Author's Note: Sorry for the delay again. Loss of inspiration and with Kingdom Hearts 3 release getting closer and closer...well, it's hard to say.
Another thing, another new trailer came out and 100 Acre Wood is confirmed to return, along with Final Fantasy's Moogles. Anyway, let's begin with this brand new chapter!
I don't own Kingdom Hearts, or Final Fantasy.
CH49: Familiar Pressence.
By the time Sora, Riku, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Lea, Isa, Roxas, Terra and Aqua arrived in the Town Square, they skid to a stop and gapped in shock as many of the town's residents were running for their lives as four familiar faces were in a double heated battle against not only each other, but also occasionally monsters that looked a bit like Heartless, but they looked more humaniod, with sharp crimson claws and horns.
"It's Strelitzia and Serah!" Donald exclaimed as he recognised the formerly dead Keyblade wielder and the young female archer.
"And those two from before!" Roxas added, seeing Shelke and Shalua who were clashing against two of their new friends; Shelke with her Laser blades and Shalua with her artifical arm.
"But what are those things?" Sora questioned, eying the unusual monsters that resembled Heartless, but he somehow doubted that's what they were.
"Those guys are new to me. Even I don't think Ventus had seen them before and I certainly know Xehanort never mentioned these things either." Vanitas remarked in Sora's head, but the dark embodiment sounded bored at this point. Sora just ignored him.
One of the mysterious creatures then turned and took notice of the group who stood tensed, before it leaped and made to attack. But it never made it as Lea quickly summoned his Keyblade and blocked it before slashing at it and sending it to oblivion. He turned to his friends and told them firmly, "Whatever they are, they're not inviting us to a party! We have to take them out!"
The others agreed and summoned their weapons and raced to join in the fight. Sora used his Motion Flow ability by leaping and climbing up walls while glowing in blue light and launched himself to strike a surprise attack on one of the monsters and send it flying. It landed hard on the ground, but to his shock, it leaped up and zoomed quickly via use of darkness and caught him off guard slashing at him. Grunting as his felt it sting, Sora dodge-rolled out of the way before it could attack again and tossed his Keyblade at it, this time successfully destroying it. Unlike Heartless and Nobodies, it landed on the ground and simply layed there before floating up and vanishing similar to one losing their heart.
"Huh?" Sora blinked, before sensing movement and leaped out of the way to avoid another one who tried to attack him by surprise. He then noticed three more surrounding him, but Sora had an idea and decided to use another transformation via his Keyblade. This time he summoned, much to his surprise, a chariot with a golden pegasus at the reins with bolts of Lightning surrounding it.
While unable to figure out how this other new ability appeared, Sora had an idea and leaped into the chariot, commanding the Pegasus to fly around and attack the monsters that tried to get to him but were hit by bolts of lightning and light as he went in a circle. To finish it off, Sora leaped out as the chariot vanished before descending by free-falling and thrusted the Kingdom Key downward that obliterated the monsters in one hit.
Riku thrusted his Keyblade in a stabbing point similar to Cloud's skill and what he did two years ago when Xehanort's Heartless possessed his body. The seventeen year old then slashed and sliced and cut through his enemies before using his Motion Flow ability, using a street lamp to spin himself around while catching one of the monsters and then tossed it into the wall where it slumped in defeat. Or so he thought before it got up and disappeared before reappearing behind him, clawing him and sent him flying much to his shock, but he flipped in mid-air to catch himself and landed safely before turning and then clashed against the monster who was joined by three more until he managed to give a powerful swing of his arm, slashing at their chests with the Way to Dawn Keyblade and they crashed into the ground while he landed in a kneeling position.
Terra thrusted his Keyblade downward to create a powerful shockwave that send the monsters flying back, but they recovered and made to attack again. He attacked with his powerful combos and then went into his Thundaga Drive by sending out huge bolts of Electricity that engulfed the Monsters. They were hit and getting weaker, but they were stubborn and would not go down easily. He then focused and unleashed a powerful move by thrusting his Keyblade in a strong stabbing point and spun while thrusting his Keyblade at all three of them in a single hit where they were again sent flying before crashing onto the ground, defeated for real this time. He was then attacked from behind before turning and saw another one which he quickly blocked it's second attack and then destroyed it almost immediately.
Aqua used her Dream Weaver Ability to catch her opponents off guard, creating magical icicles that entrapped the monsters before attacking them with her Keyblade. She then focused on her Rainbow attack and send out colourful beams of light that followed and attacked the enemies who didn't have a chance to escape. Yet they refused to go down, so she slashed and whacked at them with graceful hits before using her Magic of Firaga, Blizzaga, Thunderaga and Stopza before attacking them while they were frozen briefly in time. The young woman then used the Mini Spell to Shrink one of them before sending it into oblivion as she attacked it in a good combo.
To her shock, the other four she'd been fighting sent out crimson blades of darkness they materialized and surrounded her before attacking in such quick speed that she didn't have time to cast barrier on herself and screamed in pain. Sent flying and crashing onto the ground, Aqua casted Curaga on herself which resulted in now having to wait until her Mana was regenerated. She then spun and attacked the monsters one by one in hopes of getting her magic back as quickly as possible. Thankfully she knocked one into the rest and then finished them off by thrusting Eraqus' Keyblade she'd been using for this battle to keep them chained together and then thrusted it downward onto them.
Lea slashed three of the monsters in a side-slash with his Keyblade that send them back, but grunted when they leaped up and made to claw him. The redhead casted a wall of Fire to protect himself without burning anything else and then leaped into the air while sending Orbs of Flame down onto his opponents who were hit and burnt. Yet as he landed, they flared up Orbs of Darkness that he only had a chance to block with his weapon, hissing as he struggled not to be sent flying himself.
When he lowered it for a moment, he saw too late as one of the creatures was in front of him and clawed him to the chest that caused him to yell out in pain while being send flying backwards. Only managing to save himself from crashing into the ground by flipping and landing safely, Lea then hissed at the stinging on his chest before switching out for his Chakrams and tossed them expertly at the monsters, this time successfully knocked them back while he caught his weapons sharply. To finish them off, he casted the blade-Shurikens on fire and speed forward, slashing at them that send them flying and crashing onto each other in a pile.
Roxas copied some of Sora's abilities as well as some from Lea and Terra before calling upon his link with Xion, enabling him to summoned the Oathkeeper Keyblade in his left hand which allowed him to double attack the Monsters he was facing, but even that wasn't enough to prevent himself from being slashed and sent into the air. But having an idea on using this to his advantage, he tossed his Oblivion Keyblade downward towards them, as it hit his opponents almost single handedly before aiming the Oathkeeper and casted what he would've thought was Thundaga. To his surprise, it was a golden-orange Orb of Light that was sent towards the three monsters he'd been fighting, engulfing them in a small explosion and defeating them and as he landed safely while his Oblivion Keyblade returned to him, he was in shock and surprise, wondering how that happened before being forced to fight another one which he quickly took care of.
Mickey leaped and jumped to avoid being attacked while he clashed and whacked against his own opponents who didn't stand a chance against his speed or inner power of light. The King used the Kingdom Key-D Keyblade for this battle as he preformed his triple air somersault to knock away one of the mysterious monsters before crying out as another this time caught him off guard by attacking him from behind. Managing to recover and racing out of the way before his attacker could strike again, Mickey then sent out Orbs of Light to engulf them, but he was shocked and horrified when they made to attack again even though the power of light weakened them. He then held up his weapon above him as it glowed before spun around and around and around repeatedly by sending out waves of Light that knocked away the monsters and once he was finished with this skill, he finished them off with a final powerful strike of his own, sending them to the ground where they crashed landed.
Isa thrusted his Keyblade by using a powerful gust of Wind that send his opponents flying, yet they recovered and formed into the air above him and made to strike by unleashing a large orb of darkness. But he had an idea of his own as created a barrier to block it and then thrusted his Keyblade so hard that it managed to send it flying right back at them where it engulfed them, creating an explosion in the air before the monsters fell to the ground. He leaped and finished them off with both the combos of his Keyblade and then switched out for his Claymore and thrusted them while avoiding in going into his berserk mode.
Donald was using Firaga Magic to flare up the monsters before screaming as one nearly slashed him with it's claws. He then glared at it and spun his Staff and surprisingly whacked it on the face and clobbering it and finished it off with a Thunderaga Spell for good measure. He then turned his attention to the other two and used his Fireworks Spell to attack them but to his shock, they and the one he thought he defeated made to attack again. He had to run to avoid in getting hit and when he did, he casted a Curaga on himself and then attacked again, this time using Blizzaraga to freeze them and this time finished them with another Thunderaga.
Goofy in the meantime spun around and around using his Goof-Nado skill as he hit two of the monsters with his Shield, but was sent flying when they attacked him as he screamed his usual trademark scream, crashing into the bushes of a building. Shaking away the dizzy spells as stars circled around his head. Goofy yelped in alarmed as they advanced on him. Remembering how Sora, Roxas and Ven can toss their Keyblade, he tossed his Shield at them which successfully knocked them back and to be finished off by Sora who gave him a thumbs up with a grin and Goofy returned it with a usual 'Ay-yhuck!'.
In the meantime, Serah and Strelitzia were both struggling against Shelke and Shalua who were seemingly taking advantage against them. Serah fired another arrow, but Shelke created a barrier to protect herself from it before she launched another attack to slash against the pink-haired young woman who struggled to block it as she turned her bow into her sword even though she knew that her weapon was not laser-like. Strelitzia casted Blizzaga at Shalua who jumped to avoid it and made to punch her with her mechanical arm, but the Keyblade Wielder dodge-rolled out of the way and was forced to block another monster that tried to attack her.
Just as Shelke was about to strike at Serah, Sora leaped and pushed Serah out of the way while avoiding Shelke's laser blades and Aqua used the Chains to entrap her and Shalua who was about strike at Strelitzia, leaving both sisters struggling to free themselves.
"Are you guys alright?" Sora asked, helping Serah to stand up.
"Sora? Everyone?" Serah asked, surprised.
"We were wonderin' about that about both of you too." Mickey replied, before sensing more of the mysterious monsters appear and firmly added, "But let's worry about that later! Right now, we gotta stop these things!"
However, before the group can even make a move to stop them, one of the creatures just appeared from the corner and rather attacking Sora and the others, instead it fought against the other monsters and finished them off almost instantly which confused them as well as Shelke and Shalua.
"Huh?" Mickey blinked, puzzled.
"What's with that guy?" Lea asked, blinking in shock.
"It seems it has it's own control." Shelke surmised, unfazed by the fact she and her sister are caught.
"It's own control?" Roxas asked, suspiciously.
Strelitzia stared hard at the creature. It seemed to be gazing at the group once the rest of it's kind were obliterated but made no move to attack. It was gazing at Sora who tilted his head slightly in confusion. Strelitzia on the other hand felt something quite odd and...familiar about it. When she studied it carefully, her eyes widened slightly as she sensed a familiar linger of light within the monster, and in her mind, a memory came to her.
Of someone she used to watch before her first death.
"...Could it be?" She whispered, and wondered how it was possible.
"...L...i...ght...L...ight...Light..." An echo, coming from the creature, spoke almost in a zombie way, which startled and shocked everyone, including Rai sisters as their eyes widened in disbelief.
"Wak! It talked!" Donald exclaimed.
"Gawrsh, apart from Ansem and Organization XIII, I never heard Heartless and Nobodies talk before." Goofy said in confusion, wondering how this was possible for this unusual monster.
"Neither did the Unversed." Terra added in agreement.
"...What is this thing?" Isa wondered aloud, brows narrowing.
The monster just continued to stare at the group, before sensing something and then quickly ran off into another direction away from the group who became just as confused as ever.
"Hey!" Sora cried out, but was ignored.
"Wait, please!" Strelitzia called out, but the monster didn't listen as it disappeared around the corner. "...Was it...really you?"
"Strelitzia?" Serah muttered, confused at what her friend had said.
"What's going on?" Sora wondered aloud. How could a monster talk like that? And what did it mean by 'Light'? Did want something? Why hadn't it attacked him and his friends like the rest of those things did? Strelitzia seemed to recognise it, which meant...like with Heartless and Nobodies, those things were once human. But where did they come from?
So distracted by their thoughts while Aqua kept a firm grip of Shelke and Shalua, the group failed to sense movement near them until it was too late as a corridor of darkness appeared. But rather an attack aimed at them, it was aimed skyward and when Sora and the others looked up to see what the dark blast was being aimed at, to their shock it was Caius who blocked it as he intended a surprise attack but was surprised himself.
"Caius!" The group grunted, and stood in fighting stances and prepared to fight.
The man in question landed gently on the ground, glaring at both Sora and his friends and whoever was in the Corridor of Darkness that appeared out of nowhere.
"You were fools to believe everything will end in your favor...Every single one of you." Caius growled dangerously. "Soon the War will begin, and all shall blame you for reawakening the Calamity."
"What do you mean!?" Sora demanded. Didn't Caius catch a break or something? He knew that this guy was beyond reasoning, but Caius didn't make any sense at all.
"Gods with Hearts of cruelty will fight against Gods with Hearts of kindness, and even then, not only the Realm of Light will be destroyed, but all dimensions of the same Realm of different Alternate Realms will soon follow, and now those Realms are slowly becoming even more connected." The purple-haired man explained, which made both Strelitzia and Serah gasp in shock.
"Even the one...that I went into?" Strelitzia muttered in horror, before shaking her head and denied, not wanting to believe any of it. "No! That's not true!"
Caius said nothing to Strelitzia's comment. Instead he turned his attention to Serah and warned, "You know as well as I do what will happen if Time is distrupted, Serah Farron."
"Even so, there has to be a way to stop this! Why, Caius? Why don't you see that everyone's trying to figure out how to stop Chaos and Bhunivelze from getting what they want?" Serah tried to reason.
"Because no matter what they do, their fates are almost exactly the same. There is one exception to that rule, but even then there is no guarantee for true peace life. In the end, only Darkness will prevail unless something is sorted out." Caius warned, turning his attention to Sora, and told him, "Your very existance is what caused everything to come to an end, Sora."
Sora glared hard, demanding, "Am I supposed to believe that after everything my friends and I went through?" though there was the hint of doubt creeping in his voice. What if Caius was right? Was it really his own fault that everything's messed up?
"Soon you will find out..." Caius nodded, then turned his attention to Shelke and Shalua, adding, "Just as there are traitors among you. One of them whom has murdered Strelitzia and took her place."
"Traitor...?" Shelke muttered, confusion on what Caius was talking about. Strelitzia gasped in shock when she heard this. Could that be right?
Lea's eyes widened as well as realization began to creep up, but before he could even think of what to say, Caius grunted again before vanishing into darkness and the redhead shouted, "Hey, get back here!"
But it was too late as Caius was gone.
"...There's a traitor among us...? How is that possible?" Shalua muttered, disbelief forming on her expression.
"Whether Caius was speaking the truth or not, is left to debate. However, I cannot help but acknowledge that Lamuria and Arlene are the candidates." Shelke muttered, deep in thought.
Sora's group gazed at them, before turning to gaze at whoever it was that saved them from Caius. The person who stepped out was someone they didn't expect to see again and the real shock and horror filled their expressions. The familiar dark skinned man, those golden eyes, the silver hair, and...a black coat that belonged to Organization XIII.
"Xehanort's Heartless!?" Mickey exclaimed in shock, before glaring and stood in defense along with his friends to fight, just in case. Yet as they did, he couldn't help but sense that something was different and familiar within Xehanort's Heartless-Aka: Ansem the Seeker of Darkness. Riku felt the same thing as his eyes narrowed. But it couldn't be...could it?
Xehanort's Heartless did not say anything, or even smirk evilly like he normally would. Instead, he wordlessly closed his eyes as darkness formed and evoloped all around him and the group tensed. But when the darkness faded away, the real shock, confusion and disbelief took place as their eyes widened the size of plates. While the Black Coat was still in place, the body was different...at least the head was. Serah and Strelitzia shared a glance, while Shelke and Shalua were admittedly shocked and confused at what they were seeing.
But most shocked one of all was Mickey who felt deja vu kick in, and so did Riku and Roxas. In place of Xehanort's Heartless was a tall man, close to his fifties, short blond hair with a matching small beard and orange eyes, the same man who Sora, Riku, Mickey, Roxas, and Lea never thought they would see again, and it has been a year and a half already.
Mickey felt faint, and he could've sworn he almost dropped his Keyblade in absolute shock and disbelief, and for a brief moment thought this was just an illusion, a trick, or simply a dream. Was this even real? Or was it another of Ardyn's tricks? Aced's, maybe? Or Caius's? A new enemy disguising themselves? Was Xehanort still alive and simply trying to trick him and his friends?
"Who are you?" Aqua asked, suspiciously. While the powers within this man to transform into the Heartless of Xehanort was the same as Xehanort's darkness, there was no evidence of the dead evil Keyblade Master within this man, except for a small and extremely weak speck of it within this man's Heart. Yet there was some Light within him and while she was wiry, she didn't sense any real danger from him.
Neither did Terra, as he added, "How did you do that?"
"...Are you...?" Riku trailed off, not sure whether this was who he thought it was. It felt like him, but he didn't want to take any chances.
"...King Mickey, Sora, Riku, Roxas, and Axel. It's been too long." The man spoke at last after the moment of silence.
The King felt his heart race, his bottom lip quivering as the urge to cry began to swell up. Still, just to make sure, Mickey approached the man with caution while the others stood firmly in place, just in case. When the King approached him, the man bend down to his height level and held out a hand to him as though sensing what the Mouse was trying to do. Mickey hesitately placed his hand into the man's and after taking taking a deep breath to brace himself, closed his eyes as the man smiled warmly at him.
In Mickey's vision, he saw the same man holding hands with him, not a trace of anyone else. The King opened his eyes and with his heart telling him that this was indeed whom he knew it was, tears quickly formed as Mickey couldn't hold it back anymore.
It was him; Ansem the Wise.
"Ansem...it's you...It's really you!" Mickey sobbed, as he hugged Ansem around the neck and cried on his shoulder. It was too much for him and the sadness of the thought of never seeing his old friend again was slowly becoming replaced with relief. It eased his heart, knowing that Ansem was safe and alive.
"I am sorry, my friend." Ansem muttered as guilt rose in his heart, and he gently hugged the younger ruler back to comfort him. It has been too long since they were this close, and the fact that Mickey was crying made him feel even worse. The younger King really must have been on mourning.
"I thought I'd never see you again!" Mickey cried harder, not wanting to let go as though he was afraid that Ansem would simply vanish or that this really was a dream.
"Ansem the Wise..." Riku breathed in shock.
"It is Ansem the Wise! He's okay!" Sora exclaimed in relief. Last time he'd seen Ansem was when the man had sacrificed himself to damage Xemnas' Kingdom Hearts a year ago. He knew how Ansem's supposed demise hurt Mickey and while he hadn't admit it, the younger King had been mourning for the loss. It hadn't helped that Aced kidnapped Yen Sid, Angeal and Genesis.
"Wait...he's Ansem the Wise?" Aqua asked in disbelief and shock.
"How is he still alive?" Terra questioned Lea.
"I have no idea." The redhead replied, just as lost as the others were. He remembered, as Axel, that Ansem was engulfed by the explosion of the device the older man had used to try and absorb Kingdom Hearts. That explosion also resulted in not only restoring Riku back to his normal self, but also, along with Cosmos' help and the wishes of his friends, Axel and Lea rejoined and restored as one. "I thought the explosion took him out."
"Hold on...This is the same Ansem you told us about?" Serah asked, shocked as she remembered when, at her and Strelitzia's first meeting with the group in Twilight Town, they had mentioned of Mickey's friend having sacrificed himself.
"How is he here? Unless Ansem the Wise was brought back the same way I was." Strelitzia thought, while Isa was speechless as he gazed at Lea who sensed this and looked at his childhood friend and shruggged.
Donald and Goofy were both speechless and when they both shared a glance, the latter just shrugged cluelessly. On the other hand, they were feeling emotional for their childhood friend and King who had also been close to Ansem the Wise.
Roxas didn't know how he should feel. Sure he heard of DiZ being Ansem and his actions and had seen everything through Sora before becoming a full human and even heard Ansem's apology for everything he did to him, but the young former Nobody wasn't certain if he should feel glad that the King has his old friend back, or furious in seeing the man who messed up with his memories just to merge with Sora again.
Mickey by then had began to calm down, but he wasn't quite ready to end the embrace just yet. He wanted this moment to last a bit longer. Sure Ansem made mistakes, but Mickey had long forgiven him, even before his old friend even asked for forgiveness. While he had been angry with him for not telling Mickey about the situation or come to him when things got so bad, but when he heard Ansem's reasons and how the older man had come to realize his mistakes and how much it made him feel guilty, Mickey understood and forgiven him. He couldn't help with revenge against Xehanort, but he certainly had been wanting to make sure Ansem made it home and was glad he'd been okay.
He had wanted to save him from the explosion, but Ansem's Heart chose to remain behind to give Mickey himself, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald, Goofy and Lea the chance to finish off Xemnas. Mickey had respected Ansem since the day they met, and for a long time saw him as a very close friend, an advisor, a wise and kind ruler, and like Yen Sid, a parent figure.
Eventually, though, he knew this moment couldn't last forever. Sniffling and calming down, Mickey reluctantly let go and felt that Ansem was reluctant to do the same, before the younger King asked, "Where've you been? I thought that gadget blew you up."
"I admit I had thought I would be sent to my demise as well." Ansem nodded in agreement. "Instead, I was sent away into the Realm of Darkness and found myself wandering for a year after that."
Mickey's heart sank when he heard this. "I'm so sorry, Ansem. If I'd known, I woulda come save ya a lot sooner. It's all my fault." He apologized.
"No it is not." Ansem ensured him, placing a hand onto his friend's shoulder. "Had I known Braig's treachery and known the origins of Xehanort, I would have not taken him in as my apprentince. Ienzo blames himself as well."
"Ienzo? You met up with him in Radiant Garden?" Mickey asked, surprised.
"Only a short time ago, actually." Another familiar voice answered before Ansem could. Speak of the devil.
Mickey and the others looked and saw Queen Minnie, Daisy, Kairi, Xion, Skuld, Ven, Myde and, to everyone else's except Ansem's shock and confusion, a rather exhausted Ienzo who had spoken, a tired and relieved Namine, and a bit traumatized Von Drake approach.
"Namine?" Roxas and Lea both muttered in confusion and shock.
"Ienzo and the Professor?" Goofy asked, confused.
"Right...the Professor and gang. Thanks for coming back...too late." Von Drake sarcastically said, spinning in disorientation before collapsing onto the ground comically.
"What happened? Are Leon and the others okay?" Sora asked, quickly worried for the others in Radiant Garden.
"Leon, Yuna, Paine and Rikku are okay, and Yuffie, Aerith, Tifa, Cid and Merlin aren't hurt. But Even, Aeleus and Dilan...they've been kidnapped." Namine answered.
"What!?" Sora, Riku, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Lea, Isa, Roxas, Aqua, Terra, Serah and Strelitzia exclaimed in shock, while Shelke and Shalua shared a glance.
"Who did this?" Lea demanded, angrily. Whoever it was that attacked his friends, especially one of his adoptive sisters, he was going to make them pay.
"Perhaps it's best I explain somewhere else." Ansem suggested.
"Good idea, and in a meantime, we'll hav'ta make sure these two don't get away. They've got a lotta explainin' to do." Mickey agreed while turning to glare at the two young women. The fact that Shelke had spilled the beans in her and her sister working with Lamuria and Arlene confirmed the suspicions that they too worked for Aced and that meant they knew where Yen Sid, Angeal and Genesis were.
He then whistled out and right on cue, the magical brooms approached which came as a surprise to Isa, Serah, Strelitzia, Terra and Myde who looked amazed.
"Guards, keep an eye out on these two and tie 'em up with the ropes." Mickey commanded firmly. The Brooms obeyed his command and stomped over to Shelke and Shalua who decided that fighting was futile, especially since, after hearing what Caius said earlier, both began to doubt the motives of their comrades. Instead, after Aqua released them from the Keyblade's chains reluctantly, they allowed the magical 'guards' surround them and stood tightly around the two young women.
Myde let out an impressed whistle as he saw the preformance. "Now that's really cool. You don't see that every day." He admitted, before asking, "Um, but what about the other guards?"
"Well, every guard in the Castle are these fellas and uh...I've brought them to life when I was Master Yen Sid's Apprentice." Mickey admitted sheepishly.
"I remember the Queen summoning them to send Pete to another dimension." Aqua recalled, giggling and Minnie giggled at that memory as well.
Once they were certain that Shelke and Shalua made no attempts of escaping, everyone followed Mickey back to the castle while helping to clean up the mess the monsters made around town along the way. Though both Sora and Strelitzia still had their minds on the single monster that attacked the other monsters and what it said about Light, as well as thinking of Caius's words about other Alternate Universes beginning to merge with their Dimension.
And the War of the Gods...was it already beginning to start?
Half an hour later, everyone met up in the Throne Room where the entrance to the Hall of the Cornerstone was once again sealed off just in case. Shelke and Shalua were both tied up in ropes and secured by the Enchanted Brooms for questioning a little later once the group would find out what happened in Radiant Garden.
So far, Namine, Ienzo and Von Drake got to the part where Ardyn and Blaine had told them about fragments of Xehanort's Heart and the plot they had learned, which resulted shock from Sora's group.
"Whaaaaaat!?" Sora, Mickey, Kairi, Donald, Goofy, Roxas, Xion, Riku, Ven, Lea, Isa, Myde, Skuld, Terra, Aqua, Serah, Strelitzia and Chirithy who appeared to join the conversation, exclaimed in shock and horror.
"Those lowlifes!" Sora grunted angrily shortly after.
"Wait a minute. Wasn't Blaine one of the new Foretellers along with you, Ven, Ephemer, and either Lauriam or Strelitzia?" Kairi asked Skuld who nodded, just as shocked as the others were.
"...That's right." Skuld answered, feeling more memories return to her as she explained, "Blaine was the fourth person to appear after the Keyblade War. But for some reason, he sided with Lauriam and betrayed us. I don't know how he would have survived or why he was brought back to side with Ardyn."
Sora thought about what he heard in the dream he had earlier, and thought that it was because Blaine and Lauriam were responsible for awakening Bhunivelze for the second time and caused things to get even worse to the point of Ven using the X-Blade, and everything that's happened after that. Wait...Lauriam and Blaine went into deep sleep after awakening the God, just like Ava said. Could it be possible that Blaine has sided with Chaos and Ardyn and Caius are looking into reviving-
"That means Ardyn has tricked Caius." Sora muttered, causing his friends to glance at him as he explained, "Think about it. Caius is blaming us for things that had gotten so bad, and he doesn't seem like he wants things to be destroyed, right?"
"...That's true. Caius has atoned before by staying behind in the Unseen Realm. But then he somehow escaped and now sides with Ardyn who has Blaine with him and that he tried to kidnap Namine and the others..." Serah gasped in realization, "Caius doesn't know that Ardyn has manipulated him into trying to stop us while doing something terrible!"
"But if it ain't Aced and Xehanort's gone with only pieces of 'im, then must be somebody else who's their leader, right?" Goofy thought, worriedly after thinking hard about it.
"I bet this has Chaos' name written all over it." Lea growled angrily, clutching his fist that shook while he tried to keep his anger in check. "Who else but that guy?"
"And Maleficent wouldn't want anyone like Ardyn or Blaine either." Donald agreed.
"But if Ardyn and Blaine are after Namine, the pieces of Xehanort's Heart that had scattered and left unchecked in the Realm of Sleep, and even Ienzo, Even, Aeleus and Dilan..." Mickey began, before gasping in realization, "That means they're gonna try and do what Xehanort did; to summon and open up Kingdom Hearts, and the only way to do that is..."
"The X-Blade!" The worldly travellers finished in horrified unison.
"Of course...if they are intending to to this, only Chaos would want such destruction, and to do that is to recreate the War in Xehanort's place. He wants to use vessels and seven hearts of pure light to achieve this goal and with Namine having the power over memories, my theory is that he, Ardyn and Blaine intend of replacing our memories or whatever else they wish to do with her." Ienzo realized firmly.
"Well, that's just great." Myde said sarcastically as he groaned in dismay. "How much worse can this get?"
Kairi then gasped before muttering in realization, "The dreams...that's what they're trying to tell me."
"Kairi?" Sora asked, worriedly.
"Remember the dreams I've told you guys about? It's starting to make sense. Chaos and Bhunivelze were in my nightmares, and that bright light, and the latest one stealing the light from my heart...they're going to use Kingdom Hearts!" Kairi told them which had everyone gasp in shock as well.
"Oh no! That means you and the other Princesses are in danger!" Mickey exclaimed in realizaiton.
A tensed pause.
"Okay, it just got worse." Myde groaned, slumping.
"There's something I still don't get." Roxas spoke up, turning to Ansem the Wise and asked, "What happened after you disappeared in that explosion and sent into the Realm of Darkness?"
"As I had mentioned, I was wandering in the Realm of Darkness with this coat as my only protection. Yet, at the time my memories were washed away at the time. Until sometime ago, while you were all travelling across the worlds and I can only surmise it was after you defeated Xehanort for good, that I had come across a warm light, and a young woman named Lunafreya." Ansem explained.
"Lunafreya? Noct's girlfriend who he calls Luna?" Lea asked, blinking in confusion. He remembered Noctis mention her back at Olympus before Caius sent Captain Jack Sparrow into the Locker in the latter's Homeworld.
"And a warm light...did it come from her as well?" Isa inquired.
"No. It belonged to someone else; a Goddess as I was told. It was that light that my memories had returned, and Lady Lunafreya helped me escape the Realm of Darkness. After that, I was told that of the situation of what was happening, by the young woman herself...and Lightning Farron." Ansem answered.
"Lightning? You've seen her?" Serah asked, feeling hope rise in her heart. "I've been looking for her!"
"I know. I was requested to watch over you and Strelitzia for a little while before I sensed that Ardyn would arrive in Radiant Garden." Ansem nodded.
Strelitzia's eyes widened as memories came back to her; of her and Serah's journey in finding Sora and the others.
Flash-Backs: During the events of "Second Life: Strelitzia's Story"...
In the world of Swan Lake...
Just as Strelitzia was about to follow Serah and Chirithy into the Corridor of Light after saying goodbye to Odette, Derek and their friends, she sensed movement and looked behind her to see a figure in a Black Coat who then vanished through a Corridor of Darkness. She blinked in suspicion, wondering who that was. A new enemy, perhaps?
In Midgar...
While Serah giggled, and both Cloud and Rude smirked and Snow chuckled at the scene of Elena critizing Reno over her and Tseng's relationship while the said redhead tried to apologise and held his hands up in surrender, Strelitzia gasped before spinning around and saw, on top of the metal beams, was the familiar figure in the Black Coat who again disappeared.
Who in the worlds was he?
In Agrabah...
Having had help from the mysterious figure who helped her and Aladdin escape the Cell that Nasira's possessed guards locked them both into, Strelitzia tried to tell the cloaked figure to wait, but he was already gone by then.
In Gummi Glen...
While Strelitzia, Serah and the Gummi Bears watched Kevin speak to Princess Calia, her father the King and the guards while the boy kept to his promise in not revealing the existance of the Gummi Bears, the young Keyblade Wielder again noticed the figure near the Castle before he turned and vanished without a trace. Was he spying on her and Serah? For what reason?
In the Keyblade Graveyard...
As the figure who revealed his face as Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness who hasn't told his name to Strelitzia or Serah, had blocked Garland's attack but was knocked back and crashed into the ground himself and while Garland made his escape after telling that he will be waiting for the two young women, Strelitzia and Serah ran up to him and cradled him gently in their arms as he grunted and hissed in pain.
"You...you saved us. Why...why did you do that?" Strelitzia asked in disbelief and concern.
"It was...to atone for my...actions." Ansem panted, "Do not worry. I will be alright. You and Serah...must go stop Garland...before he destroys the Realm of Light."
"Why? Who are you?" Serah asked.
"I am no one. Just a castaway from the Darkness." The man replied.
End of Flash-Backs;
"...It was you." Strelitzia realized as it finally made sense to her. "You were watching over us, because Serah's sister asked you to, and you saved us from Garland's attack before we both defeated him for good."
"That's right. I am sorry for not revealing myself sooner." Ansem replied, looking away slightly.
The young ginger-haired girl shook her head, "I understand. You looked out for us through our journey to find Sora and to stop Garland...Thank you, Wise Ansem."
Surprised by the gratitude and that Serah nodded in agreement to that, Ansem smiled a little and nodded back.
"Ansem, you were tasked to watch over them. But what about the power to turn yourself into Xehanort's Heartless like Riku did?" Mickey inquired.
"I can only surmise that the remains of Xehanort's Heartless had been away from Riku's heart and thus restoring him to his true self, and found their way into me instead. While I cannot sense or evil Xehanort's heart within me, the darkness enables me to do what Riku did, and I am able to keep it at bay, while being allowed to being able to fight. However, I know that I cannot keep doing this forever." Ansem told him.
"Are you aware of what happened in the Realm of Sleep?" Terra inquired.
"I was told, but I was not there when it happened." The older man answered.
"So the Ansem we saw was him before he was defeated and brought into the future by Xehanort, and was sent back in time. And seeing he hasn't mention anything about that to anyone, I guess everyone who were brought into the future returned to their own times and lost their memories." Riku thought.
"So you kept on watching us until you realized that the others in Radiant Garden were in trouble and then went to at least rescue three of them, right?" Lea questioned with a quirked eye-brow.
Back when Ienzo and the others were knocked out...
"This is...this is absurd!" Even exclaimed, glaring at the apparent Keyblade wielder of Darkness.
Blaine didn't say anything. Instead he held up his Keyblade in the air and simply chanted, "Sleep."
By this magic spell, all except Ardyn were covered by Blaine's magic and no matter how hard they tried...no one could resist the Sleeping Spell, and the last thing Namine and her allies saw were the two evil men slowly approach before their world went black.
"Well, this makes things far easier than we thought. Shall we go take our guests to Chaos?" Ardyn smirked evilly to Blaine who returned it with a smirk of his own.
"At least Namine used to be half of Kairi, right? So it made her one of the new Princesses of Pure Light." Blaine inquired.
"Maybe, though she did have the power to summon a Corridor of Darkness, so it's not possible. Yet her power over controlling and re-arranging memories can be useful." Ardyn shrugged, only for him and his companion to frown deeply when a pillar of darkness suddenly appeared in front of them, between the two men and the unconscious group even though Leon was knocked out behind them.
"And just what do you think you're doing?" A figure in a dark voice demanded, in a black coat that could only belong to Organization XIII. His hood was up, so they couldn't see his face.
"That's my question, bozo." Blaine grunted, holding a tight grip on his Keyblade.
"I would kindly pardon you to move and step away from our guests...Ansem." Ardyn smiled dangerously.
The figure gasped in shock. How did this man-Of course. Grunting, he slid down his hood to reveal his face, of that of Xehanort's Heartless; Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness. Yet, that wasn't who he really was. He was Ansem the Wise, under the same power as Riku had a year ago.
"I had thought you were much more clever than anticipated, Ardyn Izunia. Especially how you and Caius attempted to meddle with the minds of Serah Farron and Strelitzia, but failed because of the light within their hearts." Ansem frowned deeply.
"And I knew you were keeping an eye on them. You think you can fool me with the power to disguise yourself, which I admit is impressive. But in the end, not even YOU will stop our ultimate goal." Ardyn smirked back.
"You will not! Any world of yours or Chaos and Bhunivelze will be an Empire of ignorance, blankfulness and no emotions. Like Xehanort, you, Chaos and Bhunivelze are destined fall! I will not allow you to take Namine, Ienzo or anyone else!" Ansem bellowed.
Ardyn and Blaine, who was confused at this, both just smirked as they found Ansem's bravery to be foolish and amusing. So the two stood in position as Ardyn summoned energy around him; the same kind of power that Noctis has before sending them towards Ansem who blocked it with the power of darkness and responded by casting an Orb of Darkness right back. But Blaine blocked it with his Keyblade. By the time he dismantled it, Blaine and Ardyn frowned deeply as Ansem used this to pick up the unconscious bodies of Namine and Ienzo, glaring hard at the two villains.
"Attempting to defend those who betrayed you and the girl whom you wished to dispose because of her original existance as a Nobody? You have become too soft Ansem. Just like Sora." Ardyn mocked cruelly.
"That was a long time ago. Things are different and I know that they side with Sora who has saved them from Xehanort's influence. I will not allow you to take them!" Ansem yelled back, though he knew it would be difficult considering how he still had to protect Even, Aeleus and Dilan as well. He had to save all five of them from Chaos' clutches.
"Is this guy for real?" Blaine scoffed.
"Perhaps it's old age that has gotten to him. After all, old aging can make one utterly foolish." Ardyn chuckled, before disappearing instantly via darkness and while Ansem gasped as he looked around for any trace of the man, the magenta-haired man suddenly reappeared and held out a sword at Ansem's back. Sensing it, Ansem held a firm grip on Namine and Ienzo and leaped away to avoid in getting stabbed, only to be hit in the chest by Blaine who whacked him with his Keyblade and sent him, Namine and Ienzo flying and crashing into the wall where the teleporter to inside the Computer rested. Despite this Ansem prevented himself from falling and casted another orb of darkness at the two men who blocked it once more.
Then, Ardyn and Blaine relaxed their postures and held half victorious grins as darkness began to evolope around the unconscious forms of Even, Aeleus and Dilan, which made Ansem realize too late of what was happening and grunted, mentally smacking himself for falling to their tricks.
"Fine. You can keep the little witch and that orphaned traitor. But we'll be taking these three with us and gather more vessels for our goal. Until we meet again, Ansem." Ardyn spoke, waving a farewell as he, Blaine who laughed evilly, and their three unconscious prisoners vanish into darkness.
Ansem hissed, slamming a fist against the wall behind him in anger. How could he have fallen for that? Now three of his former Apprentinces will again be forced to serve for evil and darkness. Sighing as he knew there wasn't much he could do now, Ansem instead turned his attention on those who he managed to save who, along with everyone else under Blaine's spell which now that the evil young wielder wasn't around, was broken. Thus it allowed Namine, Ienzo, Leon, Von Drake, Yuna, Rikku and Paine to awaken.
So Ansem did his best to make Namine and Ienzo a bit more comfortable before moving away and went to stand in front of the door leading towards the Chamber of Repose. He had thought of simply disappearing, but then decided against it. No doubt Ienzo and the others would want an explaination, and while it would be uneasy at first, it was time to make things right with those who he hurt and those who had betrayed him but were now on Sora's side.
Feeling sore and tired, Ienzo felt a bit disorientated as he placed a hand to his forehead as a sense of deja vu kicked in. Almost immediately, as his vision began to clear, his memories came flooding back and blinked in confusion. He looked around and noticed Namine moaning as she woke up as well, before seeing Leon, Von Drake, Yuna, Rikku and Paine also waking up.
But Even, Aeleus and Dilan...they were missing, and there were no trace of Ardyn or Blaine.
"Now that was some kooky nap." Von Drake grumbled, before his memories returned and immediately leaped to his feet and clutches his fists while demanding as he imagined in fighting the bad guys, "Where are those-those evil villains? I'll give them a punch of their lives!"
"I'll bet they'll go running and screaming to their parents." Paine remarked sarcastically. "What did happen to them?"
"Yeah, and where are those big guys and that cranky old man of a scientist?" Rikku added, taking notice the absence of Even, Aeleus and Dilan.
Realization quickly dawned as Leon approached Ienzo and Namine who shakily stood up, with the young teenage girl saying, "Those two men must have taken them...! But...they were gonna take us too. Why are we still here?"
"Excellent question. It is strange." Ienzo agreed. He was about to look at Leon to inquire if the man had somehow resisted Blaine's Sleeping spell when he finally noticed that while the said five are missing, they had another company. Someone quite familiar; Ansem stood there watching.
"Xehanort's Heartless!?" Namine exclaimed in horror while Ienzo tensed and Leon stood in front of both of them, Gunblade ready. Yuna and Rikku both gasped while Paine blinked suspiciously and Von Drake, having heard tales of the adventures of the past two years, screamed and leaped into Paine's arms, quivering in fear while the said young woman raised a skeptical eyebrow at him.
Ansem said nothing, and instead closed his eyes as darkness formed and evoloped all around him and the group tensed. But when the darkness faded away, the real shock kicked in. Right before their eyes and, as heard from Sora's group of what happened to Riku before the latter was restored to normal, was the true form of Ansem. They weren't certain if this was real or not.
"Who's he?" Yuna asked, confused.
"...Master Ansem?" Ienzo stuttered, unable to believe what he was seeing. The man, whom had adopted and raised him since the day his mother and father had died, the one he betrayed due to have been young and foolish, and thought to have died...was standing right there.
"Ansem the Wise? How can this be?" Leon muttered, his eyes wide as he lowered his Gunblade.
"You're really here?" Namine asked, hesitatedly. She still had a slight fear of Ansem, remembering how, via Riku and Axel explaining, wanted to get rid of her once she fixed up Sora's memories and Roxas merged with him.
"Am I the only one lost here?" Rikku asked her two friends who shook their heads along with Von Drake, just as clueless.
"Are all of you alright?" Ansem inquired after a moment of pause.
"Yeah, we're fine, sir." Leon replied awkwardly.
Ienzo was silent. He didn't know how to even speak to his former mentor as his heart ached of the guilt which he felt upon awakening and learning of had happened earlier by Mickey and the others. To see that Ansem the Wise was alive, made his guilt grow. How can he even face the man whom he utterly betrayed?
"Ansem...how are you here?" Namine asked, nervously.
"It is a long story, Namine. And to answer the whereabouts of the others...I'm afraid I was unable to stop Ardyn and his new accomplince from abducting them." Ansem answered.
"How do you know him?" The former Nobody asked.
"As I said, it's a long story." Ansem began, before explaining everything that has happened to him up until this point as everyone in the room listened in carefully on what he had to say. When he finished, they understood.
"You were able to at least save us..." Ienzo muttered, looking away as he tried to hold in his emotions. "Yet...I don't believe I deserve to be saved by you...not after...what ever the crimes I committed."
"Ienzo..." Namine muttered, worriedly as she understood where the other former Nobody was talking about and why he was feeling uncomfortable. She wasn't comfortable with this either.
Ansem sighed, knowing what Ienzo was feeling. Yes he had been furious, but he realized that the ones he really should have been furious with were Braig and Xehanort, the latter having been actually older than Ansem himself but in Terra's body. Other than that, while he was disappointed in him, Ienzo had only been a child back then...who didn't even deserve to have his life ruined as it had been bad enough to begin with. Ansem remembered the day he saw Ienzo alone in town, orphaned by the deaths of his parents and no one to take him in. He remembered having approached the boy, feeling sympathy for him, and when he discovered of what had happened, the ruler had taken it upon himself to take care of Ienzo with the help of his other Apprentinces.
Ansem had grown to care for him...not only as an Apprentince, but as a son.
"Ienzo..." Ansem began as he approached the younger man who had grown up from an orphaned boy into an intellegent and fine young man.
"Master Ansem...I...I am so sorry...I'm so sorry for betraying you...!" Ienzo began to hyperlate and break down, unable to hold in his emotions any longer, uncharacteriztically crying. He knew he wouldn't be having forgiveness, but this was the man who had saved him from the streets, and he had betrayed him.
"Ienzo...I am to blame for the outcome of what happened. Had I not taken in Xehanort, none of this would have happened." Ansem sighed, gently placing his hands onto the younger man's shoulders. "While I am disappointed in you...you were only a child back then...and Xehanort had fooled us all. I forgive you, Ienzo, and I am sorry for causing you and everyone else pain."
Ienzo felt some relief of being forgiven, but it still hurt that had done so and while Ansem was right about Xehanort...the younger scientist wanted now to atone for betraying his mentor. Which was why he was surprised when Ansem hugged him, to give him comfort. Hesitating a little, Ienzo hugged him back. This was the closest touch they had since the time they met. Deep down, Ansem had been a father to him.
Namine felt the moisture of tears form in her eyes at the scene. She never knew that Ienzo and Ansem had been close before Xehanort attacked. It was a touching moment. Leon looked away, feeling awkward. Yuna and Rikku both both felt emotional themselves, the latter sniffling and trying not to cry. Paine smiled a little and Von Drake scratched the top of his head.
After a moment, the two men let go as Ienzo calmed down. Ansem in the meantime turned to Namine who cringed slightly in fear.
"Namine...I am also deeply sorry for treating you the way I had." Ansem told her.
Seeing how Ansem wasn't hostile to her, Namine nodded with a small smile of her own. "It's alright, Wise Ansem. I forgive you." She replied.
"Master Ansem, do you know what else is happening?" Ienzo inquired.
"Yes, I do. Which is why Chaos and his allies must be stopped before Bhunivelze awakens once more, and with Ardyn obeying Chaos, Sora and his friends are in mortal danger." Ansem replied firmly.
"Our other allies have to be warned about this too. Especially Cloud and Zack." Leon spoke up this time. "Not only that, Aced has kidnapped Yen Sid and two other guys; Angel and Genesis."
"We have to warn them before it's too late." Namine realized, before sighing. "Problem is, Sora and the others could be anywhere by now."
"Do not worry. I have a feeling I know where they are going." Ansem informed them and told the group what the next plan was.
Back when Kairi and the others are protecting Queen Minnie...
It wasn't long after Sora and the others went into town to see what was going on, as Kairi, Xion, Skuld, Ven and Minnie were anxiously waiting for their return. Even Myde was on edge as he paced back and forth.
'Sora, Riku...everyone. Please be okay.' Kairi pleaded in her mind. She knew they would be fine, but she couldn't stop fearing the worst.
"...1 missipie, 2 missipie, 3 missipie..." Myde randomly began to count, which earned him confused stares from the others.
"Myde, why are you counting like that?" Ven asked, puzzled.
"So I don't go hysterical." The mullet-haired man replied.
"Oh, Myde. We're all worried. But we have to be calm and have faith in everybody." Minnie ensured the young man before sighing. "I just wish I knew why all of these awful things keep happening."
"We all do, Your Majesty." Xion told her.
"Even though we have learned quite a lot, there's still many more things we're missing. Nothing will settle down until this journey is over." Skuld sighed, before she and the others flinched as they sensed darkness beginning to form behind them.
The six of them spun around and saw a Corridor of Darkness open up. Tensed, Kairi, Xion, Skuld and Ven quickly summoned their Keyblades while Myde summoned his Sitar, all five of the worldly travellers standing to defend the Queen who gasped in fear and shock. To their great confusion and new shock, a familiar old man, followed by a worn out Ienzo, Namine and nervous Von Drake emerged while the Corridor disappeared behind them.
"Ansem the Wise!?" Kairi and Xion exclaimed in shock and confusion.
"Uh...who?" Myde asked, confused.
"Namine, Ienzo and Professor Von Drake?" Ven asked, surprised and confused, sharing a glance with Skuld.
"Are you okay?" Namine asked hurriedly, racing over to her friends and former Original self who along with Xion hugged her in relief.
"We're fine. But, what happened?" Kairi asked her former Nobody, worriedly.
"We were attacked by Ardyn and an ally of his and Wise Ansem had saved most of us." Ienzo explained.
"It has been too long, Kairi, Xion and Roxas." Ansem greeted, and like many others, he mistook Ven for Roxas.
Ven blinked in confusion, then realized what the older man had said and apologetically corrected him, "Um, actually sir, Roxas is with Sora and the others right now. I'm Ventus, but you can call me Ven."
Blinking in surprise until realization kicked in, Ansem nodded, "My apologizes, Ventus. You look exactly like Sora and Roxas, or perhaps it should be the other way around." Before noticing Skuld, Myde and the Queen and inquiring, "And I take you are Queen Minnie. King Mickey has spoken about you."
"It's an honor to meet you too, Wise Ansem." Minne replied warmly, giving the older ruler a curtsy.
"Wait, this is Ansem? As in, Ansem the Wise Ansem? The REAL Ansem guy?" Myde asked, shocked beyond believe as he pointed at the older man who raised a skeptical eyebrow while Ienzo placed a hand to his face in exasperation. Kairi, Namine, Xion, Skuld and Ven shook their heads, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
"Where had his parents been all this time?" Von Drake groaned, mentally wondering where Myde had learned his manners from.
"Ha, ha. Real classic." Myde muttered sarcastically, before quickly covering his mouth with his hands as he remembered he was in a room with two royals at the moment.
"Our apologises with Myde, sir. He tends...well, it's a long story." Skuld spoke to Ansem with respect. To think that Ansem the Wise was alive was a miracle.
"It's quite alright, young lady. I may though ask who you are..." Ansem replied.
"My name is Skuld. I recently began to travel with Sora and everyone else." Skuld introduced herself.
"Where is Sora and the others?" Ienzo questioned.
"They're in town fighting monsters that suddenly appeared. The rest of us stayed behind to protect the Queen." Ven replied, before adding worriedly, "Though they should've been back by now."
Kairi felt the same thing before her eyes narrowed as determination formed inside her heart.
Thankfully, Namine felt the same because she said, "There's something everyone has to know; it's about Ardyn and Chaos, and another Keyblade wielder who's on their side."
This shocked Kairi's group, which was enough for them to make the final decision, and with Ansem, Ienzo and Von Drake here, maybe they might have another clue into the situation. For one thing, Sora's group were in for a huge shock when they see Ansem the Wise alive and well.
Back in the Present...
"Yes. Even though I had done my best, I was unable to rescue Even, Aeleus and Dilan." Ansem answered Lea's question.
"Which means we gotta figure out where to find them and save them before they end up in the plot similar to Xehanort's." Mickey realized with a serious frown. Things had just gotten more difficult and his heart raced at the fear that, while it was a huge relief that Ansem was alive, Yen Sid may not be so lucky.
"And Aced may not realize that Lamuria and Arlene are traitors, if Caius is telling the truth." Aqua nodded in agreement.
"Wouldn't it make more sense if all three of them were with Chaos too?" Myde asked.
"Nah, Aced wants to save the Realm of Light by controlling it and taking out the bad guys and us, not work for Chaos or Bhunivelze." Lea pointed out while shrugging with one arm. He then frowned as he remembered what he thought off earlier and didn't get the chance to question Caius on what he knew. "On the other hand, I think I've finally figured out who Lamuria is."
"Really? Who?" Sora asked, half curious and half concerned.
"Well, Caius said that Lamuria and Arlene are with those two as they work for Aced, right? And that one of them killed Strelitzia before the Keyblade War; But, the guy's actual name is Lauriam whom we discovered in his diary in Twilight Town. If you can form an diagram of both names and Marluxia, there is a way to arrange Lauriam even without callin' him Marluxia. You get my drift?" The redhead explained.
A pause.
"Lamuria is Lauriam?" Goofy asked.
"That's what I'm thinkin'." Lea nodded, confirming the suspicion.
"WHAAAAAAT!?" Sora, Riku, Kairi, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Roxas, Xion, Namine, Myde, Ven, Strelitzia, Serah, Von Drake, and even Minnie exclaimed in shock as they, Isa, Terra, Aqua, Ienzo and Ansem all realized that Lea was right.
"...So it was him all along? And none of us knew until now?" Strelitzia asked, in utter disbelief. She hasn't yet seen Lamuria who was now identified as Lauriam, but the thought of the one who had ended her life and stolen her place as the Dandelion leader chilled her.
"So he had been lying to all of us, and why Arlene was suspicious. But Master Aced doesn't know about this." Shalua realized in shock and disgust.
"I should have known. That fool." Shelke hissed angrily, which what she and her sister said caused everyone else to turn to face them and, realizing that the conversation was now connected to the interrogation they intended on doing afterwards, knew that it was time to question them.
Now it was time to learn the truth of Aced's whereabouts and hopefully this may lead them into where he is so that they can rescue Yen Sid, Angeal and Genesis.
If the three of them were still alive.
A/N: Sorry that this Chapter seemed shorter, but thankfully things are starting to fully get on track. Yet things don't look good as Chaos's goal for Kingdom Hearts is slowly becoming a reality. Will Sora's group be able to accomplish the impossible and save the Realm of Light, in the similar way as their other selves in the Original Timeline which is the real Kingdom Hearts 3 coming out in two months?
Only time will tell. I may not update this again until after Christmas as I have other stories to update before the end of the year, plus Christmas Shopping, plus my Mother's Birthday coming up. See you in the next chapter as soon as possible!