Of Keys and Hammers

by zcritic88

In a realm beyond, the Four Chaos has taken notice of a realm tied close to the heart. They squirmed into the darkness and sought to corrupt if to reach a prize beyond the light. Will the Light of Order, be able to repel this ancient evil?

52. A Tale of Three Crowns

At the canyon near Radiant Garden, Leon and Baldred were fighting against a small pack of Heartless, the swordsmen pushing back with his blade and firing a bullet from his gun blade as the Undead used his chime and caused a yellow circle in the sky to form and drop lightning upon the heartless. With the darkness retreated, Leon finished a brief summary. "And it's finding these guys in larger numbers we are worried about. Expect a Keybearer to show up and help out, but we need to hold our own."

Baldred understood that. "Besides that freak batch, there isn't much unless someone provokes these abyssal things?" Leon nodded. "The Heartless are drawn to dark hearts and anyone dumb enough to think they are something to control-" The Undead cringed and shook his head in denial. "That's a good way to get devoured. There is a price to pay for commanding that power."

Leon stared at the vast canyon and to the ruins of Villains Vale. "And then we have to deal with the Darkness that becomes them. Those idiots nearly caused the end of all worlds." Baldred took out a set of binoculars and used them to look closely at the vale, finding a large spider and two goblins skittering out of the ruins with a bag of scraps. "And some sad sobs get drawn into the cycle each time, just to survive and see the sun again."

The man in the coat had something of concern and asked. "Even when it wasn't their business to be involved, they still got dragged into the worlds and that messes with the order of things when we can't co exist. Cloud... told us what you and he talked a little about last night, where did you get that view of Light and Dark from?"

Baldred knew there were consequences and faced it. "Definitely from my experience from my world. Where many came from all paths and shades, some as honest as you and those of the town, others are deceitful. They are not always obvious and Cloud told you of that experience I remember." He felt a memory slipping into his mind and stared on into the unknown. "They make me wonder what is really there."

Leon answered more bluntly. "There is darkness in just about everyone and some chose to give in. Then some try masking themselves with Light to make themselves more appealing while they deceive you, those sound like the absolute worse and that's where you're questions come from." Baldred agreed with that and felt an odd anger. "And they get cast back into the abyss where they belong. That...that is why I have a name for those that really want to do good, the True Light." Leon rested his sword on his shoulder and warned him. "And I suppose you thought of the name, the True Dark? Not for the scumbags we fight, but the kind of dark you talked about?"

Baldred nodded. "Yeah and it isn't really a comforting luxury you think I make it out to be." Leon summed what Baldred really was talking about. "It is the things no one wants to show, the things that ought to stay in the dark." Baldred took a deep breath to try and calm himself. "Yes. It's way too easy to let that nature loose and when you get it back under control, you find yourself with nothing but regrets." Leon felt the knight's hints and had one more question. "Like what you did? Someone brought you the idea and you got curious, only to find out how easy it is for the dark to get control over you?"

Baldred answered mostly still. "Only to find out that the dark is me and if I don't find a balance, I become more hollow than I was. I still know there are many places, the dark doesn't belong." Leon felt he heard enough and patted Baldred on the shoulder. "Unless we are talking about shading from the sun as you tried to put it, maybe you should talk with someone who knows about that balance before someone comes to piss you off and make you scare the town." The knight took a deep breath and kept looking at the ruins. "He said this place was full of water, how was someone able to mess these lands up that badly?"

Leon didn't want to know and Baldred looked back at him. "M..Most of the keybearers know of my secret and have no quarrel, so long as I don't invoke the Dark. There is one I heard of that would have little tolerance of and I might have just crossed that point." Leon had ill news to give. "If they kept that secret from someone, then there is only one way to stop this before that someone finds out. That's going to get ugly regardless, but you might be prepared to face it."

Baldred knew what that way was. "Tell that someone... no, show them. For I think I've shown them everything else." He looked away from the Vale and let go of an odd nostalgia. "I'm ready for tomorrow." Leon was glad the knight was and signaled they return to the town, Baldred followed him to the town and parted ways. "There is one thing I need to take care of and I'll prepare for when one of the keybearers come around." Leon wished him luck. "Alright, see you soon."

Baldred walked to the hole in the castle and climbed down, feeling something twisting and turning, he reached to the usual place in the cavern and found Shadey flinging swath of darkness, hissing and growling to try and do something. The knight barked to him. "Enough!"

The creature looked at Baldred and its hands shook, the knight took his staff and caused it to form into a black great sword, he slashed it to a wall and let it disappear back to a staff, demonstrating what the entity must do. "You feel like something made from the Dark, every part of you can mold like the shadows. Do I have to make you follow me around?"

Shadey shook its head and tried that, taking the form of a large carnivorous reptile and then into a black axe, the axe melted into shadows with distraught red eyes. Baldred pitied the creature and approached, the shadow scurried underneath him and into the shadows of the cave going out, the knight's eyes followed and he felt a bubbling anxiety. Like something was watching him, he was on guard and drew his sword out. Looking behind and to the door up the ledge, a red hooded, knife wielding phantom, jumped down after him. Baldred rolled back and avoiding a downward slash, seeing hints of a woman in robes, he took his chance and slashed at the phantom, an anger rushed through his heart as each slash sunk into the bandit's flash. The phantom took out a chime and pulsed in light, Baldred was pushed back as a whisper in his mind asked. "Are you that gullible to think she wouldn't strike you down? Heretic of the Dark?"

The knight ignored the whisper and took his staff out, the phantom knelt with her chime to cast something as he shot a blue orb of energy at her, knocking her down and giving him time to change to his chime and use it to glow in healing light, the voice kept taunting the knight. "Using those miracles, even after you knew they were stolen?" It shifted to that of a woman's as both it and the phantom spoke in sync. "You puzzled me out and felt that bringing me to justice would keep your hands clean." The phantom shine her chime and caused lightning to shoot down upon him, the knight rolled back and used his own chime to make the katana glow in sun light. He felt the voice to be like poison and he barked to her. "You're a murdering fraud and when I was guided back to you, you tried to murder me again. Woe to the many you swindled."

He dodged a lightning bolt and slashed at the phantom that cast something with her chime. Baldred rolled back and watched her kneel to bath herself in light. "So you think to kill me without guilt, the only thing you were ever sorry for is that you made this end so easily." Baldred's vision shifted to a ruins with an odd mechanism in a pillar at the center, things became like that of an instinct and memories of his words rang. "Take the illusion away and they would be little better than the madmen that pervert the Dark." Thoughts of humiliation clouded his mind as the phantom laughed to mock him. "Indeed, take the illusion away and you will be as you are, a hollowed shell of men."

Baldred felt the chime beckoning him, everything felt an aura of wrongness, he cursed at the illusion. "That's what a wench like you wants me to do." The red phantom gave a wide, cruel smile as shifting figures of twisted forms smiled in spite. "It's the only way to shatter this miserable illusion in a profound still, this facade you call the True Light. For if they truly see the Darkness with in you, the True Dark, you will be begging for it."

Baldred placed his hands over his ears as voices laughed at him. "Balance?! After how much suffering that came from the Dark?"

"What an idiot!"

"Do it, silence us with your own will."

Baldred felt the laughter get even louder as the woman's voice hissed. "You don't belong in the Light, Bearer of the Curse, you never have. Welcome the Dark, it's calling to you." The name stun the knights soul and he snarled. "Stop calling me that!"

He readied his chime and saw a flash of light appear to his side, finding hints of a silver and aqua blue keyblade piercing through the red phantom's chest and a light washing the phantom away. The darken illusion revealed itself as a black and blue, mass of tendrils, limbs and a gibbering maw, howling in agony, Baldred saw Aqua with her teeth gritting at the creature and kicking it's burning body into a chaotic mass of darkness. She landed with grace and was ready for the figures lurking in the shadows, she asked the knight. "Are you okay? These are a bit new for the Chaos Daemons."

Baldred felt his fear reaching a high point and readied his chime for something else. "...I'm not, but these things need to be sent back to the pit that spawned them before we can talk." Aqua agreed with that as the Black Horrors raised their hands in unison and sang a song of gibberish, causing the cave to turn darker and giving off a scent of brimstone. Baldred shook his chime and raised it high in a silent oath, light shined and gave Aqua a boost of vigor as she noticed the ground readying to burst.

"Move!"

She flipped forward to the right as Baldred rolled to the left, both seeing a pillar of black fire erupt like a maw and bite at nothing. It spit homing mass of fire and Baldred put his chime away, he ignited his free hand, rolled to the left and caused a fiery orb to form between three of the daemons. Aqua spear headed into another three with a glow of light, jumped to a wall to dodge the fire and dived down like a raindrop to obliterate the three. She watched a fire ball engulf the daemons to the left of the room and Baldred swiping fire left and right to see the daemons are dead. Three remain and they swiped to the duo's directions, Baldred seeing a pool of black fiery tendrils forming around him and sprinting away as Aqua flowed to the wall above the three daemons and avoided the tendrils that tried to snare her, she aimed down and caused seven orbs of light to form from the tip of her keyblade.

PEW! PEW! PEW!

She fired down upon the daemons and gave off a brighter radiance of power, causing the dark cavern to turn back to normal. She landed, was shaking on her legs and saw Baldred ready to fall over, seeing the knight be overwhelmed by fear for his life. Baldred fell on his knees and hands, cursing a name. "Damn you Licia, damn you, damn you, damn you!" Aqua approached and lowered herself to help the knight get up. "Licia... she was the fraud you mentioned?"

Baldred remembered the name well and looked up to Aqua with anger in his eyes. "A cleric that was devoted to miracles. When I paid for tutorage and went somewhere, she pursued me and tried to take more by force." Aqua guessed as she sensed feelings of regret and hatred from the knight. "Before you found out, she was the reason you became devoted to the light yourself and saw her as someone who wished to do good." She cringed. "That truth had to hurt."

Baldred agreed. "Every word from her was nothing but scented poison." He stopped, lifted his upper body up and looked at his hands, dropping his katana by accident. "I... found something that guided me to her and she kept using those very prayers for her own ends. I...ended that." Aqua swallowed and felt an odd pressure at her throat, Baldred slowed his breathing and asked. "What...what were you doing back here?"

Aqua answered. "I wanted to check up on you and Leon said there was something you wanted to talk to me about, then I saw a Chaos Daemon that seemed... infused by Darkness, he was torturing you with something... something about that con artist?"

Baldred realized the full extent of the daemons plan and wanted to punch the ground. "He... did and he wanted me to fall into his snare right in front of you." Aqua kept leaning and offered a hand up. "I heard that is how the Forces of Chaos tempt those to darkness. Come on, you shouldn't be sulking here alone." The knight agreed and took the hand, being guided up. Aqua picked up his katana and gave it to him as she guessed. "I know you came from a dark world, I heard what they called you. Bearer of the Curse... what did you do to deserve that awful name?"

Baldred took the katana and tried distracting himself. "I...became Undead. That's all I remember. I hate that name, I've always hated that name." He sheathed the blade and confessed. "There... is something I told your friends that they might have kept secret from you. One that I'm scared of telling you myself after... that."

Aqua dismissed it "I think I seen enough," she kept holding his hand and wanted him to follow her out of the cave. She worried more for him. "You are close to the Darkness, that's what they didn't want me to know and I'll bet there is more between you and the Dark than you're telling me. You... shouldn't have been dragged out like you were, it doesn't feel natural for you to be alive again." She shook her head and decided. "But, you shouldn't have to be treated like an outcast, you didn't chose this."

Baldred slowly became quiet from the warming words and Aqua asked. "There... might be a friend of mine who could figure out what we are going to do. It's a pretty bad timing, but it might get you the help you need." The knight found himself by the ladder and went to climb, reaching the top and seeing Aqua make a high jump after him, she looked a face that wanted to say something and asked. "Is there more you want to talk about? I'm here until we get back to the town." Baldred looked like he wanted to and felt his eyes watering. "It's...nothing, you been another good friend."

He wanted to joke the worries off. "It's almost a shame that I sent your student on that halberd hunt for some miracles I know. Is she that eager to do it?" Aqua exhaled. "Baldred, that's none of your business. But she and her friends are out getting it and who knows if they would even find one."

The knight half chuckled. "The thought that counts is more than enough of a drive, eh... that... might show that she could make better use of them than I could. Ha." Aqua guessed what the knight was up to and had her free hand at her hip. "That's no excuse." She changed the subject. "Even if it would be nice to throw her a bone. I also need to talk to the others about those daemons, something Riku said is becoming more true and those things are the big problem we are having."

Baldred agreed with that. "They were a little more evil than you expected?" Aqua corrected him with a scowl of a grim memory. "No, what they did to you, they did to me. Chaos, will mess with your mind first and foremost. Then work its way into your heart. That's why you can't be back in that cavern alone."

The knight shivered. "Eek, no, I think that cavern is too isolated. I think those bright souls of the committee might pull a few strings, while that happens... I guess I'll wait for the youths to return." Aqua wondered what adventure the young keybearers are in and lead him to the town. "Once I'm certain you'll be fine, I need to do something about this mystery that is going on. I wish I can tell you more, but it's out there." Baldred understood that as he and Aqua entered the town. "None of my business."

At Corona

Riku fought through a four monkey pack and found himself deep in a dark swamp. Finding a rather straight forward bramble of trees marking one path ahead of him and to his right was a path of trees that fell over from a toxic miasma. He followed the trial and blew the mist over, finding a stream leading down a hill into a lake in front of a mountain, the mountain had a cave that had a thick smog of green and yellow. The lake looked to be changing color from matching the forest sky to a deathly black, something unnatural was ocurring and Riku felt a putrid darkness with in the mountain. "...This can't be that dragon."

He realized what force was behind the pestilence and was ready to march down. "It isn't, what brought Nurgle into-" He sensed something behind and turned, keeping his keyblade in hand as he felt he was being watched, he noticed a leaf blowing to a left tree and calmly asked. "*Huff* Come on out! I know you're there and I'm more scared of the lake than you!"

Rustle!

A figure revealed itself from a tree, a young woman with short black hair, grey eyes, a well looking, light brown tunic, brown boots and a hand close to a sword, squinting her eyes suspiciously at Riku. "And how did you know about the rot? What do you know about that dragon?"

The teenager answered calmly. "I figured out the decay because of some evil creatures I heard about called Chaos Daemons. They are one of the causes, that dragon was last seen fighting them, so he isn't with them, I found him and chose to follow. Name's Riku and what might your name be?"

The woman knew better than to give a stranger her name. "I'm not done asking questions, I seen too many bandits come from these woods, always looking for ill gotten treasure." Riku thought of one way to earn the woman's trust and answered. "There was something I was looking for that might be in a city I heard about, an ordinary halberd that as long as it is from the royal guard, is doable for an acquaintance, as payment for helping a friend of mine learn some handy tricks. But is that important right now? Come look at the lake, because that's going to spread if we don't do something."

The woman slowly did so and looked at the visual in nauseating horror, she vomited as Riku saw pieces of the decay actually spreading to the road, plants dying and sprouting mushrooms in a set pattern, a tree having mushrooms slowly grow into a symbol of Nurgle, Riku asked. "Are we still going to argue?"

The woman wiped the vomit drippings from her mouth and answered, slowly approaching the lake. "No, the name is Cassandra." Riku nodded and lead down. "This isn't any ordinary blight, it's something of the super natural, do you have anything that can hurt them from... a far. I heard some horror stories about a blade these zombie like daemons have and you don't want to be cut by them." Cassandra blew to the air and drew out a cross bow. "Anything else?"

Riku shook his head and walked down the hill, he heard a collective buzzing of insects and watched the black swamp bubble. Rustle! Rustle! "SQWEEEE!"

Riku back jumped to find a swarm of twenty nurglings rushing at him from the sides and a large, black plague bearer with open wounds, a red hood, a festive stick and a bag pipe resembling a stomach, appeared in black smoke. The plague bearer blowed and caused a melody of burps and gurgles to be heard, he danced in tune and jingled his bells, organizing the nurglings to swerve and rush after Riku. The teenager shot an orange fire ball and jumped high for an attack as Cassandra realized who the bigger target was and aimed her cross bow for the plagebearers single eye. The plaguebearer was shot in the eye and the wound oozed puss, the grumbled annoyed and reached for the bolt. "Tha...slhhh wasn't very nice."

He pulled on it and freaked Cassandra more, Riku saw the nurglings hissing at the one who caused the music to stop, focused on them and hovered, firing a barrage of twilight fire balls at the nurglings to lower the numbers. Cassandra fired another bolt at the plague bearer. It punctured its chest and caused the daemon to grit his teeth in pain.

PLUCK!

He pulled the bolt out his eye and plucked it out of its socket as Riku crashed to the ground like a meteor and let loose a shock wave, finishing off the nurglings, he vanished in a flicker of sun set light and appeared behind the deamon, stabbing him in the back and causing him to become unstable. He fade away with a sombre cry. "Ah, I wanted to sing that song she makes." Riku turned around to find Cassandra having second thoughts and asked. "You know anyone who might want something to do with these creeps?" Cassandra shook her head. "Not..." her eyes tried adjusting to the unreal like threat. "not lately."

Riku agreed with the civilian's unease. "These guys are gross and won't die easily, but I have a few tricks up my sleeves when more come bubbling out of the lake." Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Oh goody, there went my lunch today." Riku laughed bitterly and went closer to the lake, his cheeks puffed for a moment as he mental image of the plaguebearer's ocular injury returned. "*Urg*"

He swallowed to keep his stomach from ejecting something through his food pipe. "This is going to cost us much more than what is in our stomachs." The two journey near the bubbling lake and heard the buzzing take into a more melancholic song, they walked to the right side around the lake and to the cave, feeling like something was watching them.

SPLASH! SPLASH!

Cassandra heard playful splashing slosh to her, she step back and saw the water be oozing black and sizzling as Riku turned his head and saw something swimming, being ready to attack as he followed Cassandra's idea of keeping a distance.

Bubble! Bubble! POP!

A disgustingly joyful, bloated, black, horned humanoid head popped out of the water, giving an oozing smile towards Riku as its bulging out eyes looked overly excited. Cassandra whispered to Riku. "Just keep going and don't look away from them." The teenager agreed and saw another head pop out out of the ooze, one with three eyes and a just as jolly expression, Riku whispered. "Hey, you got a torch, I think I know a way to keep them from... following us."

Cassandra tossed Riku an oil torch as a third head pop, one with many red eyes and a mouth blabbering something. The teenager use an ember of fire to light it up as the heads looked at the torch like a dog would a stick, Cassandra guessed. "You think these darlings would follow it?"

Riku saw the ooze eating its way to the ground and smelled death in the lake. "You owe me that halberd if this works. When I count to three, I'm throwing this torch and we are running. If the... water has changed, this will do more than distract them."

He counted as the faces crawled out, slowly revealing bloated, slug like bodies that had tentacles on their backs and webbed feet. "One." The beasts wagged their slug like tails and sprayed slime everywhere as Cassandra realized she is looking at insanity and Riku realized his plan was working. "Two." The beasts looked ready to pounce as Riku had his arm ready to throw. "Three!"

Fling!

The torch was flung into the lake and the beasts were distracted by that, they squealed and retreated into the lake, Riku ran and Cassandra followed, going to the cave and seeing the torch enter the lake. BOOM! The lake caught on fire and let loose a most repulsive smell of burning rot, the buzzing turned into screams of death.

The two reached the cave and found the smell turn semi musty, Riku smiled smugly at Cassandra and was ready to say something boastful as they heard loud gurgling and squealing outside. The woman closed her eyes and took out a small clay ball with a fuse. "That worked well, shame it didn't kill them." The teenager saw a burning, slug monster with many eyes crawl out of the burning lake with the burning, ichor drenched torch in its mouth, it's waddled in joy and rushed after Riku. The teenager snapped his fingers to light the fuse and Cassandra casually tossed it to the roof of the caves mouth.

BOOM!

The slug monster reached to the mouth and had rocks fall on it, ooze splattered out of the rocks and the entrance became bard, she asked Riku. "We're never going that way again, so do we have any options of get out of here?"

Riku looked to a cavern leading to blue light. "I guess this way, I'm not getting that halberd if either of us get killed, so I'll tell you what those things are. They are Chaos Daemons of Nurgle and they are as disgusting and tough as I heard. We are going to deal with a lot of them and that lake would be the least of our worries if this infects someone." Cassandra blocked out the revolting possibilities out and asked with overconfidence. "Well fire seems to work wonders for them and we are dealing with literally, plague demons. If that dragon didn't invited them, we're dealing with some kind of witch that did."

Riku lead the way and agreed. "And one that knew of Chaos from somewhere. Since we're going to be stuck together for a while, tell me a little about yourself." Cassandra thought there wasn't any harm. "Since you're kind enough to ask, I'm the lady in-waiting for the Princess of Corona after she returned. I been training for my place in the Royal Guard and while the Princess is busy settling in with her parents, things were keeping quiet for a while."

Riku took interest. "Until a grey dragon showed up and caused a miasma in certain places, it wasn't ignored and you followed without telling anyone?" Cassandra was defensive about the last part. "I had a little help since we saw him flying over to the mountain and he's an alchemist. No one asked you to come here either."

Riku agreed with that as the two reached the end of the passage and through the light. "And I don't think running from the Daemons is a good idea. The people will notice a lake on fire and if that doesn't slow down the rot, then we are on short time before it's gets worse."

The two entered a cavern with an open roof. It had a ledge on the other side leading upward to a tunnel, they saw a horde of plague bearers dancing in orange, green fire and burning away as seven humanoid black flies with yellow eyes crawled from stalagmites. In the center of the cavern was an intense battle taking place. Riku was ready for battle as Cassandra was had her aim at the right most fly, the teenager sighed. "We're heading towards the dragon's trail as well, let's get to the bottom of this."

In the Lanes in Between.

Sora, Donald and Goofy looked even more bored of the flight, the teenager moaned. "Uuuuugh! Are we there yet?"

Rumble rumble.

Donald grumbled more annoyed. "We aren't and asking isn't going to make this go any faster." Goofy notice a blip on the radar and saw a world mostly of swamp. "World ahead fellas." Sora and Donald stopped arguing and looked on ahead, finding swamp and a modern city. Sora blinked. "Are... we actually there?"

Donald put his hands at his hips at the repeated question and answered. "Well, there is only one way to find out." The gummi ship gave a cheerful beep and in a flash of light, the three found themselves at the gate of a city by a bayou. Donald and Goofy noticed some humans looking at them strangely as Sora looked around and guessed. "The furthest by the dock is where we should find Tiana. Let's keep a look out for anything strange."

Donald and Goofy agreed with that, the shield bearer looked towards the street closer to the swamp and lead. "If we go searching this way, we'll find it eventually." The other two followed and were almost lost in the visual of the city, Donald asked the key bearer. "So what did you, Riku and Ven found out about Baldred?"

Sora answered without much worry. "He's cool, but he holds a lot of dangerous things and he keeps a little too much to himself, memories or not. We need to figure out more about how he ended up on that path." Goofy guessed. "It was a dark one?"

Sora nodded. "Something happened, but he doesn't seem like a bad guy. Maybe someone figured him out." Goofy saw a building in the location scribed, looking like it was in the process of being renovated, hesitate to disappoint his friends. "Fellas, I think we came around a bit early." Sora looked and was hit with teenage disappointment. "Aw man." Donald counted and knew it was expected. "It isn't even three days and this could take months. Come on,"

The peckish trio went to the building and found two people taking out debris from with in. A dark skin woman in orange, short sleeve clothes, taking out a box full of old wood and right behind her was a tan, charming man putting up a sweat and carefully managing a box of broken glass. The woman exhaled with a sweat. "Come on, we got to get this junk out by sundown." The man placed the box of glass to the side and shrugged. "Ehh, you know how it is with this, you don't know how long its been there and it's still sharper than a gators tooth. Ha."

The woman agreed with that. "Naveen, it's the last of this nonsense before we are stuck with the dirt and we're not waiting around." The woman noticed an odd trio approaching and was quick to realize a connection, Naveen noticed and realized something of his own. "We did hear of a kid having a birthday party today, maybe they're lost?"

Sora didn't get it as Donald squawked. "Birthday party?!" He and Goofy looked at each other, finding it obvious what Naveen meant as the woman half closed her eyes and looked at Sora. "You look familiar, you happen to know a girl in a pink hooded dress that kind of looks like what your wearing?"

The boy answered. "Kairi? You must be Tiana?" The woman knew her suspicions were accurate and hummed. "Mmmhmm. She told you what happened while she was around here? How she left before we figured something out about a certain voodoo spell?"

Sora realized that might have been a mistake and knew Donald was silently warning him about something. "Y...yes, I guess you figured out how to fix that?" Tiana nodded. "And she knew we were going to find that out by the morning. So what brings you to New Orleans?"

Sora smiled nervously. "Well, we had to go to places and while Kairi and the rest of your friends are doing business, we thought to stop by and check things out. Ha, ha." He asked Naveen. "What did you say about a birthday party?" Tiana felt more suspicious things were abound as Naveen answered. "Just a guess from your friends, but enough about that. Tell Kairi she has our thanks." He jokingly looked to the building and asked. "You envision it?"

The trio looked at the building and Goofy guessed. "The restaurant this place is getting turned into?" Tiana had the image set in her heart. "It took a little persuading from a friend, but I finally managed to pay for this place. It's going to take a little more hard work before it becomes New Orlean's shining heart." She asked as Naveen noticed something on the other side of the town. "You want to lend a hand?"

Sora nearly answered yes, completely unaware that he was about to agree to he and his friends partaking in manual labor. Screaming was heard, Naveen and Tiana heard it, putting their task to the side and were ready to check it out. Sora, Donald and Goofy ran ahead of them, Sora promised. "We'll take care of this, while you go work on that thi-"

BOOM!

SLAM!

Tiana shook her head. "Uh, uh. That noise is coming from the gardens and Charolette could be in trouble." She looked at Naveen and at the trio, guessing. "You'll go beat up what's causing the ruckus while Naveen and I make sure no one gets hurt?" The trio answered to the Princess of Heart and drew out their weapons, Sora having the mechanical like keyblade from the monster world in hand.

The group made a quick run towards the chaos and found people running for their lives as three, large, wooden like golems were on a prowl. They were covered in ashes, gave off hints of black fire, lacked a head and held giant maces, one particular was approaching a large, orange haired man in a suit and raised it mace to claim a victim.

WOOSH!

A jet of uncontrollable water shot at it's right from near a street and the sound of a valley girl hollering in a panic was heard. Tiana saw a fire hose flaying out of control and throwing around a blonde woman in a red dress. "Woooah, how do I turn this thing off?"

The golem dripped and turned to the woman, it glowed in dark fire, as if in a rage, the hose flung the woman off and left her in a daze, the golem ignored the man and approached. Donald and Sora flung a more controllable glob of water at the golems, gaining their attention as Tiana and Naveen focused on getting the two bystanders out of danger.

The golems marched against the trio, Goofy spun rather nimbly as Donald stepped back and focused on another water spell. Sora jumped on the lead golem to let loose a flurry of attacks and was blown off by a pulse of heat. The left most golem burst fire from its shoulder and tried to attack Goofy, who waddled to the right and was sent back a couple feet, the right most golem did the same to Donald who quickly ran. Sora landed and rolled back from the middle golems rather relentless attacks, he shot another water spell at the golem, stunning it and using it as his chance to rush after it as Donald shot an even stronger water spell at the golem pursuing him. The golem fell on its back, the left most one barreled after Goofy and slam its mace, Goofy jumped to the left and rushed the golems knees. Sora quickly finished a combo and form changed his keyblade into a set of claws and punched the golem in the chest, causing it to fall over and smoulder.

The other golem that was stunned was swiftly torn at, it sparked and tried to swing at Sora for a counter attack, the boy flipped behind its back and punched it through the back to inflict a similar fate. Leaving the lone golem distracted by Goofy and feeling a more mighty splash of water, incapacitated. Sora changed his claws to yo-yos and fling them at the golem, carving into it and making it burst into anger, it charged after Sora and jumped.

CRASH!

Sora skid to the right and fling both yo-yo's at once, reducing the golem to burning wood chunks. The trio wondered where the golems came from, Donald cast a rain spell to extinguish the rest of the flame as the large man approached with the rather shaken blonde woman, Tiana and Naveen. "That was some rather fine quick thinking, thanks for stopping that..." He had no idea what the golems were and tried to think of a good word to describe them. "Mess." The blonde woman corrected the man with a rather energetic if shaken tone. "A mess?! Daddy those things were burning everything and nearly got Mr. Maurice."

She realized something and approached the trio, with a smile that was pleading. "Tell us that you know what those things are?"

Sora had bad news for the woman. "Sorry, but we don't. They don't look like anything... usual to us." The woman blinked and asked. "Usual?!" The woman's father gently tapped her on the shoulder and tugged her away for a moment. "That's troubling news Charolette." He adjusted his suit and tried to keep calm as he asked. "I reckon you're not from the city either?"

Tiana answered that. "They aren't Mr. LaBouff, but they're good folk." Naveen checked the smouldering golems remains as Tiana asked the trio. "I don't think this would be the last we seen of those things and I don't think we have the kind of stuff to do much against it. Do... you have a moment once the fire clears?"

Sora and Goofy nodded as Donald looked at the golem's remains with Naveen, the man realized something that the duck noticed. "They were made?" The man nodded and had a shiver down his spine. "And I think I have a hunch of where they were made from." That was what Tiana was afraid of. "That's what we need to talk with these three about." Goofy wondered and asked. "You seen this before?" Naveen scratched the back of his head and tried to summarize. "Maybe, maybe not."

Near the mountain of Arandelle.

Kairi finished telling Olaf and Kristoff about the more recent events. "So now I been taking apprentice ship under Master Aqua along with Ken and Ana." She looked back at the snowy road annoyed. "Ken limits himself and sometimes that gets annoying."

Kristoff whistled and looked up the mountain as Sven kept close watch of the tiny snowmen that were more interested in playing with the snow. "That explains why he took off that new arm, you won't believe what happened yesterday."

Kairi guessed. "Elsa kept making herself more sick, trying to give Anna her birthday. Despite how it was getting obvious to everyone?" Kristoff nodded. "And each time she sneezed, more of the snowgies are created. We are probably going to get more when we get back." He looked around to find a familiar path up the mountain. "There isn't any heartless in sight though, so if this goes well."

Kairi finished for him. "Then the next trip won't need me anymore, a lot calmed down since the last time I was here." Kristoff agreed as Olaf noticed five, swollen, fiery, ape like heartless being on the receiving end of a losing battle with an odd, ivory armored figure with a glowing white sword and a white sabertooth cat. The Ivory Knight vanquished two of the heartless in one swing as the cat pounced on the three and burst in icy power, pushing back the darkness. The Ivory Knight looked up the mountain and scratched under the tiger's chin. "Marvelous, Avaa. Perhaps our dear Alsanna is up there."

Avaa purred from the affection and heard waddling from behind, the cat turned to find travelers and a snowman waving hello. "Hi ya, are you a polar bear?" Avaa stilled, shifted her eyes to the Ivory Knight that looked at her with a mutual sense of confusion from behind the masked helmet.

The Ivory Knight answered as Avaa readied a warning growl. "No, she isn't. Neither she or her kin are polar bears." He coughed awkwardly in hope the group recently arrived, he noticed the smaller snowmen and asked the group. "What brings thou up these mountains?"

The snowgies ignored any form of warning from Avaa and waddled closer as Kristoff answered. "Bringing these guys to a palace up the mountain. It's a long story. Nice cat." Avaa growled louder at the snowgies as the Ivory Knight appreciated the compliment. "Thank you," he noticed the Caribou and sparked in interest as he asked. "Thy Caribou is rather majestic as well." Sven felt charmed as Kairi noticed the tiger's growling getting worse and asked the Knight. "What... are you doing here?"

The Ivory Knight wished he had that answer. "I'm afraid I'm at a lost as thou. I found myself with in a... puzzling cavern with only my sword and my loyal pet. There is someone dear to us that is lost in these mountains, we can feel it. My wife Alsanna." He realized something and asked. "Have thou... seen a fair woman with long black hair and a white dress? She is a rather loving soul." The group shook their heads and Kairi, felt something suspicious. "We haven't seen her, but why would she be up in the palace?" The Ivory Knight had little idea himself as he looked up the mountain. "These are not our lands, but she could be attempting to take shelter."

Kristoff cringed, folded his arms and looked up. "That's a bad idea, there is a... friend of Arendelle's queen that lives up there and he doesn't like it when people visit. Unless there is a good reason to, if we hurry, we might stop a misunderstanding." The Ivory Knight agreed as his tiger lowered herself. "That is what we need to do. We thank thee and we'll clear the way." Kairi realized the Knight was leaving them behind and asked with her hands at her hips. "Clear the... hey, I can fight too, you know." The Knight looked at Kairi and found it hard to believe, the girl drew out her keyblade to prove a point. The fierce attitude caused Aava to to tilted her head as the Ivory Knight asked. "Thou has fought before in these lands?" Kairi had a confident smile and answered. "Oh, I have and against those Heartless you two creamed. Mind if I show you what I can do?"

The Ivory Knight was willing to give her a sporting shot and approached. "Thou are bold, I'll grant this request. But we must be quick." He gave Kairi a small bow of respect and she gave one back, the audience backed away at the start of a short battle.

WOOSH!

The Ivory Knight rushed at Kairi with rather fast speeds and swung with an ivory, great sword. Kairi back flipped and spun herself at the Ivory Knight like a missile, the knight jumped back a great distance and was ready to perform a leaping stab. Kairi rolled to the right and countered with a combo, the Ivory Knight countered back with his own combo and flipped in the air for a finisher, Kairi rolled under the Knight and flung a flower of light at the Knight. The cold was the one thing keeping her from sweating, the Knight flipped above the flower and tried to swing again, Kairi back flipped and caused her keyblade to glow and split into something like light sabres, she launched at the surprised Knight and gave a quick combo. The Ivory Knight jumped back and put his sword away. "Enough, thou have proven thy merit." Kairi took a deep breath and felt the frigid air in her lungs cooling her body down, her swords turned into one and she kept her keyblade in hand. "*Haaa* You were a lot faster than we expected. Go ahead of us and we'll catch up. Marshmallow is pretty tough and is kind of scary, but once he knows what's going on, this will all work out."

The Ivory King listened and climbed on the back of Aava. "We will heed that before we go into the palace. Beware the creatures of the dark, they can appear out of nowhere." Kairi understood that. "The Heartless? I'll take care of any that you missed. What's your name?"

The Ivory Knight answered. "Floyce and thou?" Kairi and the group introduced themselves, starting with herself, Kristoff was next and looked at Sven for his name and Olaf introduced himself innocently. "I'm Olaf and I like hugs." He looked to the snowgies. "And this is Slush, Slurry and-" Kairi coughed. "We don't got the kind of time, these are the snowgies." Floyce hummed a little disappointed. "We don't, but once we resolve this matter, I will have all the attention thou seek to know all of them." He nodded to them. "May you have a safe travel and may the snow rain lightly."

He tapped Aava on the shoulder and gave the order, the sabertooth cat made a dash up the mountain. Olaf and the snowgies waved goodbye and Kristoff took his chance to ask. "That came out of nowhere." Kairi agreed with that. "I think there are things he isn't telling us, but I think we can let it slide as long as we get Marshmallow to calm down. You saw how those two fight. Wow." Sven agreed with a buck and lead the snowgies towards a journey, Kairi lead the way and paid some caution.

At Arandelle's Castle.

Ken was in a balance and was in a near meditative stance, practicing aiming Cadia's Light with his off hand and relaxing. He felt a glimmer to his right and looked on, finding Anna with a spare face mask and pulling hers down. "This isn't a good idea, but do you want to come with me for a minute?" Ken guessed by the spare face mask and swallowed, Anna nervously asked. "You might need to put that other arm on, I'm sure we won't find it freaky."

Ken dismissed his keyblade and put his bag down. "Alright, but I can put this on by myself." He unzipped and took out something that looked like a medieval, copper like gauntlet, he saw the inner workings matching his arm and placed it in its socket, feeling an electrical jolt across his arm and awkwardly blushing. "Well...well...ha, ha, ha."

He stood up and gave the same, false smile Anna had, the Princess asked. "That's nowhere nearly as weird as someone saying, dry banana hippy hat. Are you ready?" Ken wiggled his fingers and took the medical mask. "Give me a second to put this on." He put it on and picked up his back pack, looking a little nervous and asked. "She...she asked that I come say hello before I spend some time out here?"

Anna nodded. "And she has a couple more things to say to you." She chuckled. "Despite my suggestion." Ken knew the instructions. "Mask stays on, you told her about my arm and I think I'm over... it." His eyes shifted away and Anna asked. "How old are you again?"

Ken answered "Fourteen and I'm not asking since the two of you are adults." Anna lead Ken to a hall and to a particular door. "This is pretty obvious. It was still sweet that you were trying to help Elsa, we appreciated that." She gently opened the door and lead the way into a grand bed room with many tiny snowmen surrounding a particular, white haired woman that was trying to rest. Anna closed the door and whispered. "Rise and shined Elsa, we got company."

The snowmen offered Ken a seat next to the bed, the boy took it as the ill queen forced herself up, her hair was undone and in a mess, her make up was gone and she tried opening her eyes. "Achoo!"

Poof!

More snowgies appeared around her, Ken flushed red and took a seat, seeing Elsa wake up looking unkempt and still rather stunning. The queen wrapped herself around a yellow sick cloth and recognized the boy, greeting him with a appreciative, if weak smile. "We...welcome, s...sorry for what happened. I just...wanted you to know I was thankful." Ken calmed down and confessed. "That was pretty silly of me. I think I'm over it now. Sorry to hear that you're sick. How are you feeling?"

Elsa rubbed her nose to get rid of excessive mucus and breathed out her mouth. "Sick since yesterday." Ken wished he had anything to remedy that and continued. "It was still pretty nice what you did for Anna yesterday, even if me or Kairi weren't there to see it. She's helping get these guys all the way home, just to see how much of a danger the trip might be." Elsa understood that. "Because of the Heartless?" Ken nodded. "Marshmallow ought to enjoy the company if he is still alone up at the palace. To make another thing short, I'm kind of a pyromancer now. So if things get hectic out there in the castle... that's why."

The snowgies had no idea what a pyromancer is as Elsa jolted in shock and realized she should have seen it coming. "In here?! That's not a good idea." Anna agreed. "Unless it's needed, Ken you might set the place on fire." The boy understood and spun a mechanical finger. "Don't think about it for too long, but that's why it isn't going to be used unless I gotta. I learned them from a pretty swell knight."

Achoo!

Puff!

Ken felt himself covered in snowgies, he ignored the obvious chill and looked at the innocent looking creatures. "Ha, ha. A lot happened. So anything else is going on I need to know about?" Anna remembered one and blushed. "Ehh...maybe." Ken looked a little interested and the chill was getting to him. "Brr. What was it?" Anna tried to think of what to say and asked. "Maybe when Kairi get's back I'll tell you."

Ken let the snowgies jump off and stood. "That's pretty interesting." He gave a gracious bow to Elsa. "Get well soon, I'll be back because of patrol. If there is something you need from me, let me know." The Queen felt she didn't and rested up. "Thank you Kendry. I'll try."

Anna felt her sisters head and got up. "I'll go get you something to drink." She and Ken left the room, the boy gave a firm salute and Anna requested. "So, mind the fire, since we kind of know danger can show up from anywhere... you can go back in there as long as you put on that mask." Ken took the mask off and put it in his backpack. "I don't want to catch that. Those snowmen were kind of cute, but that's a cold to end all colds."

Anna shook her head at the joke. "It is, once I get Elsa taken cared of, do you want anything?" The boy answered. "If it doesn't get in the way, nothing particular." He drew out Cadia's Light and held it like the gun it is, he went to marching on as Anna looked warmed by the company and left for her part in her sisters care.

At a mountain in Corona.

Riku dashed through five of the fly like heartless and sliced them into mist and let Cassandra slash through two, weakening them to where Riku casually sliced them in two. Cassandra looked rather jealous and asked. "Alright, what's your secret?"

Riku knew it was why he was handling the heartless so easily and answered as he flipped his keyblade in the air. "I just fight these things a lot more than everyone in the kingdom. A keyblade is one of the few things that could bring them down for good."

Cassandra realized she agreed to a rather risky adventure and noticed a burning plaguebearer rushing after an unaware Riku, she switched from her sword to her cross bow and fired at the daemons skull, causing it to fall to the ground and vanished from where it came. The teenager was rather surprised and saw the many daemons fading away, he gave Cassandra where it was due. "But just about anyone could take down a daemon." GURNLE! GURNLE! ROAR!

The two saw something burst into toxic looking fire, a large, rotten, yellow maggot like creature that had feet, long arms and claws, it burned and clawed at the grey dragon with a spear in its chest. The claws were breaking apart from a corrosive liquid seeping from the dragons skin. Riku was ready to attack as Cassandra pulled him back and advised with some sarcasm. "Hey, I know it would be fun to clear this little fight, but I got a better idea."

The teenager saw the woman point to a stalagmite, he agreed and flowed behind it, Cassandra slowly sneaked behind the pillar and watched with him a rather one sided fight. The dragon bit into the maggot beasts throat and used its tail to sweep it off its feet, a chunk of skin was tossed aside and bile spewed from the beasts wound. Riku looked away and felt his stomach churning. "Urk, gross... too gross."

He nearly heaved as Cassandra counted the blessing of earlier, the dragon flew above and breathed fire at the maggot beast for an intense finisher, turning the rotten, regenerating flesh into charcoal. The beast vomited at the dragon, the dragon flew around to dodge and dived down to the beasts side, flipping it on its side and to another fire breath. The beast stopped moving and was reduced to smoulder, the dragon approached the burning carcass and smashed it to pieces, making sure it was dead.

A yellow and black cloud spewed, making Cassandra nauseous. The dragon caught a faint smell of it, backed away, hacked just as noxious as the unknown bystanders, an odd melody sang from above. A melody the dragon was familiar with, it raised its wings and took flight to the hole above, wondering where the haunting song was coming from. Riku turned to watch, finding a ledge leading to a way out of the cavern, giving compliments where it is due. "This guy made getting up the mountain easier for us... but don't you think that song is something we ought to check out?"

Cassandra agreed with that and went out of cover to answered. "Let's see, that freak we met said something about a song, that dragon beat those things in a quarter of the time we would have spent." She kept her distance from the smog. "And looks like it can take more." Riku added in. "Let's not forget the dragon and that song are connected." He cringed as Cassandra finished. "Yeah, if he was against these things, he won't if he follows that song."

Riku agreed and made his sprint to the ledge leading to the entrance, Cassandra followed behind. Surprisingly, there were no further enemies getting in their way, yet the song continued. The two found themselves in the outer edge of the mountain and watching a forest becoming consumed in rot. There was a path circling up the mountain, it lead to a crest with that very hole, Riku noticed something at the summit, a cave with a scent of dark. "What ever is causing all of this is up ahead." Cassandra sighed and kept her guard up. "Any plan besides don't get hit?" Riku nodded with his own faux smile. "Watch out for any odd powers and it's far too late to wait for help because of how deep we are."

Cassandra rolled her eyes as she and Riku continued upward, they reached the closest to the haunting song and saw a woman with elegant blonde hair along with a brown, regal dress with red highlights. The teenager felt a squalid darkness and had his blade ready, Cassandra felt enough common sense to ready herself. The song stopped and the woman turned around, giving the two an unnatural dread in their hearts, she greeted them with a queenly, yet bitter tone. "What have we here? Those who braved the mire and traversed the Dark?" The duo felt hesitate to speak as the queen stretched her right hand, causing a pole to emerge from the darkness, the gaze became more wrathful. "Sinh has slumbered long enough, the Harbinger shall have his soul as I claim his body and the land for the Plagued One."

Riku heard the name and asked. "So this was your doing?" The queen grabbed the pole and lifted it, revealing a decrypted pole arm, answering him. "He, forever, shall rot." She gave off an air of battle and enveloped in dark, twisting into a brown, corpse like form. Her dress became something like brambles and she allowed the two to step onto the summit with her, a dark fog blocked their way out, the duo looked at the queen in silence as she promised them. "Be one, with the Dark."

Riku dashed in the speed of light and appeared in front of the queen to swing, landing a glancing blow, the queen vanished in red mist. Riku landed and asked. "Where did she go?"

Cassandra smelled something and realized the queen was right behind her, rolling forward to dodge a polearm swing and flipping to get an angle at her, the queen waved her free hand and caused an orb of fire to appear to the left of Cassandra, the woman knew it was about to explode and rolled to the right. She shot a cross bow at the queens chest, distracting her as Riku charged again and appeared at the queens right and let loose his swings. The queen raised her free hand and caused a glow of darkness, Riku rolled back and focused on the queen that caused a storm of dark power to surround and shield herself. Giving the duo time to realize they were fighting something even more super natural, the queen disappeared and reappeared by the entrance of the cave. Flinging a barrage of dark projectiles and causing three dark orbs to appear above her, she noticed Riku was trying something and waved her free hand, causing three pillars of rot to erupt around her. The odd, feeling of wrath told the duo that the queen unleashed something they would not enjoy.

The rot took form; a bandit with a regal hat and a great bow on its back, a knight with two katanas and a bulky knight with a great shield and a massive club that looked like a tooth. The bandit drew its great bow and aimed it at Cassandra as the two knights approached Riku.

The queen caused the three orbs to shoot at Riku, the dark mist shined white wisp like eyes. The Teenager back flipped and watched the queen disappear again. To the right of Cassandra, with a dark hand aimed at her.

PEW! PEW! PEW! The woman rolled to the left to dodge that and a large arrow from the archer as Riku dodged the sword swings from the more nimble knight and jumped above the knight that took his club and tried to smash him into the ground with it.

CRUNCH!

Cassandra made a sprint to the archer as Riku focused on the two knights, hovered and shot a barrage of moon lit fire balls. The katana wielding knight was blown asunder and landed on its back as the armored knight stood there and took it, taking significantly less damage, the boy cringed and saw the armored knight casually march to where he was landing, ready to swing its giant club like a base ball bat.

PEW! BOP!

A cross bow bolt shot the knight in the chest and caused it to howl, it looked over to an overconfidently smiling Cassandra that made a dash to the bowmen that realized she was coming for it.

It drew out an estoc to parry against Cassandra's blade and was punched in the face. The queen teleported next to Riku as he landed, she raised her hand to the air with a dark glow. Blowing him back with a dark storm and giving the katana wielding knight the chance to rush after him while he was quickly trying to get up. He dodged one swing and parried with another, his blade glowed in moon light and he riposte back and caused his blade to split into two as light burst through the knight. The boy wielded, a bat wing like sword and an angel wing like sword and was ready to finish the knight off, the queen waved her hand to cause a fire orb to appear in front of the boy that vanished in a flicker of light and appeared behind the dazed knight. Letting loose a flurry of dark and light, catching it in a cycle of blows and finishing it off with a x crossed slash, the knight ruptured in brown slime as the Queen fired dark orbs at Riku.

Cassandra disarmed the bandit and tried to deal a final blow as she heard clanking behind her and made a roll to avoid a club swing. The bandit rolled after her and had her in a parry as the club wielding knight tried to circle around her, the woman realized what the duos strategy was. "You're seriously ganging up on one person?" The heavier knight readied his club for a horizontal swing as the bandit swiped the blade away and tried to stab Cassandra, she quickly parried it away and ducked the club swing, taking her chance and stabbing the bandit in the chest. She kicked the rot figure back and saw it break down, the club wielding knight aimed his weapon horizontally and was ready to cave her into the ground.

PEW!

Riku appeared next to it and kicked it away, he fused both blades into a larger, morning sword. He slammed it at the knight and caused it to vaporize, riding the last of the rot figures. He was caught in a fire burst.

BOOM!

He and Cassandra were knocked across and found a furious queen teleporting again. She appeared infront of Cassandra and turned to Riku to form three dark orbs and fired projectiles at the boy, the teenager crawled out of the way from the unholy barrage of dark and watched the queen turn to Cassandra with its polearm ready to swing. The woman took her cross bow and had her teeth gritting for a rather surprising shot.

PEW!

The bolt shot the queen in her right eye and caused her to howl, the woman took her chance to crawl away from the dark queen as Riku gave an eerie hover with his keyblade and flew to a random direction, disappearing and reappearing in front of a queen that realized she was cornered.

One rush pierced through her, a second caused her to hiss in stubborn anger, the third, she tried to swing at him with her polearm and missed. A fourth and she found Riku with his back turned against her and his keyblade down, he half turned his head with a bored look. "You lost."

BOOM!

A burst of orange light ruptured from bellow the queen, she wailed against the light and fell on her knees, raising her free hand up in the air like she was grasping onto something. Her body breaking down into darkness, until a spec of an odd light remained, the heart of a wrathful queen of rot. The flicker fade away into the dark and the barrier disappeared, Cassandra stood up to dust herself and summarized the battle. "That was annoying," Riku agreed with that. "She wasn't an idiot, that's for sure. But what does she have against the dragon Sinh?"

Cassandra shrugged and realized the spread of rot was still reaching far into the world, a dragon's roar was heard from with in the cave. "Well what ever it is, our problem is that getting rid of her didn't get rid of this. You think we still got a chance to stop it?"

Riku nodded and heard buzzing from the forest, reaching up to the mountain. "I sense it, the source of the Chaos is a little ways away and I think Sinh got lured into a trap. We should move, now." Cassandra heard the loud buzzing and saw large bloated flies from the distance, she sighed and had a small clay bomb ready. "I'll complain once we get inside to where the big lizard of fiery death is."

Riku sighed as he and Cassandra went into the cave and saw the flies catching up with them, the woman tossed the bomb to the upper mouth and Riku shot a fire ball. Causing an explosion that blocked the way in, the dragon's roaring became more clear and even louder, Riku guessed what the complaints were. "We know that dragon shouldn't be here and if left unchecked, he would be a problem for the nearest town."

Cassandra nodded like her mind was read and smiled, Riku continued. "We have no way of settling things with Sinh peacefully and if there is one, there are too many problems and too many risks of getting killed."

Cassandra shook her head and Riku had one idea. "But, if this is a warp rift trying to make things worse for both him and for us. I think I got a way to lock the rift close and stop the Chaos." Cassandra looked a little puzzled and asked. "How are you going to clean that up?"

Riku showed his keyblade and realized what wasn't obvious. "This is a keyblade and keys do?" The woman understood, nodded, winked her right eye and pointed a finger. "Ah, got ya. But that would leave us with Sinh, anything we have for him?"

Riku casually answered and lead forward to a short tunnel. "You ever fought a dragon before?" He answered for Cassandra. "No? You'll learn." The woman shook her head and followed. "How did any of this involve what again?" Riku wanted to laugh to that and held against it. "It was why I came here in the first place, ha, ha. This would have been a disaster if something that dumb wasn't asked for." Cassandra agreed with that. "It probably would have."

At New Orleans, by the building being renovated.

Donald tapped his foot as Sora and Goofy were completely astonished by what Tiana and Naveen said. The mage asked. "This is all voodoo?" He found it a little hard to believe as Naveen found it a little in the realm of possibilities. "It would explain the wooden monsters and some of the odd markings inside. You, look like an expert on this, ya?"

Donald nodded and looked rather serious. "If this was a Heartless, it be easier to explain. I think something... or someone made those things, they're controlling them from somewhere." Naveen tapped the side of his head. "And it might be no coincidence that somewhere is where no one would go to." He shrugged and insisted. "It be smart to not think about why."

Tiana flinched in a realization and even Goofy and Sora realized the purpose of the golems, Sora blurted out. "They wanted something from the people and are willing to take it. Like how the Heartless attack people for their hearts!" Tiana had her arms folded and gave a scolding look to Naveen, silently telling him they wouldn't have figured it out if he didn't speak of it, the man was in a corner and noticed something crawling out of the water and towards them, an alligator that held a trumpet with his tail. He noticed the gator looking rather urgent warned the three. "Don't look around, but I think we are about to know more about what's going on."

Tiana noticed the gator rushing towards her and the group, the gator shouted. "Guys, guys, there's all kinds of hoo do in the bayou and everything is getting dusty in there." Sora, Donald and Goofy forgot about the warning and turned around to find the large alligator. Sora yelped. "Ahh, a gator!"

He drew his weapon and the alligator curled his tail defensively. "Woah, woah." The Princess of Heart stood in between the two. "Enough already," She turned to the alligator and asked. "Lewis, what did you find?" The alligator pointed his thumb to the swamp and started from the beginning. "I was minding my own business chatting with Ray's folks when a big bramble grew out by Mama Odie's and started covering things in a fog. Then some spooky voodoo came walking out and into black fire."

Sora calmed down from the large reptile and lowered his weapon as Goofy asked. "So that's how they came out of nowhere. We got to get to the brambles before it gets worse."

Sora agreed to that as Lewis offered to lead the way. "I know the way, guys, it's kind of far away though." Tiana was a little surprised that Lewis had a sense of direction, she asked. "You're sure that you won't get distracted and lead the other way."

Lewis remembered and gave an oaf. "I swear to the big boys that I won't. You can't miss the fog," Donald added in. "But it's still a fog." He, Sora and Goofy knew Tiana and Naveen are not fighters and offered to go with Lewis, the spiky haired boy asked the couple. "You guys stay here while we go handle this. It probably gotten more dangerous out there."

Tiana agreed from experience. "Sugar, there is a lot of things in there that's like that. Just don't getyourselves hurt." She turned to ask Naveen. "What do you think? Should we go get something ready just in case?" The man had little idea what she meant and heard the sound of stomachs grumbling, confirming something and agreeing, he gave a charming, princely smile. "Good luck out there and watch your step in there."

The trio appreciated it and gave their thanks, Lewis went to jump back into the water and Goofy had an idea with his shield. "Hey fellers, I think I know how we can skip over into the bayou." Sora and Donald realized how, the teenager gave a wide, slightly silly smile as the duck shook his head. "Here we go again."

Goofy walked to the edge and placed the shield down, taking the front as Sora and Donald stepped behind, Tiana shook her head at the ridiculousness as Naveen realized what they were doing and patted her on the shoulder to let her know the trio has it covered. The Princess of Heart grumbled and watched Sora and Donald aim their weapons opposite of Goofy and blew wind, causing the shield to slide through the water like an air boat. Leaving the two behind and sailing straight into the bayou, a reckless action, yet effective.

The trio crash landed by a tree and flew into the muck, Donald being the first to get up and went into a tantrum. "Wra wra wrawk! Why did we do that?" Goofy was dazed and got up, seeing the glittering of the swamp almost distracted him. "It got us across, didn't it?" Sora getting up and wiping the mud from his face answered. "It did, we were kind of in a hurry."

POP!

Crackle!

Sora, Donald and Goofy looked around to find black fumes, crackling in lightning, it took the form of two, humanoid, raven like creatures, hunched upward and with dagger like talons. The ravens disturbingly enough, had empty eye sockets. The trio readied for battle, poof! The ravens disappeared and in an instant, Sora felt his hair standing and rolled forward, dodging talons, Goofy went to get his shield as Donald countered with a burst of fire. Causing the ravens to flinch in pain and give Sora the chance to strike at them, they surprisingly had low poise. One flew away and formed a lighting orb in its talons to fire at both Sora and Donald. BASH! Goofy tossed his shield at the raven like a boomerang and gave Sora time to quickly dispatch the one he was focusing on. The boy jumped from tree branch to tree branch and made a leap at the disoriented heartless.

SLASH!

The raven disolved in mist and Sora landed, having a feeling like he was on a constant watch. He and his friends noticed a distant fog slowly encroaching the swamp as Donald asked. "So that's where these things are coming from?"

Sora had an instinctual feeling that it was. H...Hiiiiiissss! SNARL! He yelped at a sudden noise from the waters, an alligator that slowly approached the three with a hostile hiss, like they were intruding.

GRRRRROWL!

The gator heard a growl from a brush and scurried into the water, Lewis sprinted out of the brush and gave a more assertive growl, he dropped the territorial facade and pointed to the water. "Sorry about the relatives." He looked to the left most of the fog. "Right from there is where I was swimming. You fellas mind telling me about yourselves?"

The trio found no harm in doing so as Sora was the first to answer. "If... you met a friend of mine who came here a while back, she told us to come this way to check up on a couple things." Lewis remembered fondly. "That island girl Kairi? How she doing?" Sora answered as he and his friends slowly approached the fog. "Fine, she found a good school to learn how to use her keyblade." He was a little tongue tied. "Once her teacher got that school back, it's been a couple days and she is getting better at that. Anything happened here?"

Lewis nodded and swam in the water. "She missed out on those two's wedding and this voodoo spell being broken. Once Naveen and Tiana got married, one kiss broke the spell that turned them into frogs, then we went over to help Tiana buy that building to make her daddy's restaurant." Donald and Goofy found that the stuff of fairy tales and Sora asked. "They were frogs?! Eh... sorry that Kairi left and missed out on that, she was kind of in a hurry."

Lewis didn't mind. "Tiana been wondering why." The four reached the fog and smelled ashes, the sense of danger intensified, Goofy was the first to state the obvious. "This fog isn't normal." Lewis was nearly panicking as the vision was completely clouded. "...Okay Lewis, it oughta be... straight ahead, left turn at the broken branch." Donald realized what happened. "Are we already lost?"

At the mountain of Arendelle.

Kairi finished talking a tale with Kristoff as they, Olaf, Sven and the snowgies reached a familiar wall. "And now me and Ken stepped it up a little bit since." She had something to demonstrate as she looked up the frozen wall, she ran to the base of the wall and used her feet to run upward. She reached the top and made a flip of a landing. Kristoff and Sven were rather impressed, the man yelled. "Nice move."

Olaf lead the group on the bottom towards a stair way up, giving Kairi a moment to herself and looking on to a distant palace that had an aura of wrongness, the icy blue became a darker, bleak tone and the sound of something with in fighting was head. She saw snow tracks of tiger paws and followed to the stair way, hearing brutal grunts and the roars of not one, not two, but three tigers. The palace door was wide open and the princess rushed in to find Marshmallow holding his one against a black sabertooth tiger and holding against the beast as Aava and a black sabertooth, with a missing left tusk, rolled against each other in a rather brutal fight. Floyce looked mentally distraught and tried to push the black cats away, starting with the one fighting Marshmallow. "Lud, it's me! Aava and I are here."

Lud looked at Floyce, raised his legs and caused its back hairs to stiffen, it roared in a warning and caused the other black tiger to cease its fight with Aava and roared to Floyce, causing crystalized ice to form in front of it and fire at the knight. He turned and jumped back, seeing Lud doing the same and growling in a kind of craze, the knight raised his weapon high and Aava kept guard close to him as Marshmallow had watch. Floyce tried something considered a little drastic and asked the other. "Zallen, we're not here to fight you. We're here to find Alsanna."

That word caused Zallen to cringe and in a craze, pounce on Floyce.

Swat!

Aava slapped Zallen back with a paw and caused the tiger to spin, Zallen roared something that confused Aava. Kairi felt a strong darkness clouding the cats minds and went to the trio, Marshmallow noticed and grumbled. "Kairi!"

The Princess looked up and nodded, seeing that the scratches on his icy body told a tale, she asked Floyce. "You know these two?" Floyce looked distraught. "Lud and Zallen, like Aava, they are my trusted companions, they help me with some... less than ideal things I'm not proud of."

He looked at the two worried as Kairi wondered. "Less than... okay, I think I know what's wrong. Something is in their minds and we got to help them wake up. But how?" She felt a presence with in agreeing wholly and the voice of Namine whispered in her mind. "It's more than a darkened heart, what ever we are seeing here isn't what they are seeing. Someone needs to reconnect with their hearts."

Kairi held her keyblade with two hands for a cute pose and knew what to do, Lud stopped still for a moment, roared like a mad beast and pounced after the girl. Kairi was in shock and Marshmallow blocked the blow, the princess jumped up the snow monsters back as Floyce glowed his sword and kept a watch of a protected Zallen that focused on Kairi. The cat with the missing tooth made a sprint to jump, Floyce pressed his blade on the ground and caused a wall of ice to erupt, blocking Zallen away. Kairi glowed her keyblade and caused a rush of water to push Lud back. She dashed with a glitter of light as Lud made contact with a wall and fell on the ground, Kairi landed under him and raised her keyblade to shout. "Stop!" PEW! Lud froze in time, giving Kairi the time she needed to focus, a glitter of light flowed to the saber cats chest and the girl was given a vision of a frozen waste land, by the cats side was Zallen and in front of both was Floyce with four saber cats. The Ivory Knight asked. "Lud, this wasteland is a dreadful fate for the exiled, they can not be allowed to suffer in this" Flicker! Flicker! PEW!

Kairi's vision returned to normal and Lud moved, crawling away from Kairi and shaking its head, lessening its attacks. Zallen saw what happened and glowed in dark, he gave a ferocious roar and broke the ice. He was dashed through it and Floyce stood in front of Kairi to take the swift swipe. He was sent flying to the stairs and yelped in pain causing Lud to recognize the voice. The black sabertooth rushed to pin his partner down as Aava held Zallen by the tail with her teeth, Kairi aimed her keyblade at Zallen and caused light to flow to the cat, she had a familiar vision. With Floyce finishing giving Lud a cuddle of affection to his face and going to Zallen with a similar tone. "Zallen, you and Lud are my mercy to this exiled souls. If they survive the blizzard and the frozen reindeer, make it swift and painless."

He embraced Zallen by the face and Kairi saw in the memory, a tongue licking the Ivory Knight's face in affection. Kairi's vision returned to reality and Zallen calmed, nearly going limp in shock and noticing Floyce getting up from a brutal blow. The cat looked around and saw Marshmallow looking at Floyce to say something, he roared in misunderstood fury and caused ice crystals to form. Kairi took a deep breath and flung a flower of light like a boomerang, stopping the attack and giving Floyce time to run infront of him to yell. "Zallen, halt! Marshmallow didn't do this. Sit and listen."

Zallen stopped and sat in an instant, Lud let go walked to his twins side and sat next to him as Aava approached the stair way and noticed something odd. Marshmallow heard someone approaching and found Olaf asking the snowgies. "This way Sludge, Slush, Slide and Ansel-" Kristoff and Sven followed the snowmen in, the man looked at the aftermath of a fight and felt something wiggling in his hat, he pulled and let a snowgie join its kin. Kairi looked at the silliness and back to Floyce as he settled things with his pets, the Ivory Knight explained. "Aava and I thought you two were lost and something clouded your minds to have you attack us like you did." Zallen and Lud gasped and lowered their heads in guilt, Floyce approached to pet the two and give both affection as Kairi saw Aava jump up to the next balcony and growled. She followed the cat and found a massive hole leading into a dark abyss, she gasped and turned back in an instant, listening to Floyce continuing. "Alsanna is just as lost in this mountain as us, that is why we are to find her and figure out what has occurred."

Kairi wheezed and pointed to the stairs. "I think I know where she is, someone made a giant hole into the Dark and I could sense something down there. Floyce, what haven't you told me?"

The Ivory Knight clattered under his armor and the two cats roared, they rushed to the stairs and made the jump. The Knight looked towards an interested Kristoff and Marshmallow, with a confession to make. "Alsanna... isn't an ordinary maiden. Her power is tied to Dark and it is vast. But what would persuade her to do that?" Kristoff wondered as Marshmallow grunted. "Dark...take." The man asked. "You saw her a while ago and something took her into the hole?"

Marshmallow nodded and pointed to the cats, mimicking something pouncing out, Floyce's tone became more shocked. "Something from the Dark bound Alsanna and took its hold into my beasts?!" He let his sword's glow cease and his tone darkened. "That thing is waiting for us." Kristoff saw Olaf trying to escort the vast legion of snowgies and asked. "If you, Marshmallow and Kairi go in there, Sven and I will make sure the snowgies don't get themselves into trouble. Cool?"

Marshmallow grunted and walked up the stair way as Floyce gave Kristoff a nod of gratitude. "Thou are not warriors, allow us to transcend the Abyss. See that the little ones stay put, this will be quickly resolved and perhaps we can consult more." The man shrugged and saw something dark glowing. "You... might want to hurry."

Floyce gave a salute and turned, finding Kairi wanting her question answered, the Princess asked Kristoff. "Stay safe, we shouldn't be long." She turned to follow Floyce up the stair way, the Ivory Knight looked at Kairi with regret and whispered. "I might have deceived thee, if for a minor ordeal. I... am a King from a distant land, what became of it and why we are here, I know not."

Kairi listened and appreciated the truth. "And Alsanna is your Queen, despite how you said she is tied to Darkness, that isn't why you are rescuing her?"

Floyce nodded with a tone like of one worried for a loved one. "My dear Alsanna, she was there for me until the very end and if it were not for a knight she found. I don't wish to know what I would have became amidst the Flame of Chaos." Kairi cringed and closed her eyes. "Mmmhmm. Chaos?! Do... you remember anything else?"

Floyce kept a stalwart look and found himself at the hole. "That knight, led my most loyal to victory... then there was nothing. With this light, I could... tell Alsanna that she did no harm and that I am grateful for what she done." He placed his free hand at his chest and confessed. "I... don't know how to say it to her."

Kairi felt the love and promised him. "We'll get her out and then you can take your time saying it to her." She found Marshmallow looking down into the dark and asked him. "Are you ready? This is so bizarre." Marshmallow agreed as Aava purred to Lud and Zallen, the three cats looked down ready. Floyce had one more thing to say. "I used Floyce as a name to go by. I will try to remember what my real name is as soon as we finish."

He relaxed and approached the dark hole as Kairi stood by him and Marshmallow, the girl figured that. "I get why, you didn't want us to worry about you," She readied her blade and looked down at the abyss. "but you aren't doing this alone." She jumped head first into the abyss, Marshmallow cringed and walked over the edge after her and the Ivory King got over his shock and jumped in, with Lud growling confused at who was suppose to lead the assault. He and the other two cats jumped in, deep down in the dark. Falling for what seemed endless.

Thud!

They reached the bottom of a cavern and found it twisting with dark energy. Kairi looked around and heard skittering in the dark, lighting up her keyblade and seeing a vast horde of eyes looking upon her and her friends, dark colored daemonettes, giving a hungry, sadistic, demented smile. Marshmallow muttered. "Uh oh."

Kairi agreed with that as the Ivory King approached the daemons bravely with his sword, the daemonettes sprinted after him in alarming speeds, the Princess's back burst in golden wings and she flew after the horde like a missile, Marshmallow and the Ivory King charged into the vast horde. The three cats landed, saw the chaos and roared in unison, leaping at the daemons and clawing into them.

At Adrendelle's Palace.

Ken finished a boring patrol and talking with his burning keyblade. "So you were the one who had it blend with the Order? I should have asked." He went to the front door of the palace and saw it fling open, guards came rushing in for fear of their lives and fired cross bows at something charging in after them, a fleshy, black throne with shifting skulls with in its belly. The throne had a maw snapping for flesh and it was driven by two black bloodletters, on the chariots back was a throne with a black and red herald of Khorne, commanding an alarming thirty blood letters. He instinctively rush into battle and let the guards know. "I got this, keep guard of the Queen."

The bloodletter swarm riled up in a frenzy and focused on the keyblade wielder, the herald raised his blade and yelled. "Bring him to the Dark Master and slaughter our way to the two Princess's. See that he knows pain." Ken cringed and jumped high, to a chandelier dangling above, he gave a glow in flame and shot Cadia's Light at the horde, causing an orb of fire to form and scorch five daemons.

PEW! PEW! PEW!

Burning skulls were shot from the courtyard above, Ken flung himself down to the horde in a spin, slaying another daemon and seeing hints of a familiar chariot with a canon. The shaking guards aimed their cross bows at the daemons and caused one to vanish into the darkness. The burning skulls snapped some of the chains on the chandelier, Ken landed and swiped three more daemons into oblivion. The herald pressed his foot on his chariot and caused it to charge after the boy, Ken side jumped towards his fire orb and had a particular aura around him. Five bloodletters tried to block his path and swung their blades at the boy, Ken parried, pushed them back and raised his burning blade in the air.

BOOM!

The fire orb exploded and vanquished ten of the daemons. He made a dash under the chandelier, taunted the daemons with a wide smile and stuck his tongue out. The chariot turned and appeared in front of Ken. Swipe! The bloodletters swung and were parried as Ken ducked from an angry herald's attempt for his neck.

PEW!

Crossbows pitifully shot at the daemon and vanished in fire, Ken back jumped from the chariots maw and leaped at the chandelier, he had Cadia's Light form change into an arm canon. He noticed the skull canon aiming for the crossbow men instead of at him, puffed his cheeks and fired at the canon three times, puncturing the hull and making it explode in a howling darkness. He spun and slashed a wave of hot fire at the chandelier, sending it falling to the ten blood letters bellow, four were crushed and six more looked up to find the hand canon igniting in fire and forming odd canisters.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Ken shot into them and watched them become consumed in explosions, the boy landed on the back of the chariot and gave the daemon an over confident smile, the herald hissed and roared out a stream of burning darkness. Sending the boy flying back with a scream of pain, he used his air magic to push himself back to the daemon and caused his eyes to ignite in fire, he inhaled and breathed a dark purple mist at the daemons face. Causing it to cough and hack, Ken jumped back and fired a bright hot beam from his arm canon at the cannon's maw, a hole burst and burned the daemon in the mist, the demonic four gave an ungodly howl and rushed at the boy.

Ken sprinted right, felt his arm canon return to a keyblade and saw the herald losing its form. He aimed at the fleshy belly and fired a automatic beam. Piercing at the belly and causing skulls to spill out, the blood letters had a whiff of the toxic breath and destabilize even more, the chariot turned to Ken in a flash and tried once more for a desperate attempt at his life. PEW! Ken and the guard noticed an icicle flying at the chariot.

POW!

It punctured the chariots rear and caused it to rupture, it exploded and sent the two bloodletters guiding the thing back to where they came, leaving the herald falling on the ground and losing its mind. It vanished and appeared in front of Ken, grabbing him by the throat and causing his body to be engulfed in a dark flame, pain seared all over and the boy tried to ready his blades for a desperate attack.

POW CHOO!

A large snowball shot from the balcony above, Ken noticed the size and cringed more, the daemon looked and saw a white cold orb smash into both him and the boy. The snowball melted from the daemons heat and Ken found himself dazed under the snow. He crawled out and heard foot steps, he heard the guards stepping aside and a familiar queen shouting. "Ken!"

The boy blushed and realized what he needed to bring out, he went for his pocket to get the face mask and put it on, turning to confront a rushing Elsa with a face mask of her own. Her forehead and cheeks were burning red from a fever and she tried to help him get up, Ken insisted he could do it himself and saw Anna following Elsa. "Hey, hey, you know you need to keep rest-" She saw the destruction and the chandelier busted up, Elsa waddled back from sickness weakness and fell, Anna caught her and asked Ken. "What happened? What did we say about the fire?"

Ken closed his eyes and cringed. "We needed the fire power and this was keeping it under control. That chandelier got shot by a burning skull and it was going to fall anyways." The guard, Hal, nodded to that. "That's true."

The rest of the guard agreed with that and Anna nervously laughed. "Great, could you help me get Elsa back to her room? She came when she heard the explosions."

Ken dismissed his burning keyblade and kept guard. "I still got a little explaining to do, don't I?" Anna answered back. "Kind of." The shaking guard went back to their duty and let the three go back to the sick room, where more snowgies were playing around. With Elsa placed back on the bed and resting up, she was the first to ask the boy. "What happened? What was that thing?"

Ken answered. "A Chaos Daemon that was leading a bunch of daemons of Khorne. They were here for four things, blood, skulls, your hearts apparently and me. I ticked the Herald enough and he started using the powers of darkness." He swallowed nervously as Anna guessed. "That's why you let loose? I think we can let the chandelier slide."

He answered back. "That was when I used the big guns and more... synchronized flame instead of the fire storms. The worst that came was holes everywhere." He gave a smile under his mask as Elsa sneezed, causing more snowgies to materialize, the queen gave a smile back. "I... guess that was the worst. Ha." Ken winked to her. "The other... for the daemon, is being sent back to the Chaos that spawned it, by a snowball. But where did it came from?"

He realized something and gasped, he was forced to rush his gratitude. "Thanks for returning the favor Elsa, that was pretty cool." Anna felt the pun was intended and saw the boy getting out the door, she realized what that something was. "Oh no, if... you got a way to let Kairi know, do it now."

Ken agreed to that. "Way ahead of you. I need to go look for-" Anna shook her head. "Uh, uh. Not if those things come back." Ken sighed and walked out. "I'll be back later. Keep getting well Elsa." He stepped out and took out his gummi phone, sending a text.

At Corona.

At the summit of the mountain, Riku and Cassandra traversed through a tunnel and found Sinh being bound by repulsive, fleshy tendrils from a chaotic rift. The dragon inhaled and breathed fire at the rift, only hearing a joyful chuckle. "Ho, ho, ho. I think not, you crawled from the murky dark of ages past and your resilience will please Grand Father Nurgle." Riku had aim at the rift and focused his keyblade, a beam glowed and the fatherly voice directed at the duo. "I would take heed against doing that. Sinh is in quite the agitated state and this bindings is what keeps him under some control. Hmm, hmm."

Cassandra rolled her eyes like she heard those kinds of lies before as Riku gritted his teeth as a keyhole formed. "It be a lot better than what you have plan for him and this world. Cassandra, make a wish."

PEW!

The keyblade fired at the rift, making contact with the rift and the fatherly voice sighing. "Ah well," The beam made contact and the keyhole shined, causing the warp rift to close, pulse in a light that washed across the land and the tendrils to disintegrate, leaving behind a dragon that had a chaotic glow. Sinh looked towards the duo with a crazed, enraged glare, Cassandra felt less of a supernatural fear and something more accelerating as she asked. "Well this solved the Chaos problem, now we just need to not die,"

Riku looked at the dragon with the spear in its chest and agreed. "The raw Chaos and Darkness he was exposed to snapped him out of reason. Well, we traded one for another." The dragon heard that, stood upward and breathed a wave of fire into the sky in a frenzied rage. Sinh crouched and dashed after the two with his claws, Riku jumped to the right as Cassandra moved to the left and shot a cross bolt at the dragons hide, to little to no effect. Riku dashed to the dragons chest and did surprisingly little to the dragon. Sinh took flight, reached the upper right of the arena and circled to the two, it fired fire balls and forced them to move towards the dragon, less they burn. Sinh dived down after them, knowing they would dodge that, he landed, spun and breathed to its right, Cassandra cringed, put her cross bow away and gave an arrogant smile as she dashed to the dragon's chest and drew her sword as Riku followed and jumped on the back of the dragons head. Cassandra went for the dragons arms as Riku went for the dragons fore head. The woman's sword formed small bits yellowish brown rust, realizing what happened as Riku saw he was in better luck. Sinh felt the scratches and swiped his head to fling Riku away, the boy landed and watched the dragon flew up. He rushed under the dragon and out ran a fire ball launched at him, it let itself fall back down to melee with the two humans. He swiped the two back with its claws, Cassandra nearly tripped in her attempt to dodge as Riku tried to block with his blade and was knocked back. Sinh reared up with his burning mouth open, Riku looked at the tip of the spear, drips of dried, green blood gave a hint to something. He vanished and appeared on the chest, he swung his blade at the spear. Sinh stopped and slammed his upper body to the ground, Riku flipped and landed behind the dragon, Cassandra saw the spear having fresh drippings of blood and realized. "Thanks for showing that."

She rushed to slash at the spear, irritating Sinh as Riku fired balls of sun set at the other end of the spear, Sinh turned his head to Riku and breathed fire at him. The boy slide underneath the dragon's rear and was at the chest once more, the duo hit the spear again and Sinh roared in pain. He flew away from the two and swerve to the upper left. The duo made a charge to the dragon, knowing his pattern, the dragon breathed poisonous fire and realized the heroes dodged that.

Sinh landed and roared, Riku had another blow on the spear and forced the dragon to fly away. Riku looked tired and aimed his keyblade at the spear as Cassandra caught her breath, the boy felt something shining amist the madness and fired a beam at the dragons chest. It caused the spear to glow in light and for Sinh to slowly stop still. The flowing miasma stilled, Riku felt his heart beat slowing as Cassandra looked around and asked. "That wasn't suppose to happen, what did you do?" Riku saw the spear's glow flicker in a grey and fired a beam back.

PEW!

The two saw a flash of light and found themselves in the bottom of a cavernous city, finding Sinh slumbering peacefully. Cassandra took it as a chance and approached with the sword, Riku held her by the back of her shirt and stopped her. "Hold it, this isn't what we are being shown."

Cassandra stubbornly kept pulling. "He's right there, we can-" She looked around and slowly stopped. "... This... isn't the mountain." Riku shook his head and saw something coming out of the temple, a knight with a red cloak and a long spear that was identical to the one in Sinh's chest, the spear was covered in fresh red blood. Cassandra gasped and looked at Riku in silence, the teenager noticed the knight slowly approaching Sinh and understood the story. "This is how Sinh got hurt... was all this because of a glory hound?!"

He readied his keyblade and stood in the knight's way, Cassandra whistled and readied her sword. "And what ever the dragon did after that made the queen... livid."

Riku agreed and charged the knight, the knight rolled to the right and tried to stab the boy. Riku dodged to the left and swung, the knight blocked with his shield and was struck by Cassandra's blade. The knight used his shield to knock the sword away and rolled back, he drew out a charm and used it to make the spear crackle in electricity. Riku shook his head, vanished and appeared behind the knight, he thrust his blade into the knight's back and flung him to the ground, on his hands and knees before Cassandra, who appropriately kicked the knight in the face. Knocking him out. The two turned to the dragon, sleeping peacefully, Riku felt something beckoning him. "...If that spear is pulled out of Sinh... would he calm down?"

Cassandra cringed and advised against that. "Would that really matter?" Riku shrugged. "If not, we'll try finishing this your way."

Pew!

The two were in reality and time was at a flow. Sinh looked down at them in a confused stare and dived down after the two, the duo dodged and Cassandra taunted. "Over here swamp breath."

Sinh felt the rage and breathed at her, the woman sprinted to the right as Riku jumped on the dragons back and dismissed his keyblade. Sinh flew up and tried to roll to shake the boy off, Riku grabbed the spear and held for dear life, the spear shifted and wiggled. Sinh stopped rolling and turned his head at Riku, the boy pulled the loosened spear. Yank! The dragon felt a pulling and heard something shoot from bellow, he tilted to dodge a cross bow bolt as Riku tried again.

PLUCK!

Riku pulled a spear and saw the green blood burning at his fingers, he lost his balance and fell off the dragon that howled and landed. Cassandra went to catch Riku with both arms. She looked down at the disoriented boy and at the dragon that was bleeding from his chest and flapped his wings weakly. Sinh wasn't surrendering, the woman let Riku get off and responded with a half smile. "That didn't work like you hoped?"

Riku shook his head as Sinh breathed heavily, the boy felt his vision clear and raised his keyblade up. "Nah, this is the last step. Heal!"

POOF!

A green light shined and enveloped the dragon, causing the bleeding wound to close and relaxed the dragon's breathing, Cassandra panicked and was ready to hold the boy by the neck of his shirt. Riku asked. "Wait before you choke me on this." He panted and looked at a Sinh. "I think that did it," Cassandra turned around to find Sinh staring at the two rather calmly, like he was confused about something, the dragon approached the center of the arena, laid down and curled up, resting his eyes and snorting out smoke from his nose. Was it in relief or was it in gratitude?

Sinh gave off a faint glow of light and vanished. Leaving behind something glistening in the afternoon sun, a crown with a orange gem on the right, a blue gem on the left and a pink gem at the upper center, Riku and Cassandra looked at each other confused. The accursed spear glowed in darkness and faded away, leaving just two witnesses. Riku went to pick up the crown and felt an odd warmth, like it was calling for something. "...What ever happened, Sinh is slumbering once more and I don't think he is going to wake up again."

Cassandra hoped not and looked at the odd crown. "I think we know enough about this dragons story, a thug from the kingdom of nowhere descended down to fight the beast and woke it up when he stabbed it in the back." She noticed a golden, keyhole like gate way leading out and felt it more strange, Riku smiled in luck and had her follow him. "This looks like the way out. Let's see if this did anything."

He was the first to cross over the hole and found himself at the road way to the swamp, Cassandra followed and looked around, answering the boy. "It... did." Riku turned and saw the path to the mountain, it looked gloomy, yet the rot and fire was gone, a sense of order was felt. Cassandra put her weapons away and spoke. "It's almost like all that Chaos was never there."

Riku looked down to the crown and put it in his bag, he asked. "And this is the only thing we have for the people of Corona to believe us with." Cassandra agreed with that. "We should tell them... and what did you come here for again?" Riku had it firmly in his memory. "We'll talk of that after this mess is cleaned up. I just hope the rest of my friends are not in worse luck."

In the Ashen Bayou.

Sora was more weirded out as he used the light of his keyblade and followed a swarm of fire flies. A young, feminine voice spoke in regards to the groups situation. "Never take directions from a gator, especially in a fog."

Lewis grumbled and tried shaking the ashes out of his trumpet, Goofy and Donald kept their focus to the back as Sora didn't wish to be completely disrespectful. "Once the fog came, none of us had any direction left."

PEW!

Sora heard arrow shots, deflected them and looked to his left and right to find floating suits of wooden armor, animated from the ashes, holding a floating great bow and aiming for him. The boy flew to the left suit and quickly knocked it down, he turned to the other suit and shot a barrage of lightning to slay the other. Donald felt uneasy at the feathers. "Once the fog came, these things showed up." PEW! Shake! A light flashed in the bayou, radiating brighter and pushing parts of the fog away. The armor put itself together and reanimated as the group was distracted, taking out a floating sword and tried to attack again.

PEW! PEW!

Beams of light shot the armor and caused them to fall over again, a figure approached. "Hee, hee. I still got it." The group felt the armor wasn't getting back up and looked at the figure in the fog. A dark skin, elderly, blind woman in a white dress that had a small highlight of gold around her neck, emerged.

Lewis was relieved and approached. "Finally, it been getting weirder here Mama Odie." The elder agreed with that and thanked the fire fly swarm. "It enough to give Juju the heebee jeebes. Thanks y'all for getting them here, I'll take it from ere."

The hill billy sounding fire flies appreciated it and flew off in the mist, the blind woman lead the group to a tree that had enough of a clearing that they could see and to the left. She casually asked the visitors. "Lewis told you about what grew out from over here?"

Sora, Donald and Goofy nodded, the voodoo lady shook her head. "That's some dark mojo coming out of that old bramble and this was as far as I can get." Lewis asked. "Anything else you figured out?"

Odie's sense of humor turn grim and she asked the keybearers. "Were the voodoo statues attacking people?!" Goofy nodded and hummed, Odie sighed to more. "Then what ever is in that bramble is looking for something people definitally need." Sora guessed. "Hearts?" Odie tipped her hand that it was one and the same to what she was thinking about. "You all call it hearts, I call it souls. It's pretty hungry too."

She spun her glowing club and aimed, causing a flash of light that split the ashen fog aside towards a more clearer path, two wisps glowed in the sides of ashen mists. Her sense of humor returned and she asked. "Y'all ready to clear out this ere fog?"

Stomp, stomp, from the right of the arena, came a strange wooden voodoo statue with straight horns on the top, a torso that looked like an angry demonic face and a glow of red fire, it held on its right hand a burning, wooden sword. To the left was a similar voodoo statue, with upward curved horns and a blue fire. Sora, Donald and Goofy rushed to the arena on seeing obviously hostile constructs, the natives followed the three in an attempt to catch up. The Voodoo Demons roared, charged at the trio in unison and swung their blades. Donald waddled back as Goofy was sent flying from the blade, Sora jumped and went for the orange Demon's face for a quick combo. The blue Voodoo Demon tried to grab Sora with its free hand and was shot in the back by Donald's water magic, the Blue Voodoo Demon turned at the valiant duck and leaped at him. Donald scurried out of the way as Goofy got back on his feet, saw his friend in trouble and the Blue Voodoo Demon with its sword planted in the ground. He rushed at the Demon shield first, the Demon raised his sword and pressed it in the ground, pushing Goofy back on the ground with a pulse of magic.

Sora flipped behind the Red Voodoo Demon that tried to grab him, unleashed a combo and saw it jump to the left to escape. Sora aimed his keyblade and pulsed in water, shooting it at the Red Voodoo Demon's abdomen. The Red Voodoo Demon hissed, and position his hands upward, his fire burned brighter. The Blue Voodoo Demon felt its partners power and pulled his sword out of the ground, it looked at a recovering Goofy and Donald standing in between with his staff, raised its blade high and was ready to slam down.

BASH!

An alligator rushed his head at the demons right leg and caused a crack in the wood, a bolt of light shot at its chest and stopped it from finishing its attack, it looked down at Lewis and at a distant Odie. Donald cast a heal and dragged Goofy away from the brightly glowing Demon that did as it's Red twin. It pulsed in a power that felt familiar and ignited brightly, sending Lewis rolling.

Sora rushed to the Red Voodoo Demon and felt the fire burning against him, he form changed his keyblade into claws as the Red Voodoo Demon readied to slash at him, Sora back flipped punched the Demon. It followed its combo with a leap and it's blade aimed downward to try and crush him, Sora jumped out of the way and kept a distance, seeing what the other one did. The demon lifted its blade back up and jumped back, Sora flowed after him and hit it in the chest. The Red Voodoo Demon took its blade and stabbed itself in the burning mouth, it growled as Sora changed his claws into yo-yo's. The Red Voodoo Demon pulled its blade out and charged with a sword on fire.

The Blue Voodoo Demon roared at the four and shot burning arrows of magic at them. Goofy jumped in front of Odie to block that as Donald and Lewis scampered, the wizard flung a greater water globule at the Blue Voodoo Demon's mouth as Lewis took his trumpet and blew into it for a motivating tune, Goofy charged the demon at the left ankle and jumped to the left. The Blue Voodoo Demon upper cut Goofy and caused him to flip, Donald shot an even greater globule as Odie shot another light bolt. Both made contact with the Voodoo Demon and caused it to jump back, it stabbed itself in the mouth like abdomen with its sword and gave an even greater growl. It pulled out its sword and raised it high, it slammed at the magic users and let loose a trail of blue fire. Odie gave off a pulse that deflected some of the heat. Sora flipped to the left of the Red Voodoo Demon's stab and beat it with his yo-yo's, putting up a sweat and carving the wood into splinters, a leg shattered and the Red Voodoo Demon lost balance. Falling on its other knee and howling, it put its free hand into its chest and dragged out a burning soul.

The Blue Voodoo Demon heard the death howl and jumped away from the group. It saw the burning soul and the stilled remains. It inhaled with the hole above its mouth, taking in the fire and causing a red to mix in with the blue. The Blue Voodoo Demon cringed and waddled back, Lewis panted and asked. "*Ha* That showed them, but what's it doing?"

Odie grumbled. "It ain't done yet. It just took the mojo its friend gave." The Voodoo Demon embraced itself as the Blue fire flickered with the red, making a Purple Fire. The Demon caused the swamp water to bubble and evaporate, it pulsed and let loose its power, Donald shook his head and shot a waterza at the Purple Voodoo Demon.

BURST!

The Demon was knocked back and jumped to the right as Odie shot once more at the Demon's chest, causing its wooden form to break down from the heat. The Purple Voodoo Demon roared in fury and caused its back to sprout wings of fire, it used them to jump high and breathed fire balls down, Lewis dragged Odie out of the blast as Donald and Goofy ran towards the Purple Demon, Sora slid in the water, flipped and jumped high to meet at the Purple Voodoo Demon's level. He flung his yo-yo's and trapped the Purple Voodoo Demon in a chomping maw, finishing his combo and changing back to his keyblade. He jumped on the Demon's head and felt his skin burning, he struck repeatedly and broke off the head. The Purple Voodoo Demon fell as Sora back flipped for a landing.

SLAM!

The Purple Voodoo Demon landed on its knees and tried to lift himself up with his sword, its wooden body burned into charcoal and had a shield flung into its right arm, snapping it off. Odie nodded and chuckled. "Getting rid of that fire mojo did the trick, it's all burning up inside." Sora and Donald took it as a que and jumped side by side, the boy flung his keyblade as Donald flung his wand, causing a double stream of water to shoot out from the sides like snakes to prey. They slammed at the Purple Voodoo Demon and caused the body to shatter, leaving behind a purple flame that twisted and turned into a heart and fluttered away.

Sora whistled. "Phew! Things really did started to boil."

Odie almost laughed at the pun and shook her club in an odd dance. "That it did, now let ya Mama clear this fog up." In a chant, she caused a light to push away the fog, making way for a wide collection of brambles that gave off an odd dark fume. Odd ash white, humanoid like hands blocked the entrance, something was trying to push back. Sora aimed his keyblade and fired a beam of light, causing the hands to disappear and made the way even clearer. The group felt an odd voice calling to them, a voice hard to describe, Odie took a deep breath and sat down to catch her breath. "*Huff* That... that got it all cleared. But if that something isn't cleared out in there, it's going to come back." She asked the four with a confident tone. "Think you can do it for me? What's in there don't want me in."

Sora gave a firm saluted with his free fist to his chest. "We'll take it from here." He asked the others. "You're ready?" Donald and Goofy nodded without hesitation as Lewis realized rather timidly. "Say what?!"

Sora looked back and gave a wide, carefree smile to the gator. "If we beat what's in there, this could be the end of this fog and stop these attacks. It's going to get pretty spooky." Lewis's eyes half dropped in defeat. "This isn't going to go well." Odie heard that and had a quick lecture. "Listen you, we all know it's getting crazy in there, but someone has to do something about it." Lewis sighed and held his trumpet with his tale. "I know, this wasn't the kind of day I been wanted." Goofy nodded and added in. "It isn't, but it can get better. Besides, you got all of us as well. Hi'yuck." Sora agreed and went to the brambles. "Let's finish this."

He was the first to walk in as the other young members of the group followed. The boy felt ashen branches in the way and wack his way through a short path, leading to an arena covered in ashes. On one end was a burning, feminine looking totem, with many limbs and an aura of dark fire, in front of it was a knight that towered over Sora. He gave off a glow of Fuming Darkness and held a massive, glowing red, slab on a stick with his left hand and a smaller sword with his right. The Fume Knight asked in an arrogant tone. "So you think to vanquish milady?"

Sora heard the tone and the rather ripe aura, he tensed and readied for battle. "You and you're lady are trying to hurt people. Forget what ever excuse you have, we're going to stop you."

The Fume Knight looked back to the ashen idol and back to the four. "The Bride of Ash needs souls and the effigy's were to harvest." He approached slowly. "Yours will have to do." He sprinted after them with rather alarming speeds; Goofy and Donald went to the right as Lewis waddled to the left, the Fume Knight focused on Sora and tried to stab him with his smaller sword. The boy rolled away and was caught in a combo, trying to parry the sword and seeing the Fume Knight swipe with his other sword. Sora rolled back and felt the tension from the sound.

PEW!

A fire ball shot at the Fume Knight, he turned to Donald and Goofy with an annoyed stare. He sprinted to them, the duo tried to run back and were knocked off their feet by the force of the slab like sword. Sora charged the back of the Fume Knight and struck at him, Lewis followed and took a bite at the knight's rear. The Fume Knight swung his slab to his back, knocking the two back, he jumped near the idol and his wound burned in the dark fire, like it was healing him. "Pathetic, a blind, oath bounded oaf fights with more ferocity." He looked at Sora and Lewis, then jumped with his slab, the gator scurried away as Sora back rolled. The Fume Knight swiped at the boy with his smaller sword.

TINK!

A shield flew at the hand holding the smaller sword and knocked it off, the Fume Knight glared at Goofy and gave Sora the chance to look at the dark fire of the Fume Knight and of the idol, they looked identical and he realized where the Knight's healing power came from. He aimed his keyblade at the idol and gave a glow of light, the idol surrounded itself in a barrier as a beam fired. It pierced the darkness with ease and caused the idol to fly off, the Fume Knight gasped and went back to Sora. "You'll die for that."

He tried to slam his slab and was head butted by a desperate Lewis that gave a gators hiss. The idol pushed back the beam and howled in pain, it shifted form into a blue cloaked, multi limb daemon with symbols Sora, Donald and Goofy were familiar with. They shouted. "Daemon!"

The daemon realized what happened and the Fume Knight turned to it, he gave a stronger glow of Darkness and yelled in fury. "WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY LADY NADALIA?!"

The Daemon looked at the Fume Knight nervously and answered with a suddenly malicious tone. "She... was never here, Raime, for her soul was consumed long ago by the Bearer of the Curse. His mistake of a resurrection would prove useful to my Lord's plan." The Fume Knight howled, rushed at the daemon with his slab of a sword skidding the ground and swiped it at the daemon that flipped and took the form of a knight Sora recognized. With a hand burning in dark fire and a katana in the other, the daemon used the knights voice near perfectly. "I wrought confusion and discord through out the minds and hearts of the Guardians of Light and you are but one piece of the puzzle. Velstadt would be laughing at how easily you fell for some honeyed words."

Sora blinked and asked. "You're talking about Baldred?" The Fume Knight wheezed at the mention of the knight and he jumped after the daemon, crushing it into the ground effortlessly and watching it disappear, he turned to Sora and his friends. Goofy, Donald and Lewis stood by the boys side and caused the Fume Knight to ask in unbound hate. "Where is he?!"

Donald was the first to feel intimidated and answered. "We'll never tell you." Goofy had his shield ready and vowed. "Specially after what you're doing." Sora nodded. "Take your idea of revenge and get lost, you'd been had." The Fume Knight wasn't calming down and raised his slab in the air, causing it to ignite in dark fire and push the animals away. They were bard with a barrier of dark fire and the Fume Knight growled at the boy that blocked with his keyblade. "Or how about I incinerate his little friends and hunt him down myself. Starting with you."

He ran after Sora with his slab lifted over his shoulder and swung with both hands, the boy rolled out of the way and felt the hot air blowing, he saw the Fume Knight regaining balance and took it as his chance to swing at Raime. The Fume Knight blocked with his slab and looked Sora in the eyes. Seeing anger, the boy asked. "What is wrong with you?!" The Fume Knight flung Sora back and answered. "Tell that to Baldred, if you survive this."

He rushed after a recuperating Sora with his fiery blade and made a wide swipe of fire, Sora rolled over it and knocked the Fume Knight back. He looked to Donald and Goofy, focused and gave off a glow of his own, hovering over the ground and causing his keyblades to form into Oathkeeper and Oblivion. Both keyblades hovered and Sora's eyes half closed, the Fume Knight realized the boy let loose something and heard two figures fall back. "What in the Dark Child's name did you do?"

Sora answered that with a fierce air. "I'm about to kick your butt back into the Dark." He vanished and appeared behind the Fume Knight, he let loose a rather fast, heavy hitting combo, sending the Knight flying. Raime caught himself and countered with another massive slash of flame, he saw Sora vanish and turn back to find the boy. Raime slashed his own combo, the boy flew back to avoid it and sent his two keyblades to rush the Fume Knight in the chest, Raime was pushed back and he stabbed the ground with his slab, causing an screaming outcry of black fire to erupt and rapid fired fire balls at Sora. The boy called his keyblades back and had them spin together to deflect the darkness, he focused on an opening of the flame and flew to Raime's person, he caused a pillar of light to fling him and his slab of a sword in the air. The Fume Knight was in complete disbelief and felt two blades slash from under him, he was flying high in the air and was completely helpless as Sora flew around, above him and let loose a flurry of light and dark, Raime focused on the ground and consumed himself in a pillar of dark fire. He grabbed his slab with both hands and tried to counter Sora mid air.

POW!

Sora slammed both his keyblades down at the Fume Knight and sent him falling to the dark opening of fire, Raime yelled in anguish and vanished in the darkness, Sora back flipped out of the fire and felt himself powering down, he landed on his back exhausted and found himself with the mechanical keyblade in his hand. He nearly blacked out and kept himself conscious through sheer will and hearing three approach, shouting. "Sora!"

The boy regained his vision and saw Donald and Goofy above him, helping him get up, he felt Lewis pushing his back upward and help him stand. Sora felt his mind spent and saw the darkness fading away, leaving behind odd things where the Fume Knight once stood, a spiked, black, metal crown with a ruby center and a small sword. He was drawn to pick them up, feeling an odd warmth and a scent of dark, he felt control over his voice box and confidently smiled. "That solves that. Let's go tell Odie what happened."

The group did so, Sora hesitated asked Donald and Goofy. "Why would he know Baldred?" Donald shrugged. "I don't want to know." Goofy tapped the side of his head and asked. "Do you think this would help Baldred remember more about himself?"

Sora cringed to that idea. "Would he want to know there is a guy who hates his guts? Maybe we should show him the sword instead... but why did all this make a crown show up?"

The three wondered and lead the boy out of the brambles, they found Odie shooting mists of light at the shapeshifting Daemon and firing a massive ray of light at a form resembling a jester.

PEW!

The daemon was vaporized and Odie yelled with her fist shaking. "And stay out." She turned to find the four alive, if battered, she held from laughing and looked just as exhausted. "All these spirits are making Mama go out of retirement. Hah, hah. You all did it?"

Sora nodded, dismissed his keyblade and scratched the back of his head as Lewis noticed something happening from behind, the gator turned around to see the brambles recede back into the fog. The boy answered. "We did and we found these two things. The guy causing it knew someone we knew and we might need to go find out why."

The Voodoo queen smelled the heat from the crown and whistled. "Whoah. That's a pretty strong one," The group noticed the fog fading and revealing a swamp trinkle in light, she asked. "You think you're friend needs to see that?"

Sora, Donald and Goofy were not sure about that, the boy answered. "We are going to have an expert look at these because he needs to know about our friend."

They looked at the swamp in a marvel as Lewis heard the trio's stomachs, he whistled and asked. "We ought to get back to Tiana and tell her what's up." The trio agreed and thanked Odie for her assistance, Donald asked. "What are you going to do?"

The Voodoo queen nearly fell asleep and answered. "Wha...oh, the fog's gone. I got to get home and tell Juju the news. Tell that girl Mama said hi." The four promised they would and left for the trip back. Lewis felt it was a good time to celebrate and took his trumpet, he blew a catchy tune to ease the trip back.

In a dark hole.

Kairi flew above to dodge the swarm of daemonettes as the three cats charged the swarm with an icy pounce. Marshmallow noticed a spiked chariot rushing through and barreled at it for a brutal smash as the Ivory King noticed something flickering behind the swarm. He carved through the horde and fought his way through as Kairi noticed the flicker, something of a mirror, she gave off a glow and dived down like a drop of rain.

POW!

The daemonettes disintegrated and were getting overwhelmed by the cats as Kairi looked up to find a mirror with two metallic tentacles and two regally dressed daemonettes dancing in glee, the one on the left asked. "Oh Princess most brave, gaze upon the endless desires and see." The one of the right looked to her partner with a smirk and pointed to the Princess. "Oh, she won't fall for that." S

he looked at the approaching Ivory King. "But he, what is it he really wants?" The left one wondered. "Indeed, he is so far away from home and yet he claims to seek so little. Either way, they are fodder before the Dark Master." The right one agreed and with a gesture, had the mirror approach the two. Kairi rushed at the mirror and was swatted away by the tendrils, the left Daemonette giggled and sang to the mirror. "Epitome of perfection, hear us. Bring the gaze of dread upon this dreadful dark."

The right one joined in as the Ivory King finished cutting through the barricade and was ready to jump at the mirror, the daemon sang. "Reveal to us the agony of this lost soul, of what will never be his again." The mirror formed a dreadful looking face of razor sharp teeth, the visage flew out and enlarged. It shot razor sharp tongues at the Ivory King and flayed pieces of his armor off, the Ivory King endured and jumped to the left as Kairi gave him a heal and rushed to the mirror again. Striking rapidly and seeing some of the power become absorbed into the mirror. The daemonettes laughed mockingly at her and slashed at her, Kairi back flipped and heard a disturbing breath from behind, he jumped towards the Ivory King and watched him jump and spear dived at the mirror. Kairi looked to her left and saw the giggling face enjoying the paranoia, guessing. "This... this is an endless spell?"

The mirror wiggled back and did combat with the Ivory King that tried focusing on it and the daemonettes, he felt the claws upon his flesh and asked. "Irk, you know how to vanquish that creature?"

Kairi felt she did as the daemonette on the right laughed. "Ha, ha, ha, ha. You really think you can achieve what your master can? Think about your own skill." The left most daemonette answered that. "Oh please, she is the good little child that would follow her tutor to the abyss and back. We know how this would go."

Kairi felt the taunt getting personal and focused her blade at the dark visage. She gave off a glow of light and caused a five petal, red flower to form. It shined at the image and caused it to distort and vanish, leaving the Ivory King to stare into a visage of himself with a legion of glistening knights behind him and at his side, a woman in a white dress, complimented by long black hair and a queens crown. He and the woman were sharing a rather tender moment and it caused the King to loose his focus and reach for the image. Kairi saw the spell vanquished and turned to see what was happening. "...Floyce, not now!"

The giggling daemonettes danced around her as the mirror blocked Kairi from the distracted King, the one to the left whispered. "The King who had everything, beloved by all." The one on the right asked. "What has happened for him to lose it all? A blade at the back from a jealous noble? A rival kingdom? An assassin?"

Kairi growled and caused her keyblade to split into light swords. "Would you stop it?! I'm warning you," The daemonettes laughed hauntingly and rushed at her like vipers, Kairi parried the daemons and kicked one back to focus on the other, repeating with them and taking glances scratches, feeling the stinging and drops of blood. She enveloped in water and had a glow of light, she flowed through one of the daemonettes and used her swords to stab the fiend in the heart, she dropped it and sent the other into a hysterical frenzy, like it watched a sibling murdered. Kairi jumped over the rushing daemonette and sliced it in two. The Ivory King was lost in the image and saw it distort into fire, with a faint image of a figure with in, leaving him in a state of horror, he shook his head and slashed at the mirror with his blade. Kairi listened, merged her swords into a larger one and rushed with a flow of glistening water.

STAB!

She stabbed the mirror in the center and trusted deeper, the mirror glowed in light, spasm in ecstasy of a climax and disintegrated. The pulse caused the daemonettes that were being overrun to convulge in shock and fade away in collective screams. A light at the end of the tunnel shined and Kairi lead the way.

The Ivory King followed with his pets and Marhsmallow looking worse for wear. The Princess cast a heal and asked. "That mirror was trying to show you something you wanted, but what was the fire?"

The Ivory King swallowed and answered. "It is how I gave myself up for my kingdom. The city was built on top of an ancient Chaos that sought to consume the world, with it's power growing, something had to be done to keep it at bay." Kairi felt it was enough. "So... you gave yourself up to the fire?"

She frowned and realized she was looking at a specter as the Ivory King nodded. "Thou are observant. In time, the Chaos claimed me and the knights that followed me, we became a part of its wild nature. My dear Alsanna, found one to quell the Chaos and to deliver me unto rest, a warrior with a black blade and a wondrous soul that delved into the soul arts."

Kairi felt there was a particular person in the description, she asked. "Did you know his name?" The Ivory King tried remembering. "He lead four of my remaining knights to stop me, one by one they gave their lives to win the day, the last said...said." He gasped. "A ha, Sir Baldred." Kairi nearly stopped at the name. "Baldred?! What was he doing in that kingdom in the first place?" The Ivory King looked to Kairi and asked. "Thou know of him?"

The Princess nodded and was uncertain of what to say as she and the group heard a harsh voice much like the Ivory King, yelling at someone. "He was a pillager and a murderer. Thou art as treacherous as all the others."

The Ivory King gasped and sprinted to the end of the tunnel, with Kairi and the group following. Entering a wide, rocky cave that was covered in ice. At the end of the arena was a doppelganger in burnt armor, saying spiteful things towards a maiden identical to the mirrors image. The maiden crouched up and shivered in fear, the Ivory King felt a burning anger towards the doppelganger and leaped, calling out to the maidens name. "Alsanna!"

The doppelganger turned to the sudden noise and saw the King pounced at him, his sword sinking into the fiends chest, the Ivory King tossed the fiend aside and laid at the ground. Before an approaching, vast, party. The Ivory King knelt before the crouching Alsanna and gently placed his hand to hers. "Alsanna, my dear, sweet Alsanna. I'm sorry it took me this long."

The maiden looked up to the king in armor and sniffled, like she wanted to cry in both relief and in sorrow. "My dear lord." She sobbed and embraced him, leaving an onlooking Kairi to glare at the doppelganger and draw her keyblade in just anger. "So you're plan was to say all kinds of awful things to her while using his voice and image? Why?"

The doopleganger shifted in shadows and caused the edges of the arena to open four gates, each letting out two pairs of charred, blackened knights. A voice asked back. "Don't you know what Alsanna truly is? A Child of the Dark, who sought to steal power from a royal soul and swallow the world in the Darkness she came. Yet, she clung to love and done the unthinkable."

Kairi guessed the rest of the story. "She was loved and gave that love back. You were trying to break that." Marshmallow growled and pressed his right fist on the palm of his left hand. "Get out!"

The tigers roared in a mutual fury as the creature of shadows revealed itself, a large black, winged daemon with a symbol of Chaos. "To claim this world under my image. The First Prince of Chaos." He drew out his black blade and snapped his finger, chains fell from above Alsanna, latched onto her skin and hoisted her up like she was meat, the Ivory King cringed and Alsanna yelped in pain. The Ivory King jumped to try and reach her and missed, falling down and seeing her hang from the center of the room, the odd woman was trying to hold her emotions together and caused the room to distort in a dark, cold mist. The Daemon Prince gave a sinister smile to Kairi. "If she refuses to embrace this world in the cold Dark, then I will take the wondrous power from her heart and use it myself. I will make the world shrivel and die, take the Hearts of the Princesses and make you watch." He raised his blade to Kairi and the black knights charged.

PUNCTURE!

The Daemon Prince felt a glowing blue blade stabbed through his back, Kairi and the group saw an angered Ivory King thrust deeply and cause ice to rupture in the fiend that casually grabbed the King and tossed him to the group like he was a toy.

Kairi saw the attack, mighty as it was, did very little, she felt a dread and shook it off. "Like we're going to let that happen, we're going to stop you and your Chaos."

The Daemon Prince gave a deep laughter and slowly stepped forward, he shifted through the dark in unnatural speeds and appeared before Kairi. Grabbing her by her torso and lifting her up, the shock stopped her and the fear became worse as the Daemon taunted. "Really? You speak mighty and you can't even stop me from doing-" POW!

Marshmallow sucker punched the daemon and knocked him off balance, the Ivory King saw the black knights rush to fight and ordered his pets. "My companions, thou know what to do." Aava growled as Lud and Zaleen rushed to the corners and fought against the knights, she herself pounced to another and left one corner alone, the Ivory King rushed at the knocked back daemon and slashed upward at the arm holding Kairi, causing it to go loose and drop the Princess. She fell on her knees and was helped up, the Daemon glared at the three and listened to Alsanna screaming in agony, yellow eyes formed in the darkness and rushed at the three.

Marshmallow felt the odd power rush through him and force him rolling as Kairi jumped to the left and the Ivory King to the right. The Princess flung flowers of light at the Daemon Prince and watched it burn his skin, the daemon turned to her and flew to her with his blade.

SLING! PARRY!

Kairi parried and gave a more radiant glow, pushing against the mighty dark that was slashed at the legs. The black knights caught up with the group and readied to shoot fire balls. SMASH! Marshmallow smashed his hands at the two knights, the Daemon Prince pushed the humans back and flew to the center, Alsanna screamed again and caused skulls to appear next to Kairi and the Ivory King.

PULSE!

The two felt vulnerable and saw a storm of darkness blow down, they charged the Daemon Prince that slammed his tail and caused a quake. Kairi and the Ivory King jumped and saw spikes erupt. The Daemon Prince gave a hissing incantation and caused Kairi to feel an overwhelming odd stacked against her, exposing her to a swipe of dark bolts that sent her falling to the ground. The Ivory King rushed to the Daemon and went into melee with him. Marshmallow looked at the battered knights and rushed to Kairi, standing over her and taking the blunt of the dark damage. She shook her head and slowed her breathing. "I know, if we can free Alsanna, we will stop this."

She sparked an idea and whispered. "Hey, can you throw me?" The snow monster gasped and grunted, Kairi crawled onto the construct's right hand and readied herself, Marshmallow looked up to the chains containing the Child of the Dark and flung Kairi high. The Princess sprouted her golden wings and gained notice from the Daemon that cringed, Alsanna looked at Kairi in a notice and saw the princess radiate more. Kairi swung her keyblade and caused a wave of light to rush through the chains, breaking them and causing Alsanna to drop. Kairi free fell near the woman and caught her with both hands, her odd glow caused the chains on the woman's skin to disappear, leaving only the wounds. The Princess landed and the dark environment lessened to something of pure chaos, Alsanna had an instinctual fear of a Heart of Pure light and tried to scurry away, Kairi let go and whispered. "Even if what that Daemon said was true, I don't care, you didn't deserve that."

The Daemon Prince pushed the Ivory King back and flew high in the air, he howled and caused the darkness to become warped and twisted in faces and howling. Daemon's of all kinds emerged from the darkness and the Prince laughed. "So begins plan B. Take them, but leave the Princess's heart intact, we will take this world by force."

Marshmallow approached to block the two ladies as the Ivory King readied to stab the ground for something, Aava, Lud and Zallen jumped to the group and circled around. Giving off a glow of ice, Alsanna shook her head and asked. "I...I won't do that, not now, we are all-" The sabertooths blew ice as the Ivory King realized what they were suggesting, he looked Aava in the eyes and nodded, he whispered to Alsanna. "It's alright, thou may do so." The Dark Child slowed her breathing, nodded and focused in a silent prayer, causing the three cats to flicker in odd light and cause massive pillars of ice and light to erupt in their place. Pushing back against the daemons and causing the Prince to roar and charge at it, slashing it in a fit of fury. Kairi looked at the ground and flipped her keyblade towards it, ready to thrust in the ground, she gave a glow as a keyhole opened. She stabbed the ground and caused the light to intensify, the Ivory King embraced Alsanna in an attempt the shield her from the power as the pillar radiated and let loose a bright light. The Daemon Prince roared as the light became so bright that it was blinding.

The light faded and the remaining group found themselves back in the frozen palace, with a black hole missing. Alsanna felt the light dimmed down and saw the Ivory King was holding onto her still, she awkwardly asked. "Milord?"

The Ivory King let go and gave a silence apology as Kairi and Marshmallow fell on their rears, the Princess whistled. "That was close." She smiled to the two. "At least your finally together and that Daemon is gone."

Alsanna agreed and felt the Ivory King was holding back something, looking around to find three sabertooths missing, in their place was three flickers of bright souls, they fluttered to their master as one, their duty was done. He whispered a sweet nothing to them. "Mighty, noble Beasts of the Loyce, rest well." Alsanna gave him a back rub and noticed something odd flickering on her King, she noticed she herself was flickering in a dark light. The two looked like they knew what was happening, Alsanna took a deep breath and asked Kairi. "Heart of Light most true, find the kind soul who wanders still. He must find the solace he earned."

The Princess asked as she heard people running up the stairs. "Baldred? Is there something you two have that might jog his memory?" The Ivory King gave a warm smile under his helmet. "We might, or maybe not." He took a relaxed breath of rest and felt his hands held close to Alsanna, who looked him straight in the eyes and nuzzled herself at his bosom, he embraced her back. Kairi felt an odd whisper in her mind, one sounding like the flicker of a fire. "The strength of a monarch," The couple flickered away in a mixture of light, leaving behind something glittering to the ground.

The flicker took shape of a crown of ivory that had an orange gem in the center. Kairi went to pick it up, she felt a warmth as a voice from behind asked worried. "Woah, Kairi, what happened? Where did Floyce and his cats go?"

The Princess turned around to find Kristoff worried about something and looked around herself, seeing the cuts making it most obvious. She giggled and answered as she put the crown away. "It might be a little complicated, I got a lot of explaining to do."