Author's Note: This is the list of special cards, summons, and sleights Philia has:
-Alexander
-Stop
-Gravity
-Megaelixir
Summons:
-Dumbo
-Tinker Bell
-Bambi
Sleights
Philia:
-Gifted Miracle (Bambi + Blizzard + Item Card)
-Ice Breath (Blizzard + Dumbo + Magic Card)
-Idyll Romp (Bambi + 2 Attack Cards)
-Shadowbreaker (Gravity + Tinker Bell + Magic Card)
-Blizzard Cross
-Reflect Accel
-Fire Cross
-Thunder Cross
-Armor Pierce
-Dagger Throw
-Cross Edge
-Round Accel
-Fad Edge
-Shadow Stitch
-Rising Sun (Aero + 2 Attack Card)
-Light Volley (Tinker Bell + Ether + Attack Card)
-Accel Raid
-Eternal Cyclone
-Tempest (Attack card + Aero + different type Attack card)
-Warp (Stop + 2 Aero)
-Bind (Gravity + Stop + Magic Card)
-Synchro (Cure + Gravity + Aero)
-Aqua Splash (Blizzard + Fire + Aero)
-Homing Blizzara (Aero + Blizzard + Magic Card)
-Teleport (Time + Aero + Item Card)
-Magnet Spiral (2 Gravity + Attack Card)
-Confuse (Genie + Tinker Bell + Summon Card) (?)
-Firaga Burst (2 Fire + Gravity)
-Freeze (2 Blizzard + Stop)
-Warpinator (Time + Gravity + Aero)
-Triangle Magic (Blizzard + Fire + Thunder)
-Raging Storm (Aero + 2 Fire)
-Soul Burst: Sora (Tinker Bell + Elixir/Mega Potion + Summon Card)
(Effect: Reloads all Attack cards, switches to Keyblade Attack cards. Allows Philia to use Sora's sleights until reload deck.)
During Soul Burst: Sora
-Blizzard Raid
-Reflect Raid
-Fire Raid
-Thunder Raid
-Strike Raid
-Sliding Dash
-Stun Impact
-Blitz
-Zantetsuken
-Sonic Blade
-Lethal Frame
-Tornado (Aero + Gravity + Summon Card)
-Ars Arcanum
-Judgement (Aero + 2 Attack Cards)
-Holy (Mega-Ether + Megaelixir + Item Card)
-Ragnarok
Abilities:
-High Jump
-Superglide
(Philia Speaking) Have you ever wished someone would forget you? If so, why? Was it a difficult relationship you don't want to continue? Did you commit a sin that you didn't want anyone to know? Did you feel you were better off forgotten by everyone, belittling your existence? Or was it for a reason that was too complex to explain in one sentence? How would feel once you knew the people you had a bond with would end up forgetting you existed? Well, this is how I'm going to learn...
Last time, we finally reached the final floor of Castle Oblivion, where we made a vow that no matter what happens to any of us, we would be friends. We fought together against all sorts of enemies, including Axel and Dark Philia together, and even saved Naminé once again from Marluxia when he threatened her to erase Sora's memories entirely. Well, I would say we did, but it was the Riku clone that saved her, remembering the promise to protect her. This left the rest of us taking on Marluxia.
We defeated him once, but he was only an illusion. We found his real self, who had merged with a monster to be even more dangerous than before, and we fought him again... and again, when he had a final form to face us in. However, none of these forms was gonna stop us from completely destroying him, and we did just that. Finally, we defeated Marluxia, and freed Naminé from his control.
Now the question is...what next?
(Insert 'Resister' by ASCA, TV version.)
Pride that shines within strong, unwilling emotions
Resist destiny!
(Sora and Philia stand at the crossroads in the middle of a grassy plains at night, facing opposite directions, with Philia expression that of sadness. Then the wind draws their attention, and they shielded their faces, only to open their eyes to see Castle Oblivion before them, with Donald and Goofy by their sides. The scene blurs out as the title of the series appears.)
In a place your voice doesn't reach
Is a twisted rule that no one taught me
(On a clear surface in a black environment, Sora stood there, the silhouettes of Donald, Goofy and Jiminy, then switched out for Riku and Mickey, then Kairi with her back turned. She turns around, and her appearance changes to Naminé. He closes his eyes, and falls backwards.)
When you were young, you had dreams you wished for with all your heart
The journey to find where they are has only just begun
(Sora transforms into Philia as she splashes through the surface, her eyes half-closed as pictures of their previous adventure scatter the area about her, mostly those of her and Sora together. She becomes wide awake, and struggles to swim back up to the surface, only for her leg to be grabbed by a hand. She looked down to see PHox, his grin hidden in the hood as he looked at her.)
I no longer need the time I mourned.
So break the wall of limitation, right now!
(In a white room, Naminé sat there with a somber expression, drawing pictures in a book. She looked up, and the scene shifts to one of the large doors within Castle Oblivion opening to let Sora, Philia and their friends through.)
Pride that shines within strong, unwilling emotions
(The pair were working together as they took out Heartless that got in their way as they charged through the castle hallways with their weapon, before pulling out cards that shined, allowing them to perform magic and Dagger Skills.)
Recollections that never change, no matter what pain we experience.
(At a closed door, silhouettes of Axel unleashing his blazing chakrams, to Larxene throwing her electrified daggers, to Vexen and his shield in front of him as he unleashed a pillar of ice, to Marluxia as he swiped his scythe, unleashing a scattering of flower petals.)
Embracing the vow I found as I broadened my sight
(Sora ends up fighting against Dark Riku as they clashed with one another, both determined to save Naminé, before pushing off of one another, skidding to a halt.)
Because this road I chose with unclouded eyes will connect me to you
(Sora, covered in injuries, glares at Riku, before he heard something, and turned around to see PHox standing there, his blood red cutting knife raised, as a screaming Philia was consumed in a cocoon of darkness, before revealing herself once more, in a similar attire to Dark Riku's, only blue instead of purple, and her eyes flashed deadly at Sora.)
Let your voice echo, resist destiny!
(Sora was shocked at Philia's change, but saw Donald and Goofy come to his side, assuring him to save her, and they charged forward to Dark Philia, Sora's hand raised out to her, though the scene shifts to regular Philia falling backwards into darkness.)
Proud of Myself. Aaah~
(Scene warps about, from Sora standing on the beach with Kairi, who is swapped with Naminé, to Philia clutching her heart, while the logo of the Laughing Coffin was behind her, then crying out in desperation to know what is the truth, to Riku rising up to reach out to the light, to the light showing a silhouette of King Mickey, to the shadow of DiZ in a dark room, finishing Naminé closing the drawing book, placing it on a small white table before her, showing a crude picture of Philia and Sora standing together, their hands held as they stared up at Castle Oblivion. Naminé's shadow over the book moves aside as she walks away, ending the scene)
White Room
Sora, Philia, Donald and Goofy raced out of the room they were just in, the entire place shaking from the amount of energy exuded from Marluxia's defeat. Donald, Goofy, and Philia went to the set of double doors, and pushed them to close the door to the room shut. Then, Sora used his Keyblade, and shot a beam at the door, locking it up as a keyhole formed on it. Then, with a burst of light, the group shielded their eyes, only to see the light vanish, and with it, the door. It was completely gone.
"It's over..." Philia sighed in relief.
Sora turned back to the pair that was watching them from the outside and asked, "You okay, Riku?"
"Not Riku. I'm a fake." he corrected him, "I can't remember why I was created or where or when... All that's inside of me... is time with you and Naminé. But I know those memories are not real." The heroes couldn't help but feel a little guilty for the fake Riku's predicament.
Goofy looked to the blonde girl and asked, "Gee, Naminé, can't you use your magic to put Riku's memory back to normal?"
"Well, I-." Naminé hesitantly answered, not sure how to answer, considering WHAT Riku was.
"It's all right. I'll deal." the Riku replica answered, turning around and walking away from them.
"Wait!" Sora called, making him stop, "Who cares if someone created you? You are you and nobody else. You have your own heart inside you. Those feelings and memories are yours and yours alone. They're special!"
Riku paused, thinking on his words, before turning and replying, "Sora, you're a good guy. I don't have to be real to see how real your feelings are. You and Philia's."
The treasure huntress was taken aback at him calling her out, before he continued, "Listen...sorry for trying to keep you away from Sora. It was just the memories that was given to me..."
Philia looked to Naminé, who looked very guilty as she was the one who added those memories into him. She closed her eyes, thinking it through, before smiling as she replied, "You were just given those thanks to a fleet of jealousy. We're good."
Riku looked surprised, before closing his eyes and smirking, responding, "That's good enough." With that, he walked away, going down the hallway where everyone came in before. Sora called out for him, but he didn't stop. He continued to walk until he disappeared from sight.
"Riku..." Sora muttered as Philia looked to him.
"He has his own path he has to figure out." she told him, "Let him go, Sora." Sora looked sad, but understood.
"Can you put our memories back?" Donald asked Naminé.
"Yes. Not remembering something doesn't really mean that it's gone." Namine explained.
"What d'ya mean?" Goofy asked.
"When you remember one thing, that leads to remembering another, and then another and then another." Naminé explained, "Our memories are connected. Many pieces are linked together like they're in a chain that make up each of us. I don't actually erase any memories; just take apart the links and rearrange them. You still have all your memories."
"Then...what about me?" Philia asked, stepping forward, "If my memories are still within me, the ones that I lost before meeting Sora, is it possible to get them restored again, like you would with the guys?"
Naminé paused for a moment, before answering, "Yours are a bit more complex than Sora and the others. I hadn't altered your memories, nor could I. But... let me think a bit longer, okay?"
"Sure, okay..." Philia answered, looking a bit sad at this answer, but understood.
"So can you put 'em back together?" Jiminy asked, hopping out of Sora's clothes.
"Yes, but first, I have to undo the chains of the memories I made on my own." Naminé explained, "After I've done that, I have to gather up the memories scattered across each of your hearts and then reconnect them. It might take some time. But I think it might work... No, it will work. I'm sure. It's my turn to look after you."
Sora smiled as he answered, "All right. We all really trust you."
Suddenly, Jiminy gasped, "Oh...wait a second! You said you'd have to undo the links of the memories you made. But that means-."
Naminé looked sad once again as she answered, "Yes. You won't be able to remember anything about what happened here."
"Not even you?" Sora asked, already knowing the answer.
"Sora, she wasn't part of your memories to begin with." Philia reminded him, "So in order to restore your memories to normal, all abnormal memories must be removed, including Naminé's."
Sora looked from Philia to her fake childhood friend, who said, "I'm sorry. It's the only way, I'm afraid." She turned and took a few steps away, before continuing, "Sora, you have a choice. You can lose your memories of this castle and reclaim your old ones...or you can keep your memories here and give up the memories that you've lost."
"Do I have...to choose?" Sora asked, feeling pressured by this.
"Yes." she replied.
Sora looked down, thinking, while his friends looked to him, waiting for his decision. Sora had a rough choice. If he kept the memories of here, including Naminé, he would give up the memories of the past, including his memories of the mysterious girl that was important to her, just like Philia. However, if he did remember his past, he would gain the memories of the ones Philia knew, including the girl, Riku, and all others he had made connections with before...but at the cost of Naminé.
He already knew the answer. What was the better choice. But he also knew one thing; Philia would still remember for them, even if they forgot. As long as she remembered what happened here, everything would be okay.
"Make me like I was." Sora told Naminé.
Based on her reaction, she knew that was what he would choose. She gathered herself as she turned and smiled, saying, "Oh, okay. Nobody wants to keep a bunch of memories that aren't real, right? You want to remember all of the people who are really important to you. Anybody would choose that."
There was a moment of silence, as Sora curled his fist. He knew what he was doing was right, but it still hurt to say goodbye to Naminé because of it. However, this was the right choice. He had to do this. Philia, meanwhile, looked sympathetic towards Naminé, while also thinking about something else. Mainly the fact that Sora and the boys would forget all that happened, but not her. She would remember everything. And that... was really tough on her.
Some time later, going through the castle, Naminé explained the procedure on restoring the boys memory. Basically, they had to fall asleep inside machines, while Naminé went in and restored their memories. When the process was complete, they would be woken up again.
They ended up in a room that was open, white, and spherical, with machinery on the ceiling, and a large piece in the center that looked like an open lily flower, with a capsule in the center with glowing neon grooves within.
"To remember again, we have to sleep in that?" Donald asked.
"Yes. It's going to take a little time, but I'll take care of you." Naminé explained.
"Gawrsh, when we wake up, we won't remember who you are anymore..." Goofy pointed out.
"But how are we gonna thank you?" Donald asked.
"Don't worry." Sora assured them, looking to Philia, "Since Philia doesn't need her memories changed, she can remember for us, and then, we can thank her." Philia looked to Sora, realizing that, once again, he was relying on her, but she didn't seem to pleased by this.
Naminé walked over to her, before saying, "Philia, while we came this way, I have thought of a solution on how to restore your memories again." The treasure huntress looked surprised at this, while Naminé continued, "However...because of how special your heart it, there will be a cost... In order to remember who you once were... You would have to forget everything from the time you awoke with none."
The new startled everyone, especially Philia. "She'll forget everything?!" Donald questioned.
"No way! I don't want her to do that!" Sora exclaimed.
"Why would she need to?!" Goofy asked, "Does that mean her memories before were fakes like the ones Sora has?"
"No. But...it's very complicated to explain." Naminé answered, "Her memories of her past are completely disconnected from her current memories. In order create a bridge back to her memories, it would have to be built by the ones she has now. But, once she is brought back to them, the bridge will collapse, and with it, all the memories she had with all of you." She looked to Philia, who went into deep thought, thinking about this as she asked, "So, would you like me to do that for you?"
Philia paused for a moment, thinking. She then muttered, "This means my memories are not with me, but somewhere else?" She looked up and with a serious look, she answered, "If that's the case, I can still go search for my memories, and keep the ones I have." Sora looked happy to hear this, as did the other boys.
"However..." Philia continued, "I do have one request, Naminé."
"What is it?" she asked.
Philia took a deep breath, closing her eyes, knowing this was gonna take all her willpower to make such a request. It was painful, but she felt like she had to do it. She opened up her eyes again, and said, "When you restore Sora's memories once again…. Do me a favor…and make them forget me."
The request startled Naminé, as did the other boys. The four guys made cries of bewilderment, before Sora demanded, "Make us forget you?! Why would you wanna do that?!"
"Was it something we said that we forgot about?" Goofy asked, "If so, we're sorry."
"No, it's not that…well, okay, that's half true." Philia answered, "I just feel like we need to part ways. And I don't want you guys to go look for me."
"But I don't want to-." Sora started, until Philia barked, "Would you listen to me for a second?!" Sora stopped, wondering what she was gonna say. Philia's mind flashed back to the very beginning of their difficult journey in this castle.
"Throughout our time here in Castle Oblivion, we dealt with one painful thing after another. I watched as my friends slowly forgotten about everything we've been through, all the friends we met. Do you realized how painful that was? Meanwhile, the Organization was trying to make me believe I was a murderer in my past life, and tormented me in so many ways. Then, you started to change, Sora, and we ended up at odds with one another, even fighting each other, verbally and physically. Our bonds started to break apart in this place, and the Organization nearly took advantage of that. Had it not been for Naminé, we would've been puppets in the hands of the Organization, doing their every whim. We were lucky to actually stop them for good."
Philia took a moment's pause, placing a hand over her heart. "This whole experienced showed how weak my heart was. How I almost gave into what they wanted me to be. How I wasn't strong enough to stop everyone from losing so much. I cannot forgive myself for what I could've done, and couldn't do. And those memories…will stay in my heart. You guys won't remember, but I will. And even if you guys wake up, back to normal, like it never happened, my heart will still remember. And so long as I don't have the memories of who I truly was before, we could still be tricked and deceived. I don't want something like this to happen ever again!"
She grew more and more louder with her words, before she calmed herself down again, looking at the group, "So I have to go find my memories, on my own. But if you guys wake up, you will wonder where I have gone. And I know you guys well enough. That's why I want you to forget about me, completely. You have your own journey to go on, so let me go on mine. It started when I first met you, Sora. Each memory we had together formed a cobblestone, creating a path of memories for me to walk on. They led me to who I am now. So now, I have to make my own path forward, back to the path of my old memories."
She finished her speech, looking to her friends. Donald and Goofy looked very saddened by this, while Sora looked like he was struggling to find an excuse to what she said. However, he couldn't find anything. What he was looking at was a broken girl who is only trying to repair herself, and not get anyone else involved. And the hard part was…she was making a good point.
"Philia, I'm sorry." Naminé apologized, "I fear that what you had been through…is mostly my fault. So, to make up for it, I can do as you want."
"N-No!" Sora replied, looking between the two girls, "Philia, I know I've said some things I shouldn't, and I know I should've listened to you more often than not. But making us forget… Do you not want us to be friends anymore? Do you really want things to completely end?"
"Of course not!" She answered, "Sora, you, Donald, Goofy, Jiminy, are all my dearest friends to me. My journey started because of you guys. I cannot and will not give up on our friendship. But this is something I want to do…no, it has to be done, for both you guys and me. I cannot let our friendship be damaged like this. So, if we ever meet again, after I regain my memories. We can start fresh." Sora saw from her bodily expressions, that she was struggling so hard to not change her mind. She wanted this, but it was hard to take back.
"Philia, I have an idea." Naminé suggested, "Instead of making Sora forget entirely, I can put the memories of you to sleep. He will forget, but the memories aren't gone. When you are ready to be with him again, you can reawaken his memories once more."
"You can do that?" Philia asked her.
"Yes. I believe it's better this way." She replied, "Also, this is a fair warning, but if Sora forgets you, anyone connected to you and Sora will also forget you."
"What d'ya mean?" Goofy asked.
"Meaning people from Traverse Town and beyond will also have their memories put to sleep…" Philia understood, "Everyone in our adventure will also forget." She closed her eyes, thinking on this consequence, before nodding as she said, "Okay. I understand. I'll start from scratch. Naminé, please go for it." The blonde girl nodded in understanding.
"But NOW how will we be able to say thank you once our memories are back to normal again?" Donald asked Naminé.
"Don't worry about that!" Jiminy assured them, pulling up his journal, "I'll just make a big note in my journal. And it will say, 'Thank Naminé'." Sora grinned at the plan.
"Oh, good. That makes me feel better." Donald sighed in relief.
Donald and Goofy came over to Philia, the latter saying, "Well, I guess this is farewell, for now."
"Yeah…" Philia answered, smiling at the two.
"You take care of yourself." Donald told Philia, raising a hand to her. She looked down at him, before kneeling down, and giving him a gentle hug. Donald seemed surprised, before embracing her, as well.
"Promise me you won't get into any more arguments with Sora, okay?" she asked.
"I'll try. But you know how difficult that can be." Donald answered.
She stood up and turned to Goofy, before they gave each other a hug. "I'm sure gonna miss ya." Goofy told her.
"Me too, Goofy. Keep everyone protected and straight on the path." she replied.
They released one another, before Philia turned to look at Jiminy on Sora's shoulder. She raised a hand, and he hopped right onto it. "Jiminy, no writing anything about me to remind you, okay?" she requested, "It defeats the whole purpose."
"Don't worry. I'll only start writing about you when we reunite." Jiminy told her, "Now make you you let your own conscience be your guide." Philia nodded in answer to this as he hopped on her shoulder.
Finally, she looked to Sora, who gave her a warm smile, before saying, "Don't worry, Philia. Once you know who you are again, I try to remember you afterwards! That way, we can be back to being friends again. Nothing will ever break that."
Philia smiled back him, saying, "Well, I would like to think of us more than that at some point…" Sora looked confused, before Philia shook her head and added, "Never mind. When you do remember me again, I promise to grant you one wish. Any wish that is within my power."
"Really?" Sora asked, a bit excited, "In that case, I already know what it is! I want-." Philia placed a hand to his lips, stopping him.
"I don't want to be spoiled with that treasure of a wish, Sora." She told him. "Although, in the meantime, there is one thing I want before we part ways."
"Um, what?" Sora asked as she drew closer to him. Then suddenly, she quickly spun to his side, and with a blush and no hesitation, she kissed him on the cheek. Time seem to slow down between the two of them, before Philia parted her lips from Sora's face.
He patted the spot where she planted her lips on, blushing heavily as he looked to her, who smiled and blushed. It was the heat of the moment, and she just had to do it. Jiminy hid his face with his top hat, blushing at the romantic moment. Donald and Goofy looked to each other, before they blushed and giggled at the sight of Sora's face. Naminé couldn't help but look at the moment with a smile at how sweet it is, though a bit of her jealousy formed for a second, before she diminished it.
"That girl who was just as important to you as I am…I hope she can take care of you until I come back to your heart." Philia told him.
Sora looked a bit flummoxed, but lowered his hand from his cheek, before wondering who was it that also felt the same way as Philia did.
"Well, I'm sure gonna have good dreams about that." Goofy stated, "Good night, then, Philia, Naminé."
"Good night, Goofy." Naminé answered, as the two walked away, going to their pods where they would fall asleep. Jiminy hopped back into Sora's clothes, leaving the three human characters alone. The blonde turned to Sora and said, "You too, Sora."
"Okay." He answered, before walking over to the machine he was gonna sleep in.
He had just reached the capsule part before Naminé started, "All of this may have started with a lie…but I really am glad that I could meet you, Sora. And…" she turned to the treasure huntress, adding, "…I am glad I have got to meet you, too, Philia."
"Yeah, me too." Sora answered, not turning back to her, "When I finally found you, and even when I remembered your name, I was happy." He turned to her as he finished, "The way I felt then… That was no lie."
"Naminé, I still can't completely forgive you for what you have done to us." Philia told her, "However… I kinda see why Sora was happy to see you again. Maybe, just like I will with Sora, we can start over again. And we can become friends, as well."
"I would like that." Naminé replied, smiling back at her. The two looked to Sora, before Naminé said, "Goodbye."
"No, not goodbye!" Sora corrected, "When I wake up, I'll find both of you. And then there will be no more lies. We're gonna be friends for real. Promise me, Naminé, Philia."
"You're going to forget making that promise." Naminé reminded.
"Sora's probably got an excuse for that." Philia argued.
"Yep. If the chain of memories comes apart, the links will still be there, right?" Sora reminded, "So the memory of our promises will always be inside me somewhere. I'm sure of it."
The two girls looked to one another, before Naminé answered, "Yeah, you're right. Okay, it's a promise."
"Yep. Hopefully, you can remember it again." Philia hoped.
"Good. Until later." Sora told them. Three approached each other again, and Sora raised his hand, sticking his pinky out. Naminé and Philia brought out their pinkies, and the three wrapped around one another, forming a three-way pinky swear. Sora stepped back, before hopping into the machine.
"A promise…huh…" she muttered.
"First time having a true one?" Philia asked her.
Naminé looked to her, nodding in response, before looking to Sora and saying, "Sora, some of your memories' links are deep in the shadows of your heart and I won't be able to find them. But don't worry…" The 'lily petals' of the capsule started to close up as Sora turned to hear Naminé continue, "You made another promise to someone who you could never replace. Both she and Philia are your lights. The lights within the darkness."
"She's right." Philia agreed, "Remember her as well, and all those memories you have in the shadows will come back to the light."
"Another promise…" Sora echoed.
"I remember the moment you made that promise. It's linked to that good luck charm." Philia explained.
"I changed it's shaped when I changed your memories." Naminé admitted, "But when you thought of her just once, it went back to the way it was." Sora dug out the lucky charm, taking a look at it. He closed his eyes and held it close as the capsule became completely enclosed. Then, there was total darkness.
In the darkness, Sora had his eyes closed, while Philia and Naminé's illusions watched him. Suddenly, faded memories of people from both his island and Traverse Town started to come back to him, little by little, followed by other characters from other worlds. Finally, He saw Riku standing there, followed by the girl he remembered before. It was at that moment when he finally remembered her name. "Kairi!" He called out, as the figure smiled and nodded, and the light within the darkness shined brightly, showing everyone in full view.
"My friends…" Sora muttered, before looking to one side, seeing Naminé float and start to fade away, "Naminé?"
"Don't worry. You might forget about me…" she held up her pinky finger as she finished, "but with our promise, I can come back."
"A promise is a promise." Sora answered.
"Yes. One day the light…it will be ours, and it will bring us together." Naminé answered, shedding a tear at this, "Til then, I'll be in your heart."
"As will I, Sora." Philia spoke up, who was not floating like, but standing there on the other of him, "I know this will not be the last time we meet. But for now, I am asking you to let my memories sleep until the time is right. I'll wake them for you again.
Sora smiled at her as he replied, "Okay. Just like we promised, as well."
Philia smiled at him, before saying, "Just like Kairi, I have to tell you this; I love you, Sora." Sora seemed surprised at this. "That feeling will never leave my heart." She continued, "And that is why it is painful to say farewell, for now." Tears started to fall down her face.
"Don't worry. After all, you'll only be forgotten, but not lost." Sora assured her. Philia nodded, before she turned around, and ran into the light, vanishing from sight.
Outside the capsule, Philia and Naminé stood together. looking at Sora, who had fallen deep asleep. They had paused for a moment, before Naminé heard water dripping to the floor, looking to Philia.
"I know this has to happen, in order for our bonds to survive." Philia sobbed, "But…there's nothing that can be done…about how much my heart hurts…" She fell to her knees, her hands grasped over her heart, as tears free-flowed down from her eyes. She then broke into a bawl, and cried her heart out, knowing what she lost was precious to her.
(Philia speaking) 'There was no other option. This had to be done. For despite the anguish of knowing my best friends in the world were going to forget about me, I was already a broken girl before this. The Organization, the castle, and Naminé. This place had completely damaged my heart. I couldn't continue the journey with them in this state. So for now, I will let loose my feelings, before it was time to move on…'
Some time later, Philia was standing outside the door going into the room where her friends slept. Her eyes were red, but she was finally able to get herself together again. Naminé stood right behind her, looking at her. She had watched over Philia as she cried, and even after watching them before, didn't realize how strong their bond was, nor how difficult it was for Philia to put it to rest for the time being.
Finally, Philia said, "Well, I guess I should get going. I can't waste more time in this castle."
"Before you leave, there's something I want you to do." Naminé asked her.
"Yeah? What is it?" Philia asked, looking back at her, "The Organization is gone, right?"
"For the most part, but there is someone else here that I want you to bring up to this place." she asked.
"For the most part? Is someone left?" Philia asked, "And who do you want me to bring up here?"
"…Riku." She answered, "The real Riku. He is here in this castle."
Philia fully turned herself around, startled at the news. "Wait, you mean the REAL Riku is in this castle, too?!"
"Yes. I felt him. He was rising up from floor to floor, battling with his darkness." Naminé explained, "Currently… I can tell he is in the illusion of Destiny Islands. I'll help him from here. Go meet up with him from there." She pointed to one of the crystal orbs nearby. From every floor, Philia had encountered these, which were ways of backtracking to previous floors. "I'll set it to the basement floor above the exit to that illusion world. Go down to meet him."
"Okay. I'll guide him up to here." Philia replied, going to the orb, "It might be awkward, considering he might not remember me anymore."
"No…" Naminé countered, "Since Riku is within this castle, and within special laws here, he will still remember you. Him, and the person with him."
"The person…with him?" Philia echoed, "I don't get it, but I'll go gather him up, and bring him here." She raced to the crystal orb, and placed her hand on it, mentally telling it to bring her to the exit to the illusion of Destiny Islands. With that, she warped away.
Seconds later, Philia found herself at the crystal orb on B2F. She looked to see the door ahead, before looking back to the stairs that led down to the lower floor, where Riku should be. She walked to the stairs, descending downward.
"It's been a long time since I saw the real Riku. I wonder…will he remember me, too?" She asked, thinking about the last time she saw him. Disregarding the question as to how he escaped the Realm of Darkness, she reached the bottom of the stairs, seeing the exit door, before coming to a halt.
"Should I go in to meet him?" She asked herself, taking a few steps forward, before stopping herself, as something occurred to her. "Wait a second… Naminé said that for the most part, the Organization is gone. However, I know that Axel wasn't completely defeated before. He might still be around. There's also…" She remembered her replica self, who ran away after her last fight with her and Sora. Did she ever meet Riku? If that's the case, would he mistaken her for the replica? And what if she encountered the fake Riku? What if there were other Organization members?
Suddenly, she stopped her thinking, and realized something. She placed a hand over her heart. "I'm growing very paranoid, right now." she noticed, "This whole ordeal really made me scared of what might happen..." She stood there, thinking to herself. In the end, she couldn't even move from where she stood. And she had no one to help her during this time.
Meanwhile, inside the illusion of Destiny Islands, in the dark storm floating platform, Riku was panting as he just felled the Darkside Heartless. He was exhausted, not just from dealing with the monster, but with his own darkness.
He was constantly trying to shun the darkness, hate it even, but it kept pursuing him. Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness, was tempting him, even as he traveled in this castle, even letting him use the darkness to fight. He had a replica of himself call him a coward for being afraid of what he could use. He had men in black coats attacking him, antagonizing him as they linked him to the darkness. However, he did have one ally who kept light in his heart; King Mickey, who wasn't completely with him, but still connected to him to keep him from losing himself to the darkness. However, the latest man in black, Zexion, has been making him blame himself for bringing darkness to Destiny Islands, all because he gave in when he wanted to escape.
Riku looked about, wondering if Zexion was about. However, he ended up noticing a character that surprised him; Sora, standing a the edge of the floating island, looking out at the destruction. The man did say he was in the castle before. Maybe that was him, now.
"Sora? Sora!" Riku shouted, running to him, "Sora, it's me-." However, before he could reintroduce himself to his friend, Sora whipped out the Keyblade and attacked him, causing him to back off. "What?!" Riku gasped, before seeing Sora do a leaping slash at him, and he blocked it with his Soul Eater. "Stop it, Sora!" Riku grimaced, "Don't you recognize me?!"
"Yeah, I recognize you!" Sora answered, "I can see exactly what you've become!" Riku pushed him off, and he landed on his feet, before shooting a beam of light from his Keyblade at Riku, who got struck in the chest and was shot onto his back. Sora lowered his Keyblade as he asked, "How can the light hurt you? Riku... Have you really become a creature of the dark? You're not Riku anymore... You're just a pawn of the darkness."
Riku struggled to rise back up as he saw Sora looked sadly down, realizing his friend was gone, but gained resolve as he stated, "So be it. It's time for you to face the light!" He raised his Keyblade high, and shined a powerful burst of light from all around, consuming Riku within it, and making him cry out before it encased him.
Next thing he knew, he was falling down into an environment filled with light. He was barely conscious, and he couldn't move. He felt like he was disappearing within the light that consumed him. 'I'm...fading...' he told himself, as his body started to go transparent, 'Fading away...into the light.'
'You won't fade.' said a familiar voice. All of a sudden, in his mind's eye, Kairi stood there, staring at him as she continued, "You can't fade. There's no power that can defeat you...not the light, not the dark. So don't run from the light, and don't fear the darkness. Because both will make you stronger."
'Make me stronger? Darkness, too?' Riku asked, surprised.
"Yeah. Strength that's yours." Kairi answered, "The darkness in your heart...it's vast and it's deep...but if you can truly stare into it and never try to look away, you won't be afraid of anything again."
'All this time, I've tried to push the darkness away...' Riku noted.
"You've gotta just remember to be brave." Kairi told him, "Know that the darkness is there, and don't give in. If you do that, you will gain strength; the kind that's unlike any other. You'll be able to escape the deepest darkness..."
'...and I'll be able to see through the brightest light...' Riku continued.
"Follow the darkness. It'll show you the way to your friends." Kairi told him.
'Can I face them?' Riku asked.
"You don't want to?" Kairi asked, with Naminé's voice mixed into hers.
'You know I do. Of course.' Riku answered, making Kairi smile and nod to him, before she vanished, 'And I will! With my strength; My dark strength!'
Suddenly, darkness gathered, and Riku popped back into existence again. He then pumped his arms as he shouted, "Darkness!" His body became encased in the dark energy, and he came out, entering his Dark Form again. He focused himself, and found the source of his situation, before rushing to it and slashing right past it. The light died away as he stood there, with Sora right behind him, having been slashed by his attack.
"Impossible!" Sora grimaced, though his voice wasn't the same. He reached out, before he collapsed to one knee, and darkness melted off of him, revealing him to be not Sora, but Zexion, posing at the young boy. "How is it that you found me when you were there in the light?" he asked, struggling to straighten himself up again.
"You reek of darkness." Riku answered, "Even the light can't block the smell." Zexion looked startled as Riku smiled, saying, "I guess I followed the darkness right to you."
"This is absurd..." Zexion growled, tightening his fist so tight, his arm shook, "Then I shall make you see... That your hopes are nothing...nothing but a mere illusion!"
There was a bright light, and Riku readied himself as Zexion summoned his weapon of choice; a book. Three of them, to be exact, as they surrounded him. Riku charged in and lunged at him a couple times, but Zexion backed up, and made one of his books be envelopped in magnetic magic energy. It then shot at Riku, who dashed out of the way, before seeing Zexion shoot another one. He couldn't block it in time, and got hit. As he did, a couple cards got stolen from his deck, going into the book, which was called back to Zexion.
'He's stealing my cards?! I can't let him do that!' he told himself, before going after Zexion again, who tried to hit him with another magnet covered book. However, Riku countered that, and continued his series of attacks. Zexion then used one of the cards he stole from Riku, summoning a clone of himself, wielding Riku's sword, and slashed at him. Riku got hit, before saw the illusion leap up and do a downward slash at him. Riku regained himself and restocked his deck, coming at Zexion once more.
Riku continued to parry Zexion's attacks, until their cards matched, and suddenly, the two entered a dual stance, Zexion threw one card after another to throw Riku off guard before time ran out, but he kept parrying with cards of his own, seven in total, before going in with a swift combo, followed by a Dark Barrage, sending multiple dark energy-encased Soul Eater swords at Zexion.
"You should share your power!" Zexion growled, creating a sleight that summoned a dark cyclone in the center of the field, sucking Riku towards it. He could tell this was gonna snatch more cards from him, and he used a 0 card to block it, adding more dark energy to his arsenal, and snatching a Mickey Friend card.
"You will pay for that!" Zexion growled, sending another book at Riku, who created a sleight, summoning Mickey as they spun together, sending dark and light balls of light in a tornado, hitting their opponent with some of the attack.
"I'm not done!" Zexion growled, ready for more as Mickey vanished.
"Bring it!" Riku barked, and he charged in again.
Zexion was definitely using the term 'turn your enemies strength into a weakness', as he used his magnetic books and black tornado to try and steal Riku's cards. He could steal them back, but it wasn't easy, as it required him breaking his attacks and destroying his books. Zexion summoned more books again, even after he destroyed other ones. Whenever he did snatch cards from Riku, he would use them, whether it was a small move like summoning clones to attack, which Riku could dodge or break, or create a sleight that had him come in and snatch Riku, strangling him as he drained Riku's energy. He would also send fake cards at Riku, which tried to use, but ended up burning himself as a result.
Fortunately, this battle had Riku permanently in Dark Mode, as he was in better control of it, no longer afraid of the power. And if he needed to recover, he had King Mickey cards that he combined to restore his health, and stun Zexion when he could.
"Take this!" Zexion growled, turning his books into energy sources as he summoned up multiple clones of himself, who came at Riku with his sword. Riku evaded, striking down the clones, before getting struck back by one. They then summoned a sphere of energy within the center of the stage, as three of his clones started to spin about, unleashing beams as they circled the field. Riku ran from the beams, restocking his deck, and using a 0 card to stop the attack. He then went to one of the books acting as a power source on the field, and slashed it several times, destroying it.
"Curse you!" the real Zexion shouted, racing through his clones to attack Riku, who combined cards together into a sleight, breaking Zexion's attack, before pulling back his fist and throwing a Dark Firaga spell at him, blasting him hard and sending him careening backwards.
The two simultaneously attacked again, ending up in another duel. Zexion became desperate, throwing all he had. But Riku had this same old tired song and dance routine with him, breaking each card, and activating his combo of strikes, ending with a Dark Barrage, striking Zexion with his Soul Eaters, finishing the job once and for all.
"Have I...been defeated?" Zexion asked as he faded away, leaving behind a card of his face on it, which Riku snatched and pocketed.
There was another bright light, and Riku stood there, while Zexion was on his knees and one hand, worn down from their fight. "After all your protests, you're still like us, on the side of darkness." he growled.
"I know who I am." Riku retorted.
"When did that happen?" Zexion questioned, standing up shakily, "You were always terrified of the dark before-."
"Not anymore!" Riku barked, racing at him. He unleashed one final swipe that Zexion couldn't dodge or block. He took the hit as Riku passed by him. He gasped in agony, before he created a black portal, and vanished from the scene. Riku turned to see him vanish, his Dark Form fading off of him as he reverted back to normal.
"Time to continue on..." he told himself, leaving the stage, and going out a door that opened up for him.
Back in the other room, Philia sat at the bottom of the steps, her mind going all over the place. However, she felt like she had to follow Naminé's request, and waited for Riku, trying to put away her paranoia, and just accept whatever comes. It wasn't that easy to do, when she was still scared of what lay ahead.
Suddenly, the door opened, and she looked up to see Riku step out, looking about, before gasping as he saw Philia there, who rose to her feet. "Philia?!" he asked, racing over to her.
"Riku." Philia greeted as he got closer to her.
"So...I did hear you before..." Riku understood, recalling when he heard someone scream in the castle before, and pinpointing who it was, "Are you okay?"
"I'm trying to be." she replied, "First, can I ask you a question, so I can make sure?"
"Um...sure?" Riku asked, confused.
"When was the last time you apologized to me?" Philia knew that if it was the Replica Riku, it would be back before he left them after Marluxia's defeat.
"Huh?" Riku didn't know why she would ask this, but thought for a second as he replied, "It was when we closed the door to Kingdom Hearts. I apologized for everything I said and put you through before with Sora."
Philia smiled as she sighed in relief, saying, "Yep. It's really you."
"Should I be anyone else?"
"Well...let's just say we encountered a different you in this castle before."
Riku took a second before realizing what she meant. "Oh, right... There was another one that looked like me, too. I fought him before."
"Is...that the only familiar face you fought, too?" Philia asked in a trepidatious tone.
"Well, there were a few guys in black coats that I fought... As well as Ansem." Riku answered.
"Ansem?!" Philia gasped, "But, didn't we defeat him before?!"
Riku touched his heart as he said, "He is still alive, inside of me. He is trying to take control of me, like he did before."
"Oh, Riku..." Philia muttered, realizing he, too, was going through some ordeals in this castle, like she and Sora did.
"But never mind that. I heard Sora was here." Riku told her, "Where is he?"
"He's in recovery, right now." she replied, "I was told to find you and bring you to him."
"He's in recovery?" Riku echoed, looking concerned, "What happened? Is he gonna be okay?"
"He will be, but..." Philia grabbed her weapon arm with her free hand, and looked guiltily at the ground, "Unfortunately, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Jiminy and I all went through a very tough ordeal in this castle. I'll explain it when we reach Naminé."
"Naminé? Who's that?" Riku asked.
Philia almost looked surprised, until she realized the real Riku didn't know her at all. The replica did. "I'll introduce you to her. Come on." She led Riku up the stairs, going to the next floor.
Riku looked at Philia from behind, noticing she was acting very different from the times before. More subtle and less sure of herself. 'Philia...what happened to you?' he asked mentally, wondering what ordeal did they deal with.
Meanwhile..
Inside the dark room down below, Zexion reappeared, stumbling along the ground until he caught himself on the wall. The damage from the battle against Riku nearly destroyed his nonexistence. Laxeaus and Vexen were already destroyed, by Riku and Axel, respectively. Larxene was backstabbed by PHox, who was defeated by Philia and Sora. Even Marluxia was destroyed, and Axel was nowhere to be seen. He was the last Organization member left.
"What IS he?!" Zexion asked, wondering about Riku, slamming his fist into the wall, "No one's EVER worn the darkness the way he does! It's impossible! And, I can tell...that girl, Philia is with him now. She was with Sora when they defeated Marluxia. What next?!"
He suddenly sensed presence in the room, and turned. The replicas of Riku and Philia stood together, side by side, as Axel appeared behind them, smirking at the scared Organization member, seeing the boy. However, he relaxed as he looked to Philia and realized, "Oh... Oh yes. The replicas, of course. We can use both this Philia and Riku to defeat the real ones. Axel?"
The red-haired man looked to the pair and asked, "Wouldn't you like to be real? To be the stronger ones?" Riku and Philia both nodded in answer to this. "All you need is the kind of power the real ones don't have. If you can get that, you can be a new person; not Riku, or Philia, or anybody else. You two won't just be copies of someone. You can be unique, your OWN selves."
"Axel! What are you saying to them?!" Zexion asked, before suddenly getting pushed away from the wall, his arm pulled back as the replica Philia held him from behind, followed by two slashes at his legs made beforehand, sending him to his knees.
"Just be quiet." she told Zexion, making him terrified. She was exuding the same murderous vibes as PHox did on occasions.
"You know, he's as good a place to start as any." Axel told the pair.
"You can't do this!" Zexion growled, before Riku grabbed him by the collar, while Philia plunged her dagger into his back. The two began to glow as they siphoned his energy off of him, going into their bodies.
"So sorry, Zexion." Axel apologized sarcastically, "You just found out way too much."
Next Time on Sword Art Kingdom: Path of Memories
Real and Fake Power