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?

73. The Truth of the Dark Crystal

At the ancient ruins, Kairi finished her report and wanted to introduce the rest of her friends to Kira. "And so, we thought to follow Kira towards somewhere safe until you boys caught up and get to know her." Sora blurted out in astonishment. "You and Kira formed a connection like that?" Kairi nodded. "It was sudden, but a lot of it felt familiar too." She looked at the entrance of the ruins. "That prophecy involved the... Keylings and the Skeksis coincidentally thought to wipe the Gelflings out, but why?"

Riku felt something calling to him and wanted to lead in. "I think we know the answer, but we need to be sure. Lightning, how much of this did you visit?" The pink haired woman relaxed her right hand and sighed. "Barely any, I was busy fighting Orks and coincidentally, there isn't even a trace of them in sight. What did the Skeksis pull?" Goofy guessed. "Those Garthims are pretty tough, so I reckon any of the Greenskins that wandered off got picked up by them?"

Donald found that the likely case as Ken was feeling his skin stiffen, Sora gave in to the urge and lead in. "What ever happened, we got to lay low for a minute. Any of you feel that?" Riku nodded. "It's almost like it's calling to us." Goofy, Donald and Lightning didn't hear anything, yet Kira was hesitate to enter. "We don't go here anymore." She followed them in as she felt odd memories, not her own, speak to her. "Bad things, happened in here once." Riku guessed as he opened a gate. "Because these ruins were made by Gelflings, like you." Kira whispered. "Yes, they were all killed by the Skeksis long ago." Jiminy wiggled from Sora's pocket and wanted to write down the logs. "You don't suppose there isn't anything we can learn here?" The spiky haired boy answered that. "There's always something to learn, if one of us can figure it out." He, Riku, Ken, Donald and Goofy went one direction, deeper in the ruins as Kairi and Lightning kept watch of a spacing out Kira, the Gelfling slowly recollected the ancient history and found a vine covered chair to sit on, looking fit for a Gelfling.

The boys noticed something and Sora spoke. "What's this?" The ladies of the group followed and had a look at hieroglyphics, the top carvings looked like a group of Gelflings, with one in particular, raising a keylike sword. The bottom looked like a group of sages surrounding a familiar Crystal, to the right where a flock of familiar bird like people facing to the crystal and a group of familiar lizard like people facing away from it. Kairi was drawn to the images and looked up to see strange letters, by her side, Namine appeared she was growled at by Fizzgig. The nobody turned to him, pressed her finger to her lips and pointed sharply at him. "No! I'm a friend of Kairi's and I think I can make what this is saying."

Fizzgig kept growling and Namine squinted her eyes and pointed to him like he was a naughty dog. "No!" The second one caused Fizzgig to whimper as Kira looked blankly at the words. "What are those funny marks?" Namine figured she had no idea what she was looking at and explained. "This is all writing. It's how you keep words in place after you've said them, most of us have been taught how to do that." Kira went "Oh." as Namine felt she could decipher the letters. "When single shines, the triple sun. What was sundered and undone, shall be whole, the two made one, by the heart guided key, or else by none."

She asked out loud. "The heart guided key?! A keyblade?"

Riku looked at the picture of the Gelfling with the key like sword and guessed. "Now I get how Kira was able to do that with Kairi, the Gelfling's are able to use the Keyblade if given the chance." Sora gasped. "No way?! Is that something they can do naturally?" Kairi felt it was likely. "Like all species, their nature and culture can lead to some hearts having a certain edge over others." Namine had a good example to that. "Like how Sharpedo is able to use dark like abilities despite not being dark in the heart." Riku nodded. "Or why the people from Baldred's world have a close connection to the Dark and can master it." He looked at the image of the crystal and the sages. "So if given the chance, a Gelfling would have came to-" "Prophecy?" The shriek like voice rang from behind, Lighting recognized the tone, flipped her gun into a sword and turned, to find a bird man in tattered clothes. She and Fizzgig were growling at him and Sora was ready to fight.

"Skeksis!"

Kira hid behind him as the party readied for a fight or flight, the Skeksis pleaded. "Stay! Stay!" He approached in his plea. "No, stay! Stay! Stay, am friend!"

Donald jumped up and down to demand. "What's the big idea? You've caused all this and you tried to help us?" The Skeksis pointed to the hieroglyphics. "Prophecy caused all this trouble." Riku and Sora, especially didn't, Riku asked. "That's why you killed all those Gelflings in the first place? You were scared that they would use the Keyblade to make the crystal whole?" The Skeksis nodded in a hum. "Yes! Yes! Bad mistake! Skeksis afraid! Fear keys!" Ken tilted his head with a scowl. "But you're a Skeksis." The Skeksis responded with a question. "But, I am friend! Save you from Garthim!" Sora asked as Jiminy crawled into his pocket. "But why?" Kira was more hidden behind Kairi and warned the boy. "Don't listen to him, it's a trick." Namine agreed with her. "There is something he isn't telling us." The Skeksis pleaded with the two and was trying to approach them, Kairi gave a silent warning that she was going to attack him if he didn't back off. "No, please! Listen. I'm outcast! If I make peace, I am outcast no more!"

Riku took the offer and asked with a raised eyebrow. "Will you let us do what needs to be done for this world?" The Skeksis nodded. "Yes, please! Come to the castle! Yes, please Show them you want peace. Tell them keys will not harm us." Lightning had the scowl, comparable to an angry wolf. "Like hell you want peace, that's what you want us to think."

Riku agreed with that. "Let's get out of here and get to that Castle." Ken formed Firekeeper's Wish and shrouded in ashen fog as Kairi glowed in light, in sync, they unleashed a flash bomb of smoke, caused the Skeksis to shriek in blindness and gave the group the que to run, through a small tunnel way where the Skeksis would not follow. He realize where they ran and kept pleading for peace, almost breaking out of his strange tone in bottled up frustration.

The group ran as far as possible from the ruins and looked to the sky to find the three suns getting closer. Riku asked. "Now we know what we're dealing with. Kira, is there a faster way to the Castle from here?" Kira nodded. "I'll show you." She brrd to the wilderness, drawing attention from four strange creatures, they looked bipedal and ape like, yet they had whiskers and looked a little insect like. They grunted in a way, comparable to a horse. Ken was impressed. "What is that?" Kira approached it and talked with them, explaining what was going on. "They're landstriders." She chat with them as Namine tried to sneak into Kairi, she and her whole self talked, mind to mind. "It's amazing how she was able to adapt through all this." Kairi agreed back as she watched one of the landstriders let Kira on it's back. "Despite all the nightmares she might have had, she's found a lot of strength in things like this. That heart is so deeply connected to the wilderness, it's incredible." Kira finished talking with the landstriders and let the group know. "They'll take us."

Donald and Goofy were impressed by how simple that was, Kairi approached the strider Kira was on and joined her. The King's royal guard picked a strider to get on, Goofy in the front and Donald on the back. Sora gestured to Riku that he gets the front of the other, while he rides from the back. "You got any ideas of how we're going to get to the Crystal?"

Riku nimbly climbed on and answered. "I think I do, everyone get on." Sora joined him and Ken took the front seat, with Lightning holding on from behind, the one woman army asked. "We're listening."

Riku opened his mouth and heard Fizzgig barking, Kira insist. "No, no. Fizzgig, you stay here." Fizzgig howled like a baby and threw a temper tantrum, Kira tried to assert her decision, could stand the screaming and gave in. "Oh, all right. Come on."

She let the furry thing on, taking the Gelflings lap, the landstrider lead the herd and Kira warned them. "Hang on, they go fast." The herd moved with the leader and quickly picked up pace, with the even speeds, Riku answered. "The Skeksis are going to expect us to sneak in and get the crystal from there, but if the team going in through that way is the one without the Crystal shard?"

Ken put it together. "Then they'll be too distracted with us to know about you guys."

Sora confessed. "That's preety smart, Riku." The older boy was flattered. "And when they notice us, that will give the other team, time to look for Serah. It can't fail," Lightning didn't see much of a problem with it. "We'll see how they are with that Crystal back to normal. What I don't get though is why did that picture showed the Skeksis and the Mystics? Who were the guys in the center?"

Riku thought of it as Sora gasped. "...I think I got an idea. We should ask the Mystics when we get the chance." Riku realized what Sora was talking about, is impressed and smirked. "They would be the first if the Sages did something with the crystal and from the light and darkness, came the Mystics and the Skeksis. As twisted as the Skeksis are, they were born from the darkness of the world, but that answers the other thing, why haven't the Mystics done anything to stop them from getting this far?"

Lightning felt that was a good question. "A lot of the problems that happened, wouldn't have existed if they did. Either they can't do anything about it, or they refuse to." She snapped her fingers. "Because of their link to the crystal! Is this the kind of info you were looking for?" Riku gestured a kind of. "The Skeksis are far too twisted to think of anyone but themselves and what ever Darkness they have, is not going to help us. It's the same kind of stuff Xehanort did to his own heart and made him into the person we fought and are fighting."

Ken groaned impatiently. "Darn it, we're heading into another dead end, are we?" Kairi advised to her rival. "Don't count the chocobos before they hatch, Lil Bro, we don't know how all of that happened in the first place. We'll sort it out as soon as we heal the crystal, save the world, save Serah and get a closer look at the heart. One of us can study memories, you know."

Goofy realized what the study plan was. "And when we learn how all that happn', we'll know what not to look for?" Riku answered with the conclusion. "It isn't much, but we'll be a little closer to finding that Fragment of Darkness and deal with our bigger problem. I just hope Aqua and the others are having better times than we are."

Stomp! Stomp! Sora heard fast stomping and turned right, finding a rather large, mechanical, dinosaur of a Heartless rushing at the herd. "Look out!" Ken saw, yelped and swiped his blade to summon a wall of bed rock. Blocking the charge and spooking the landstriders into running faster, Kira saw and was afraid of the danger. "What is that?" Riku turned to see the heartless, exactly as Ven described and thought of something, he focused in light. "Distracted from this Madda." He yelled. "Keep this busy for a couple seconds! Madda of the Spiders!" PEW! A giant spectral spider of twilight emerged from the shadows and pounced on the Heartless, it smashed into her head and was pushed back with vicious bites. Giving the landstriders time to get far away on their race against time.

Elsewhere in a grassy path.

One of the Mystics, who had a top knot on his head and a green robe, was wandering blindly all of a sudden. Aqua, Ven and Mickey made short work of a salamander like heartless with nimble strikes of light as Baldred used handy pyromancy on a strange amalgamation of tiny bones, tiny pea pod skulls, a dark purple aura of necrotic energy. The group felt a sweat and noticed the blinded Mystic trying to go by the sense of the others, Baldred kept a close watch and suspected. "I think the lurkers of the Dark are aware of us."

Aqua guessed. "Because this was the fifth time the Heartless and Undead attacked us? How did they even know we're here in the first place?" Mickey wondered as well. "We knew this was going to happen, but I didn't think they would be that paranoid."

"This was cuz we had a little luck on who was spying on who."

Mickey turned left to find someone approaching from behind a rocky hill, Pete and a red Minotaur like creature, the later was slowly clapping, the Minotaur drew his staff and had a murderous gaze upon the four. "I'd also question, who is the more skittish of the two forces. Had your Undead friend, not spy on us, we could have taken all we needed from this land and you'd be none the wiser."

Pete felt that was a good point and laughed. "Heh, heh. You'z on to something Zonir, but I don't think all this war stuff would make them crack this soon. I'd say they'd had a real reason to come here." He guessed. "You found something odd about this here world and thought to check it out?" Zonir found it the most likely reason. "There is always an ulterior motive. But why have such an interest in a world tethering to ruin?"

Aqua was tired of the mind games and asked. "There is something about a Crystal, but we're busy making sure these guys get there. Can we get to the part where we fight it out?" Pete realized something and raised a finger. "Hold it there missy, we'll get to that in a moment. You know that you sent the pipsqueaks and the Kings guards out in the world where the Skeksis are watching? It turn out they don't like having a Keyling around, mucking about with their precious crystal. It's got a particular darkness about it, see and I know that you know something about that."

Ven gasped. "You do?" Zonir laughed to that. "Because you just told us that these humble men are tied to the Crystal, they are nothing like the Skeksis. Pure hearts of gentle light and pure hearts of a ravenous darkness, why do you value the Crystal? Why search for a mundane knowledge of the Light?"

Pete gasped. "Because... it isn't the Light they're interested in?" He asked. "What's you doing looking around in the Darkness again? Don't you know that can get dangerous?"

The keybearers and the undead felt a rather sincere tone, Aqua was rather surprised. "We know it's dangerous and the reasons for it is something we're not telling you."

Zonir didn't mind the refusal and looked to Pete for the que, the thug was confused in the matter. "We'll if your not telling us," he readied for a fight. "We'z gonna make ya before we get ya out of the picture."

On the order, Zonir ignited himself in the arcane and charged after the Mystics. Baldred cringed, charged him back and used his chime to emite a force. It slightly pushed Zonir back and, as planned, made Baldred the primary target for close range combat. Zonir swung his staff side ways at the knight, had him roll back and rushed him with his horns. The keybearers readied to go after the more threatening target, Ven and Aqua sprinted after Zonir to try and ease up Baldred's burdens and out of nowhere, Pete leaped at them for a body slam, knocking them away and forcing them to focus on him. Pete took a couple hits, braced himself at a threshold, Mickey saw what Pete was doing, leaped over him and struck the Ogroid that sent Baldred tumbling to the side. Baldred bled and used his flask to heal himself as the Ogroid tried to give the mouse a round house kick of the hooves, the mage was certainly dangerous even without the spells. Baldred used his chime to glow a dark as Pete twirled away from Ven and Aqua, getting to the knights personal and taking a bomb to throw. "You isn't stilling anything."

Fling!

The bomb disrupted the hex and the knight switched to his halberd. "Fine! Then take this." SWING! Pete saw the sharpness of the weapon, aimed for his gut and stepped back from the attack, giving Aqua and Ven the chance to attack him and force him a stun lock. Mickey was pushed by the kick and was caught by a spell of arcane tendrils, choking him and having him hover in mid air. Baldred yelled in a battle cry and rushed the Ogroid, slashing him in the torso with the halberd and sinking deeply. Stopping the spell and earning the mages attention, he looked at his bleeding chest and then to the knight. "Just as planned." He head butted the knight and sent him flying on his back as Mickey used a healing spell on himself and the knight, the king dashed to the Ogroid's back for quick slashes as Baldred got up, glowed his hand and breathed into the halberd, coating it in toxic bile.

Zonir turned to the mouse for a smack with his staff, nimbly maneuvered and was cut in the calve. Zonir jumped back and tried to focus a charge at the knight. He roared and rushed at Baldred, horn first, the knight rolled and gave two more slashes, the Ogroid felt his wound stinging and bleeding. He wasn't feeling well. Pete was sent flying in a combo lock, waddled back to fling cherry bombs at the keyblade veterans, the duo jumped high, focused and fired beams at him, the thug had a look at Baldred's tactic and rolled forward, away from the beams. The duo were getting annoyed and Ven warned him. "Don't keep this fight going, we don't need to do this."

Pete didn't believe it. "Oh really? What can you do, pipsqueak?" Ven puffed his cheeks to something and Aqua pressed her fingers in her head. "RWWAAAAAAR!"

Ven screamed out a mighty storm of wind and teeth, giving Pete a moment where his life flashed before his eyes. He formed a barrier to protect himself and saw the barrier get mauled, it cracked, was bitten into again and shattered, Pete got munched, thrashed and tossed aside. The spell disappeared and Aqua aimed her blade to unleash a geyser of blue energy, Pete tried to get up and was sent rolling as Zonir took dizzying blows from Mickey and jumped to his assistant. "We should retreat and address this to the Masters. Can you get up?" Pete got up rather sore. "Urr. I'd thought we had em." Zonir shrugged like their foe was underestimated and opened a corridor of Darkness. "We've gotten something accomplished. We'll try this again."

He dashed in and Pete ran for it. He warned them. "Don't think this is over, once we find out what you're really looking for, we're going to steal it ahead of ya. Eh, ha, ha, ha!"

Baldred called a spear of lightning in a warning and Pete ran into the Corridor faster. With the battle over, the group found the Mystics walking far ahead of them. Mickey was rather troubled. "That was too close, if they do figure out what we're really after, we won't have a chance at stopping the Forces of Chaos or getting anything really done."

Baldred wanted to argue. "I think they will once they tell a smarter mind what the Mystics are. Has Pete always been like this?" Ven answered that with a cringe. "He's always been a jerk and he's working for Maleficent of all people, but this is the first time any of us have seen him do something smart. That's not a good sign."

Aqua agreed with that. "And since I don't see anything with Tzeentch's touch on him, he's gotten the idea on his own. If Sora and the others find something that connects the Mystics and Skeksis together, we're going to be in for it." The four hurried to catch up, unaware of a shadowy presence that finished watching them.

In the Castle of the Dark Crystal.

Ztardon sneaked into the underground and felt a strange power from across the wall, he tapped, felt a hollow ring and used a burning, magical flame to burn a large hole, he saw the heat of the world's core and summoned his disk to the other side. He jumped on and looked above to find the Dark Crystal, he noticed a device using the power of the crystal and slowly ascended, he over heard a Scientist speaking to someone. "It will make you young again, sire."

The Tzaangor stopped his ascent and saw a vent to somewhere, he cursed his hooves and held by the ledge to see, the Emperor drinking the essence from what looked like a drained podling, the Scientist looked rather proud of himself and watched the Emperor look himself in the mirror, his aged body loosing quite a few wrinkles. The Skeksis Emperor looked at himself and cheered in celebration. "Ha, ha! Young!"

The Scientist seemed to want to celebrate with him, then the Skeksis Emperor felt something strange, he looked at his youthful appearance and found it wrinkling again. The Scientist realized something went wrong, the Emperor's joy turned to a glare and a raised finger. "You fraud!" He smashed the vial to the ground and was approaching the Scientist that pleaded. "Wait, please sire." He tried to shield himself with his table of equipment, the Emperor yelled and swatted the equipment off. "Liar!" He stormed off and passed an something that seemed more of a statement than an insult. "Slave squeezer!"

The Scientist was left by himself, to clean up the mess. "It always works, back when we used Gelflings." He pulled a lever to close the vent, Ztardon let go and wondered. "Mmm?" He heard a voice in his mind agree with him. "So that is how they've kept themselves alive? Once you are right before the crystal, you can leave the scrying to Maleficent, I have a gift for you."

The Tzaangor knew that meant a crucial task and hovered closer to the Crystal. He used his psychic power and incantation to directly peer into the Dark Crystal, finding himself with in a void and finding a disturbing entity, peering into the Crystal along side a rather vast number, they looked alien, had a white robe and glowing hair of light. A dark presence was being pulled from their bodies and the darkness took form into the bird fiend he was familiar with, looking quite young and full of ambitious vigor, left behind was a four armed lizard of light, trying to pull away and realize what was done. He wanted to break free from the vision. A pause was felt as he mentally struggled and the voice of Maleficent whispered. "Enough!"

The vision pulsed in darkness and Ztardon felt himself free, he found a wisp of dark fire appear and take the shape of an automatic pistol, looking unimpressive, save for the arrows of a clock at the hammer of the gun, it's pattern fading. Ztardon asked mentally. "You seen it? One, most otherworldly, peered to the Heart of the World. Seeking purity?"

Maleficent agreed back. "They sought to purge themselves of their inner Darkness and instead, allowed it to spawn into a new entity." Ahriman agreed. "Much like the thing Kharn has torn out of Sora's heart, only this happened the whole way through. While the Light side is an interesting specimen, the Dark Side... the Skeksis are something else. Take the pistol, hide with in the castle and await for the Keybearers to arrive. Pick, who ever is not the most crucial for the war."

Ztardon guessed. "It will fire a bullet that will strike, when they don't expect it?"

Ahriman answered approvingly. "At your word, the bullet will finish it's mark and will put an end to this adversary. The others will not oppose us again, once we set our final plan in motion." Ztardon wanted to laugh and knew of one particular, who's death will resolve the ordeals of many. He ascended to the Dark Crystal's edge, jumped off to the inner chamber and scurried to the shadows.

At the base.

Maleficent was looking more pleased to a plan, likely to succeed. Her vile smirk tantalized the moment, Ahriman promised her. "With the power of the shadows, those fools won't even see the bullet if the gun was in front of them. By then, it would be far too late for them to realize their fate was sealed. I do wonder though, the Guardian's of Light have not arrived on this world to simply harass us. Does that secret, hold any value to them?"

Maleficent actually thought into it and sensed a corridor opening, she, Ahriman and the Horned King turned to find Pete and Zonir making a run back to base, they looked rather beat up. The Horned King wanted to strangle Pete for the potential failure as Maleficent asked. "You've encountered the Keybearers and they've proven to be more than a match for you, still?"

Pete wheezed. "That doesn't get old." Zonir imagined it and wanted to sit down for a spell. "It wasn't as humiliating as you believe it to be." He smirked as Pete said something in his self defense. "They just got some fancy new toys, is all. But that isn't the only news." He found it ridiculous and Maleficent gestured to the Horned King to let her handle it. "It isn't the only message you bring?"

Her eye brow raised and Pete answered. "It's what they Guardian's of Light are looking for that's the problem. You see, those shaman fellas don't have an ounce of Darkness in them, but it's everything the pipsqueaks have seen with the light. It's the other guys they're more interested in, that's the bonus to their usual, saving the world gig."

Maleficent gasped and asked. "Are you sure, they are seeking to know about the Darkness of the Skeksis?"

Pete nodded as Zonir laughed. "They've sort of told us that their business is with the Dark Crystal and the light of the Mystics is one clue they have." Ahriman realized. "That one party knows of, the others, certainly have learned more. The Mystics and the Skeksis are more than just a heart, devoid of a part. They were made from the Light and Darkness of a heart."

Zonir was surprised and Pete flinched. "Wait, so the bird brains are Darkness incarnate?" Maleficent nodded. "Indeed. Much like what we know of the Princess of Heart," she heard her own words and realize. "...No... that's impossible." Pete agreed with that. "The light isn't much of a problem to a heart, but having all that darkness in ya heart is a one way ticket to becoming a Heartless or becoming as crazy as Norty."

Ahriman looked to the scrying image of Ztardon's infiltration and asked. "Yet, the Skeksis are this idea. The guardians of light are looking for a Fragment of Darkness, that has spawned from the X blade. They are aware that they are blinded to the means of finding more clues, without stooping to our means." He planted his staff to the ground and pressed his fingers against each other. "But why? If they realize what the Skeksis are... then a Heart of Darkness could... exist out there?"

Maleficent slowly realize the truth. "It has to, if it does, we could find the means to take the X blade for our own, without having to rely on Xehanort." The Sorcerer nodded. "And if... when he discovers this, he will either have to scrap his plan and finally kneel before us or he will go for the quicker route of gathering dark hearts and calling it a day. He is going to use this for some psychological warfare against our enemies of the light."

The Horned King guessed. "Which, will aid us regardless." Maleficent thought into it and advised. "We should keep this theory between us, when Xehanort discovers this, we will be one step ahead of him and be closer to ridding ourselves of the Everchosen."

Ahriman raised his finger to his mouth and advise that the witch keeps that plan out of mind. "Do not, say that anywhere near his presence. This is precisely why we should not eliminate all of the Guardians of Light in one fell blow." The cabal made the vow of silence, Pete realized and snickered. "Oh, ho, ho, ho. So that's why you let your little projects go off free."

Ahriman spun his finger in amusement. "Just because they are not with in my control anymore, doesn't mean they are not with in my plans. It was better for them and for us, if they were away from the Darkseeker and his cohorts, in spite of the complications, the results have lead to this. The hypothesis of a real, Heart of Darkness."

Maleficent laughed to that. "It is little wonder, the Imperium has feared you. You should watch yourself around us." Ahriman confessed. "It wouldn't have been thrilling if the inevitable didn't happen among us. Since Darkness is your specialty, this could mean more promising things to you, than it would me."

He and Maleficent noticed a swarm of Garthim approaching the entrance of the castle, with a basket of pod people, trying to get out, coming after them, were strange striders, with riders on top. Pete put his hand over his eyes and guessed. "Looks like the kiddies are here, now it's time to get to the real show."

At the entrance of the Crystal Castle.

The crew noticed the Garthim swarm of five approaching the castle with a basket of Podlings, those that Kairi, Ken and Lightning recognize from the village. Sora asked. "These are the ones from the Village?"

Kira especially recognized them and spoke without much of a plan. "Let's go!" She asked the Landstrider to gallop. Kairi readied her blade as on que, the other riders had their striders charge, the Landstrider stuck out their rather sharp proboscis and used it to slash the cage holding Garthim in the wrists, Kairi leaped at the Garthim with a holy dive and stabbed the Garthim in the head, she caused a burning light to burst and burn the ropes, sending the cage rolling. Riku jumped to a turning Garthim and speared it in the stomach as Sora nimbly jumped over the Garthim and used them to flow to the Podling Cage, Goofy leaped from his strider and dived down to a Garthim, like a missile, Donald infused Goofy with lightning and readied to jump off. Ken and Lightning noticed the larger one barreling at Kira's Strider and jumped at it in sync. Ken felt a rather hard carapace upon spearing into and back flipped as Lightning went for the claws and baited it into trying to smash her.

Kira's strider was spooked by all the fighting and crab claws, reared and knocked her and Fizzgig off. Sora tapped his key on the cage, bust it open and pointed to the wilderness. "Come on guys, we're busting you out of this."

The podlings scrambled to get loose and drew the attention of the fifth Garthim, that wanted to smash Sora for his actions, the boy called upon oath keeper and saw his clothes turn mainly light grey, with highlights of white and a little black. He flung at the Garthim, pushed it back and carved at the underbelly in an event horizon, the podlings made a run for it.

Kairi flipped forward to avoid a grab attack from her foe, spun backward and smacked her foe in the under belly, causing it to spin, Riku shot his in point black range with a fire ball as Ken and Lightning practically danced around the large one. Donald noticed the sound of battle was inviting four more Garthim's, was panicking at the uphill battle and yelled. "We got more coming!"

Riku finished his Garthim off and turned to see the crab monsters making a beeline straight to him and Sora. "Oh come on." One of the panicking Landstriders rushed to the four to try and drive it off and was pounced upon, it screamed as it was beaten with an inch of it's life. Ken and Lightning's nimble attacks were disrupted by the Alpha Garthim rushing at them with it's full body, forcing the two to break the fight. Goofy looked up to the sky, saw the suns being even closer together and yelled. "We can't stick around this fight for long, we gotta find a way to lose em."

Kairi looked up, tapped her impatient foot and felt the sun light making her eyes squint, she looked to a canyon leading into the castle, thought of an idea, smirked and closed her eyes. "Sora, Riku, you guys take Donald and Goofy and get in there. Ken and I will keep these guys busy." Ken heard that and quickly dashed to her as Sora remembered the flash bomb, he jumped to avoid the crab claws and asked. "Do you think that will work again?"

Kairi nodded. "Especially if we use a lot of it. She shined and yelled. "Kira, get behind us!"

The Gelfling picked up Fizzgig and did so, knowing there wasn't much she could do at the moment, Ken enveloped himself in fog and looked to the canyon. "Everyone, cover your eyes." The duo pressed their blades on the ground and unleashed a blinding flash of light that the group closed their eyes for, they opened to see a thick fog. The all boy team made a run for the castle, Sora had one last look at the fog clearing and of the blinded Garthim, silently wishing the four the best of luck as he hurried in.

The mostly girl team made a run for the canyon and saw the drop to be quite steep. Kira and Kairi found little issue with the drop as Ken signaled Lightning to hold onto him. Kairi wanted to have Kira hold on and watched her jump, unfolding butterfly like wings to glide down, the Princess couldn't argue with that, saw the Garthim regaining their vision and jumped down to sprout golden wings. Ken jumped with the woman on his back and used air magic to slow the fall, the Garthim scurried to the ledge and looked down upon them. The team landed gently on the desolate ground, Lightning let go of Ken, was pleasantly surprised by the official entry and the boy was impressed at Kira. "Didn't know you had wings for that, nice move."

He scratched the back of his head. "I wish I picked up on that." The Gelfling girl appreciated the compliment and didn't want to laugh at the awkward. "But you can't use wings, you're a boy." Ken flinched and wanted to ask in a loud "Huh?! Wait a minute?" as Kira wondered about the adult woman. "What happen to your wings, Lightning?" The woman folded her free arms upward and had her hand at the back of her head. "Haven't learned to use mine, can we get going?"

Kairi wanted to drop the subject and lead ahead. "Yeah." She saw a carving of a fanged face, dripping a stream of water. "This should get us in from bellow. Come on, let's get in there and make some noise."

The other two humans approved of the plan as Kira was hesitate to go in, scared of what awaits. Lightning noticed and turned to her. "Scared too?" Kira nodded. "I feel death is in there." The woman gestured. "We feel it too, just keep close and help us keep those bird brains busy. We are so close to ending this."

The Gelfling felt it was close as well and followed, the four entered the dark cave and heard nothing, save for dripping water and the squeaking of rodents. Ken felt it was rather too quiet and had his instincts flared up, he looked around with Cadia's Light positioned like a rifle, Kairi noticed and whispered. "Lil Bro, you're not alone in here, let me take the lead if something jumps us and we'll handle it." Ken looked ahead to the one direction tunnel, leading to support shafts that lead to a right turn. "I...I think I can manage, it's one tunnel and if we find something, it's going to come from one way."

On the que, Fizzgig heard something, growled and barked. The four saw a shadow approaching, the Skeksis they met at the ruins, Kira shivered. "Skeksis!" The Skeksis greeted them in a friendly manner. "I knew you would come." Kairi readied to fight and asked. "How did you follow us and got ahead?!" Ken remembered the corridors of Darkness and was even less trusting of the Skeksis. "He took a short cut through a corridor."

The Skeksis pleaded. "Do not be afraid. I am here to help you, yes!" Lightning didn't believe it and growled with sarcasm. "Great, you can start by getting out of our way, then you'll make peace with us." The Skeksis didn't listen and approached. "But, Keyling and Skeksis can live together, please!" Kira moved next to the boy that was going to shoot the Skeksis, Ken coldly asked. "Take the hint, get out of our way before we move you out of the way."

The Skeksis kept saying please and placed his cold, clammy hands on the Gelfling's shoulders and the boys cybernetic shoulder, the grip felt rather hard. Fizzgig bit onto the Skeksis's robe to try and pull him off as Kairi and Lightning rushed to the Skeksis for a strike. The Princess ordered. "Get you're hands off them, now!"

Ken struggled and jabbed at the Skeksis as Kairi and Lightning cut into the Skeksis's wrists, causing him to scream in pain and try to fight back, he pulled something at Ken's shoulder to push the ladies away and caused the boy to feel a sharp pain, followed by nothing. Ken was off balance, fell to the ground and saw his prosthetic arm was flung to the ground, his eyes widened. The Skeksis looked upon his bleeding hand, was wheezing at the injury and glared at the ladies. He shrieked. "Keylings, you die!"

He grabbed a shaft of wood and pulled it down, causing a cave in. Kairi and Lighting used a deflect spell to keep the rocks off, yet were buried in the rubble. Setting Ken off even more and forcing him to get up, he glared at the Skeksis, called his gun like blade and spun to swing. "WRAAAAAAGH!" He gave fierce battle cry, was grabbed by his fleshy shoulder by the Skeksis and was pulled further in the tunnel with Kira, the two were kicking and screaming.

In the rubble, Kairi jabbed a hole in the rubble to get air flowing and was helpless to see the kidnapping happen, Lightning punched a rock away and had more fall on her. "That conniving Chamberlain," The Princess felt the thought mutual. "Come on, we got to get out of this and rescue those two."

In the Castle.

Sora and Riku used corner to corner to sneak around, in search for the Dark Crystal. The Crystal Shard, in sync with Riku's heart, lead to what felt like the closest route, Donald and Goofy kept behind and made sure they weren't followed by the Garthim. Sora and Riku found two Skeksis, one looking flamboyant, the other with a deformed gut, they were talking nonsense and saw something pulling from the tunnel, the same Skeksis from the ruins. The Gourmand sharply kept his partner from taking another step and demanded the Skeksis in tattered clothes. "Chamberlain! Chamberlain, get out!"

The Chamberlain was fighting against kicking captives, Kira and Ken, the sight of the two, caused the clothed Skeksis to scream in horror and run away. Ken noticed the boys about to go to the rescue, looked them in the eyes like they should find another way to the Dark Crystal. The twitch of the eye gave the sign, the boys had to turn back the way they came and find their way to a kitchen, with zombified Podlings. Goofy whispered. "Something happn' down there." Riku agreed and saw Sora was worried for Kairi and Lightning. "And that Chamberlain did something to the other two. Kairi and Lightning are pretty tough, we'll search the tunnel as soon as we get to the Crystal."

Sora hoped so. "I hoped they get out of there okay." He turned and found something approaching from the shadows behind them, a horned, blue, bird like goat man with a staff and a pistol. He gasped. "Beastman!" Riku turned to find the foe and could tell by the scent. "Tzaangor! You're here for the Crystal as well?"

Ztardon shook his head and aimed the pistol at the silver haired boy. "I've seen what I need to see, now you must die!" Riku rushed at the Tzaangor in the speed of light and swung his blade, Ztardon was knocked to a wall, felt his back slammed against it and was in a panic, he pointed the pistol at the boys chest, with little consideration of aiming and pulled.

Click.

The Shaman heard the click, saw nothing and looked to the pistol. He chirped as the boy was ready to finish him off, Ztardon pressed his back to the wall, opened a corridor and fell backwards. Disappearing as mysteriously as he arrived, Sora and Goofy were completely confused as Riku and Donald found it too easy, the duck asked. "Isn't that one of Ahriman's goons?"

Riku nodded. "Yeah and he wouldn't send someone that incompetent." He guessed. "He did something to the Crystal, we need to check that out before the Conjunction happens, now." He used his blade to guide the way and approached slowly.

At the Skeksis Throne Room.

The Gourmand and the Ornamentalist ran to the Garthim Master and his second in command to scream a panic. The Ornamentalist was hysterical as the Gourmand described what he seen. "Such ugly monsters!"

The Emperor and his right hand man looked to each other in confusion, nothing their fellow Skeksis were talking about, made any sense. The others noticed someone coming, pushing along two struggling people, the Emperor and his left hand man recognized the someone, the banished Chamberlain, who hummed as his kin hissed. "Hmmm! You're royal sire. I present to you." He looked upon Ken and Kira. "Keyling and Gelfling."

The Emperor looked down upon the struggling duo in astonishment and back to the Chamberlain as the flock closed in, the Chamberlain claimed. "I! I have done this, I have caught them. I bring you to them, I was wounded." He showed the cut on his wrist and the stab wound on his stomach as the Scientist had a closer look at the two, he had his finger directed to Kira's chin, the Chamberlain bragged. "I suffered horrible, searing pain."

Ken gasped and barked. "You call that searing! Let us go or I will show you searing." The Scientist ignored the bragging and death threats as he addressed Kira. "A live Gelfling." The girl shook the finger away as the Emperor's left hand man ordered. "Kill them! We are sworn to kill all Keylings!" The Chamberlain held the duo like they were possessions and hissed. "No! They're mine!"

The Scientist approached the Emperor's right side and whispered. "But sire," The Emperor drew his ear close to listen to the advise. "You could drink their essence." The Emperor nodded to the idea as the left hand man argued. "Because of the Prophecy, we must kill the Keylings!" The Emperor turned to him and decided. "No! First, we take their essence," he faced the duo. "then kill!"

The flock agreed to that, the Scientist and a Garthim approached the duo, the Skeksis seizing the girl as the Garthim grabbed the boy, dragging them away. The Emperor felt one matter was resolved and proclaim. "As for the whimpering Chamberlain," he ordered. "return his robes to him!" The Chamberlain hummed, glad to be welcome back into the flock.

At the cave bellow.

Kairi and Lightning pushed away the last stone in their way and made the move to freedom. The two took a breath and saw Fizzgig whimpering to them. Kairi agreed with the thought and picked up Ken's prosthetic. "We got to find Kira and Lil Bro, fast!" She made a move towards the tunnel and fell into a hole, screaming in shock and landing on her feet, Lightning jumped in after her and asked. "Do we even know where those two are?"

Kairi wanted to answer and heard the sound of skittering, she recognized the Garthim close by and saw many purple eyes with in the darkness. The two ladies readied for a fight against the horde of six Garthim, saw their odds completely against their favor and were prepared for the worst, Lighting saw a red light of fire to the left and more importantly, a large whole. "I think this is a way out."

Kairi turned, saw it and noticed something strange. "It kind of is, follow close, I'll get us through this." She dashed to the hole, found it being a shaft deep into the fiery earth and found a narrow ledge to climb on. Lightning followed, saw that and climbed close, watching one of the Garthim bull rush through the hole and falling into the shaft. Kairi looked above to find a purple glowing crystal high above and looked to the narrow ledges, leading to what looked to be a reflector going into a on the left ledge. She whispered to Lightning. "I think I can get us to that window. Can you hold on?"

The older woman guessed. "You got a trick you can pull off?" The girl nodded. "It's something Sora and Riku learned, but I think I can start doing it in that way as well." She let Lightning hold on, looked above and focused on the ledges, her heart is showing the stable ground.

At a laboratory

Ken was shoved into a cage and was locked in as the Scientist strapped Kira to a restraining chair. The one armed boy looked at the lock, heard the sounds of many animals crying out for freedom and noticed an elderly woman in a cage. The Scientist was annoyed by the sound as the Garthim scurried to it's patrol, the Skeksis shrieked. "Silence animals!" He went to a lever to pull and talked to his victim. "This won't hurt! We just want to drain your living essence!" He pulled the lever down and the wall open up to show a vent of fire. "Now Gelfling. Here is the shaft of the great castle!"

A crystal like device was pushed to the window. "The reflector will capture the beams of the Dark Crystal, floating high above. Look into the reflector Gelfling! Feel the power of the Dark Crystal!" Kira was forced to look at the reflector, it channeled a beam of dark light at her and nearly brought her into a hypnotic state, the Scientist boast. "Yes, and now the beam will rid you of your fears, your thoughts! You're vital essence!"

Something dripped from a tube and into a vial, Ken heard a distant barking and used his fleshy hand to summon his burning blade. BURST! He burst his way out of the cage with a wave of fire. "This has gone on long enough, Kira keep fighting it while I take this guy down."

Kira nearly snapped out of the trance and felt light in her eyes. "K...Ken?" The Scientist turned to the boy and hissed. "Get back in that cage, Keyling, you're helpless without two arms." Ken's eyes sparked in fire and he inhaled. He dashed to the Scientist, swung to strike him back and shoved him to a collection of tools. The elderly woman smelled the scent and called to them. "Kendry, watch out for skekTek's tricks. Kira, call the animals, you have gift! Bring them freedom."

Kira kept fighting the crystal, faced her head down, closed her eyes and called out to the ceiling, "Kamalalaaaa!" stirring them into a vigorous will. She kept calling them as the Scientist grabbed a wrench and ordered. "Be quite," He swung it at the boy, who back jumped and breathed out ashes, aiming for the Scientists eyes in hope to get away from the foe and attack from afar, the Scientist was blinded by the ashes and shrieked. "AWWWWWK!" He tried to get the ashes off. "No, no! Get it off me!"

Ken bumped into a cage and used his blade to free a strange, fuzzy reptile, the Scientist heard that and screamed. "How dare you! I won't get punished again," He sprinted at Ken and gave a fierce yell, smacking his wrench at the boy again, Ken parried and was struck again. He gritted his teeth, spun and smacked the Scientist away, he made a move to the lever in hope to turn the thing off. The Scientist rubbed the ashes off his eyes and saw what the boy was doing. "You will pay for this defiance!"

He rushed at Ken for a full tackle, pushing him to a wall and knocking the wind out of him. The boy needed to get the Scientist off of him, the Scientist smacked him in the side of the cheek with a wrench and smacked again, Ken's iris's widened and he screamed back.

POW!

From the empty socket, a dark arm burst and punched the Scientist in the face, sending him back and giving Ken time to shake off the pain. The boy saw the arm and saw it resembling the claw of a humanoid wolf, he used it to hold to the burning Keyblade and took a more battle ready stance. "What the heck is your problem?"

Kira's calling to the animals intensified and they broke from their prison. They scurried after the dazed Scientist, who demanded. "Get back, all of you!" The animals did not listen and pounced on him, clawing, biting and shoving him to the edge. Ken pulled the lever down and turned the reflector off, the device was pulled away by machinations and Kira was out of the trance.

The one armed boy approached her to see if she was alright and saw the Skeksis was about to step on a edge, it gave way, it was meant to close a window, not to hold anything. Ken let his dark arm go and focused, he flung it after the Scientist that was falling, in an attempt to catch him. His arm, missed and retracted. The Scientist fell into the fiery shaft, Ken sprinted after the Scientist, looked over and watched him fall, he flung his dark arm again, in an attempt to catch the screaming Skeksis. The Scientist was engulfed in fire and Ken felt a burning heat, burning more and more, until he couldn't dive his hand down any further, he felt his heart dropping cold and retracted the arm, seeing smoulders of fur and regenerating skin.

He wanted to sit down and think about what he partook in, the dark arm slowly disappeared in the light as the animals went to Kira and undid her bindings, Ken approached the elderly woman and used his blade to undo the lock. He wanted to say something, couldn't think of what to say and watched her go for an eye ball that was on a table. "Big heart like that, needs defending. You defended yourself."

Ken swallowed and nodded as he watched the elder put the eye in a socket. "I... guess so, these guys are all insane. But... why do I... feel bad?" He explored the lab and found many empty cages, one in particular, caught his eye, it was a rather large, pen like cage, with restraining chair forcibly removed, upon it was a crystalized woman with a side ways pony tail. Her features looked familiar and Ken felt more terror. "...Lightning is going to kill those guys."

Leap! Tap!

He heard someone jumped through the window and turned around, finding a dusty, battered but very much alive Kairi and Lightning. The woman broke from her normally calm demeanor and could tell by the look of Ken. "Kid, what happened?" She approached him and checked to see if he was alright, the wrench marks and the terrified eyes answered no.

Kairi watched the animals free Kira, approached her Lil bro, with a particular arm and asked. "Was that arm... yours?" Ken nodded. "It... came when that Scientist was beating me up, I... knocked him back and the animals... pushed him over. You saw him fall?"

Kairi gave him the arm and looked like she wanted to hug him. "Yes, you were trying to save that guy? Were you?" Ken swallowed and looked to the window. "He was so far down that I couldn't reach him. ...Why am I still scared?"

The Princess answered. "Because the Darkness came to help you once again and you did something no one could. What's important is you've defended yourself and tried not to let things get out of control." She pressed an imaginary zipper at her lips, closed it shut and tore the zipper off, she flung it to the mess and let Ken put his arm back in it's socket and felt his nerves connecting. Lightning took the chance to give him a quick hug, calming him down and pushing herself away, she smirked to him. "If anyone asks, you've defended yourself and you've helped get Kira out of this."

Kira was calming down from her own ordeal and the elder advised. "Late, you've come late. The Great Conjunction is at hand. Soon the Skeksis will have power over the stars." The group snapped out of the moment and Kira asked. "When is the Great Conjunction?" The elder answered. "Very soon, three suns touch." Kira realized there wasn't much time. "...Riku."

She hurried out of the lab and Lightning noticed something in a cage, she signaled the children to follow Kira and had a look. Kairi wished to as Ken refused, the Princess realized Ken found something and asked. "What is this place for, anyways?"

The boy answered as he saw Lightning recognize the person in the cage. "This is a lab and that Scientist uses it and that reflector to do things. Using the Power of the Dark Crystal to drain away your will into an essence for them to drink. I don't know why, but apparently they've done this to a lot of Gelflings and anyone else they could get their hands on. I think the last victim saved herself from that, but..."

Lightning listened to that, felt the crystal statue by the cheek and was having a moment to hold back something. "...Serah crystalized herself so they wouldn't drain her." Kairi heard the heavy breathing and asked. "But... there is a way to uncrystalize her, right?"

Lightning's breathing became worse. "...Not that I know of." She turned to the two and her eyes were dripping. "You got to find the Dark Crystal and make sure your friends get it healed. I'll stay here to keep an eye on Serah."

Kairi respected the choice, was having a hard time breathing and joined a stoic Ken for a salute. They took off and the elder warned them. "Go Keylings and fear, the death." Lightning got snappy at her. "You're not helping."

At the wasteland.

Aqua and her crew found a foreboding Castle in the distance, the final destination is at sight. The Keyblade Master felt an odd spike of something, like something terrible has happened. One of the Mystics, who had an upper right arm and leg replaced by wood, burst into flames and vanished. His fellow Mystics looked to the scorch mark as the rest of the crew were completely astonished. She asked. "What just happened to him?"

The Mystics kept going, the leader of the group, who had amulets, answered. "One half is bound to another, without the other half, both will fade." Baldred looked up to find the three suns, nearing alignment as the crew followed the Mystics to the entrance of the castle, two menacing Garthim, stood in their way, with their pincers snipping. The warriors readied to fight as the Mystics raised their heads up, one starting a chorus of a hum, followed by two more, then to five more. The Garthim scuttled away, slumped down and went into a stasis. That was no coincidence, the band of four looked to each other as the Mystics marched into the castle, realizing that the Mystics really do have a connection to the Skeksis. They followed in and felt a moment was at hand.

In the palace

Riku and the crew sneaked past the strange zombified podling and walked past an opening, finding themselves with in a chamber, hovering over a fiery vat, was a Dark Crystal. Sora looked upon the crystal, like one would a heart and whispered. "This is it, all we got to do now is to make sure it's in there." Goofy looked up at a window, shaped like an upside down triangle, a large yellow sun, a medium sized red sun and a small purple sun, slowly aligned. Riku jumped down to a lower ledge and looked at the pit bellow. "All that's left is making sure the jump happens."

Sora, Donald and Goofy jumped down with him, Donald saw the crystal to have nothing to grip on and that one slip up, at the moment, could doom the world. They felt their hearts beating rapidly, Riku saw, in jumping distance, a hole with cracks, he looked upon the Crystal Shard and connected the two scenes. He readied to jump as Sora noticed someone coming, a flock of eight Skeksis, ready for the Great Conjunction, he signaled Riku to wait until the Skeksis were gathered around, for they will not see him jump. The older boy felt it was the best way to catch them off guard and saw Donald seeing something at a corridor, they looked to find Kira by herself.

The many questions could wait, the Skeksis circled around the Crystal, in ritual, kneeling before it and raising their hands in sync, the golden clad Skeksis, who is the Master of the Ritual, chanted. "The Great Conjunction comes." He raised his arms wide. "Now we will live, forever!"

The many Skeksis joined in the Ritual Masters chant. "We will live, forever!"

Something approached Kira by the side, Fizzgig, barking and growling, Kira tried to keep him quiet, as a familiar, red robed Skeksis heard the barking, looked up and saw Kira. He gasped, the others noticed and looked up to find Kira, they squawked. "Gelfling! Kill her! She will destroy us!"

Riku found that the perfect distraction and leaped to the Crystal in a flow motion, the flock saw him, turned to the group with him and panicked in squawks, the Garthim Master called to his minions. "Garthim!" The flock called to the Garthim, they scurried after the three as Riku readied to insert the crystal. "Game's ov-" Woosh!

Something shot Riku from the the right side of his chest, puncturing a lung and causing a bit of his back to spray some blood, his arm was thrown off and he lost his grip on the crystal, it flung to the edge of the circle. Riku tried to say something and was coughing blood, he felt weak in the arms and tried to hold on. Sora, Donald and Goofy gasped and called to his name. Donald used a healing spell and found it doing little, Sora used his own healing spell to try and ease the wound and noticed the Crystal Shard at the ledge, the Emperor saw it and approached it, he reached down for it. "The Shard is mine!"

Fizzgig sprinted from the shadows and bit the Emperor, causing him to raise up in pain and try to shake the furry thing off. Sora took his chance and jumped down for battle, the Chamberlain saw him and tried to get in his way. "Stop, Prophecy will doom us."

Sora took his keyblade and smacked him across the face with the blunt end of it, knocking him out of the way. Donald and Goofy jumped down after the Skeksis flock to keep half of them distracted as the Emperor shook Fizzgig again and threw him loose, right into the fiery pit. Kira gasped in shock. "Fizzgig!"

She looked upon the crystal shard and flew down, sprouting her butterfly like wings, landing by it and picking it up, she raised it up like a dagger. The Ritual Master called to the flock. "She has the Shard!"

The Emperor, Ritual Master and Slave Master surrounded Kira, ready to take it back, Sora rushed at the Garthim Master and struck at him, the Emperor parried him back with the scepter and ordered the flock. "Take it from her, now!"

The Ritual Master approached Kira, with a knife, the Gelfling looked at the fading Riku and called. "Riku!" The teenager kept his will power up and saw the Gelfling was ready to toss the shard to him. "Feel the Crystal!"

She tossed it to him as the Ritual Master flung his dagger into her back. Riku felt the shock of the murder, caught the crystal and was gritting his teeth as he felt a heart heating up, he heard a gasp and a battle cry, Kairi and Ken dived after the Ritual and Slave Master, ready to avenge the attempt in murder.

The flock halted the fight and saw the boy holding the crystal shard once more, they pleaded with him. "Keyling, noooo!"

Riku looked up to find the three suns in alignment, looked the many Skeksis in the eyes, have a justified scowl and inserted the crystal in sync to the suns shining as one and letting down a ray of light. BOOM! The crystal burst in light and sent him flying to Donald and Goofy, he watched the Dark Crystal, shine in white light. The Garthim falling apart and revealing hulking bones and the gathered, zombified podlings coming to life. He smiled and laughed as he felt his vision fading, he nearly slipped as he saw Sora sprint to him, helped him sit up and try to shake him awake. "Riku, come on, stay with us."

Kairi wondered what happened, followed Sora and gasped to a bullet wound along with a look to Riku's eyes, she focused divine light and channeled it into him. "Riku, don't!" The boy gasped a fading breath and felt a life keeping him alive. "Heh. Ha! We did it, the Hearts whole, this is...cough! Another world we've saved." His attempt to cheer the two up, made their dismay worse, his vision went blurry and dark.

He found himself surrounded by darkness, yet found a shining light ahead. He stood up approached it and heard a screech. "WRRRAARRR!"

WACK!

He was smacked across the face and was sent rolling, he landed on his feet and saw a particular, furious Skeksis with a sceptre. He wore a black, royal robe, had purple decorations at his collar, golden rings and a curved, lunar spike for a crown. The Skeksis snarled. "You've ruined me! With the Crystal whole, Skeksis will be undone." Riku drew Way to Dawn and taunted what he presumed was the original Skeksis Emperor. "Too bad, everything you've done to this world will finally be undone and with it, this world will heal. The Darkening, the death." He asked more disgusted. "Was it all worth it?"

The Skeksis Emperor charged at him. "Yes!" He swung the scepter again, Riku parried, back flipped and dived at him like a spear of light. "This is what's in your black heart? Nothing but pure selfish spite?" He smirked. "You're finally going to get what's coming to you."

The Emperor growled, raised his scepter and summoned a purple crystal, it shot dark rays at the boy, who side stepped, focused and hovered with a brave heart. He fired a barrage of morning light orbs, halting the attack and forcing the Emperor into a defensive pose. He asked. "You've known the torments that were behind you. But what awaits us beyond this existence?"

Riku had no idea. "I don't know," he looked to the light ahead. "none of us know. That is a terrifying thing if you only got beliefs to go by."

The Emperor hissed. "Then why let it end? Why not hold onto life?" Riku felt he found the Emperor's big reason for using the Dark Crystal. "Why throw others to the end and save your own skin? That isn't living, that's just... taking."

The Emperor snarled and proclaimed. "All that there is to life, is taking! To survive is to take a life! The end, won't claim me!" He sprinted after Riku again, the boy rolled to the left to dodge a swing and locked the Emperor in a combo, glistening in light once more, trusting into the Emperor and sent him flinging towards the light. "Nothing lasts forever, you know. It's what you do with that life that counts."

In the center of the light, came a glow of orange, it took the shape of a certain, four armed mystic. An orange light flowed from his eyes as the Emperor tried once more to fight back, he was caught in the light and was pulled, Riku had a look and recognized the Master, who chanted. "What was sundered and undone, shall be whole once more."

The boy felt he connected the tie and asked. "You and he are connected? Two parts of the whole? You're the Light to his Darkness." The Emperor was dragged to the Master and pleaded. "Stop, not yet. I... can't go back." The Master tried not to cry. "You've were lost without the light and turned to so much evil. Without you, this evil would not have been allowed."

Riku folded his arms and watched on with a better understanding. "So when you've called upon the crystals, to purge yourself from the Darkness, that Darkness didn't really go away. It twisted itself without the Light. But with the two made whole, your existence... ends." The Emperor was in arms length, completely helpless from an embrace, Riku exhaled. "Return back to the Light, Skeksis. A heart, must be whole." He looked at the Master. "...And you, return back to what made you whole." The Master closed his eyes and shined with the Emperor, merging into one and taking a humanoid shape, it was in a white robe and had strange, standing white hair.

The Sage, hovered in place. Riku approached him and wanted to make a joke. "It took so long, but your heart is finally whole. Stinks that it took until after your halves got here for it to be done." The Sage spoke with a rather gentle whisper. "Where one life ends, another begins. What lies beyond the light, but that?"

Riku shrugged and thought to check it out. "There's one way to figure it out." The Sage nodded and the light's rays shined to the boy, bringing him towards it, yet leaving him behind. Riku was half tempted to see the light and turned to find that he barely escaped the grasp of a black winged demon. The demon growled and snarled to the Sage. "Selfless fool, his dark heart is mine!" The Sage sighed and glowed his hands. "No, it is not. His heart belonged to the light," He confronted the demon that summoned a shadowy sword. "One day, your Dark reign, will end." The demon balked. "As if it will ever, even you will see the end of the Light."

Riku wanted to go rescue the sage and found himself engulfed in the light. He found himself in a bright, endless sky and laying on his stomach. He heard familiar voices. "That accursed Tzaangor inflicted such a devious wound with a that enchanted bullet." He flipped to see the upper sky and of the heavenly sun. Standing over him was a familiar Apothecary in white armor and an Adeptas Mechanicas, the Admech sighed. "Yes a shame, But will his friends allow this one to perish?"

Riku yelped. "Wait, that's what that Tzaangor did to me?!" He was in a near death panic as a plush, grey fur, blue eyed, cat with black stripes, closed ears, a white cape and a necklace with a red pouch appeared, he tried to get the Imperium's soldiers away from Riku. "Knock it off you guys, you're scaring him."

Riku was in complete denial and got up. "Uh uh. I couldn't have died from something that cheap. Not while we got worlds to save!" The Cat, sighed, fluttered to Riku and bopped him on the nose. "Relax, you came really close to coming here to stay after that trip through the Tunnel. You're in a world where the Hearts of those, who's bodies have died, are too stubborn to move on." He tilted his head left and right. "For a final rest or for another chance. You may have heard of this kind of place."

Riku looked around and took in the scenery, including the odd collection of blocks in the horizon. "So why am I at Heaven's gates?" The Cat answered, rather proud of him. "You've done a lot for the worlds and that would have earned you a place here. But by your friends, both from your early life and from beyond the veil, of a Lasting Death, they are going to be the reason why you're visit here is going to be a short one." It looked like he was facing his eyes away awkwardly. "At least, for now." Riku summed up what his reward for going through the tunnel is. "A Memento Mori." He blushed as he considered Sora and Kairi's reaction in the living world. "I'm in for an earful."

The Cat agreed and giggled. "Because you're friends care about you that much to not want to let you go. Now, before you head back there, is there something you've figured out by now?"

Riku thought of it and gasped. "You're the one who sent Karla in the first place, to warn us? Is this correct?" The Cat nodded. "There are many hearts trapped within that Dead World, some refused to let that end, be their fate. Among them is the Child of the Dark. Something has disrupted that world for a long time and an evil force has tampered with those Hearts with in the Realm of Darkness, the whole system is beyond the balance."

Riku agreed. "It's out of balance because of the Chaos gods. This is what you've meant by saying we need Light and Darkness. The Balance Between them is what will bring order back to the worlds." The Cat let the boy know he was correct. "And who better to know this, than the Heart who has traveled in between, who has turned those elements into a Light that welcomes the Dark? I think you and the others have the idea of what you should do, well in heart, to find that Heart of Darkness."

That gave Riku the chance to ask. " Are you going to tell me where it is? You know and you know how important this is." The Cat shook his head. "If you chase after the Darkness, you will never find... what the Bearer of the Curse calls, the True Dark."

Riku didn't appreciate his friend being given that title. "His name is Baldred. If we don't find the Heart of Darkness, those of Chaos and Evil, will." The Cat wanted to correct him, the heavenly scenery became a simple camp fire, out in the wilderness, before a toasty looking bonfire. "They would attempt that, but what you should do to, find this Darkness, is right before you. What do you call this?"

He pointed to the shade attached to the boy, Riku addressed it. "My shadow." He crouched and reached his hand sideways, the shadow mimicked it and pressed fingers with the boy, Riku felt nothing out of the ordinary and felt he understood. "I think I know what you mean. This Heart of Darkness would come to us if we let it? That's... complicated."

The Cat disagreed. "Only if it wants to be seen, it sees the light from the view of the shadows. It will reach out to you like it wants a friend."

Riku nodded back, it made perfect sense, he turned to his right and saw Magi and Pyriel sitting on a log and feeling the fire, the Admech advised him. "You've have come far since we last parted and you still have a long journey, before you would be able to see the worlds savor a lasting peace. You must convince them to focus on the enemy. For that will warp their intentions."

The Cat agreed and sighed as he had to speak grimmer news. " And that is going to come at a price. One of your friends, Baldred, was never meant to see the Light of Life again. He and the Lords of Cinder have earned their rest a long time ago. Sooner or later, he must traverse the Darkness he is bound to." Riku cringed and felt that wasn't fair. "He isn't meant to come here when we have to say goodbye?"

The Cat felt that was a complete misunderstanding and waved his hands in defense. "Oh, no, no, no. That pilgrimage is but one view of where his journey will take him. It will only be for his eyes and it is a journey that will come into a cycle once more. There is one more answer that he must find before he returns to that journey." Riku closed his eyes at the thought of the inevitable goodbye and asked. "What is it?" The Cat found it difficult to answer. "What... it means to truly be free from the Cycle between Light and Darkness. None of us hold that answer, but once someone does, what will they do?"

Riku found himself hearing panicking pleas and returning to a familiar place, the Cat had one more message. "Traverse the future with those close to you, anything will be possible if your together."

As Riku was having a near death experience.

Sora was shaking Riku in desperation as Kairi kept using her strongest heal. Ken's heart completely dropped and was torn between helping Kira and helping the more injured friend, Donald stepped in with his magic and advised. "Help them heal Riku, he doesn't have much time." Ken saluted and approached with Kairi, he channeled a flame and used a beam to cauterize the wound, inside and out. "Come on, don't leave us."

The Mystics circled around the healed Crystal as the castle crumbled and revealed crystals of light, Aqua, Ven, Mickey and Baldred arrived to see the Skeksis panicking, Kira dying in one side of the room and Riku dying in the other. Aqua ordered. "Mickey, Baldred, help the guys get Riku up, Ven and I will get that girl up." The Mouse and Undead understood and went to the group, Mickey used a healing light as Baldred called a warm, cauterizing flame. Ven used a prayer of divine light that radiated a constant heal as Aqua channeled a healing spell with Donald, closing up the stab wound.

In the Lab.

Lighting was staring into the blank, stubborn expression of her sister. Memories of her sister being a bit carefree clashed with what she was seeing. Rumble! Rumble!

In a rumble, the crystalized form soften into that of flesh, a woman with pink hair, in a side ways pony tail, a white buttoned shirt, a long pair of red pants and a corkscrew like necklace. She breathed in air and came to life, Lightning was speechless, trying to decide on whether she should smack her own flesh and blood for making her so worried or embrace her because of the worry, Serah was just as astonished and asked. "L..Lightning? How did you get here? The Emperor said he banished you to-" Lighting decided to embrace her and whispered. "He didn't expect me to fight my way out."

The sister was really astonished and hugged her back. "You could ease up every now and again, but you've always fought the worse for others." Lightning smirked. "Really? Then will you stop me from doing this?" She picked her sister up in a bridal carry, Serah felt her legs pretty weak and decided to hold on, they found the Elder at the ledge, with a stick, pulling in a Fizzgig that was holding onto a pitch fork end with his teeth. Lightning was impressed by the grouchy elders act of kindness, getting Fizzgig to safer grounds.

Rumble!

The rumbling became worse, she and the elder locked eyes, Serah asked. "What's happening here?" The elder gestured they follow. "The Keylings have done it, the Heart, it is whole. Now we will see two made one." Lightning followed the elder and the furry thing, avoiding the collapsing castle.

At the Chamber of the Crystal.

The Crystal shined a light upon the Mystics, who allowed rays of light to flow out of their eyes, catching the Skeksis and slowly dragging them to them. The Dark ones tried to pull and were forced to walk backwards, to the opened arms of the Mystics, awaiting an embrace. Upon contact, the Skeksis and the Mystics glowed as one and merged into a strange light. Into eight, alien figures of white robes and standing white hair, the castle stopped crumbling and revealed a sanctum of pure light. The group noticed Aughra on a ledge, with a Lightning holding someone to her, the elder couldn't believe it. "What was sunder and undone, shall be whole. The two made one!"

The Sages noticed Riku and Kira dying, one of them, advised gently as the others gave a hymn. "Hold that, who is close to you. They are a part of your heart as we are apart of each other." Sora and Kairi did so with Riku, having Ken and the Undead halt their spell, the one armed boy went to Kira, told the grown ups to stop the healing and held to her, trying to tug her awake. With the otherworldly hymn, Riku's eyes came to life as Kira stirred. Sora and Kairi saw, Riku smiled nervously to explain and was knocked on his back in a hug of relief. Sora was in tears and sob. "Don't do that, don't ever... do that again." Kairi was crying more and held to Riku firmly, giving him a gentle rub.

The rest of the group looked to each other at the miracle, the leader of the Sages gestured with hang poses most strange. "And now, the prophecy is fulfilled." He pressed his hands together to his chest. "We are again one."

Sora calmed down and asked in appreciation. "How did all this happen in the first place?" The Sage answered. "Many ages ago, in our arrogance and delusion, we shattered the Pure Crystal, and our world split apart from the Darkness with in." Riku listened to that as Mickey imagined what might have drove them to do that. "You've tried to purge yourselves of your own Darkness and instead brought upon the Skeksis. You can never be rid of the Darkness... none of us can."

The Sage agreed and his town felt filled with regret. "Instead, we've wrought nothing but destruction and sorrow, becoming something Evil." Kairi pitied the Sages and want to correct them. "But what the Skeksis did had been by their own, not by you, without that Light, there was only the Darkness they are. But now we can set things right for this World."

The Sage agreed as he and his kin kept their hands to their hearts. "And set right, we shall. We leave you, the Crystal of Truth, oh Hearts of Pure. Make your worlds in its Light." In sync, the Sages enveloped in light and fed it to the Crystal, one by one they disappeared into it, Ken was in aw and asked. "They are... going into the Crystal, what are they doing?"

Riku sighed at the fate of the Sages. "In their divided form, they've spent too long taking this world of it's beauty. Now, it's time they give something back." The Crystal, radiated and let loose a hymn, feeling something happening. Riku got up, felt his legs strong as before.

Aughra nodded and lead the way out. "Yes, come, see their gift to the world. " They followed her out and saw drastic changes to the world, plants began to grow and rain clouds appeared on the horizon, the world breathed in a new life. The group felt satisfied and Mickey turned to have a look at the castle, finding it of pure crystal, he closed his eyes in thought.

Baldred asked. "Is this what we're looking for? A world in balance?" Mickey nodded. "It will take a long time, but this world is finally healing." The group turned to see the castle at it's splendor and were in silence of a miracle.