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?

57. The Cycle of Chaos

During an early, cloudy morning, Wanda laid out a table with a war map as Mickey, Goofy and Donald greeted the keybearer party a good morning. The general eagerly greeted them. "You're all early for having a late night." Sora rubbed his eyes. "Yeah. Yawn We gotten some shut eye. What's this?"

Wanda showed a map corresponding several markers and specs of rock, a pattern that was familiar. "We suspect Garland's going to orchestrate attacks on not one world, but several. We have no pin point on some, but we know they are going to be here." She pointed a stick to a marker looking like a castle with a town underneath. "Because there is too many objectives he could use and Yen Sid's Tower is one of the most vital, if he invades that place, it would mean disaster." She point the stick to a marker of a bell tower. "Here, because it has the most unaware people to terrorize." She tipped the stick to a world marked with a Colosseum. "Here, because Garland has loose ends to tie up there."

Pew!

Exrirsa appeared in the blink of an eye and looked down at the map, having a few criticisms to ask. "While I don't doubt these places, wouldn't he suspect us to prioritize our forces into these locations and send us on a wild Witch Hunt?" Kairi perked and spoke of a possibility. "Or, he would try another way to attack us, he does have the power to bring monsters to life or create them with the elemental crystals and the power of life magic." Aqua listened to that as Ana agreed. "Like the Endless Spells? Raw magic incarnate."

Exrirsa agreed with her stoic expression turning to something more tense. "Four unholy fiends as Generals? How would we know that?" Sora answered as half of his brain was waking up. "Kairi told me about Garland waking up a Firebird, something made of lava that could wipe out a forest."

Exrirsa gasped and added. "And cities and wild life, even an army of the finest would burn before that." She looked at the Realmgate and asked. "And who is going to gather the aid we need? I heard that three are needed." Aqua looked up to the sky and answered. "Besides the obvious, we need Scrooge here to talk business with Halvek, just in case the Kharadron need something from us in exchange, regardless if we worked together before, the Kharadron are business men first. The sooner we have them helping us, the sooner we can get back." She smiled to Wanda. "You're wanting to go meet them and see if they have something you could use?"

The General was tempted and declined. "My men need me in case we are assaulted by two fronts and this is a one way trip." She looked to Ana, who realized what was being suggested. "I might, but Sigmar's allies are going to be stirred if they see a Stormcast with a Keyblade. We're suppose to be an inspiration, not an intimidation."

The group felt a strong gust of wind and an uneasy feeling of something watching them. Ring! Mickey felt a ring on his Gummi phone and answered it, finding Minnie in a panic, the queen was relieved and had an emergency. "Oh thank goodness. Mickey, something terrible is happening at the amusement park, there is a massive storm that came out of nowhere and there are heartless everywhere." Mickey gasped and answered without hesitation. "I'll be there." Goofy and Donald were on the ready as Minnie was ready to take off. "I'll do what I can until you get here, be careful."

Beep!

Sora readied his keyblade and asked. "The towns in trouble?! We got to do something." BLOW! FLAP! Heavy wind swooped down and blew the map away, the group looked around in frantic attitude and saw the mountain Wanda was using as a base, being surrounded in a dark storm. Stalwing squawked in a panic and Wanda got on her back. "What the-" She barked to her spear men. "All of you, hide in the castle and when you see anyone that is clearly not invited, attack without pause."

A lieutenant saluted and had his men march into the castle as Ana took flight and asked Wanda. "Lead the way and I'll follow you." Wanda appreciated it. "We'll spear head at the base where the rest of my men are and fight our way to the top of the mountain." She noticed a gummi ship flying straight into the summit of the mountain, some Ken recognized. "Bryn!? What is she-" Aqua stopped him. "She volunteered to get Scrooge for us and it looks like they are going after the cause of this storm. Remember what you're suppose to do."

Ken nodded and followed Exrirsa. "Bryn always pulls through and if Scrooge is going into the fight, then she is in good hands." The Adeptas Sororitas agreed with that and snapped her fingers. "I'll toss the napalm while you fire Cadia's Vengeance upon any heretic or their minions that sets a foot on the mountain."

Those two took off as Sora, Donald, Goofy and Mickey were ready to get going, Kairi had her own decision. "I'm heading to Twilight Town, Master... take my word for it, if Garland was able to do that with the Firebird, then the worlds need us." Aqua and Ven did so, the Keyblade Master wished her luck. "I know you all will be able to do it."

Kairi smiled in thanks and took off as Ven wished Sora luck. "Same to you, don't let these guys destroy anything." Sora smiled wide and took off with his friends as Riku was the last to leave. "I'll check up on Radiant Garden, that town took enough hits."

With him taking off, Aqua looked up to the sky with a plan that Ven and Stitch wondered about, the alien asked. "Us?" Aqua answered and felt her heart readying a power. "We got the boring job, in case someone comes to the Realmgate, we got to defend it and while Wanda's men are a distraction, we're the ones that need to take care of the intruder as fast as possible. I got a way to make sure any army that makes it through the forest is... removed."

Ven looked forward to that. "Wow, that's going to leave a mark." Aqua counted on that "The soul power from the heart will leave the world unharmed, but it's targets... not so much. Hmm," she dismissed the thought and sensed a thick evil encroaching the lands once more. She closed her eyes and aimed her keyblade to the sky, ready to spring a trap.

In Twilight Town, by an alley way.

Isa and Medy gave Lea a glare over the smouldering smoke of a building. The red haired man backed away. "What? It wasn't me, this set fire on its own." Isa didn't believe that. "Ever since we told you about the gap and the possibilities of who is needed to unlock the last of it, you been even more distant. We can't afford insubordination."

Medy turned to a building minding its own business and noticed it was going in smoke. "Uh... Isa..." The building ignited and the hydromancer with the guitar lighten up his hostility and nervously spoke. "I think Lea might be telling the truth now."

Isa saw the building light up and a few more by its side burn, smoke was blowing across the town and the sounds of screaming were heard, the blue haired man closed his eyes, faced Lea and opened them. "We're never to talk about this," Lea folded his arms and had a cocky smile. "Apology accepted." He looked at the fire and dropped his joking demeanor. "Now what's causing this?"

WOOSH!

Medy was knocked off his feet and pinned down by three, fiery, winged, demonic looking heartless. Isa took out his claymore and charged to knock the winged heartless away, they flew back in the fire as Medy tried to get up and whining. "These guys?" Lea took out his chakrams and answered. "Nah, it's probably someone trying to get ready for another Burn Off."

The fire like heartless returned with a large, strange, fiery red, lizard like heartless with a goblin like face. It opened its maw to show teeth and fire, it inhaled to breath. SLASH!

A pink tink cut into the four heartless, the winged demons disappeared in mists as the lizard let loose a heart, the three knew who came at the nick of time and saw rose petals burning in the wind, Lauriam appeared, looking urgent and like he was about to apologize to Lea. "It appears someone among us was wrongfully accused. These heartless are imbued with fire, do all of us think we can manage?"

The red haired man nodded and heard a dragon roaring, he looked to the northern corner of the town and saw a red dragon like heartless flying high in the sky, rolling and trying to claw at someone that was countering with lightning. "They really love the fire, so we are going to try not to add more to it." He shrugged. "Eh, I can still handle these punks."

Medy readied a tune and in a rhythm, caused the burning buildings to splash from the inside out repeatedly and agreed. "So some of us take the heartless out while some of us deal with the fire. What's Dorlu doing?" Lauriam answered that. "Helping evacuate the people and getting them to the beach where the fire won't spread. Isa?" The blue haired man understood his part. "I'll make sure these people can get out of the building," He lead the charge into the burning town. "Let's go,"

In another part of Twilight Town.

Kairi unleashed a wave of water at the out of control fire and make quick work of fiery, dog like heartless that breathed fire. She made a rush into a park with a wide sand box and saw to her horror, Olette with a handful of bags and a baseball bat, beating back against a blue centipede as Hayner was flung by a giant heartless that had a green robe. Pence was turning on a hose as the other two were getting overwhelmed, Kairi's back sprouted watery wings and she flew at the giant raising its left fist for a punch. POW!

She struck the giant from behind and let loose a swift combo at the giants head, causing it to cough up a captive heat and dissolved in its fall, Kairi jumped off and dived down at the centipede to quickly slay it. The trio of teenagers felt the epic wind give a light, comforting blow, Olette was the first to give thanks. "Nice rescue, you know what's happening?"

Kairi nodded and looked around to find more hellhounds coming and a dragon heartless in the sky. "Garland's attacking several worlds and I think I know how he is doing it." Hayner got up as Pence undid the hose and asked. "Sending a bunch of heartless?" Kairi shook her head. "Not quite, he created a monster of some kind using the elements and bringing that power to life. We got to find the Fiend controlling these Heartless and take it out, or this fire isn't going to stop." She took a deep breath and asked. "Do you know where everyone is going? You need to find somewhere safe before the fire spreads here."

Hayner knew one. "They are going to the beach, but that's a pretty long ways away."

Kairi offered. "Then I'll make sure you get there before I go find the Fiend." The trio took the offer without hesitation as the dragon was sent falling near the bistro's location, the four remembered something urgent and Pence gasped. "We got to go rescue Little Chef, there is no way he would be able to get out on his own."

Hayner agreed with that and tried to lead the charge as Olette held him by the back of his collar and let Kairi lead. "Once we get him, we'll head to the beach." The Princess understood and had a veil of water surrounding her as she dived into a town in chaos.

In Radiant Garden's Town Square.

Baldred carved an odd snake like heartless with his glowing katana and saw a troll like heartless punching a stand bellow a ledge, he jumped and dived down to stab it in the neck. The troll tossed the Warrior back and charged after him, Baldred focused his chime and tossed a disk of light at it, cutting it in half. The Warrior watched the heartless disappear and found Tifa grabbing a large armored heartless that was wielding a club, back flipped and pile drive it head first in the ground. The heartless tried to get up as a spec of light shined and slashed down at it, Baldred saw Xion with her keyblade and approached her, Tifa turned around, looked directly at her and swayed her hair in a sweat. "Phew! These are a bit tough for the Claymore to handle, thanks for the hand."

Xion realized Tifa was talking directly to her and smiled cheerfully. "No problem, my brother is helping evacuate the town." She saw Baldred and waved. "How are you doing?"

Baldred answered as he heard fighting in the distance. "I was about to meet with the committee to discuss the plan, but it looks like we don't have a chance at that." A swarm of shadows sprinted after the warrior who jingled his chime, hovered, closed his eyes and rained down pillars of light upon them, Tifa was astonished about the trick. "Wow, Aerith was right, you found something."

The heartless were vaporized to a number Xion could handle and Baldred stabbed a shadow with his blessed weapon. "Miracles among miracles, this is no mere lighting." The swarm was dealt with and Tifa noticed something behind her shadow, she flipped to dodge an attempt of a bite from a blue bat with a heartless emblem.

The heartless glowed black and took the form of something oddly humanoid, with a fanged maw and pale black skin. It summoned a swarm of shadow like heartless to fight, Tifa readied her fists as Baldred asked. "Is this thing responsible for the attack?"

Digital disks of light flickered as Xion guessed. "Maybe, let's do this." She and Tifa charged into the swarm as Baldred kept a distance, formed a spear of lighting and tug something, turning it into a bow with an arrow of lightning.

PEW!

The bolt struck the vampire before it got to attack and sent it laying on its back, Xion and Tifa rounded up the swarm and reduced it to a manageable number as the vampire sank into the ground and risen from underneath them, in a pillar of rock with a coffin like socket. The ladies were sent flying and the vampire emerged, he cast a gaze upon Baldred and caused him to stop in his tracks. It jumped after the warrior to go for the kill.

POW!

Tifa punched it in the face and sent it flying to a wall, Xion readied her keyblade like a spear, caused it to spark in lightning and hurled it at the dazed Heartless's chest, she rushed at the keyblade like a bolt of lightning, grabbed it and back flipped with a hint of elegance. The Vampire fell on its hands and knees and disappeared as a shroud of dark bats, it flew at Xion and upper cut her as Baldred felt himself able to move and took out his staff, he flung a small blue orb and knocked the Vampire on its back. The warrior charged, switched to his chime and sparked a spear of lightning, the Vampire tried to get up and the warrior slammed the spear down at its chest like a stake.

BOOM!

The Vampire wasn't getting up, Baldred jumped to the side and let Xion fling herself at the heartless for a finishing blow, causing a heart to flicker out of the creature. The girl flipped her keyblade, put it over her shoulders and noticed a dark presence was going away. "Did we take out the problem?"

Tifa was about to answer and felt a slight quake, she shook her head. "That's just the beginning. Hey kid, could you make sure nothing else comes in here while Baldred and I meet up with the others out of the town?"

Xion understood and wished the two luck. "I'll go find my brother, stay safe out there." She ran to the west of the town and let the grown ups take off at the towns borders, finding Leon, Cloud, Aerith, Yuffie and a particular brown haired town guard with an axe sword, who let the group know of something. "That earthquake didn't come out of nowhere, especially not after the Heartless disappeared."

Rumble.

They felt the quack become slightly stronger and Tifa asked. "We fought a Heartless that was bringing more, but that Vampire wasn't our guy. What do you think Aeleus? Someone sent that?"

Aeleus nodded and noticed the odd man out that switched from a katana to a halberd. "Just to make us think it's an average attack, this is the real one. Baldred, it's good to see you're joining us. I heard you acquired something?" Baldred nodded. "That will be for later, rest assured, it's power is especially helpful against the heartless."

Aeleus took the Undead's word for it. "The things you call miracles that reached to using the Light itself."

Aerith nodded as Tifa confirmed one thing. "Some of them are like the things he learned, they are from his world."

Rumble!

The quake worsened and Leon took the lead to canyon, finding something rising up from the ground, specter like heartless flew out of the earth and zombie like heartless crawled enmasse. "That's going to be helpful." He and the melee fighters drew their weapons as Baldred took a more aggressive approach and used his chime to cause a rune in the sky to form, it crashed lightning down at the heartless and gave the defenders the chance to commit.

Back in the town.

Riku followed a trial and felt an earthquake getting worse, he caught something standing at the ledge of the gate, with a dark orb forming in a set of hands. He recognized a witch from the previous night and jumped far to land on the pillar, he drew his weapon out and yelled. "You!"

The witch casually turned to him and gave a welcoming smile. "Good morning to you too Riku, be a dear and let me speak." Riku wasn't backing down. "Tell me your real name first, then I might listen."

The witch answered. "I am Karla, a Child of the Abyss. Something out there is stirring monsters of the dark and this ought to bring him out of hiding." Riku sensed what the orb is. "It would either bring him closer to the dark, or it will make it more dangerous to hide in to the point he has to take his chances with the town?"

Karla nodded and tossed the orb far. "Precisely, darling. Even with the Lord of Cinder among them to lend aid, they would never find the devilish Fiend in time before he brings about the end of the town." The orb landed somewhere in the canyon and pulsed in a geyser of darkness, Karla looked Riku in the eyes and pointed yonder "Unless the Fiend wished be consumed by the Abyss, he will be there. Do stay safe, for the Fiend is of the Earth itself."

Riku looked yonder to find a group of people being astonished by the geyser and the heartless they were fighting becoming unstable in the fall out, the boy found it to be a convenient chance and took Karla's word for it. "Thanks for the thought, but I'm still needing to ask a few things about you when this is over." He flowed the distance and left Karla behind, he heard a charmed giggle.

He readied his keyblade for a mighty swing and landed, letting loose a pulse of morning light that vanquished the heartless swarm. He heard Yuffie whistle and turned to find a confused Cloud trying to make sense of the arrival. "That could have come at a better time, what was that?"

Riku answered as he heard something in the direction, screaming in terror. "Something that flushed out who is causing the earthquakes and keep him from bringing more for a while. A witch that is living in the town threw that, her names Karla."

Baldred looked back and saw a pointed hat going into hiding. "Her?" Leon slowly looked at Balred and asked. "You know her?" The Undead nodded. "She was the one who gave me the Ashen Tome and the miracles that were with in, being near that hurts her and she is lending aid yet again. But is that important now?" Aeleus shook his head. "That's still Darkness, but she'll be addressed after we deal with this issue."

Baldred held his polearm firmly with both hands and accepted that as Aerith found the circumstances weird. "She must have been from Baldred's world. I guess Light and Darkness work a little differently." Riku lead the way and doubted. "Barely any different, but this is something we don't really know too much about."

Baldred agreed to that. "Nashandra, would swallow the worlds in Dark, yet Karla did... that." Yuffie pointed the major factor as she and the group got going. "Karla's the exception to what you fight, not the rule?"

The Undead kept his march. "Very much so." The group reached the ruins and heard a desperate howl, Tifa heard something rumbling and yelped, a skeletal like heartless emerged from the ground, she stomped on it's skull as the rest noticed five demonic looking heartless with fragments of stones around them and ten mummy like heartless appearing. Leon counted and raised his sword as he asked. "How many of us could take on the guy at the end of the canyon?"

Cloud guessed. "If the Dark scared it that much, only a few."

Tifa snapped her fingers. "If we get rid of that boss, then that would make this Heartless easier to deal with it." Riku felt that was a valid point. "The Fiend of Earth... sounds like something that would use the Heartless like this. What do you think Baldred? Want to put your skills to good use?"

The Undead warrior nodded and shook his chime in a sacred oath, giving the group a boost of vigor. "This should help a little." He pleaded to them. "Please don't die." Aerith sighed. "That won't happen with me here. Hurry."

Baldred advanced ahead and Riku sprinted behind. Leaving the committee into a rather dire battle. Deep in the canyon, the duo found five minotaur like heartless lining up in formation, Baldred shook his chime and caused his polearm to glow in light, Riku wasn't surprised and jumped into battle, carving into three as two of the minotaurs charged after the warrior that jumped to the side and cut into them, making surprisingly quick work of one and flinging a disk of light into another. Riku took the chance and asked. "That was what you learned from the Tome?"

Baldred nodded and kept his guard as he quickly advanced. "Did the witch tried to mask the miracles?" Riku shook his head. "That's the problem, that's actually Light. Why would a Child of the Dark have that?" Baldred answered that. "She want me to pass this knowledge unto you and the others." He smiled under his helmet as ten mummy like heartless surrounded them in another corner of the cavern. "Are you all so eager to take these and surpass anything I could dream about with this power?"

Riku was ready to cut a heartless and asked. "Maybe, but why did she give it to you?" Baldred focused his chime as the heartless mummies approached, the warrior hovered and caused pillars to strike down upon them, Riku saw the alarming damage releasing seven hearts and finished the three off, the warrior answered. "For there is a message she has for you all about the Chaos gods. Light alone, cannot beat it."

Riku felt that made a little bit sense and found him and the warrior were at a ledge overlooking the lower canyon. "And to really do anything against them, we need something that contradicts each other? Light and Darkness? In Order?" Baldred nodded as two green sphinx like heartless flew from the canyon bellow and dived after them. Riku and Baldred jumped opposite directions to dodge, the silver haired teenager form changed his keyblade into two swords and carved into one as the warrior glowed a lightning bow and fired at his own. Riku dodged slashes and slashed back to slay his in quick speeds as Baldred dodged and carved his blessed polearm and upper cut it, leaving the teenager to finish it off with a dash slash.

The warrior answered. "Exactly, I heard of the Seven Lights and of Thirteen Darkness, do you know anything about that?"

Riku shook his head as he and Baldred went to another section that had a giant heartless of green rocks awaiting. "The Seven Lights, the Princess's of Heart that can open the Door to Darkness. Are you suggesting that there is Thirteen Hearts of pure darkness out there? That's not going to help us."

Baldred put his chime away and waved swathes of fire at the approaching giant, Riku formed his swords into a larger one and rushed at it, taking it down and back flipping. He thought about it and asked. "We need to talk to someone who knows of that. Because I'm the only one that knows how to use Darkness that you would trust and I'm not touching that stuff ever again." Baldred laughed bitterly. "and the others are working under the forces of Chaos, you would rather take your chances learning anything from a Pilgrimage and learn by yourself what it is behind old tricks."

Riku answered with relaxed sarcasm. "Yeah and running into the Darklurker would be the least horrible thing that would happen to me." They reached a cracked passage and Riku asked. "Despite how much you know of it, you're still able to summon the light itself... after a night of reading from a book?"

The two reached a corridor of crystals, Baldred caught his breath and answered. "The Light is but something that pushes back the dark and guides thee out of it. Knowing of the Truest of Light that is there, might be how I could do it. What say of a heart that isn't as hollowed as mine?"

Riku thought of it and realized in shock. "That will make any of those miracles far more powerful than what you would be able to do. ….And you're okay with being a stepping stone like that?" Baldred shrugged without care. "If it means the Worlds will be one step closer to peace, I dealt with worse."

The two turned left and found a glow of light yellow in the distance, the very cavern rumbled, like it was in a fight against something. Riku asked the warrior. "It's like what Mickey said about Light and Darkness, one needs the other. We need to find a way for both to work together if we are to get rid of the Chaos gods messing up the Darkness and trying to kill us all. Are you ever going to show us what kind of Dark you use?" Baldred ticked. "Not today."

The two reached a maw into a massive canyon and saw something pulling itself out of shadows. A skeleton in a purple robe, the skeleton wore a horned helm that had red hair. The Skeleton glared at the two and closed his hands together, causing the canyon behind them to close. "You mortals seek to halt the game of Lord Garland? Of the Lord of Discord?" He posed for battle, his hands aimed at them, Riku answered. "We are, Fiend of Earth. What ever he's doing, ends now."

The Fiend of Earth laughed at him. "Fool, I am the quake that crumbles civilization. I am he of the Earth, I am The Lich. You walk upon a maw and I think it is time it closes." He clenched his hand and caused a hand of earth to emerge beneath Riku, it closed to try and crush him, the boy jumped to avoid that and dived down blade first into the Lich's chest. Baldred enchanted his polearm with the light and cut into the Fiend. The Lich clawed Riku back and caste a spell that held him in place.

Slash!

The Lich backed away from a swing of the halberd and raised his left hand, a pillar of stone erupted and knocked Baldred on his back. The Warrior got up and the Lich clawed at him, Baldred dodged and used his chime to give off a glow that formed many orbs, Riku felt his nerves returning and vanished with a slash, he landed behind the Lich and gave off a glow of moon light.

He cut into the Lich and saw he was doing serious damage. "Something like you is weak to the light? Too bad for you."

The Lich teleported away from the boy and and clamped his hands together, rocks shot from the cavern to try and pelt both Riku and Baldred to death, both felt the rocks. Riku glowed a reflective barrier around him and the knight, Baldred formed a lightning bow and fired an arrow at the Lich's skull, the Fiend of Earth surrounded himself with swirls of yellow energy and charged up and attack. "In the name of The Spirit of Discord, you will never be free from the cycle." Riku flowed next to the Lich and aimed his hand to charge a fire ball to fire at the Fiend of Earth.

In Twilight Town, by the Bistro.

Kairi slew a demonic fire elemental and signaled her friends to follow her, as they feared, the Bistro caught fire. Kairi readied a water spell and heard the sound of a guitar playing, the Bistro had water ruptured in a rhythm, slowly expelling the fire. She and her friends looked to the noise and found a man with a guitar playing it as two people she recognized were fighting back against five heartless hounds. The trio recognized the red haired man with spiky hair and felt a hostility boiling as Kairi charged her keyblade and yelled. "Back up." The blue haired man with a claymore turned around to find Kairi tossing her keyblade high in the air and caused it to burst out lightning bolts that dived down at the

heartless swarm, vaporizing them, Kairi kept her hand focused and caused it to return to her. Lea turned around and recognized four faces that were less than pleased to see him, he immediately gave a defensive tone. "Oh come on, I didn't cause this." The three kids believed that and Hayner snickered. "Oh please, it wouldn't have made it out of a building."

Isa turned around and blocked Lea with his claymore. "Enough with the jokes, now isn't a good time."

SLASH!

Three scorpion like heartless were sent flying in petals from the street to the right and faded away, Lauriam had a closer inspection and saw an awkward meeting was made. "It's... good to see you again Kairi, you have any insight on what's causing the fires?"

Kairi nodded as Pence whispered. "We'll go rescue Little Chef, cover us." The trio rushed into the half burning building as the Princess wished them luck and answered the people she felt hesitate to trust. "Yes, a Fiend of Fire that was made by some wacko named Garland." Lea found the solution to that problem simple. "So if we dose off the Fiend, this fire show would stop?"

Isa felt that logical. "Or at least make the Heartless problem manageable." Lauriam agreed with that and wondered. "But how is something created recently able to command Heartless that quickly?" Kairi had a guess. "Because Garland was making evil creatures from the elements and creatures that want to cause chaos?"

A building burst into flames that hissed. "To melt away the boundary of harmony and scatter your world's ashes across the discord. That is his will." The group looked at the flame to find a six armed shape hiding in the fire, the figure hissed and revealed six blades. "I am Marilith and all who oppose the Discord will burn in hellfire."

WOOSH!

The Fiend rushed out of the fire, revealing the upper body of a woman with blonde hair and a lower body of a pink serpent, she sprinted at the men and let loose a quick series of slashes. Isa and Lauriam tried to parry and knew that they were outnumbered on blades, Lea jumped back and hurled a spiked disk at Marilith's head. Medy broke focus and changed a tune, unleashing rupturing water around the Fiend of Fire and causing enough damage that Marilith screamed and shot a fire ball from her mouth at the guitarist that yelped and backed away fast. "Not good, not good, not-" BOOM!

The fire ball exploded and showed signs that it was Firaga, Medy was off his feet, Kairi sprinted at the Fiend and let loose a quick barrage of attacks, the fiend slapped her tail at her and burst in bright fire, the men felt their eyes burn and had to close them, exposing them to quick slashes. Kairi landed, pulsed a healing spell and watched the men try to counter the fiend and missing, she flung a water bomb at the fiend and drew her attention. Marilith sprinted after Kairi, the princess flew to a building, dodged her swings and ran up the wall to dodge a firaga ball, Kairi back flipped, was high above the Fiend and fling a large water bomb like it was a rain drop.

Marilith was drenched and her skin let loose steam. "You think yourself clever Princess of Light, the cycle will never end."

Her blades ignited into fire and she tried to strike like a serpent, SLASH! POW!

A chakram slashed at her from the back as a claymore sent her flying. Lea and Isa rubbed their eyes and realized their blind attack hurt their target, Lauriam rubbed his eyes and saw a fire demon that was in a corner. "That certainly worked."

Kairi agreed with that and aimed her keyblade. "Every bit helps, now let dose this match." PEW! She shot a large glob of water at the Fiend of Fire.

At Disney Town

Sora, Goofy, Donald and Mickey saw the town's grounds were flooded and were sprinted at by twenty heartless resembling fish people. Together, they bested the foes and made a sprint to the rainy entrance of the park, finding Minnie in a yellow rain coat and flinging an orb of holy power at a shark like heartless. Seeing that she managed to make an entry way into the park, Mickey rushed in the rain and shouted. "Minnie!"

The queen turned around and casually giggled. "There was no point in getting my dress wet." She pointed towards the deactivated monorail and down to the road into the park. "It's been storming so much that we had to turn off so much of the park and there are employees still trapped in there, especially the ones at the animal park."

Goofy and Donald cringed as Sora asked. "Because those animals definitely wouldn't be able to get out of this. What ever is causing this is at the lake?" Minnie nodded. "A Fiend of Water that is controlling this typhoon."

Mickey thought of a solution to that problem. "If we defeat the Fiend, not only will these Heartless go away, but so would this storm." The Queen thought that was a valid pattern. "I'll try to make sure as little of the Heartless break out of the park, good luck, all of you."

The four felt the vigor of good luck and went down the road, fighting against orb like heartless surrounded by water, dark twisters, strange snake like heartless with a snapping face and at the end, a shark with a massive bite. Goofy shield bashed the shark and Mickey and Sora slashed it in unison. They reached to Main Street and saw more sharks swimming, Sora having an impatient, yet determined urge, raised his keyblade high and heard something toot its horn, the four saw a glowing train like roller coaster drop down from an imaginary hill and made a flip, Sora taking the front cart, Mickey taking the second, Donald taking the third and Goofy taking the rear.

The train rushed upward and the sharks saw the lights, they flew out to bite at the heroes. Sora on instinct, blew the whistle and saw fire works shoot out from the trains horn, blowing the sharks into bits. Geysers erupted in the trains way, the roller coaster swerved to the right and dived down to avoid globules of water, it drove past the obstacle course like it was its own ride and reached to the lake, a dark, inky lake that was surrounded by whirlpools. Something bubbled in the center and a laughter was heard. "Oh, ho, ho, ho. You Guardians of Harmony do impress, I didn't think you would reach here so soon."

The bubbles popped and shot streams of high pressured, inky water at the roller coaster, becoming much to the point where they had to jump off and land in what seems to be the western district, right at the edge of the black lake that gave a large bubble. It popped and let out a blue, octopus like monster that was in a purple cape, it had a wide face of sharp teeth and red eyes as he readied his tentacles enguard. "But do you really think you can defeat me, the Fiend of Water. The unleashed Kraken?"

He laughed as Donald answered. "Like we haven't heard that before." Goofy nodded with his shield ready. "Yeah, you don't scare us." The Kraken gasped and snickered at them, Mickey was confused. "What's so funny?"

The Fiend of Water realized he was being rude and apologized. "My mistake, you'll find out soon. You're courage is admirable, but it doesn't compensate for ignorance." He flung his tentacles at the four, Goofy was knocked back and Donald ducked as Mickey and Sora jumped above the tentacles, the keybearers dived down at the Kraken and struck him in the head, the Kraken jumped back and inhaled, Donald raised his wand and called down lightning that struck the Fiend of Water and caused him to reel in pain.

Sora gasped and followed with his own, Mickey flung an orb of light at the Kraken as Goofy lifted his shield up and had Donald jump on. "That's what he's weak too? Come on Donald," The duck did so and was lifted high in the air, he aimed his wand directly at the Kraken to deal massive damage of lightning. Changing the Fiends priority to them and spitting ink at the two of them, the ink stuck their eyes shut and they landed in a splash, effectively blind. Mickey and Sora stood back to back and gave a unified glow of light, Sora had something to verbally deliver to the weakened Kraken. "This is over, tell Garland we're coming for him next." The Fiend of Water kept a smile and asked. "Fool, the cycle will never end, but I enjoy this company." Mickey felt there was something odd about the Fiend's behavior as he and Sora flung explosive orbs of light at the Kraken, turning the tide against the Fiend of Water.

In a mountain in the Land of Departure.

Scrooge was in the ship of Brynhildr and had his order as a walker like warmachine fired a missile upon her. "Let loose you're gizmos and show it who's the better craft!" Bryn flashed a determined scowl and fired her missiles back at the warmech, dealing rather significant damage. The warmech countered with a ray that atomized Bryn's missiles and punctured her hull, caused the cockpit to flash red and for her to fire at the center of the machine with her las cannon. BOOM! It penetrated the warmachine's hull and caused an explosion.

Scrooge saw a face giving an exhale emote and one looking pained, lightning bolts shot from the clouded summit and Bryn had to land. Scrooge understood and took his cane. "That be enough Bryn, you worked more than you're rep shown."

Bryn understood and opened her side door, giving a beep like she was routing for him. The duck jumped out of the door and used his cane like it was a pogo stick.

Flap!

Scrooge turned around to find a flying armored warrior and a gryphon with a particular general, both being pushed back by intense storms and having to land, the warrior saw the civilian and yelled. "Scrooge Mcduck?! Why are you all the way here."

She pointed her thumb to the Castle. "The Gate's that way." Scrooge understood that. "And that would have been the first thing I gone to if trouble didn't storm in. So you're the Stormcast, Ana?" He looked to the general on her gryphon and smiled smugly. "A pleasure to meet you too Wanda. I never thought I see something like Stalwing in my life time." Wanda took the recognition in pride and readied her great hammer. "It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. You're ready to fight the Fiend up in the mountain?"

Scrooge held to his hat against the blowing air and watched Bryn land out of sight of the mountain edge. "Let's do it."

Poof!

A purple robed heartless with an octopus like head appeared alongside two floating, cyclopean black skulls. Ana flew at the octopus creature that placed its left finger at the side of its head and glowed its eyes.

POW!

Ana felt like her skull was hit with a hammer and landed on her rear, Wanda yelped at the mindflayer approaching Ana with its tentacle like maw wiggling and had her Gryphon charged, clawing at the heartless and hitting it in the head with her hammer. Causing it to vanish as the beholding skulls readied to stair at her.

FLICK! BOP!

Scrooge hit a rock the size of his head with a cane and flung it at the right most evil eye, stopping it from gazing upon Wanda as the other shot electricity from its eye and knocked the human off her steed. Ana shook off the mind blast and smashed her keyblade into the active evil eye's skull, slaying it and letting Scrooge fling himself on the other, distracting it and exposing it to Ana's next attack. The Stormcast flapped her wings and let loose soothing light to heal herself and Wanda, Stalwing picked her master up with her beak. The general looked up to find two manticore like heartless flying down from the cloud. "This Air Fiend really doesn't want us to get this mountain back."

She got on her steed as Ana readied to spin with her blade. "And it's going to whip up a storm if we don't do something. We'll get you your fort back soon. I promise." Scrooge wondered about that and saw down bellow, a group of soldiers trying their hardest to stay hidden. "That's all going to be for nothing if we don't move." Ana agreed and spun, crackling in lightning and throwing her hammer at one of the manticores for a brutal blow.

Bellow the castle.

Ken looked distraught at the distant smoke. "Bryn." He watched Exrirsa organize the last of the napalm bombs and was ready to go to the upper ledge. "We knew something like this was going to happen... but it's an all out war again."

The nobody looked at the crude, if packed craft and let him know. "You'll have to get use to it. I'll bring down Emperor's Fury while you unleash the Heart of the Imperial Guard on our foes. Combined, our foes will be smoulder."

The forced smile unnerved Ken. "Eek, I guess." He ran up the wall and reached the ledge, he crouched and kept himself hidden, aiming his gun like Keyblade with both hands and placing the burning keyblade firmly in the ground, letting it spread a fog that blended with the surroundings. Exrirsa closed her eyes and felt her vision spreading wide, finding a series of laid out traps, an band of soldiers in snipping position and Demigryphs waiting in ambush."

At the mountain.

Ana delivered a finishing blow to a yellow manticore as Wanda and Stalwing struck another in the back and sent if falling to the ground, Scrooge jumped with his cane and kicked it extra prone, Ana smashed the heartless in the head and watched a heart be released. The party of four felt there wasn't much in the way and climbed the mountain until they reached the cloud. The Stormcast admitted to the rich duck. "It takes a brave or fool hardy heart to venture against an unknown foe, most not use to battles would rightfully run."

Scrooge took the compliment with a snicker. "When you spent a life making a fortune such as me, you pick up a little courage to achieve the impossible." Wanda agreed and asked. "But how does this have anything to do with money?"

Scrooge hummed and answered. "It doesn't, but I heard that you worked with what you could to claim this mountain and some Fiend appeared in thin Air to try and take it, what did you do?" Wanda answered that. "I go take it back and show the Fiend who it is trifling with."

"ROAR!"

A roar not to far ahead filled their ears, giving their attention to a Fiend in the eye of the storm, a blue, six headed dragon, the lower head finished roaring and joined with the others. The heads spoke in unison. "And so you dare to take back this land. To intruded upon my lofty perch?" The heads smiled fiercely like they were being challenged. "All the more better, may the image of Tiamat, the Fiend of Wind, be the last to burn your eyes!"

The two side heads blew in unison, a frigid storm. Ana raised her wings and braced with her keyblade to block the blunt of the cold. The Stormcast glowed like the moon and flung to the main head, Stalwing flew to Tiamat's left and flew to the side head, talon and beak first. Scrooge calculated and took out a crystal containing yellow energy, he flipped it in the air and wacked it with his cane, causing it to glow bright and expand into a boulder that flew at high speeds, hitting Tiamat's upper head and crushing her tail.

SWAT!

She clawed Ana out of the way towards Scrooge and breathed out a colorless gas. The Stormcast grabbed Scrooge and flew above the gas, they watched it corrode stone as Tiamat took the chance to fling Stalwing back, Wanda jumped to the other head and hit it with her warhammer. The central head and back most head shot a fire ball at the flying warrior, Ana rolled to the right and tossed a ready Scrooge at the back most head, the duck falling cane first and bashing it as Ana dived down with her keyblade taking the form of a lance. Tiamat hissed. "Strike me down as you must, the Cycle will never end!" The freed heads shot lightning at Ana, the Stormcast felt the lightning coursing through her and she kept falling as she plunged her lance down.

The light stopped and she found herself back at the front of the castle. Mickey, Goofy, Donald and Sora looked around confused and saw the storms taking Wanda's mountain. Riku looked confused and asked. "What... just happened?"

Mickey felt a ring on his phone and answered with a concerned Minnie that asked. "Mickey, there you are. Weren't we taking care of what was attacking the park?"

Mickey nodded as Kairi felt the urgent feeling. "That really isn't important, Twilight Town is on fire." Aqua cringed as the Princess took off, Ken and Exrirsa looked at each other awkwardly, the nobody sighed annoyed. "Kendry, you seen my inspection, if it is the same, then we are to try again."

The one armed boy agreed. "Yeah, any moment we're here is a moment we are risking the worst happening." The two went down the mountain as Donald gasped and realized what happened. "Did... things reset?"

Sora felt that was the case. "Did... we do something wrong?" Ana and Wanda had little idea, the Stormcast flapped. "Regardless, some Fiend of Wind called Tiamat is up there on the mountain. A big old dragon, we need to slay that beast before she sets her sights on this castle."

Wanda agreed with that. "Stalwing, fly!" The gryphon squawked and flapped to the mountain as Ven cringed confused. "What caused it?" Sora shrugged. "We'll think about it on the way, the Park won't last long with the Kraken." He, Donald, Goofy and the King took off as Riku cautiously took his leave. "And the Lich is going to give the committee trouble. I'll see what Baldred has to say about that, he has something important for me to pass along soon."

With him gone, Aqua realized fully what happened. "This is Garland's plan? We're stuck in a time loop?" Stitch tapped his foot and folded his arms to growl. "Phoey." Ven agreed. "If we just go back to what we were doing, that won't change anything."

Aqua gasped and realized. "And it's already too late to stop this loop from resetting. But if we remember, then they will," She focused on her spell and thought about it. "We need to do something different. Are you ready for deja vu to happen again Ven?"

The teenager whined. "Oh come on, what are we suppose to do?" Stitch's eyes widen to one and he wandered to the Realm Gate, pointing at it and asking. "Time there?"

Aqua nearly lost concentration and theorized. "Unless that place is under the same loop-" Her mouth dropped. "We need Scrooge to get here. Ven, can you try catching up with them? We got to get through that Realmgate." The teenager was on it and was ready to jump down the mountain. "Got it, I'll tell the guys down hill what's going on."

In the gathering summit of the Castle that Never Was.

A Varanguard knight with a horned helmet looked confused and roared. "What in the name of the Everchosen happened?!"

Pete whimpered as Maleficent, the Horned King and Ursula looked a bit annoyed. "Well Yzhyb, I just got told to get ready for our sneak attack at the twerps hidey way when we ended up back here." Ursula agreed that it was weird. "Lucky for us, calling the heartless on the spot is a snap of the finger." She opened a corridor for her own mission. "Which would mean I got more time to make a little home by the islands." She laughed with maliciousness. "Good luck."

The Horned King blinked and went back to his station. "I suppose if this happens again, we won't need to talk about this?"

Yzhyb and two of his Varanguard agreed with that. "You are to keep watch over this castle Necromancer. Xehanort hasn't taken too kindly to the backlash of his endeavors and right now, that demon of his knows what has happened."

He ordered Maleficent. "See that he doesn't tip the balance of power in my lords absence, for this will spell your end." The witch took the order with hidden frustration. "It will all be for naught if this resets again. But if it doesn't, that would be misfortune waiting to happen."

She disappeared in green fire and left Pete alone with Archaon's hand picked minions, Yzhyb ordered him. "While we advance on horse back, you are to muster the heartless and be the second wave. If they are prepared for that, you are on your own. Don't die."

Pete didn't know whether to take that with gratitude or like it was a strict order. "I'll... manage, there's been an idea I have going and I want to be around to pull it off." Yzhyb nodded. "We are to come back here with something of value, be it hearts, heads or assets, or we don't."

Flicker, the Varanguard noticed sitting at the edge of the tower was Vanitas, the helmet boy asked. "Now what did I miss before I ended up back with Xehanort again?" Pete answered that and spun a finger in the air. "Someone is messing around with the clock, we'z got to get going sooner." Yzhyb agreed and opened the corridor. "We will return with victory, now lets go."

At Radiant Garden.

Xion confusingly left Baldred and Tifa to the eastern district with a firing ring. Finding a confused Replica looking around. Xion yelled. "Hey, did you notice?"

The Replica turned to Xion and was relieved. "We just talked about what did that witch just do a while ago." He saw a distant orb of darkness be flung to the canyon. "Is she trying to get herself killed?"

The girl wondered and explained. "We'll ask her later, was there anything we need to do here? Baldred had some pretty powerful tricks up his sleeve, should we go... look for him?"

The Replica found little harm in doing so. "I saw the light from here. What did he found?" Xion answered and lead him to the gate of the town. "That witch gave it to him and more ways to use lightning." The two reached the town gate and followed into ruins, finding a group fighting against undead like heartless and elemental like heartless. The Replica took his sword and upper cut, causing the shadows to fling at the elementals, shaking them aside and causing beams of soul energy to shoot out. Xion jumped at the undead heartless and pulsed in light and lightning as she snagged the heartless in a combo. Some of the committee were relieved at help while others were confused at heartless being shook around and disappearing. After the short battle, Leon looked at the hooded Replica and sighed. "Thanks, but you know it's pretty dangerous out here."

The Replica agreed. "We know of the earthquakes and how that witch slowed it down before things reset. Where did Baldred go? I heard that he was going to be with you." Aeleus looked to the passage and answered. "He and Riku did what they could before leaving the rest of these Heartless to us."

Tifa looked to the passage and to the Replica and Xion. "I think there is something they were going to talk about this time. Things reset to right after the Vampire was dealt with when we had these heartless running. You knew Baldred?"

The Replica nodded. "He gave me ideas to do tricks like that. I saw some odd light where you were, he learned something new?" Aerith nodded and saw Xion trying not to be awkward. "Yes, but its pretty dangerous ahead and the Lich won't be held for long."

The Replica thought about it. "Something is causing the Time Loop to happen, the way things are going, this is going to happen. Is... there something different we can do?"

Tifa wondered herself as Aerith gasped to an idea. "How about this, if those two going after the Lich doesn't work, why don't you try thinking of a way so someone takes their place?" Cloud listened to that. "Like getting Baldred out of there? He isn't going to just leave us."

The Replica wanted to say he could take Baldred's place and realized a truth, he had neither light nor a way to really take down Heartless. "Darn it, if we don't try something, we're going to be running here, over and over again trying to protect the town forever." He asked. "What exactly did Baldred do that's weird?"

Tifa folded her arms and answered the strange boy. "Nothing too ordinary, he just used his chime and his weapon glowed with light. How it works is on him." The Replica snapped his fingers and wasn't giving up, he tried thinking of a home worth protecting and snapping his fingers to his sword. Xion shook her head like that wasn't going to work, the Aeleus advised. "If we spend too much time delaying Baldred in the next loop, it could result in a worse outcome and that is what these things want. We need to be as precise as possible if we are going to change anything."

The Replica agreed and put his sword on his back. "and teaching isn't instant. But that is trial and error, every little bit plays a big part and that can lead to the little things achieving great things. Like how someone like him is able to... do that."

Yuffie agreed. "But what can you do?" The Replica had little idea. "Something... something that can bring a light in the end of this loop. Something to stop this chaos." PEW!

Something flashed on his back, Leon was a little surprised and asked. "Why... don't you check again." The Replica wondered and reached for his weapon, feeling something heavy on the end, he stilled his breath and pulled to see a hilt with a ravens feathers and the tip had teeth curved upward and one curved downward, like the blade of a halberd. The tip of the blade had a spike and it gave a feeling of blue, he raised it upward and felt a glimmer of hope. "This... is different."

He spun the keyblade and posed it with both hands, the lesser hand being close to the axe blade and the main hand having the keyblade aimed in a low guarding pose. Leon asked. "Dupmic... is that the name I keep hearing about?" The boy nodded, the leader of the committee asked. "If this loops again, would you help us talk Baldred into going with Riku? He could be a better help somewhere else," Cloud gave Baldred some credit. "Even if he is pretty helpful. If this loops, then what he's doing isn't working."

In the canyon.

Riku slew the sphinx as Baldred repeated his strategy. The teenager asked. "If this loops again, then we need another plan." Baldred agreed. "This loop will drive us insane, us leaving them to fight those monsters isn't how I envisioned this."

Riku agreed. "You wanted to fight along friends. Do we know someone who can fight their way through here?"

They reached the crack to find the same giant they slew, Baldred had one. "This youth with a keyblade could, but I would pawn that duty on them and abandon the rest to venture with you?"

Riku knew the undead was talking about Xion. "But would staying here change anything?" The duo made quick work of the heartless and Baldred used the time to think. "No, I suppose it wouldn't and it wouldn't save them from this. I'll pass word to Tifa about it and hopefully, this doesn't go to nothing."

The two went down the crystal path and like a deja vu, their entrance is like before, the Lich dragging himself out of the shadows, trying to crush them with earth and blocking their way out. The Fiend of Earth asked. "Do you mortals really believe you can break the cycle and kill me?"

Riku answered the Fiend sarcastically. "I don't know, is your master going stop playing this game?" The Lich surrounded himself in power and answered. "No, I suppose not."

In a road in a burning Twilight Town.

Kairi asked her trio of friends. "So he was in the Bistro, Little Chef must have gotten trapped by the fire." Hayner nodded to that. "Right when we were about to leave with him, we were back here. Is there something we're doing wrong?"

Pence thought of it. "Maybe... we need to get there sooner?" Olette felt that made sense and guessed. "If this loops, we're avoiding the playground and sticking to the street." Kairi knew how that made sense and jumped at winged demons to slay them. "They'll figure it out, but with me around, they're not going to be as much."

That lead to another thing Hayner wanted to talk about. "And how were those guys holding up out there?"

Kairi landed and answered. "Alright, but Marilith isn't just using brute strength. That Fiend of Fire is going to be tricky to take down. It also looks like they are wanting the same thing as the rest of us."

Pence summed up the plan. "So we can trust them to help." Kairi nodded. "And... they have ways to beat that thing without me." The boy in the dinosaur t-shirt realized. "A Fiend of Fire won't last long if she's wet. Ha," Olette gasped and agreed with that. "And if we get the fire hose out, they'll finish her off by then." She voiced the plan. "We'll rescue Little Chef first and then we help out if that wimp with the guitar didn't get the clue."

The four reached the Bistro and saw the same events unfold of the gang fighting against heartless and Medy repeating his tune for the burning Bistro. The trio went in the building for their rescue as Kairi approached and asked. "You all figured out that time reset?"

Lauriam kept his focus on the fire Marilith came from and nodded. "Deja vu. How are we going to stop this loop? It's going to grow old."

Lea answered that and flung his chakram into the fire. "Easy, we do this a bit different." FLING! "AAAACK!"

Marilith sprinted out of the fire with the metal disk wedged to her lower half. "That won't break the Loop my Master created. Burn!" She shot a fire ball in rage and ignited her blades, Isa jumped in front and blocked it with his claymore, he gave the Fiend a more menacing glare and charged in a berzerkers rage. Marilith tried to parry with her blades and had two of them knocked out of her hands, Lauriam readied his blade to do battle and laughed. "Kairi, I think you're friends need you if they can't find the trapped Chef."

He charged behind Marilith and struck her from behind, forcing the Fiend of Fire between two unfavorable odds as Lea simply ran to the Fiend's right side and throw his weapon. Kairi simply went in the building, reaching to the kitchen and finding her trio of friends, Olette shielded the rodent from splashing water and hot flames as Pence and Hayner hold stuffed bags of ingredients. The Princess realized how fast her friends were working and Hayner took the lead to ask. "Those guys had it under control?"

Kairi nodded and smiled nervously, Pence thought of an idea. "This changes the plan if we are back to square one." The Princess sighed in apology. "You all can do this without me, I'll see where else I'll be of a better help and that can break the Loop."

Olette smiled back. "Thanks for the ideas, now let's get Little Chef out of here." The rodent listened and realized he might have to survive against the fire a little longer as the teenagers went to the door.

In the entrance to Disney Land.

Minnie realized one change that could be made and followed the group to Main Street. "Then it looks like I'll have to do more to help." She pulsed in a pillar of light and left the shark like heartless vulnerable to the keybearers finishing it off. Sora summoned the train and had his friends hop on, Goofy asked. "If this doesn't work, what else are we going to do?"

Donald looked down at the heartless and realized something. "This is way too easy. Sora, you're making this too easy for us." Sora gasped and asked. "But we got to beat the Kraken as soon as possible if we are to make it easier for the staff. What else do we have?"

Mickey realized the biggest change needed. "Nothing, but if this doesn't break the Loop, then Sora, you need go somewhere else. Without you, we will have to get though this the old fashion way."

Sora's adrenaline faded and he asked frustrated. "You're saying I'm making this worse?"

Minnie wouldn't say it like that. "No, but I think the four of us would be able to fight through this flood. You need to figure out what you really need to do."

Sora blinked and realized. "That... storm back at the castle?" The party of five reached where the Kraken lurked and got off the train, the Fiend of Water gave a mocking smile and went to battle. "It's amusing to watch you try something different, as if it will ever free you from this fun." He flung his tentacles at the four from the first loop and Minnie glowed to form a protective barrier, stopping the tentacles and giving the party the chance to attack with their lightning.

In the Land of Departure, down the mountain.

Ken yelled out to Ven. "There's no way we can get him out of there in time. Even if Bryn was able to dodge that shot, once she drops her load, she got out of there."

The older boy agreed with that as Exrirsa gasped and readied the napalm bombs. "And now we have an additional problem. Our enemies are coming."

She gave Ven a telescope and had him look, finding deep in the forest, three Varanguard marching through and pushing against the many traps laid out, giving him a feeling of horror. "That isn't slowing these guys down."

Exrirsa agreed. "But some of them are bringing harm to them and they will have to take caution to not end up dead or gravely wounded by the time they get here. The traps are working."

Ken was glad about that. "And then they got the two of us bringing hell. Good luck Ven, we got these psychos." He ran up the wall and Ven swallowed, he focused on a nearby mountain and jumped, flying to it and jumping to pieces of ledge before jumping to another mountain, he flung himself to the mountain being taken by Tiamat and landed to the wreckage of the Warmech. He found a party of four fighting their way through two manticores and sprinted to the foes, giving off a glow of wind and slashing to stun one.

STAB!

He thrust in the manticores chest and surprised Ana and Wanda as they finished theirs off. Ven pulled out and watched the foe fall limp and release its heart, he jumped off to land and Scrooge guessed. "That was as strong of an aim as ever, you're ere to tell me the Realmgate is more important that this?"

Ven nodded and Scrooge marched towards the eye of the storm. "If this groundhog loop happens again, then someone has to lend a hand in beating this Fiend while I'm over there. Will you take the charge lad?"

Ven wished to say yes and argued. "We have the Varanguard coming and they are as hard to take down as I heard. If they are around, then we need all the help we can get to deal with both them and their leader."

Ana sighed and had one other candidate. "Looks like someone is going to have to drag Ken out ere. Exrirsa is a little too war bent for out here. But this would mean we will have to deal with the wreckage of that Warmech without Bryn."

Scrooge cringed. "That's what I'm afraid would happen. That robot is built to win battles."

Wanda didn't mind that. "But with two keyblade wielders in the thick of it, it's beatable." She and Stalwing roared and charged head first into the eye of the storm, the gryphon flew upward to dodged a combined breath of lightning and to find Tiamat looking at them with all her eyes. "You would confront that thing to break the loop?" She laughed with her six mouths. "Good, you mortals have admirable courage. It will be a pleasure to break that." She readied an ice breath as the rest of the party charged to confront the dragon.

Going up the mountain.

Yzhyb and his squad rode up the road on horse back and felt singed and battered from the obstacles in their way. The knight on the right, with mutated horns, growled. "Devious little gnats, is this loop there doing?"

Yzhyb shook his head. "No Ulfrab, otherwise they wouldn't have divided their forces so thin. But that can all be put to an end once our lord gathers what he needs. With the destruction of the Realmgate, our victory over this war will be assured."

The Varanguard on the left asked. "But would we would have had much more resistance getting there, least of all battling against not one keyblade bearer, but many. This... is too simple." Yzhyb realized that and yelled. "You're right Igox, all of you, hold!"

The horses stopped and looked around with their masters, an aura of danger loomed over their heads and they heard something faint. "Emperor, bless us this day so we may break this cycle and emerge victorious." The Varanguard looked to their left and saw a collection of bombs, finding a woman missing an arm and a leg, holding a particular bomb, she kept her odd prayer. "So we may purge the taint of Chaos in fire and bask in your glory.

" The Varanguard readied their blades to simply jump on the ledge and saw an orb of fire glow in between them, the woman finished as an odd grey glowed behind the bombs. "By flame and sword, we will bask in the Light once more." She opened her eyes, gave a glow that reformed her missing limbs and hurled the bomb. "For the Emperor. Burn!"

The bomb was tossed at the Yzhyb and made contact with the ground.

BOOM!

It exploded and drenched him and his horse in fire. The fire ball in between exploded and the trio saw grey creatures grabbing the bombs and tossing it at them, engulfing them in hot fire that roasted upon their flesh, they roared and jumped after the group, the woman stoically stared at them as a beam from above shot one of the three into the ground and rushed through to stop their charge. The trio realized how one sided the battle was and saw a one armed, teenage boy fall from above with his burning keyblade making contact with the ground, fire emerged and engulfed the trio, they felt more intense heat and a blackness of nothing.

They found themselves at the summit of the grey castle, surrounded by those they gave orders to. Ursula had her left hand at her hip and asked. "We'll we know how fast this loop is. We don't even got a day." Yzhyb roared in anger. "Don't remind me, sea witch!" He looked at his men and at an equally annoyed Pete. "What matters is we know the whole land is booby trapped and one false move would be our doom."

Maleficent tried to keep some composure and suggested. "Then we are to not waist anymore time, Pete... don't you dare humiliate me." The minion sighed. "Yeah, I was just getting around how the traps worked. You can count that I'll be back with something."

Yzhyb opened the corridor without hesitation. "Good!" He ordered his men. "Move, we will not repeat that mistake again." The two agreed with that as Vanitas appeared and asked. "What the heck happened to you?" Ulfrab yelled to him. "Do not ask that again! We need to strike sooner."

At the start of a new loop.

Riku frowned to the ill news and took off. "I need to get Baldred back here asap. Sora, Kairi, you need to check the forest out."

The two teenagers understood and jumped off the mountain as Ken noticed Bryn going in a different direction and asked Exrirsa. "You have another plan to handle those guys without me?"

The nobody nodded. "You're ambush was formidable, but I was still holding back. Fight well." She jumped down the mountain and let Ken jumped on Stalwing and landed behind Wanda, the general nodded and had her Gryphon fly off, with Ana flying behind. Goofy and Donald were ready to leave and Mickey wished the remaining the best of luck. "I hope this works, take care guys."

Aqua assured Mickey as she focused her keyblade. "I'm getting started on this sooner. Hurry." Mickey took off and left Ven and Stitch to keep watch, the boy asked. "I thought I felt something watching us for a while." Aqua agreed with that. "So have I and we knew who it was. This is going to be a crazy loop."

At the town of Radiant Garden.

Baldred was silent at what Xion and the Replica showed as Tifa ordered him. "You are a big help Baldred, but we need to try something a little backwards in this loop or it isn't going to end."

The warrior agreed and took a deep breath. "And these two would fare a little better." He gave the two a firm salute and the Replica promised. "We know to hurry it up, the others understand this. Good luck out there."

Jump!

The Replica heard someone land and turned to find Riku arriving, seeing a hooded boy with a polearm like keyblade, being confused at who he is and dismissing it as Baldred approached him. "This is my replacement, let's get going."

Riku looked at the Replica unknowing. "If it's a keyblade, he'll handle it. Don't let us down." He and Baldred rushed out and left the kids with Tifa, the girl took the charge. "Come on, we got to be fast about this."

On the gummi ship making a quick rush across the lanes in between.

Baldred didn't even have the luxury of sitting down and caught his fall as Riku pressed down on a button to accelerate the ship and asked. "That's who rescued you? How long did he have a keyblade?"

The warrior shrugged. "Probably before time reset. I knew it was coming for Dupmic one day."

Riku felt it odd and groaned. "Aaaaarg. I'll figure that out when I got the time. This is the same kid I heard about last night, he and that Xion. Baldred, if you end up going past the Realmgate, it's going to be a whole different world even compared to where your dropping by at. Are you ready to break this cycle?"

Baldred nodded and smiled under his helmet as he sat down. "Until this faint hope withers, I'll try anything and do what I can to give out the hint."

Riku clicked in response and looked at the warrior with a warning. "You say somethings that are very similar to the other guy we been fighting. If Aqua mishears this, you're done for and we're all going to be done for."

Baldred knew who Riku was talking about and spoke. "Whether we like it or not, we need the Dark along with the Light to bring tranquility in both. Someone has to see the Dark for what it is, not the maniacs and monsters that lurk with in but where the True Dark lies."

Riku saw a familiar world and had some criticism. "Close enough, but you need to give a better example of that True Dark, because another thought she knew that before it did her in." Baldred laughed to that. "One trip out under the night sky or in a cave ought to make my point." He realized what he said and nearly bit his tongue as Riku gave him a look like the quote was going to backfire. "I know what you really meant and it wouldn't take Aqua long to figure it out, but at that moment, she won't have that kind of time." Baldred corrected his statement. "She needs to spend one trip out under the night sky or explore a cave by herself and then she will understand what is Dark and what is using the Dark are different things."

Riku felt that was better worded. "Now you won't get smacked with a keyblade when you bring up the True Dark."

Baldred looked at the strange world and focused. "I doubt we would have much time to talk about it in a crisis like this." Riku agreed with that. "But, if I hear it correct with the Realms, you'll need everything you got to survive. Try not to resort to the Dark unless you have to."

In the forest.

Pete stepped over trigger traps and flopped over a pit trap as his group of heartless fought against the demi gryph knights. He ducked gun shots and shook his fists up the trees. "Why I oughta, come down here and fight."

Rustle! Rustle!

Land!

Pete heard something falling down from a tree and found Sora landing with his keyblade ready, the boy had a sharp scowl to give. "Alright, we will."

Rustle!

Kairi landed with a bit of grace and warned Pete. "Nothing's distracting us this time. You're ready to run?" The goon cringed and realized he was outnumbered, he whistled and summoned ten soldiers, four green lanterns and one each of a vermilion, golden and marine lantern like heartless. "Sic em boys!"

The heartless did so, Sora rushed through the soldiers in a slash and caused half of the soldiers to vanish as Kairi flew at the air born healers and made quick work of that, Pete backed away and rolled a bomb. Trip!

He realized he tripped something and met a barrage of fast flinging pine cones, Kairi slew the healers and aimed at the mages, causing crystals to fly from a bush.

BOOM!

Another wave of heartless disappeared in an explosion of water and light, Kairi dived into the soldiers as Pete resorted to forming a barrier and protecting himself from Sora's attacks. He laughed in triumph of something going right as Sora jumped behind him and kicked the barrier, sending Pete rolling towards Kairi, who struck the barrier and sent Pete rolling back to Sora. The boy saw it rolling off course and went to hit it back, trapping the villain in a tennis game, the duo spun their blades and rushed to the barrier to shatter it, leaving Pete vulnerable to a beat down.

PEW!

Five fat heartless appeared and tried to slap the duo away, Pete pushed back and tried to climb up the tree for a jump. BANG! While avoiding gunfire from the hidden riflemen. Sora and Kairi felt an odd spark and caused water to rupture from bellow, a glowing round raft caught them, the boy gasped. "Wow this is actually-" Kairi nodded. "It's actually real." She spun the raft towards the heartless the demigryphs were struggling against and splashed it next to them, getting their attention as Sora had the raft spin around them, catching them in rapidly flowing water, they drove it towards the other pack and saw Pete realizing that his plan was for naught. Sora cheered. "It's splash time, hold on."

Kairi did so and felt the raft ride all the way back through the trial it came from, the weakened heartless vanished and the fresher ones was knocked prone. SPLASH!

The raft splashed back where it came from and the water disappeared, leaving a hand full of heartless for the duo to vanquish.

BANG!

Pete tried holding on and was startled by gun fire, falling on his stomach in a thud, Sora asked in a taunt. "You're going to run now? There isn't much further you can go."

Boom! Pete looked at the underside of the mountain and saw the black smoke and fire, he realized what the Varanguard meant and thought he saw a familiar figure in the mountain side, one glowing of sun light and moon light. Sending a wave of mortal terror in him. "You let her come here?! Are you nuts?"

Kairi knew exactly who Pete was talking about. "Exrirsa? If the Varanguard are meeting her right now, she isn't going to hold back and if you follow, you're going to be next and there won't be anything we have to save you this time."

Sora looked back and was horrified by the smoke and fire. "That's what napalm does?" Pete considered the Varanguard as good as dead, especially with a beam shooting at the sky, causing it to glow blue and rain down arrows of energy. "Those guys are tough as nails, but they're not that tough." He turned, felt a rather great shame and ran for it. The duo looked above the mountain to find a rather intense battle had begun, Kairi asked. "Even after all that, someone reached them... but who?"

She felt her answer creeping into her mind and Sora cringing. "Not him... not now." One of the demigryph knights approached with his steed at the call, the man asked. "This has became urgent, Sora, Kairi, hop on. We will ambush the Varanguard and try to rendezvous."

He looked up to the riflemen and ordered. "Just wait down here until Madam Wanda and the others retake out base." Sora and Kairi jumped on, the captain took a horn and blew it with a light tune, signaling an order given. The demigryph squawked and sprinted to the spiraled mountain.

Simultaneously

Exrirsa jumped down on the road with the napalm bomb and saw the Varanguard charging, making no intention of stopping. "NOW!" The nobodies from the ledge took the napalm and tossed it at the three horsemen, landing and making contact with either the steeds or with the knights shields. The beasts fell in a howl of pain and knocked the knights off to where they met a full bomb to their personal, the leader of the three got up with chaotic valor and drew his blade out, yelling as he ignored the pain. "This is madness, slay her!"

The other two got up and made a desperate sprint, Exrirsa stood still and snorted. "You shouldn't have returned to these lands," The trio of Varanguard slashed, Exrirsa disappeared and reappeared behind them, she whispered to them in a hauntingly tone. "If you sought madness, you found it." She drew out a sword in quick speeds and the right most Varanguard turned to try and strike.

PEW!

A barrage of blue arrows shot them to the ground and gave Exrirsa time to strike SLASH! PEW! The chaos knight vanished into ashes, the left most one yelled in shock and tried to attack.

STAB!

In a blink of an eye, Exrirsa stabbed the knight in the chest and caused him to turn to ashes, leaving the leader in a corner, the leader growled. "You think this would be enough to stop the Grand Marshal? You are as delirious as that fool Sigmar and his lackies."

Exrirsa looked like she heard that before and had a stoic frown, she aimed her sword and caused it to radiate a heat that was melting the knights armor. "It matters not Heretic. Where Chaos goes, those like me will be there to halt it, if for a while. Goodbye."

BOOM!

A stream of fire consumed the Varanguard and caused him and the dead steeds to disintegrate, leaving behind a path of molten rock. The nobody horde backed away from the heat as their leader ceased her weapon and swayed her hair, she looked upon her minions with a half smile. "Adequatet," She looked up. "And so leaves one."

Simultaneously at the front of the castle.

Aqua finished firing a beam in the sky and watched arrows fly down after the Varanguard bellow, watching in horror of the fact she signed another death warrant. Bryn landed to drop of Scrooge as Ven caught sight of Riku and a familiar warrior climbing the path to above. "So we're really asking him for help?"

Aqua felt who was coming. "A heart like his is exactly what we need to get the Realmgate open. Are we ready Scrooge?"

The rich duck nodded and looked at the Realmgate. "What am I suppose to do?" Aqua instructed. "Go to the hall way at the end, we'll meet up soon."

Scrooge did as instructed and marched towards a new adventure, the keybearers felt a dark presence looming near and noticed someone sitting on top of the Realmgate. Vanitas. Bryn flashed a red light and fired a small shot at him, the fiend flipped to the center to dodge and snapped his fingers to form a barrier. Blocking the gummi ship out of the fight and stopping the castles doors from opening.

DASH!

PARRY! Aqua charged after the masked boy and locked two keyblades against him, giving Ventus and Stitch enough time to circle in between Vanitas and the Realmgate. The blonde boy asked. "You seriously don't care what happens to the worlds? Do you?"

Vanitas kept a focus on them and the alien as he answered. "Oh you mean that little loop repeating this whole mess before I get a chance on the fun. No, if I'm correct, this isn't getting in the way of our plans over in the Realms," Aqua connected the rest of the plan. "And if we don't go over there, who ever is in there right now could bring more over here to overwhelm us? Yeah that's a reason to keep the loop going."

Vanitas laughed to that. "Not if the guys come back and change something so much that this force won't be able to reset. But then you'll see an actual army of Chaos crush the life out of you and you're friends."

Riku and Baldred caught up and were blocked from the barrier, the two found no way of getting through as Ventus barked. "Seriously, get lost, we are this close to breaking the loop and we don't got the time."

Vanitas didn't really care and summoned spiked wheels. "Aw, that's too bad Venty, this is annoying me as well since nothing is going to matter until the loop breaks."

Riku thought of something, aimed his keyblade at the barrier and caused it to shatter into a keyhole door, he signaled Baldred to hurry, the warrior nodded, rolled past the keyhole and watched it close up. The Warrior took his chime and formed a bow of lightning as Vanitas was properly distracted.

FLING!

A lightning arrow was shot, Vanitas saw a faint electrical light and was promptly electrocuted. He was knocked back and saw Baldred approaching close to him with another miracle ready, the warrior laughed. "Well, this is ill fortune." Aqua sparked an idea and tossed a gummi phone to Ventus. "Catch! This has everything you need to know about the Realms."

Ven caught it and realized what was being given to him. "Wait, wha-" Vanitas vanished as Baldred switched to his staff, knelt and caused the tip to give a dark glow. Vanitas appeared in front of Baldred to strike and the knight raised his hands up to let loose a dark pulse. Ventus struck Vanitas away and saw the dark fiend try to shoot something, nothing came. Baldred made a run for the Realmgate as Aqua realized that was the effect of the dark spell, she tried to cast a thunder bolt at Vanitas. She shot Vanitas to the ground and caused him to realize most of his powers were unavailable. Ventus saw the chance and made a run for the Realmgate, Stitch ran backwards and shot his laser gun at Vanitas before running to the gate. Vanitas waved his hand to have the Wheels of Excruciation follow the escaping trio, Aqua gave a pulse of light to banish the spell and stood in his way. "I think we have something to settle between us? You're not going anywhere near Ven, you're staying right here."

Vanitas tried again to cast something and found it pointless. "Even after seeing what Undead freak did?" Aqua shrugged without a care. "Dark or not, it stopped you in your tracks. This should be easy."

In the Road to the Realms.

Ventus and Stitch caught up with Baldred, who reached to a fascinated rich duck. The boy shouted to Baldred. "What the heck was that and what were you thinking?"

The Warrior saw a keyhole at a heart shaped gate with a small door and turned to Ventus. "I brought that Dark Child's attachment to his powers in a Profound Still. It won't last long, I think we need you to unlock this."

Ventus felt there wasn't much time to argue and went towards it, Scrooge hummed and pointed his cane to the door. "If we unlock this and get through, this would give our friends time to solve this Four Fiend mess. We'll find Halvek and then you'll let me do the talking," Ventus aimed his keyblade as Baldred placed his hand on the hilt. "The heart connects to the keyblade, so this is how they are going to work together?"

Ventus nodded as Stitch tugged Scrooge to the hilt. "Yeah, I never thought we be going to a place that far from home." Stitch nodded. "Fix home!"

Scrooge placed his hand on the hilt and agreed. "And we shall." The keyblade gave a glow as the three directed it to the keyhole, the keyhole glowed with it and caused the gate way to glow. It glowed in gold and a blow of sky wind was felt, the three felt a world was calling to them and approached, Ven looked back to find Aqua fighting back against Vanitas and hoped for the best. "Just hold on, we're getting help." Stitch waved the world they were leaving goodbye, "Bye bye." and hopped through the gate way, the others followed and in a glow of light, felt their hearts racing.

Thud! They landed on the other side and felt more wind blowing, Ventus and Baldred almost lost balance as Scrooge almost lost his hat, he looked back and found nothing of how they got in, save for a city in the sky. "Whoo, I swear on me first dime, she wasn't kidding." Ventus looked around at the steam punk wonder and of dwarves in robes and respiratory masks, he found a wall to sit against and take out the gummi phone to see various data logs. "Okay, this means that the loop should be broken and they'll figure out what to do while we are gone. Now... what did Aqua find?"

Press!

He found a variety of names, eight in total. Azyr, Shyish, Chamon, Aqshy, Ghur, Ghyran, Hysh and Ulgu. He remembered the name of the realm he is in and pressed it, reading a rather detailed log of the Realm of Metal and of the Kharadron Overlords. "Let's start by knowing who these guys are before we go look for the United Airlords."

Baldred was dizzy from the visuals and sat by the wall himself, like he was lost in thought. Stitch crawled around at the technology as Scrooge marveled. "What matters is the worst is done, but don't dawdle, for who knows how much time we bought the others." Ven agreed with that. "We find Halvek, get him to help and get to Azyr where the Heartstone is. Easy."

At a cavern near Radiant Garden.

Xion and the Replica made short work of the sphinx and heard the sound of heavy stomping ahead, the girl wiped off a sweat and readied to charge. "Complicated, you'll explain later? How long are we going to keep doing that?"

The Replica followed her and looked uncertain. "I don't even know anymore, until we can text that little treatment, it's just going to confuse them if I just tell the ones that don't know. Even Ken figured out the big truth and if that's what happened, then we are at the end of this rope."

The siblings found a giant heartless being on a losing battle against a shadowy, spiked tailed Allosaurus that smacked it in the face with its tail and bit its throat, the Replica spun his keyblade, posed it like a spear and vanished in the blink of an eye, appearing at the giant's forehead with his halberd like key wedged into the giants skull. He kicked back, pulled and back flipped, watching the giant fall in a thud, the shadowy dinosaur changed into a smaller, humanoid shape and had a difficulty picking one of the siblings shadows to hide, deciding on the Replica's. Xion whispered to the shadow. "Welcome back Shadey, let's go beat a Lich." The trio went into the crack, traveled down a crystal cavern and felt it crumbling around them, rocks fell behind them as they made a sprint to the other side.

CRASH!

The cavern caved in behind them and found a purple robed Lich with a yellow swirl of energy around him, the Lich pressed his hands together and caused rocks to pelt at the duo, the Replica swiped his halberd in the ground and caused a wave of shadow to fly towards the Fiend of Earth.

BURST!

A white wave of power erupted from the ground and consumed the Lich in blue energy. Xion crackled her keyblade and tossed it at the stunned Lich, hitting him in the chest and causing him to spark in electricity.

Xion flung to the Lich, grabbed the key and burst in light as she back flipped and landed, the Fiend of Earth waddled back and gave a deathly chill. "So two retreated in exchange for three? It won't break this eternal loop, mortals."

Xion glared at the Lich and barked aggressively. "But we'll stop you from breaking the town." She jumped after him and yelled a battle cry. "Hiaaaaah!"

PEW!

The Lich aimed both hands at Xion and caused her to freeze in time, he focused on the astonished Replica and charged at him with his skeletal talons. The boy dodged and spun with his halberd like keyblade, striking the Lich to the right.

WOOSH!

A black keyblade speared the Lich from the shadows, it let loose a fast combo and the fiend tightened his fists in a counter attack, a hand emerged and grabbed the keyblade, it tightened its grip to crush it and caused shadows to disperse, a form of a boy reformed on the fists grip and pounced on the Lich. Xion was freed from the stop spell and jumped to nowhere, she turned around to find the Lich fighting Shadey claw to claw, shot a fire ball at the Lich's back and leaped far with her blade in hand.

SLASH!

The Lich yelled and position side ways with both hands aimed at the children. "Thus is the wonder of Discords endless cycle. Perish!"

BOOM!

He shot two fire balls at the duo, they set up a reflect spell and were pushed back by a flare spell. Against the earthy wall, they saw fingers emerge to grab them and jumped against that with a lack of breath. The Replica slashed his keyblade's axe onto the Lich's helmet as Xion, in sync, slammed her keyblade at the Lich's abdomen. Shadey jumped back and watched the in sync blow collide. FLASH! FLASH!

The Lich tried to step back and found his right foot falling off, followed by his left, he fell on his back and saw his feet turn into simple rocks. He got on his knees and found his left hand fell, he tried to crawl after the trio and felt himself slowly collapsing into stone, the last glimmer that there ever was a Lich was a skull with white wisp like eyes, fading away into still stone, along with purple robes and a horned helmet. The siblings saw their feat and high fived each other, Shadey gave an animal like cheer in celebration as the dark presence lessened, he noticed something and looked to the blocked passage, dark tendrils gently cleared the way for a figure to approach.

The siblings sensed it and turned to find a witch in tattered robes, looking at the defeated remains and walking to them. "My, has the loop finally been broken? Is the cycle between peace and discord finally tipped in the favor of harmony?"

The Replica kept a guard and answered. "I... think it is, wasn't it that every time someone gets that close to finishing the Fiend off... it reset?"

The witch nodded and approached the remains to gets something. "Indeed, what has happened that was so drastic, that time couldn't be reverted?"

Xion answered that. "Baldred having to leave with Riku and us having to take care of of this for them. Getting here was pretty tough, who are you?" The witch pulled the robe and found a flickering yellow essence. "It's Karla. Even as a being created, it holds a wondrous soul of Earth." She asked the trio. "You wish to know the special art of how to transpose a soul into such... delightful crafts."

Xion wasn't trusting of the witch as the Replica became curious. "Transpose... like what Baldred did to Nashandra? We can put the Lich towards some good use?" Karla nodded to both. "Aren't you some clever darlings. This is precisely what befell my sister, not once, but twice and I believe I felt another presence with in him. Freed from the outcry of her madness and resting deep with in his heart." She wondered. "Could this also be the fate that will befall the Four Fiends?"

The Replica was more interested. "Show us, we took the Lich down and we ought to bring back more than just his clothes and helmet." He picked up the helmet as Xion agreed and picked up the robe, she had one condition for the witch to obliged to. "Alright, but don't go offering us anything tied to darkness, that is what got us in our mess in the first place."

Karla hummed and frowned under her hat. "That would depend on what you view as the Dark, for the Light alone won't vanquish the Chaos."

Xion tilted her head and looked at a confused Shadey, she sighed and followed her. "Fine, you did help us in each loop, so I'll give you that." She looked at the Replica and had him follow, the boy felt both sides were onto something. "We're definitely not going to get anymore help from Ahriman, this is why he never taught us his stuff. But Karla, what do you and Baldred know?"

The witch answered with a snicker. "How he became a True Lord... and you are to ask not what I know, but what I am. You would be right to steer clear of me once you know, but I want no sniggering if you choose to listen."

The two realized Karla was giving them a choice and thought about it as they followed her back the way they came from and to a tired out committee, Aeleus recognized the witch and kept guard. "You're the one who cast that dark spell three times in a row."

The Replica agreed and stood in between. "Yeah and she was helping us by slowing the earthquakes down and she helped us get back." He showed the group the helmet and robe that was the Lich's. "The Fiend of Earth is back to rubble again, what other problems do we have?"

Leon sighed. "Lot's, let's get these back and talk about it, other worlds are caught in this." Aerith agreed and saw the witch with a glowing flicker. "But first, what is that?" Karla sighed and explained. "This was the Lich, for a creature created, how did he form something as a soul?"

Aeleus wondered that as well. "This isn't the first time I heard of this." He asked. "You kids are free to go, Karla, there is someone you should meet."

At the burning Twilight Town.

Medy went to his tune immediately on seeing the burning Bistro and watched a brave trio of teenagers make a dash in the splashing building. "*Phew* So this is what they were talking about?"

Isa sighed and closed his eyes. "We didn't need Kairi helping us, we can beat this demon ourselves." Lea agreed with that and readied to throw his weapons at the fire.

STRIKE!

The Marilith jumped from the fire and immediately attacked Lea and Isa, she hissed. "You think I wouldn't memorize that? Fool!"

Lea jumped back as Isa focused on blocking himself, the pyromancer gave the Fiend of Fire credit where it was do. "I suppose after restarting this, you'd catch on that we'll catch on."

Lauriam appeared behind the Fiend of Fire and slashed at her, causing a scattering of petals to blow against her back, the man back flipped and dodged a slap from her tail, the Fiend of Fire gave Lea a compliment back. "And thus is the cycle, until Discord triumphs at long last."

She gave off a bright flash of light, the men shielded their eyes and opened them, the Marilith slithered on top of a pole and shot a fire ball at them, three of them dodged and left Medy to be flung afar, Lea tossed his disk at the fiends side as Lauriam stabbed the burning grass at the base of the pole and caused thorns to erupt.

SLASH! PUNCTURE!

The Marilith was forced off from the cuts and was rushed by a berzerking Isa, the fiend ignited her blades and parried blow for blow, being much more prepared.

Click. Medy got up and turned around to find Hayner rushing the door open and Pence running out with a fire hose, Olette was the last one, with both her strange bag and oddly, a rodent. Medy wasn't questioning the weird and saw a fire hydrant, sparking an idea. "Hey, do you got a minute?"

Hayner turned and saw the rather frightening fiend in a heated battle. "Are you crazy?"

Medy has a more correct term and wagged his finger. "Uh uh, I think the word you're looking for is desperate." Olette wondered what, saw the fire hydrant and gasped. "She's going to hate you." Medy wasn't too worried. "No skin off my back. Where you'd get that hose?"

Pence answered that. "I... took it from a garden when the fire started, what else could we do?" Medy didn't care and had his guitar ready. "Beats me, you're a bunch of kids. Now get the hose working, so I can finish this off." Pence noticed the hydrant and didn't hesitate, in spite of the adults rudeness. He twist the hose firmly and felt water rushing, he aimed at the distracted Marilith and shot a torrent of water at her, Medy played his guitar and caused the stream to burst into fist sized projectiles, sucker punching the Marilith out of her focus, leaving the melee fighters to strike at the openings.

The fiend struck them in the head with the blunt of her blades and tried to slither away from the hose, a note struck strong and the hose stopped for a moment, it burst out a glob of water that shaped into a winged serpent. Marilith gasped and tried to strike the foe, the serpent slithered around her as Medy gave it a name. "Leviathan, finish her!" The Leviathan raised its head above the Fiend of Fire that fired a firaga at the head, slap! The water slapped with his tail and dived down at her head first.

POW! SPLASH!

Water flew everywhere and vaporized, leaving behind a drenched Marilith that laid on the ground. She tried to get up and felt her weapons slipped, her body gave off an aura of ashes, her body quickly breaking down. She gritted her teeth in defiance as the fire engulfing the town died down, her arms gave way and she fell on her face, she disintegrated into specs of ashes and left behind golden bracers, her blades, pieces of jewelry and a flickering spec of fire. Medy raised his finger up and showed off as Pence turned the hose off and Isa looked at the fire in the town going out, leaving behind a surviving piece of civilization that was heavily burned. He hummed. "So just like that, the fire is gone?"

The odd feeling of safety caught Lauriam's attention. "So she was the source after all?" He gave a smile to the teenagers. "You have our thanks, someone needs to tell Dorlu what happened while... I check on the other problem."

Lea guessed. "The Heartless?" Lauriam nodded. "If we ignore that, the town would be worse off." He took off to where a heartless dragon was falling and left Isa to check the odd spec. He picked it up and felt a fierce fire. "If she was created, why does she have this?"

Lea looked at it and asked. "It's her heart? After all the trouble she caused, this has to be how she was able to tell those things what to do." Isa pondered and looked to his friend like it was something he wasn't certain about. "Not quite, it feels like a heart, but it's far too... artificial. It's something else, fitting for an elemental created recently." He snapped his fingers at Medy and ordered him. "Get the rest of Marilith's remains that you'll bother picking up, it's treasure for all we care."

The guitarist realized he was getting grunt work as Olette kept the rodent observing the fire damage close to her and approached. "It's finally over, so what are you going to do with that... thing?"

Isa answered with a bigger frown of concern. "There is someone at the other town that this needs to be brought to, Ienzo will figure it out and we can call it a day. Did you find the Little Chef?"

Lea realized something and held back from laughing as Hayner awkwardly stared at the blue haired man. "...You seriously haven't figured it out?"

Isa felt a ding of a realization and looked at the rodent, feeling like his mind was blown and made a good attempt to hide it. "...Ironic." He asked Lea and Medy. "We are not to speak of this." Medy shrugged. "Eh, not the worst thing we could figure out." He went to pick up the loot as Isa gave a nod of farewell to the four and took off to the bell tower, Lea followed him and gave his goodbye. "Catch ya later."

With them gone, Olette took a deep breath and asked the Little Chef. "Do you mind if we help get the Bistro working again? This was a catastrophe." The Little Chef nodded, the teenagers went to the damaged building and left Medy to realize. "How am I going to carry all this away?"

At the flooded Disney Land.

Goofy shield bashed a fishman and knocked it to a pile for Donald to vaporize with lightning, Mickey uppercut a floating shark as Minnie unleashed the power of light to vanquish it. They found themselves at the end of Main Street and Mickey stopped to breath in. "*Phew* That took a while." Minnie agreed with that and cast a heal spell for a refresher. "We can't stop for long, any second we loose is another for the damages to get worse."

Goofy and Donald agreed as Mickey took his blade and hurried. "The worst is behind us, let's stop the Kraken." The four ran across the water to where they last met the Kraken, who wiggled his front most tentacles together, he chuckled like a nobleman. "Hoo, hoo, hoo. Even with the Savior of the Worlds absent, you still arrived in a timely manner." He raised his tentacles and aimed at the party. "But it matters not, you were born in this world and it will be your tomb."

CRACKLE!

The tentacles sparked lightning, Donald and Minnie worked together to form a reflective spell that blocked out the electricity, the Kraken flung the tentacles in response. Mickey and Minnie jumped out of the way as Goofy aimed his shield and Donald focused his magic upon it.

BOOM!

A beam of electricity shot from the shield and struck the Kraken's body, the Fiend of Water was flung back and Minnie spun in a dance, giving Mickey a boosted power of light. The King spear headed straight down at the Kraken's head, back flipped to dodge tentacles and rushed in a flash of light, he landed behind the Kraken and watched the Fiend of Water be consumed in light. The Fiend screamed and spun, spewing ink from his mouth and covering Mickey and Donald in the blinding goop. Goofy gave a serious aura and ran shield first, Minnie cast a gust of wind that made the shield bearer go faster.

BONK!

The Kraken was slammed in the chest and coughed. FLING! He slid against the water as Minnie took the chance to cast something that washed the blindness away from Mickey and Donald.

The Queen pointed at the Fiend and yelled. "You caused enough trouble, it's time for you to go." She aimed her hands together and fired a beam of white light the Kraken that realized what the spell was and tried to slither out of the way.

BOOM!

The light engulfed him and caused his body to be pushed against the force, the Kraken attempted to push against that as the spell slowly dimmed. PLOP!

The Kraken fell over and tried to get up, he saw his tentacles melt into water and his body sinking into the murk he created, he gave a bubbling laughter as his form faded away, leaving behind his regal purple cloak and a spec of blue light. The rain stopped and the sky cleared, the flooded water recede back to where it came from, leaving behind a drenched, park. Donald looked at the spec and picked it up as Goofy got the robe, the duck asked. "You're highness, what is this?"

Mickey looked around and felt a darkness recede as Minnie felt a lingering power from the spec. "...It's... no heart, but... something else." Goofy asked. "Should we go show this to Yen Sid? He'll know what it is." Mickey felt that was a smart choice. "We should, right after we fix up the damage." A group of mops with buckets and cleaning equipment appeared, Minnie giggled. "This should be over in a jiffy."

At a mountain in the land of departure.

Ken hid behind a rock as Wanda was laying under a Gryphon buried in stone and Ana was smashing her hammer at a Warmachine's legs. The boy yelled in panic. "We can't deal with this thing head on!"

Ana barked to him. "Then think of a way to help out! If it tries anything special again, it's over." Ken agreed and side stepped, firing Cadia's Light at the machines rear, the Warmachine fired a missile that homed in on the boy. Ken yelled in horror and sprinted to the underside of the death machine, sliding under and yelling to Ana. "Fly back, now!"

The Stormcast did so as Ken ran.

BOOM!

The missile made contact with the death machine and exploded brightly, Ana swatted the stones off of the downed duo and Ken cast a healing spell, the keybearers cheered. The Stormcast turned to boast. "Ha, how you like that, you hell engine."

Blink!

Ken realized in horror as a green lens of an eye kept lit. "No, no, no. How did it.." The Warmachine was breaking apart in pieces and was sparking in self repair, it opened an exhaust to spew something of poison, Ken growled as Ana flapped her wings to blow back the poison cloud. The boy form changed his gun like keyblade into an arm cannon and fired at the lens. "Go down already, we don't got the time."

BOOM!

He shot repeated las cannon shots at the death machine, the first one caused it to short circuit, the second one caused an implosion and the third caused an explosion.

The boy panted and fell on his knees as Ana found it hard to believe. Wanda dragged herself out as Stalwing pulled herself up. Ken broke down into a maniacal laughter that the Stormcast had to stop with a firm lift and shake. "Get a hold of yourself lad, it's gone."

Ken let his weapon turn back into a keyblade and agreed. "I... ha, I know. We didn't get a chance to attack before it was blowing us up." He noticed something shining in the scrap and went to look, finding a small box to pick up. He opened it and almost dropped it, seeing glittering bars of premium munny. "Oh my... Wanda, I don't think you and you're guys should be living in those caves anymore."

The general approached and looked at the shiny metal. "Ah... you know of this quality?" Ken closed the box and took the lead. "Yes, thirty two thousand. More than enough to turn this mountain into a town. I'll give this to you once we deal with Tiamat."

Wanda took the opportunity and rubbed her hands together. "Now that would be something we can do. Thank you for this... generous donation." Ken nodded. "Anything to see you stay happy. We all know how important this kind of thing is to you."

Wanda appreciated it and got on her Gryphon as Ana noticed something else in the hull and picked it up, a grey set of dress like armor that was complimented by an exotic helmet with something looking like horns. "Whu..." She showed the armor. "If we survive this, we're getting this to the castle. This is in way too pristine conditions to be a coincidence."

The General looked at the armor, whistled and agreed. "This coming from that thing? I say its cursed or... possessed." Ken looked back and squinted his eyes. "How did I missed that? Yeah, it's too good to be true."

He spun and charged recklessly, meeting a Mindflayer and two evil eyes. The boy aimed his gun at the heartless octopus head in near point blank range and fired, shooting it dead. The evil eyes set a gaze upon the boy that jumped high and focused heated fire on the left one, Ana and Wanda went for the other.

With one wave beaten, the trio ascended higher in the mountain, Ken feeling his adrenaline fading away as he noticed two manticores. Ana cheered on a boast. "Well, if we can beat that thing, Tiamat would be no challenge."

Ken fired at the left manticore's head in a sniper shot and let Ana and Wanda take on the other, with two more heartless destroyed, the Stormcast swooped down to pick Ken up and flipped him on her back, Ana whispered. "What do you think? Are we going to expel this Fiend from the heavens?"

Ken knew what that meant and braced himself. "With the storm and the sun? Good idea." Wanda heard and voiced her part of the plan. "And when you have her on you, we'll give her a hammer and a beak to one of her skulls." She yelled. "For the worlds, for Sigmar!"

The Stormcast flew high into the eye of the storm as Stalwing dodged breaths of lightning and ice. Ana glowed in light and was right above a distracted Tiamat, the two upper heads looked around, the left one asked. "Where have your companions gone, they would not abandon you."

Ken jumped off and caused himself to be surrounded by fire, he expelled it into the clouds and caused it to turn orange, he flipped and caused the storm to turn into twisters of fire, he aimed his keyblades down and fell with the twisters as Ana shot lightning into the twisters and caused it to crackle out of control. The upper right head looked up and dropped her jaw, all but the main head looked up in horror as the main head watched Stalwing jump back and readied for a dive.

BOOM!

Storm and fire engulfed Tiamat's body, she tried to push against it and was smacked down by Ken, the boy jumped back as Ana formed her keyblade into a lance and dealt an even mightier blow. Causing the twisters to disperse and revealing a charred multi headed dragon that ignited all her mouths and blew out poison, fire, lightning and ice. The duo used a reflect spell and saw the barrier cracking under the power. BASH!

Wanda and Stalwing rushed at Tiamat's torso and sent her rolling from beak and hammer. The duo turned the reflect off and circled around the dragon, Tiamat flung her tail at Ken and sent him flying off the mountain, she charged at Ana with a combined roar. Ana burst in moon light and surrounded herself in an odd power that resembled a night colored dragon, she charged back with her might against Tiamat's claws. Stalwing flew at Ken and Wanda caught the boy that was focusing on something. "Thanks for the catch."

He gave an aura of ferocity as Wanda whispered. "Give her the final blow and bring this land back to normal." Ken promised he will and flowed back into battle, ramming Tiamat with both his blades, pushing her back and back flipping, he landed with both blades in the ground and caused a light to erupt, bringing the Kharibdyss into reality.

Ana's dragon like form reverted back to normal, the Stormcast saw the monster and stepped back as Ken ordered. "You want to make up for last night Khari, sic Tiamat!" The monster listened and gave a combined roar at an exhausted Tiamat, the Fiend of Wind roared back. "Come and try, you long dead beast."

She breathed acid at the multi headed monster that barreled at her and bit down at her necks, with the dominate head biting at Tiamats. The dragons body struggled and slowly disperse wind, her form faded away and the Kharibdyss inhaled, absorbing the wind, Tiamats form of wind was consumed, leaving behind a flicker of grey light. The monster landed and roared in triumph as it noticed the flicker, Ken saw it and went to pick it up in an instinct. "Don't eat that."

The monster obeyed and stepped back, crouching in reaction to something as Ken took his prize. "...Is this Tiamat's Heart?" The Kharibdyss flailed its heads and caused some of scales to fall off, the middle head showed red scales, the lower right showed black scales, the lower left showed white, the upper left showed a brighter blue and upper right showed green. It gave an even mightier roar, the four looked upon the transformed monster and Ana asked. "Khari?" The dominate head looked at the castle and found glowing blue light calling it to a duty.

Ken asked. "Miss Aqua is in trouble and she needs help?"

The Kharibdys nodded and lowered its body, letting the boy jump on its back and climbing on the main head, the boy took his box and tossed it at Wanda. "Catch!"

The General did so and asked. "What are you doing this time?" Ken felt himself surrounded by fire and answered. "I'm going to tell who ever is over there messing with Miss to get lost."

He noticed the storm calming down and Ana respecting the choice. "Give him hell. We'll be right there." The Kharibdys raised its main head upward and flung it, sending Ken flying towards the castle as a fire ball.

At the Castle's front door.

Vanitas was trying to hold his own against Aqua and realized without any magic, he was severely underpowered. PEW! He was sent flying against a barrier by a crystal soul arrow and was pinned against the wall. He glowed in dark and vanished, Aqua knew that spell of Baldred's was not meant to last and she taunted Vanitas. "Well? Had enough after having your toy taken away?"

Pew!

She turned to find Vanitas standing before the Realmgate and seeing four figures with in escaping on the other side. "You wish." He aimed his keyblade at the Realmgate. "It'll serve you right if this things has a little accident." Riku focused on the barrier again to make a door way as Aqua resorted to the unlady like method of heckling Vanitas from behind, using both keyblades to pull him away from his aim. The Keyblade master growled. "Don't you dare, not after how close we are."

PEW!

The four vanished in the Realmgate, Vanitas kicked Aqua in the shin and jumped away, the fiend was in a complete panic as he realized what happened. "No, no, no." He had a deathly chill in his spine. "Archaon's going to kill me if he learned those three are dead." He thought of an idea as he aimed his keyblade at the star in the rock. Aqua realized what he was doing and circled around him, blocking the path. "Vanitas, that isn't how it works."

The masked figure didn't care, grabbed her with dark tendrils and yelled at her. "This Realmgate is so close to the Chaos in between that I can blow a massive rift." He laughed to that idea. "I came here to wreck something and I'm going to do-" Riku saw a fire ball flung at the barrier from a clear mountain that had an odd, multi headed monster disappearing in light. He saw who was with in and whistled to Vanitas. "Hey psycho, heads up." The masked boy saw the burning glow and something about to slam against the barrier.

POW!

The barrier cracked open and a trail of fire, a figure fell out of the flame, with two keyblades aimed forward like a spear, the spear landed and let loose a wave of heat on impact. Vanitas recognized the one armed boy standing up and pulling both blades from the ground. "Lunatic."

Ken looked at Vanitas having a hold on a struggling Aqua and focused Cadia's Light on the dark tendrils. Freeing his teacher with a shot and having venom to spit on Vanitas. "I just blew up a death machine and helped slay another dragon." He burned all around and warned the masked boy as he gave off a crazed face. "Run."

He ran at alarming speeds and slammed both keyblades at him, Vanitas parried and caused the heat to burst in a wave. Ken pushed back and landed on his feet, he stuck his tongue out and taunted Vanitas into focusing his attacks on him, the one armed boy jumped to the left and spun, he slashed the ground and caused a snake of fire to slither towards the masked boy. Vanitas was scorched and reappeared above him to shout. "Die already."

SLAM!

Ken was knocked far by a slam of icy power and spun with a feeling of unbound power, both keyblades burned as he flung a large fire ball. He flicked a small fire ball and watched Vanitas jump above the fire, Ken pretended to be scared and jumped to the left. The masked boy landed and noticed the fire ball rupturing. Boom! Ken swiped his right keyblade and caused the fire to fling to Vanitas's left, he gave an odd dance with his left and more fire rushed to Vanitas's right. Aqua and Riku realized the fire was working in sync with a dance, the blue haired woman dashed to the realm gate and reached for the Star Shard, she pulled it out and watched the door way close up. She turned to her out of control student and ordered. "Ken, that's enough!"

Kendry stopped without question as Vanitas caught himself and blink stepped right i nfront of him.

Parry!

They parried blows and Ken pushed back with a pulse of power, his blades extended and he flipped them in the air, they merged into a fire ball and spit out two pistols resembling metal guns, the student sensed what his teacher was going to do and side stepped out of the way. Vanitas was knocked asunder by two keyblades and caused a mass hallucination of a phantasmagoria. Ken slowed his breathing and asked. "Over did it?"

Aqua asked. "Were you aware of what you were doing?" Ken nodded. "I meant what I said. Something got this guy mad." Whip like tendrils lashed from the ground, Aqua parried and was giving an angelic glow as Ken shot the tendrils with flames. With a brief moment of reprieve, Aqua gave Ken the Star Shard. "This is what powered the whole Realmgate, as of now, it closed the road between realms and he wanted to smash this so he can bring out Chaos Daemons."

The boy caught it and asked. "And he'll try to get this back on so he can do that?" Aqua nodded. "Vanitas is loosing his mind... more than usual. Get it out of here and he'll get lost." Ken gasped to an idea. "Get it far away from here and he won't follow me." Aqua smiled to that as Vanitas rushed after her, sent her flying against the barrier and tried to attack Ken. The one armed boy gave a much more relaxed smile and jumped to the western edge with his guns, spewing flames and covering himself.

Vanitas yelled at him and charged. "You're not getting away from me again, you wimp."

Swipe!

He succeeding in blowing the fire away and seeing a flicker of light flying up to the barrier. Shattering it into pieces and flying off into the sky. Vanitas was completely dumbfounded and met a sun set glowing orb of light to his face. He was sent falling off the mountain, the castle door burst open to let out a group of frantic soldiers that tumbled out on a comedic manner and they saw the aftermath of one hellish battle. Riku ran to the western edge to find nothing and growled. "He got away again."

He turned to Aqua and asked. "What... happened?" The keyblade master looked at the confused guards in pity and answered. "Ken took the Star Shard and used it to get it far away from here, that is the next thing now that Ven and others broke the loop. Finding him."

She looked at Riku to address another thing. "Something in Vanitas snapped, we all know he is a psychopath, but for him to act... like that?"

Riku had one idea. "It's what Chaos does and the idea of going back to Archaon in failure, didn't settled well with him."

Squawk!

A trio of Demigryphs arrived up the mountain along with a suddenly appearing Exrirsa, Sora and Kairi noticed the battle, a Gryphon appeared with Wanda holding a box and Anatesis holding a suit of armor. The Stormcast noticed the Realmgate deactivated and the Star Shard Mission, Aqua knew what was going to be asked and started with what happened. "We got someone over to the other side, but because of how urgent it was, I had to send-"