairi lowered her voice to a hushed whisper.

Anna sighed, keeping her head low. "I...whatever I tell you...can we just keep it between us for now? I'm...not ready to tell my sister yet." She asked. Kairi nodded, swearing to secrecy. "I know where that wolf came from…"

"Oh? Well, it's a Nightmare, remember?"

"I know. It's my Nightmare…"

Kairi gasped. "What?" She asked a little too loud, prompting attention from everyone else. Anna shushed her before she brushed everyone else off. "Wait, how do you know it's yours?" She asked, lowering her voice back to a whisper.

"Because…" Anna shook her head. "For years, I've had this same nightmare, since I was a little girl." She gripped her cloak that was wrapped around her tightly. "I'm running through the woods, playing with Elsa. We're usually playing hide-and-seek. She's hiding and I'm seeking, but when I go to seek her out, instead of finding her, I just come face to face with this large wolf with big yellow eyes, blood seeping from its jaws. The wolf chases me while I'm trying to find Elsa, but she's nowhere to be found. When I realize this, that's when I'd usually either wake up on my own or my mother would wake me up back when my parents were alive."

"Wow...that's intense."

"But now, that's not the only nightmare I have of the wolf." Anna rested her hand across her chest. "I'm in what could only be a realm of pure darkness, and I see him."

"Who?" Kairi asked, getting curious now.

Anna sighed, feeling a shiver shoot down her spine. "My ex-fiancee, Hans. The man who almost killed my sister. He transforms into the wolf, and I feel this heavy darkness just drowning me right within his presence."

Kairi's eyes darted from Anna to the ground. It turned out the two of them had something in common. As a Princess of Heart, she was a bigger target of the darkness, often causing her to have nightmares that had only gotten worse since Sora vanished. She rested her hand against her chest as she started to feel the bitter chill that overwhelmed her body whenever she did think about the nightmares.

"You know, I have dreams like that too. I don't exactly dream about a wolf, but I also have nightmares of losing myself to the darkness too." Kairi murmured softly. She curled her hand into a fist as she remembered back to the moment in Zootopia where she went savage, losing herself completely. "Wait...do you think that Nightmare is a result of us reading the spell?"

Anna nodded. "I don't just think it is. I know it is. There's no other explanation for why a Nightmare would come alive."

"But I read the spell too...why wouldn't it affect-"

"Kairi! Anna!" Xion called back to them. "Elsa found a way out!"

Kairi hurried to catch up with the rest of the group with Anna trailing not far behind. The light that peered through the tunnel was more than enough proof that there was indeed a way out. Following the light, and the crashing sounds that came with it, Elsa lead everyone to an exit that was blocked by a strong and powerful waterfall. Kristoff even tried prodding his hand into the falls only or him to bring it back right away due to how cold it was and how hard it was falling from above. Elsa, taking advantage of her powers, waved her hands and formed an arch of ice in the middle of the falls.

With the new opening in the waterfall, Kairi was the first to go out, relieved to see the sunrise. It was quite beautiful with its pink and lavender sky hovering over the white snow that each of the girls' feet sunk into as they exited the Earth Giants' Passage. Anna collapsed onto her knees, overwhelmed with relief that she was no longer in the palace with the Nightmare and that she didn't have to hear the distressed cries of the stewards. Elsa was glad to be safe too, but she looked over the hill toward the village. Her immediate concern shift to her kingdom, the place she was responsible for protecting.

"We should warn the village." Kristoff suggested as he helped Anna up. "But if we go back to the village, the wolf might eat us." He said in his 'Sven voice', which was him simply adding a sort of croakiness to his normal voice.

"Good point. How do we protect everyone?" Anna asked.

Everyone thought for a moment. There was a giant beast in the castle and a hefty number of villagers that weren't far from it. There had to be a way to trap it in. Elsa's eyes darted between the castle and the waterfall. It seemed like a big task to undertake, but figured it was better than not attempting anything at all. She waved her arms in front of the waterfall, causing it to shoot up toward the sky like a geyser instead of to the ground like normal. Kairi, Naminé, and Xion all gasped as they watched the water stream above their heads and swirl around the caste until it became a giant dome of pure ice. It almost looked like a bell jar by comparison.

"Whoa, now that's ice…" Kristoff marveled at Elsa's latest creation.

"Thank you. I just hope it holds the wolf." Elsa said while folding her hands.

Kairi stepped forward, her eyes fixated on the village. "I hope the Heartless decide to give the village a break."

The unsettling sound of groans and raspy breathing grabbed everyone's, especially Kristoff's, attention. Sven's eyes started drooping and his legs wobbled until they finally gave out, sending him down to the ground. There were white spots all over on his fur, and he could barely hold his head up. Sven was a happy reindeer all around, so for Anna and Kristoff to see him in this condition, it was a clear indication that something was wrong.

"Sven!" Kristoff cried as he fell to his knees. "Come on, buddy!"

"What happened to him?" Naminé asked.

Elsa studied Sven and his symptoms before shaking her head. "It's the Blight. Sven caught the Blight disease."

"You guys just can't catch a break, can you?" Xion asked as she folded her arms.

Kairi sighed and shook her head. "Now what do we do? We can't get back into the castle as long as that Nightmare is in there."

"Mint." Elsa said as she looked onward toward the village. "One of our villagers said it helped with her cattle. I also saw it work with some goats too."

"Let's go down to the botanist's shop, then." Anna suggested.

"Great...first the Blight, and then I couldn't find the trolls, and then-" Kristoff mumbled.

"Wait, you couldn't find the trolls?" Anna gasped.

"Nope, and they didn't even leave a message. They usually at least leave me snail mail if they're gonna be gone."

"Snail mail?" Kairi asked.

"They're notes written on the bottom of leaves by snail slime." Kristoff explained. "They've never done this before. It's got me worried."

Naminé rested a hand on Kristoff's shoulder. "Don't worry, Kristoff. We'll fix everything, one step at a time."

Despite Naminé's positivity, Kristoff didn't feel much better about the situation, but he still appreciated her looking out for him. She even helped him support Sven as they followed down the hill back toward the village. Kairi kept close to Olaf, Anna, and Elsa with Xion right behind them. The village seemed normal immediately upon arrival. At least, it seemed normal. It was early enough that only some would be out getting the early morning errands done such as setting up shops, beginning to start that day's stock at the bakery, or even starting on various cuts of meat at the butcher shop. If the previous night was a strange night, then this morning was no different beyond the surface of the village.

The villagers were aimlessly dragging themselves through the streets, and it wasn't because it was early in the morning. Kairi and Anna focused their eyes in on the villagers and noticed something familiar about them. They were in the same state that Kai and Gerda were in only the night before. Only this time, there were more than two of them. In fact, there were a lot of them, all mumbling inaudibly as if they were in pain, and having the inky pits in their eyes as opposed to their regular pupils and irises. This mob easily outnumbered the group, which didn't make any of them feel any better.

"We're toast…" Xion muttered.

"Only if we provoke them." Elsa mentioned. "As long as we keep our distance, we should be fine."

Anna nodded. "We just need to get some mint leaves for Sven."

"Should we split up?" Naminé suggested.

"No." Kairi and Elsa answered in unison. They both looked at each other and nodded, as if they both had the same idea.

"How are we gonna get around them then?" Xion asked.

"We stay together, we stay silent, and we keep moving." Elsa said as she took Olaf's hand.

Kairi nodded, agreeing with Elsa's plan. She locked her hands with Xion and Naminé's as the three of them followed Elsa with Anna and Kristoff right behind them. Their footsteps were nothing more than soft pitters and patters throughout the streets that thankfully kept them out of view of the villagers. Once they reached the botanist's shop, Elsa had everyone else stay outside while she hurried in to grab the mint, figuring it wouldn't take very long, especially if the botanist was asleep.

As long as the group kept quiet, everything seemed safe. However, because the world had a sense of humor, a swarm of Heartless spawned right beside the shop and began taunting everyone, but especially Kairi, Naminé, and Xion.

"Really?" Xion groaned.

Kairi summoned her Keyblade. "We have to take them out!"

"I thought we were supposed to stay quiet?" Kristoff asked.

"Do you wanna lose your heart?" Kairi asked, him remaining silent. "That's what I thought. If it comes down to it, just distract the villagers from us."

Leaving Kristoff to care for Anna, Kairi began to let loose on the Soldier Heartless, getting ride of them rather quickly. She guarded most of their attacks before countering with a bright Starcracker blast. The blast was enough to knock him off their feet so Naminé could finish them off with a Thundara spell. Xion was wailing on a Parasol Beauty with various attacks before finishing it off with a number of Blitz finishers. She got shot in the back by a laser from another before slid closer to it, knocking it off its feet. Naminé also cast an Aero spell to lift it up in the air before Kairi finished it off with a Fira spell. It seemed like they were taking the Heartless out with ease, but also, the Heartless continued to respawn no matter what they did.

"Ugh...they just keep coming!" Naminé grumbled.

"Girls! We have a bigger problem than that!" Kristoff cried out as a woodcarver got dangerously close to him, holding his hatchet high up.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Anna yelled as she ran in between them, kicking the woodcarver in the...well...area that her mother told to kick in an emergency case, which this definitely was.

Kristoff's eyes widened as he watched the woodcarver fall to the ground in pain. "Don't make her angry…" He murmured to himself.

Xion gasped as another farmer came strutting toward her. "He's not the only one we have to worry about!" Despite not wanting to, she swung her Keyblade and blocked the pitchfork the farmer attempted to attack her with. "Forget Organization XIII, this is a real nightmare!" She yelled as she knocked the farmer back off their footing.

"Elsa! Have you got the mint yet?" Kairi called out as she knocked back a baker that tried to attack her with a rolling pin.

Elsa burst out the door of the shop before slamming it and sealing it shut with ice. "Go! Now!"

"But what about the Heartless?" Kairi asked the distressed queen. "They'll hurt the villagers and swallow their hearts!"

"We have to forget about them for now. I have an idea, but we have to go now."

After escaping the village that was nothing short of a disaster between the Heartless and the infected villagers, Elsa managed to step close to the sea and raise it up with her hands. She used a similar technique that she did to cover the castle with ice, only this time, she had to use a different water source since they weren't close to the falls and didn't have enough time to run back up the hill. Concentrated and focused on the village, Elsa waved her hands around and wrapped the water from the sea around before freezing it. If the castle looked like it was under a bell jar, then the village looked like it was under a dome made of ice. It appeared that the villagers were now trapped in their steps, and so were the Heartless. Not a single movement could be done with how strong Elsa's ice was.

"Is everyone going to be okay?" Naminé asked.

Elsa nodded. "Using ice that is created with magic has its advantages. The villagers and the Heartless will remain frozen in place, but no harm will come to them during that time. It's like a sleep spell."

Kairi nodded, understanding the logic behind it. "At least they can't hurt each other."

"Sven!" Kristoff gasped as Sven began groaning, stumbling in place. "Elsa, did you get the mint?" He sighed of relief as Elsa held out the green leaves in front of Sven's nose. The reindeer jerked his head as his pupils contracted from the sharp scent. While it wasn't a permanent cure, it was enough to restore Sven's general consciousness.

"That'll do for now. I brought plenty in case he starts to fluctuate." Elsa mentioned. "At least until we can figure out a cure."

Xion sighed as she sat on a stump. "Well, now what do we do? I feel like we're in a zombie apocalypse horror film." She said to Kairi and Naminé, who both nodded in agreement.

"Tell me about it." Kairi sad while kicking some dirt. "And now, we definitely can't leave until all of this is fixed because I'm just as responsible." She groaned. "I need to stop trying to take shortcuts…"

"How is this your fault?" Naminé questioned, her eyebrows furrowing.

Kairi bit down on her lip, remembering her promise to Anna to not say anything. "I'll...I'll tell you later." She covered up, knowing that it would only be a matter of time until Anna confessed to everyone what happened. A burst of wind blew through, causing Kairi to shiver slightly. "Is there anywhere we can go from here?"

"Well…" Anna thought for a moment. She thought back to when she left Arendelle to chase after Elsa after she ran away. There was one place she remembered visiting, but considering what happened to the villagers, she wondered if that place got affected too. "I might know of someplace safe. It's possible that anything and anyone outside of the village wasn't affected, so we should move onward."

"What is this place?" Kristoff asked as he continued to support Sven.

"Oh, you'll remember it." She said with a sheepish giggle.

Although it was a bit of a hike, especially with the snow growing heavier overnight, Anna did have confidence that this place was a good safe zone for them to visit. Kairi was curious about this place. She didn't notice any other place when she was lost in the woods with Xion and Naminé. Then again, Anna was leading everyone in the opposite direction the girls travelled from when they first arrived. It only made Kairi wonder just how much bigger this world truly was, especially as she gazed upon the frosted mountain ranges. They looked so different than the ones on Destiny Islands were even prettier in the morning sunlight.

Just as Anna had mentioned, there was a cabin down at the bottom of the hill. It brought a wave of relief over Kairi, Naminé, and Xion that there was someplace warm to be inside of that was (hopefully) not crawling with possessed villagers or Heartless. Anna, Kristoff, and Elsa were all bundled up for the winter while Olaf and Sven could handle the snow for obvious reasons, but even with the dresses that they borrowed from Anna, the trio were still not the biggest fans of the really cold temperatures. The dresses were an improvement though and they would've suffered even more had they not borrowed them, but still, the warmth sounded much better.

"Wandering Oaken's Trading Post?" Xion read out loud as they reached the cabin.

Kairi tapped the smaller snow-covered sign, revealing what it said. "And sauna? Oh, that sounds so nice right now!"

"Ooh, a hot bath sounds so lovely right now…" Naminé sighed.

Olaf nodded while giggling. "Nothing like an ice cold drink while scorching yourself in boiling water, right?"

"Hang on, you guys. We have to proceed with caution, just in case." Anna warned as she cracked the door open. It was dimly lit with plenty of various run of the mill items on the chefs such as crops, tools, and apparel. It seemed like it was safe, but Anna didn't want to take any chances. "Oaken?" She called out.

"Woohoo!" A higher-pitched male voice echoed from behind the front desk. "Who is it?" He asked in a strong accent.

"Oh, Oaken! It's me, Anna!"

Oaken poked up from behind the desk, gasping at the sight of the princess. "It's my best customer! And the queen! And the donkey who called me a crook!" He clapped his hands.

Kristoff rolled his eyes. "Can't you please just let it go?"

"Nope, can't do it! It's stuck in my head!" Oaken said with a sarcastic smile on his face. "Oh! I see you brought more customers! Woohoo! Big autumn blowout! Half off on rakes, light cloaks, sweaters, and my special pumpkin juice, ja?"

"Uh...we're not exactly here to shop." Kairi laughed sheepishly.

"Actually Oaken, we need a safe place to go right now." Anna started to explain. "You see, there's-"

"A big dark monster terrorizing the castle and the village, leading Elsa to freeze everything?" Oaken filled in. "Ja, I know."

"So, can we stay?" Naminé asked.

Oaken thought for a moment. "Well, I suppose if you buy some of my pumpkin spice coffee, we could-"

"Call it a deal!" Chirithy burst out of Kairi's hood. "Because I will buy your ENTIRE storage!" He said while raiding Kairi's wallet that was full of munny she had gathered over her journey.

"Oooh, I like this cat. You stay too, ja?" Oaken asked as he took the munny.

"Ja man, I stay too and drink beautiful coffee…" Chirithy sighed.

While everyone, including Chirithy, huddled in the corner by the fireplace warming up and drinking their coffee, it was time to come up with a plan. The biggest concern was making sure nobody ended up in the nightmarish state. Elsa noted that everyone that got affected had to be those who were asleep before the wolf entered the area they slept in. Even with Anna and Kairi falling asleep, they woke up before the wolf arrived at the castle, Elsa hadn't fallen asleep yet, Kristoff was still travelling with Sven, and Olaf didn't get affected even when asleep since he was a sentient being.

"So, what you're trying to stay is that basically, as long we all stay awake, we'll be okay?" Kairi asked as she summarized everything.

Elsa nodded. "That sounds like the most logical plan."

"We still have no idea how to get rid of it." Kristoff mumbled as he sipped his coffee.

"I have an idea!" Olaf hopped from his seat. "We get rid of it the fast way!"

Naminé giggled as she patted him on his snowy back. "Thanks Olaf, but we need a little more than that."

"Hmm...how about the smart and fast way?" He asked before lowering his voice to a hushed whisper. "Or...the secretive way?"

"Or, you can go see a mystic!" Oaken suggested.

Anna's head perked up. "What mystic?"

"Sorenson, he's the mystic of Miner's Mountain! He usually keeps to himself in his tower, but if this is a curse, he'll help, ja!"

"Do you really think he can help? We don't even know where this came from…" Elsa asked, concern in her voice. Anna and Kairi looked at each other before gulping, knowing that they were keeping a secret when they shouldn't have been.

"Magic! It has to be!" Oaken said as he snapped his fingers.

"Then, we have to go see him!" Anna urged the others.

Kairi nodded in agreement. "If neither of us can stop it with the Keyblade, then this Sorenson guy may be our only hope."

Elsa sighed, shaking her head. "Anna, Kairi, I've already said that magic isn't-"

"I know, I know. It's not the solution, but…" Anna said in a convicted tone.

This was it. Anna had no choice. Now that they were in a position where they couldn't even step foot back into the village, Anna had to tell Elsa what was going on, especially if this meant the difference between staying in this situation or having a solution that could not only break Arendelle free of this curse, but also finally bring a cure for the Blight that only seemed to be a minor issue now compared to the overall picture. Kairi also wasn't going to let Anna take all of the blame for it. Even if it seemed like Anna's nightmare was the only one to come true, she still helped with executing the spell, and unless she confessed too, she knew it'd be something she'd have hovering over her shoulders the rest of their time there.

"Elsa, there's...something I need to tell you." Anna said as she got her sister's attention. She froze as she felt Kairi's hand on her shoulder. "Kairi?"

Kairi shook her head. "No, we need to tell you something...because, I'm just as guilty."

"Guilty? For what?" Elsa questioned both girls.

Anna shuffled through her bag before pulling out the loose page with the spell. "Arendelle is cursed...and I may be the one who cursed it…" She confessed while holding out the slip.

"And I helped too." Kairi said with her head low. "We both read the spell."

Elsa took the slip and scanned it, her eyes widening the further she read. "Anna, Kairi, did you two read the note at the bottom?"

"Uh...what note?" They both asked in unison.

Elsa exhaled heavily, trying not to get angry with Anna and Kairi, knowing that getting angry with them wouldn't get anywhere. Instead, she created a magnifying glass made of ice and held it over the slip, but below the spell's text. Kairi and Anna both dipped their faces closer to the the magnified text that read: 'SPELL NOT GUARANTEED TO BE EXACTLY WHAT YOU WISHED FOR. IF NOT REVERSED, SPELL SHALL TAKE ROOT PERMANENTLY ON ITS THIRD SUNRISE.' It was sad, but true. There was fine print about the spell that nobody bothered to check for.

"Oh...yeah, I definitely didn't see that." Anna said, her face turning white.

Kairi bit down on her lip. "I...didn't read the fine print either.

Xion's face scrunched up as she gripped Kairi by the shoulders and shook her. "You mean you DIDN'T read the fine print? Kairi! I've been a person for only a year and even I know to read fine print!"

"Don't yell at me! I didn't see fine print! My eyes aren't THAT good!" Kairi argued.

"Okay, cool it off, you two." Naminé said as she got between the two frustrated girls. "Xion, you've made plenty of mistakes too. Kairi…" She also gripped Kairi's shoulders and shook her. "How could you not do that? You know better! That's such a SORA thing to do!"

"I know! I know! I feel stupid for doing it! You don't have to make me feel worse…" Kairi said while folding her arms.

Elsa looked over at her sister, who didn't say a single word since reading the fine print. She could tell Anna felt really bad about the whole situation and would be the last person to go out of her way to curse Arendelle on purpose. "Anna...why would you do that?" She asked in a soft tone that was trying to remain calm

Anna held her head low, sadness written all across her face. "I'm sorry. I was upset when I heard you having a meeting without me. I wanted to help, but...you wouldn't listen to me, so I did what I could, but I just made everything worse, and...I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." Kairi nodded her head. "I just...I just want to find Sora and bring him home. It's already been so long…" She said in a low tone as she sat back down on a stool. "Since he vanished, since we began our search for him, since we began this journey. I just want to bring him home. Nothing else matters right now."

Xion and Naminé both hovered over Kairi, resting their hands on her shoulders. Sure, they were disappointed that she made a foolish mistake like this one, but they also knew she did it with good intentions. Kairi was on this journey for Sora, and only for him. Nobody could be truly angry with her. Elsa especially couldn't find it in her heart to be angry with Kairi or Anna. Sora not only helped keep Anna safe during their journey up the North Mountain, but he was also a friend to her when she felt all alone, never once doubting her or showing fear of her. Elsa also took a deep breath as conviction of leaving Anna out started to settle in. It's true, she had been leaving Anna out more lately and didn't realize how much it was bothering her. Maybe, she had made her own mistake that hurt just as much as Kairi and Anna's had.

"Well, I guess I can't be upset at either of you for those reasons." Elsa said with a warm smile as she rested a hand on Anna's shoulder, earning a smile back from her energetic little sister.

"And as for you, Kairi." Naminé said with a giggle. "You know we're gonna get Sora back, no matter how long it takes."

"Because we both inherited your stubbornness." Xion smirked. "So, no more short cuts, okay? Because...no offense, but they work just as well for you as they worked out for Sora."

Kairi laughed as she nodded. "Okay, deal!"

"So, I guess since this whole thing is because of magic, guess we gotta go find this Sorenson guy." Kristoff said with his arms folded.

Chirithy set his coffee down, deciding to offer his two cents. "Well, here's the thing. That creature is called a Nightmare. It's kinda like a Heartless, but Nightmares are dark Dream Eaters that usually thrive in the Realm of Sleep. The Nightmare being here is a result of Anna reading that spell. But there's a catch, because the Nightmare comes from the deeper depths of Anna's heart, only she can defeat it and break the curse." He explained.

"M-Me?" Anna stammered. "But...how? I don't know any magic like you, Elsa."

"And Anna can't wield a Keyblade either…" Kairi noted.

"Well, if Sorenson is an expert in magic, maybe he can teach Anna how to use magic." Naminé suggested. "A lot of the magic I use now is because I was taught how to cast those spells by someone who was an expert. If Anna can learn her own magic, then maybe it'll be enough to vanquish the Nightmare."

Xion nodded, shooting an encouraging smile to Anna. "Sounds like the next best thing."

Elsa bit down on her lip, as unsure as she was about this, she did agree that it was the best measure to take in this situation. "Anna, if you're willing to do this, then I think it's the best solution."

"I think it's the best solution too." Anna nodded in agreement. "Let's go see Sorenson and see what he can do."

"Oaken, do you know where he lives?" Kristoff asked.

Oaken nodded as he pulled out a map and spread it in front of the register. "Follow the Roaring River past the Black Mountains until you see signs for the abandoned mines. Beware, they're dangerous." He warned. "They're known for awful cave-ins and terrible landslides."

"Hmm, that sounds safe." Xion sarcastically remarked.

"Oh yes, and don't forget about the Huldrefolk who live in the heart of the mountain! They're tricky creatures who hide in the shadows. Sometimes they help, and other times, they lure humans off the safest paths." Oaken mentioned as he pointed to the center of the mountain on the map.

"Thank you for the advice." Elsa thanked him before looking out the window in the direction of the Black Mountains. "Looks like we're in for a long trip."

Anna stepped up next to her sister. "And we're in this together."

"We sure are!" Kairi said as she stood beside Elsa on the other side.

"And me too!" Olaf popped up in front of the girls, arms all spread out like he was presenting himself. "A snowman adventurer!"

Anna and Elsa giggled before Anna picked him up and placed him right beside Sven. "Olaf, we'd love for you to come, but we need you to stay here."

"You mean…" The snowman's smile faded as he came to the realization that he wasn't going this time. "You don't want me to go?"

"We do, but it's very dangerous, and we need someone to look after Sven." Elsa explained as she knelt down to his level. "Can you do that for us?"

Olaf sighed before straightening himself up. "If protecting Sven is what Anna and Elsa want, then protecting Sven is what Olaf wants too!"

"And what Kristoff wants too." Kristoff pointed out.

"Sure! Sure! My foot has been hurting lately anyway. I'd better put some ice on it." Olaf said as he took a seat and began scratching at his foot.

Thanks to Oaken, Anna and Kristoff were able to stash their bags with necessities they may need during their journey to Sorenson's tower. Olaf was put in charge to make sure Sven stayed awake the entire time and lucky for them, he didn't need to sleep, making the job a lot easier. Elsa also requested for Oaken to open up his post as a safe retreat in case any unaffected villagers wandered upon it. Kairi, Naminé, and Xion all got cloaks and gloves from Oaken as well, which would make the cold weather even more bearable than it was before.

"Anna, Kristoff, you ready?" Elsa asked the two of them, earning nods from both. "Kairi? Naminé? Xion? Are you sure you want to do this?"

Kairi nodded. "I'm just as responsible for cursing your kingdom, so we're not going anywhere until we lift it."

Elsa nodded, appreciative of Kairi's offer. She could see the connection between her and Sora just based on that. The two of them and their eagerness to help others seemed to rub off each other, almost like how Elsa and Anna's protective nature of one another rubbed off each other too. With everything ready, Kairi followed everybody else out of the cabin. As they set on their trail, she couldn't help but stop in her tracks again. It was the same unsettling feeling she got the last night while in the castle, like someone was following her.

Kairi!

Sora?

Kairi whipped around at the sound of Sora's voice calling her name. It literally sounded like he was right behind her, but there was still no sight of him. Was his heart reaching out to her to tell her something? Whatever it was, it was making her blood rush and her breathing grow heavy. It finally took Xion calling her name to snap her out of it. Kairi didn't want to brush it off right now, but with nothing to investigate, what could she do? She kicked a little bit of snow before running to catch up with everyone else.

Whatever this was, it was only a matter of time before it would catch up with her.