Deep with in the sea of the void, a heart most wicked formed, plotting, scheming, seeking a power beyond understanding. A claw surrounded it, seized it and engulfed into the darkness. Many voices whispered and muttered, many incomprehensible to a mortal mind. A hero landed and found himself in a stained glass floor, one composing of a hero with brown spiky hair, red overalls, a black jacket that hid a white undershirt. Holding in his hand a strange, key like sword. Surrounding the image were many crowns and near by, images of those very dear. Four gates, one in the north, east, west and south, opened. To the north was a gate most crimson, the sound of battle beckoned, to the west was a gate changing color between blue and pink, hope calls, to the east was a gate of a stagnate green that welcomes the hero, to the south was a gate of purple, alluring with the sound of a beach.

The hero was uncertain of which path to choose, then darkness formed from the four, yellow eyes were seen and crawling out where insect like shadows that resemble a human. The hero felt ready for battle and drew out a sword, resembling the one in the stained glass, the shadows emerged to pounce and were quickly bested by a series of slashes. The creatures faded in black mist, the northern gate faded and drew out a stained glass set of stairs, resembling an identical crimson. The hero walked across the stair way and found himself standing on a stained glass image most calling. A Colosseum that in the center, had a mighty warrior standing proud. A voice became more clear. "He who stood against the darkness, do you have the strength to overcome its might?"

The void twisted and eight odd creatures emerged, standing taller than the tiny shadows, vaguely human, they had horns on their heads and their blackened maws opened to let loose a hiss and drew out blackened blades from out of nowhere. Closing in on their prey in vast numbers, the hero on instinct dodged and struck at the one most distant from the pack until it faded to a black mist, repeating over and over until he was down to one, he effortlessly parried it and struck it in the heart. The stain glass distorted, the proud warrior held in his hand, a skull, the Colosseum in the image became littered with bodies. The voice whispered as a symbol having vague resemblance to a crimson eight shined. "Either the darkness would claim you, or you will claim the darkness! It matters not from which the blood flows."

The hero felt the image distort and he was back in the center, the purple gate way shined a stained glass stairway, the purple matching color was that of most beauty, most enticing. The hero followed and found himself standing on a stained glass resembling an island on a gorgeous beach, a feminine voice slightly familiar asked. "Ye who listens to your heart, what is it thou desire?"

The void twisted once more and the hero was more prepared, emerging from the darkness were six blackened creatures humanoid creatures most feminine, yet their hands resemble crab like claws. Their maws opened to let loose a shriek, they charged in unnatural speeds, the hero aimed his sword into the air and called down lighting, obliterating them all and causing them to give out a combined moan of delight. The image slightly distort, the island held many treasures, a large wooden ship and two figures, a silver haired boy in a white shirt with yellow highlights and a black zipper along with blue jeans, along with a red haired girl in a pink dress, inviting someone to the ship. A masculine and feminine voice whispered as a symbol both masculine and feminine shined. "Follow those desires, for it will lead to many delights."

The hero's vision distorted and he found himself back at the center, the east gate opened and a stained glass stair way of green and grey shined. The hero felt confused and tempted as he followed to what surely would be welcoming. He found himself on a stained glass platform, resembling a vast forest with a variety of animals, a fatherly voice whispered. "Does the heart wish for the good times to change? To a future where kin go their separate ways?"

With in the void, seven horned, zombie like creatures of darkness marched, with black, jagged daggers ready. The hero knew by looking at the foes, that he should not let them strike him, he drew the seven into attempting a strike and he charged in to swing, the creatures bodies endured and the hero flung three away, he leaped and from his sword, shot a trio of fire balls, scorching the fiends into a dark mist. He focused on the remaining four with similar caution and vanquished them, the forest in the stained glass faded from what was full of life, to one with dead trees, vultures and flies. The voice asked as a green symbol with three merged circles shined. "All things must end, but the cycle would begin anew. That is why your heart wishes to go on?"

The hero was back on the central platform and he wished for answers, he saw the pink and blue gate fade, revealing a stairway of gold, followed by stained glass of a blend of colors, like a constant changing rainbow. The hero dashed and found himself on a stained glass floor, revealing a mighty wizard in a blue robe, inspiring many people towards something. A voice most interested asked. "Does your heart want to change that fate? So that many would prosper?"

Emerging from the darkness was a long, fiend of many flaming maws, accompanying it were two shivering, giggling mass of tendrils, limbs and a maw that muttered. The flamer aimed its limbs to reveal more flaming maws, they shoot fire at the hero as the giggling duo fired fire balls. The hero rolled out of the way and focused on the flamer. Slashing it back into the void as the gibbering fiends back flipped and danced as one, the hero dashed towards them and struck as hard as he can. The fiends were cut into two and split, the mist landed to their sides, two on the hero's left and two on the heroes right. They formed into four less than jolly fiends that tried to charge at the hero, they were quickly struck down and the mist making up their blacken bodies, burned into tiny flames. They snickered out of spite and tried to charge, the hero aimed his keyblade at the sky and called down lighting to strike the flames away. Glass imagery distorted to the wizard retreating into his sanctum, a facade of inspiration became a frown of dubious intent a symbol of a blue flame with an orb at the base shined. "Is such a change worth the sacrifice?"

The hero tried to answer and the image distorted, seeming like it was back to the center, only for the symbols from before to surround him, the stained glass floor changed to a symbol most disturbing. An eight pointed star, surrounded by a sea of destruction, of chaos. From the darkness, something approached, a figure that expunged the dream and invited nightmares, a humanoid giant with large bat like wings, the wings were adorned in chains that held skulls. The giant revealed horns on his head, a reptilian tail and marking the giants chest was a symbol of an eight pointed star. The hero backed away as the giant demon glared down upon him, the demon aimed his right hand towards him, forming in the palm was a sword masked in shadows. The demon hissed and the voices spoke as one. "The light blinds you from the true answer! The light blinds you from your path! Only in the darkness, will you find the only true answer."

The demon readied for battle, the hero mustered his courage and tried to approach, the daemon vanished in darkness and in the speed of shadows, was in front of the hero. He swung his sword of shadows, the hero rolled out of the way, he tried to strike and the demon dodged, he snarled and delighted. "Are you afraid of the answer? Look around you."

Visions of tormented faces danced in the darkness, maddening howls rang in the heroes ears, the peaceful void had distorted into a realm of chaos. The hero tried to block the imagery out and focused on the foe, his sword shined like light and he swung at the demons abdomen, causing it to sizzle and for him to howl. The demon took flight and circled around the hero, he crashed down and knocked the hero off his feet. He growled in anger. "Chaos! Chaos, is the only true answer!" He swung his blade at the fallen hero, ready for the finishing blow.

Then the hero felt a built up fury and his body was ensnared by a darkness, tendrils erupted and parried the blade. His sword faded and he pounced on the demon with his bare hands, as if they were claws, the daemon was knocked back and he looked down at a feral beast with sadistic pride. "With a key close to the heart, the way to Chaos will open! Chaos, will consume all!" The feral hero charged and the demon clawed into him with malefic talons, like he was but a gnat. The hero fell off the platform and into the darkness, with only a malicious laughter filling the silence.

Thud! The hero fell on something like sand, he awaken to find himself on an tropical island with some wooden houses built on the trees, wooden bridges and the sort. He noticed he fell off a tree he was napping on and felt the imagery of the dream most haunting. He got up and approached the shore to try and drown out the nightmare, looking upon the water to find a reflection with in, a brown spiky haired teenage boy wearing mostly black clothes, his jacket was primarily black, his undershirt was blue and red, his pants were black with yellow belt like highlights and he was wearing oversized black shoes that had yellow highlights. His blue eyes complimented the shore, until they shined under a rising yellow sun. The image was most pleasant, yet the nightmare most vivid still burned into the heroes mind. "...This is what some of those voices were talking about... but-"

A feminine and masculine voice shouted in unison and gave the boy a sense of deja vu. "Sora!"

The boy turned around to find a friendly duo, a silver haired boy matching the one in the dream and a red head girl, also matching. The former had light green eyes while the later had dark blue. Sora felt his spine shiver for a moment as he forced the memories of the dream back, he saw the boy with a letter and asked. "I'm fine, I just dreamed of something... odd. Riku, when are we going to get going to see what King Mickey had found out?"

Riku nearly chuckled, unaware of what the dream was about. "When those two buddies of yours get here. Just when we finally got home, we have another adventure to take us."

The girl raised an eyebrow and looked at Sora suspiciously. "After where you and Riku had been, I thought we would finally settle down. What was the dream about?"

Sora scratched the back of his head and tried to answer. "It's...it's confusing. Kairi, did you and Riku also have something familiar?"

The girl wanted to give Sora a scolding and answered with her hands at her hips. "No, we were busy getting ready for our trip while you were sleeping in. Had a nightmare?"

Sora nodded. "That was the point... maybe... maybe all these travels gotten to me."

Riku and Kairi listened, gasped, looked at each other with a hint of guilt, what ever nightmare their friend had must have been one to disturbed him greatly. Kairi relaxed her arms and approached to give her friend a small hug. "What ever it was, it was just a dream."

She let go and asked. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Sora tried to think of the words to describe the event. "Maybe, it was about some strange voices that... acted like they knew what I-" He saw something shining in the sky, falling down towards a small island attached by a wooden bridge to the south east. It looked like a shooting star, yet it was falling towards something on the islands, nay, on the small island. "Wha-" CRASH!

Riku and Kairi turned around to hear the noise, something landed on the small island and formed a crater, that something tried to climb out, revealing an odd, mechanical, crab like leg. It was struggling, yet Riku sensed an odd aura, one that was not friendly. Emerging from the shadows were small insect like creatures, giving the trio a sense of familiar foes. Sora shouted without hesitation and readied himself, forming in his hands was a key like blade. "Heartless!"

Riku agreed that the invaders were a problem and formed his own, it resembled a blade that looked like a demonic wing, yet it had angelic highlights. Kairi readied herself and from her hands, formed a flowery, key like sword that had a star shaped plant at the hilt. "Did that thing... brought those things here?!"

The boys guessed it might as they and Kairi made quick work of the half a dozen shadows, more formed in double that amount, yet they seemed to be ignoring them and were crawling towards the machine crawling out of the crater. Revealing an upper, mechanical torso that had obvious weapons for arms. On its right was a set of long guns, on its left was a flail like weapon. On the chest was a large canon that resembled a demonic face sticking a tongue out. The trio of teenagers were taken aback and watched the heartless swarm around the machine's torso, pouncing on it and clawing, they looked closer on the top of the torso to see a battered helmet like head looking at the many around it, it gave out a roar, spun around and flung the heartless back. It crawled more out of the crater to reveal four crab like legs supporting its lower half, that carried a platform of weapons, the lower half looking more like an engine, at the front of the machine were giant mechanical claws. All of it complimented by dark red armor that had silver highlights. The machine barreled at the squirming shadows and pounced on them, tearing them apart in a violent manner as a half a dozen pack of heartless instinctively charge at it again, the upper half spun backwards and shot from its central canon, a motor shot that made impact and obliterated five of them.

The machine aimed its gun at the teenagers and fired, the trio dodged with a roll. Riku stood steady, readied his blade and asked his friends. "This thing won't stop until it destroys everything. Anyone object against taking it down?"

Sora tensed up and agreed. "I don't."

Kairi felt her heart beating as she watched the machine swat a lone heartless with its flail. "We need to get this thing out of here. Let's do it!"

Riku made a quick dash towards the machine and slashed at its head, cutting several wires and causing the head to shake loose, Sora dashed close and shot a fire ball at the upper torso's back, he slide underneath to take some slashes at the underbelly as Kairi circled around and jumped on the engine like back while the upper front was facing another direction, she found something chained and keeping something sealed. She felt a presence with in and struck at it, causing the machine to spin once more and aimed its gun at her. She jumped off and watched a motor shell fire into the water, it let loose an explosion most intimidating. Riku dashed at the gun like limb and slashed, cutting it loose by a tether as the crab like legs scuttled towards the bridge and position itself to face Sora, claws ready to strike. The boy jumped back and watched the machine pound at the ground, the loose gun's wires reattached itself like how a wound heals, he cringed and shouted. "This thing is regenerating?!"

Riku fired a bolt of energy at the machines flail and realized what was happening. "Looks like it, is there anything else to hit? It looks heavily armored besides those weak points."

Kairi gasped, found a coconut and tossed it at the machine, distracting it towards a large tree. "It can't hit the broadside of a barn!"

She stuck her tongue at the machine, sending it into a fury, it charged at her with an intent to kill. She slid past the massive claws that readied to strike and past the mechanical legs, dashing back to her friends as the machine had a tree fall on it, its rage was blinding. The girl felt she had moments to spare and told the boys what she saw. "It might be, but I saw something chained into this thing. You see it in its engine?"

Riku and Sora looked, finding it as is, Sora asked. "Do you think that is what is powering the whole thing?" Riku rolled his eyes and answered. "It's an engine, we wreck that and the whole thing is junk."

He felt something concerning as the machine finished turning the tree into splinters and turned its upper torso. "But... something doesn't feel right about what is in that. Be careful!"

Kairi and Sora understood as they dashed to opposite sides, Riku saw the engine aim its cannon at him, leaped high and pounced on the machines head. Causing it to howl and ready its flail as Sora jumped on the machines back and see the chained engine with a central key, locking the engine in. Kairi cheered on as the boy aimed his sword and caused a beam of light to form. PEW! It shot at the keyhole and caused it to click. The machine stopped, like it noticed what was done, to thew trios surprise, it gave a made laughter.

The engine loosened and exposed odd, twisting pink energy. Sora and Riku felt something of pure evil breaking free and jumped off, reaching to Kairi as she watch the engine shake and stir. She felt something eating away at her and telling her to run, the boys felt it as well, Riku asked. "That might have been a bad idea."

Sora and Kairi agreed as the engine opened, the machine fell to the ground still and the energy floated out, with in the energy was a flaming mass of limbs that were complimented by a maw. It giggled and snickered as one of its hands formed fire, a sinister voice laughed. "Thank you for releasing me mortals. Now burn in the fires of Change!" The fiend formed a bolt of energy and fired at them. The trio charged to dodge, with the bolt landing right behind them and knocking Riku and Kairi off their feet. Sora barely held as he jumped and slashed at the fiend, causing it to split into two that glowed blue.

The voices from the flames complained, the one on the left sighed. "Aw!"

The one of the right agreed. "We just got freed!"

Sora was surrounded and the blue horrors charged, slashing at him with fiery claws and angering a defensive Riku, who got on his feet and dashed to slice the horror on the right, causing it to smoulder into smaller flames and giving Sora the chance to strike the horror on the left. The tiny flames danced and had feelings of spite as Kairi ran, sunk her sword into the sand and tossed it at the flames, extinguishing them from existence and slightly impressing the boys with the improvisation. The trio gave a smile to each other and focused on the wreckage that was a death machine, Sora asked. "What do you think this was?"

Riku shrugged in his answer. "What ever it was, its junk now... but I don't think this came out of coincidence."

Kairi agreed, closed her eyes and took a deep breath, she opened them and saw two figures stopping at the destroyed bridge. "And what was in that thing was... aware. We need to figure out what is going on."

Sora agreed and saw the distant figures, one on the left was a black dog person in yellow pants, a green shirt, black vest and a yellow hat, waving a jolly hello. By the right was a white duck person wearing a blue vest with pockets and a blue hat, looking at the destruction and questioning what happened.

The boy forgot about his worries and cheered at them. "Goofy, Donald! Hey!"

He looked around and saw support pillars still passable, he jumped from each one to the other side, with Riku trying not to laugh and following, Kairi timing herself and slowly following herself. Sora gave the two visitors a warm welcome, the dog person chuckled. "Hi yuck! It sure had been a long week without ya Sora! What's happening?"

The duck growled and answered his friend. "Trouble Goofy, nothing but trouble."

He wagged his finger at Sora and asked. "What have you done this time without us warning you?"

Riku answered in his friends defense. "Nothing out of the ordinary Donald, but that... thing you are seeing on that island fell out of the sky, drew in a swarm of heartless and would have gone on a rampage if we didn't stop it. Sora is clean this time."

Sora wasn't amused and protested. "Come on, I don't mess up that badly!"

Kairi landed and over heard as she answered the two visitors. "It also had something in it... that must have been what those heartless were after. It wasn't a heart... but it was definitely something evil."

Donald felt something jump off his shoulder, a tiny cricket person in a suit and top hat landed on the sand, saw the machine and scratched his head. "It didn't have a heart yet it was dark enough to do that? Well that explains the bridge."

The group agreed and Donald took out a wand to cast a freezing spell, making a bridge of ice as Goofy picked the cricket up. "I guess you want to see it closer before we get going Jiminy?"

Donald agreed as Jiminy theorized. "I guess. Donald, do you mind telling them what his Majesty found out, while I get a look?"

The duck didn't and let the two walk off, carefully sliding across, he told the three humans what was occurring. "His Majesty was being bothered by something, even after things have been over. He and Yen Sid talked about something and he needed you three to know about... it."

Riku asked the duck. "And Mickey didn't tell you or Goofy much?"

Donald shook his head and was concerned about something. "We saw some pretty strange things on our way here, some were comets that flew by other worlds... but this one wasn't a comet." Sora sighed and guessed. "If they are anything like that... thing, then we need to tell him about it." Kairi swallowed and looked at the wreckage of an island once more, what kind of havoc is occurring in the worlds.

In a mysterious tower floating with in a cosmic space.

A mouse person wearing red pants and a black vest finished talking with an old wizard in a blue robe and a pointed hat that had a symbol of a golden moon and star. "If his heartless was trying to get to Kingdom Hearts and his Nobody tried the exact same... then if the two were destroyed in that order. Would that mean he would come back again and try it all over again?"

The wizard hummed and had a vision most dreadful. "He would, Xehanort is most ambitious. What his plans would be, we do not know for certain, but this is something we must inform those three children about. I fear the peace among the worlds would not last, Mickey."

The mouse agreed to that and frowned with guilt. "After all they been through, they should just go back to normal lives... but... fate isn't going to let them do it just yet."

The wizard agreed with a hint of disappointment. "Our issues should not be theirs, yet Sora and Riku had been to that realm and returned. That is a clue to our other problem."

Mickey nodded and saw something arrive from outside. "And they told us they found no one else. When I last saw her... the worlds trapped in the darkness were freed... but what happened to-" Knock, knock!

A distant knock was heard, the wizard pressed his hands together and had much on his mind. "While defeating Xehenort's Heartless and his Nobody are outstanding feats, Sora would still be considered a novice. Riku has much to learn as well... and then there is Kairi who only recently obtained a Keyblade. We should address all of this and prepare them."

The door opened and a mass group of Sora, Riku, Kairi, Goofy, Donald and Jiminy, entered. Donald and Goofy addressed Mickey. "We are back your majesty."

The cricket jumped off Goofy and had a journal out, the wizard saw the groups expressions and sensed what occurred as Mickey thanked them. "Thanks guys." He noticed himself and asked. "What happened?"

The cricket jumped on the table with the large journal and placed it down as he answered. "Something pretty strange, Sora, Riku and Kairi fought something before we arrived. Do you know what this is?"

He placed the journal down and flipped pages and images around, leading to a particular drawing of a wrecked, crab like monstrosity. Mickey and the wizard saw the image and were puzzled, the wizard addressed what he saw. "It looks like... a machine built for war."

Riku agreed to that as his arms were folded. "It's a bit more than that Yen Sid, this thing had something in it and we think that something was why a swarm of Heartless came after it... what we do know is that machine and this thing... trapped with in, are pure evil."

Kairi was uncertain and asked. "But we don't know anything more than that, you... really don't know more about them?"

Yen Sid wished he did as Jiminy explained the rest. "And we think more like this are out in the worlds. I... think the only reason Sora and the others won was because they had a keyblade that would have undid the engines seal, otherwise it was just going to shrug off their attacks."

He shivered as Mickey looked at the imagery of the machines weapons and believed it. "And if it managed to connect..." He shook his head and changed the subject. "So now that is why you all are worried about the worlds being able to fight more like it? I don't think that can wait."

The group agreed to that as Sora asked. "That means we got to wait until we get back for you to tell us the other thing?"

Mickey and Yen Sid figured it did, the lord of the tower promised them. "What we had to speak of is also an emergency, but in comparison, this is the most urgent of the two. In the mean time... we should study about this. Jiminy, what more do you know?"

The cricket flipped a page to an image of pink fire, along with two blue patch of fire and four patches of flame. "This is all they told me about, but its the thing that was in the machine. Sora... told us something interesting about them on the way here."

The boy nearly forgot about his dream and answered. "I... think I saw something like it in a dream. Some... thing of darkness that knows magic and splits into more if I attack them. Those two don't use magic... but when I beat them, they become smaller."

He turned towards Riku and Kairi, who were puzzled by the dreams description, the girl asked. "So where first?"

Goofy had one idea of where to go as their first destination. "What about Radiant Garden? It's the closest by that we saw a comet fly towards."

Riku and Kairi looked at Sora, Donald and Goofy, they were told that was what became a dreadful place called Hollow Bastion, a place they been to before. Riku nervously asked. "We... might have the better luck if we go there first. Are we all ready?"