The Organization had fallen. One by one, they threw themselves at the Keyblade Master, each one hoping more than the last to dominate Sora, and scatter his memories so that Marluxia could make better use of him. They had each been fools to charge on so blindly, learning nothing as Sora tore through their ranks without so much as a backwards glance. Riku, too, had played a major role in bringing down his own share of Organization members, and ultimately banishing Ansem, and his copy that Vexen had produced. Even Ansem, the seeker of darkness had believed so arrogantly that Riku was only a fearful child, petrified of the darkness within him.
Axel was no fool, naturally. After Marluxia's defeat, there wasn't much to do around Castle Oblivion, save for piecing together the last of Vexen's notes, and exiting quietly with his own experiment in hand.
The last Organization member set himself up in a secluded section of Twilight Town, where he could complete his experiment in peace, and raise some real hell to boot. With his own discoveries and the last pages of Vexen's notes on living copies, he set to work, using a combination of darkness, magic, and science to fully realize his plan.
A dank warehouse facilitated his laboratory, where a strange pod (not so unlike the ones Naminè used to restore memories) was situated at the center of the room. The dim blue light that emanated from its center cast the majority of the light the room ever saw, for Axel's creation was very light sensitive.
The beauty of it all was its simplicity. Axel couldn't create life from nothing; he was no god. Creating life was like asking for a miracle. But simply finding something that had been banished ages ago, wiping its memories clean, and then reconstructing its corporeal form anew, that was so easy, it practically created itself. Without memories of who it was, it would only take the proper
The "experiment" itself was housed in the pod, no more than a vaguely human form drifting slowly up and down through the nearly opaque fluid. But that was all about to change. Axel, poised at the side of the pod, held the final ingredient, ready to force it through the bubble-like surface of the pod. It was a fragment of a Heart, taken from some human, somewhere. It glowed radiantly now, though there was still much darkness within it. Carefully, Axel forced it through the surface of the pod, and stepped back, watching the Heart be engulfed by his dark creation.
All was still. Even the experiment ceased its gentle bobbing. As if summoned by someone not in the room, black vines of shadow and intense purple strobes of light erupted from the pod, easily ripping through its bubble-like consistency, and spilling the fluid and its passenger out onto the floor. The darkness tendrils whipped through the room, scattering shelves, papers, and anything else that wasn't tied down, until it all escaped out of the only window, which had been nailed shut. It had left behind a wintery chill in the entire room. All the light in the room had vanished with the destruction of the pod, and Axel fumbled for the light switch he hadn't used in ages. The fluorescent lights above flickered to light with a droning hum, and Axel cautiously stepped forward.
Crumpled on the ground was a girl, almost human-looking. She slowly pressed her palms against the cold cement floor and pushed her bony frame up into a sitting position. Her eyes were large and empty, like all those who have no memories. They held a haunting purple hue, though her blank stare seemed to hold no fire, just yet. Her shortish hair, white, had bangs that hung over one eye, complete with shaggy tendrils that curved around her head. Deathly pale skin stretched over her thin build, with color only touching the edges of her lips, and even then, only very faintly. The Heartless crest on her chest was kind of hard to miss. It was possible that she was the same age as Sora, most likely a little older, judging by the length of her forgotten memories. Sixteen, Axel thought. She didn't shiver, or even speak, no matter how cold the room was, for her lack of clothing.
Axel chuckled dryly. He had poured over his creation's memories extensively, and it had never occurred to him that a destroyer of worlds had been a girl. While pouring over her mind in its entirety, he'd decided to leave only a few things. After all, how much could a little memory hurt? He'd encountered her memories of her weapon, and her incredible fighting power, and use of spells. If she couldn't fight, she'd be no good. Apart from the fighting skills, Axel left only her name, which seemed to fit her.
"Sylph. Rise and we will restore you to your former appearance." He said, jerking a hand in an upward direction. "You will always do as I say, Sylph. If you do, we'll go far together."
Sylph got to her feet and stood tall, with her chin out. Even with her memories gone, her mannerisms and innate skills and ways could never be done away with. "What are you called?" Sylph said in an even tone. "And what am I?" She stretched her hands out before her, frowning at her pallid limbs and angular fingers.
"I am Axel. You will answer only to me, Sylph." He touched her forehead, beneath the lock of hair that concealed her eye partially, and a small sparkle fluttered down the length of her body as he took his hand away.
Axel needed only what he knew from her scattered memories to restore her appearance. Sylph now appeared in a black turtle-necked tank top, and deep purple semi-poofy pants that tucked into calf high boots with worn treads. Ribbons in varying colors, unmistakably Moogle forged, were tied to both of her wrists, and a large heartless crest adorned the front of her tank top. She looked at Axel blankly.
"You are a shade. A wisp of darkness tied to a fragment of heart and a few scattered memories," he stated simply. "You are here to finish what you started. You don't remember but—"
The red head was cut off and a little bit startled as a metallic snap echoed through the room. In the shade's thin hands was clutched a keyblade, clearly evil in its nature. The first spark of life Axel could remember seeing flare up in Sylph's twin purple orbs erupted in her eyes, as she twirled the keyblade experimentally, like old friends meeting again. She nodded, as if something in her brain had clicked just then.
"Tell me what I must do."
Several hours later, an intimate gathering of old friends was circled around the table in the Small House in the Third District of Traverse Town. Leon, Yuffie, the recently reunited Cloud, and Aerith were seated around Sora and Riku, listening as the pair related their experiences in the confusing and bewitching Castle Oblivion, contrasting here and there to their different experiences within the castle's walls. Sora was as bright-eyed and upbeat as ever, and Riku was still cool as a cucumber, and reeking of maturity that seemed to elude Sora at times.
"So after Marluxia went down, this Naminè restored your memories?" Yuffie had one hand propping her chin up, her eyes quizzically fixed on Sora. "And we didn't recognize you?"
"I must admit, this sounds like some sort of nightmare you guys had," Leon said reproachfully, shrugging. "But I can't argue with the proof, I guess."
Sora folded his arms behind his head, leaning back in his chair. "Aww, you guys… Aerith believes me, doncha Aerith?"
Aerith only smiled, though her gaze shifted over to Cloud, who had gotten up to stand at the window. Out from under his chocobo-blond spikes lurked a surly frown, as he looked out at the empty streets.
"But even though were out of Castle Oblivion, our problem doesn't seem to be over just yet," Riku quipped, leaning forward. The silver-haired youth and Sora had decided when they had first traded stories after meeting up again to omit the part about Riku's powers over darkness, when they decided to retell it to other audiences.
Yuffie shrugged. "What do you mean, Sora? You guys are safe, and in one piece…"
Cloud turned from the window, but the frown wouldn't turn from his face. "They ended up here, in Traverse Town, Yuffie. But Their world is Destiny Island. By all rights, they should have gone there, not here."
Leon nodded. "I was also wondering about that myself. What did you guys say about the King again?"
Riku looked dejectedly at the floor. "He kind of just left, and said he'd always go with me. Where His Majesty is now, I don't know."
"This is unfortunate," Aerith remarked. "You were looking for the king to begin with, and his own whereabouts could have helped answer why you two ended up here."
Riku sighed, and crossed his arms. Sora however, brightened and threw an arm around his shoulder, wearing his lopsided grin. "But at least we're together this time, right Riku?"
The older boy rolled his eyes, but playfully ruffled Sora's brown spikes. "And not trying to kill one another?" he added.
Sora's grin only widened. "Right!"
