Chapter 20
Heartless, all Shadows, began to appear out of no where. Everyone began fighting as they continued their way through the cave.
"Look, up ahead." Sora shouted in between attacks. "A door."
In front of them, where the cave ended, was a door in the wall.
"We have to get over there." Luke said, slicing a Heartless in half and running over to the door. He opened it and called out to hurry up.
"Coming, Luke." Sora said, dodging a Shadow attack, and ran for the door.
"Yeah, be right there." Han said, as he blasted Heartless out of the way to make it to do the door. Now only Donald and Goofy were left.
"Guys, hurry up!" Sora shouted to them.
"Be right there Sora." Goofy called back.
They both began running to the door and were nearly there when the floor suddenly dropped beneath. A hole opened up in the floor and they both fell into a dark pit. They both yelled as they fell down.
"No! Donald! Goofy!" Sora yelled and began running to where his friends fell, but Luke held him back. "Luke, let me go!"
"Sora, there's nothing you can do for them now."
"But-"
"No Sora," Luke said. "We'll get them back eventually but we have to get Leia first. Now follow."
Sora nodded his head glumly and they all walked through the door. On the other side, the three of them entered a bright, white room. They were enclosed in a room with no other door besides the entrance. And even that one shut and disappeared as soon as they entered the room.
"Now what?" Han asked.
Two dark shapes began to float into the center of the room, hovering in the air. At first they were formless but soon began to take on a humanoid appearance. They looked like Invisibles, dark, humanoid Heartless that wield a huge sword and could fly. Except these instead of having only one sword, had two short staffs of what looked like energy. To the group in the room, the staff energy blade reminded them of a lightsaber, making the Heartless seem like Jedi.
"Great," Han said. "More fun."
Both the two flying Jedi like Heartless began flying around in alternate circles around the group, with one flying clockwise and the other counterclockwise. Then they both suddenly disappeared.
"Where'd they go?" Sora said.
"Above you!" Luke shouted and dived with his lightsaber to block an energy staff which would have otherwise struck Sora. Luke used the momentum to push the Heartless back, if only temporary, and then used the Force to push it back even more.
Then the other one appeared in front of Sora and began attacking him. Sora blocked the first attacks, and deflected the second back at the Heartless to damage it, but soon he began to get overwhelmed. Several attacks managed to get through and hurt Sora. Then both the Jedi Heartless disappeared again.
"How can we fight these things if they keep disappearing on us?" Han said, not having been able to get a shot in with the Jedi Heartless.
"Patience, Han." Luke said. "Take your time, they have a weakness, we just don't what it is yet."
Luke went flying across the room and hit the wall.
"Luke!" Sora and Han said in unison.
Luke shook the shock off. "What happened?" He said. One of the Heartless appeared near right where Luke had been, its hand stretched in front of him, palm up. It laughed a deep throaty laugh, though it wasn't very audible since the Heartless did not have a mouth.
"It used the Force!" Luke said, realizing what happened.
"How?" Sora said.
"I don't know, I guess these are really special Heartless."
"They're almost like Jedi if they can use the Force." Han said.
"Dark Jedi." Luke said.
Both Heartless appeared in front of them again, laughed, and disappeared again.
"We have to protect ourselves." Luke said.
"How?" Han asked.
"With this." Sora said and cast an Aero spell on all three of them. A shield of wind enveloped them all. "This won't last forever, but it might protect us for now."
"Now is all that's important." Han said.
The Heartless reappeared, one attacked Sora while the other attacked Luke. Both began blocking the Heartless attacks as much as they could, and even tried to get their own attacks in, but they were quickly losing the battle.
"Luke, this isn't good," Sora said as he blocked. "Their too fast."
Luke was too busy defending himself to respond. However, with their backs turned to fight Luke and Sora, neither of the Jedi Heartless saw Han aim his blaster at them and fire, hitting them squarely in the back. They both growled in pain and disappeared.
"That worked well." Han said.
"But they disappeared again." Sora said.
"Yes, but at least we hurt them a little," Luke said. "Good job, Han."
"Thanks, Luke." Han said and smiled as one of the Heartless appeared. Han fired his blaster before the thing could attack, managing to stun it. Luke then ran over to it before it could disappear and sliced it in half with his blade and dissipated.
"That's one." Luke said.
"But where's the other one?" Han said, as the Aero spell wore off. Suddenly a beam sprouted out of his chest, much to the horror of Luke and Sora, and Han, who was surprised as well, only said "Oh, there." and collapsed to the floor.
"Han!" Both Luke and Sora shouted and proceeded to cut the Heartless up before it could disappear again. Once it was dead, a door appeared in the wall, opposite where the original had been. Sora was crying.
"Now, Han," Sora sobbed, trying to stop his tears. "Luke what are we going to do?"
"We have to go on Sora." Luke said. "We have to finish what we started.
"I know," Sora said. "But everyone is gone now, its just you and me."
"And so we must finish it," Luke said. "Together."
Sora wiped away the last of his tears. "Right." He said and they both went through the door.
On the other side they entered another dark room, obviously part of the original cave. It was completely bare, except for the hundreds of Shadows swarming in the darkness and the woman sitting up on the ground.
"Leia!" Luke said and ran over to his sister.
"Luke!" Leia said and hugged her brother. "I knew you would come."
"Let's get out of here," Luke said. "Sora-"
Blue lightning came out of no where and struck Luke. He screamed in pain as the lightning lanced through his entire body. He crumpled to the floor, breathing heavily, and it was then that he and Sora noticed the mad sitting on the throne.
"Not so fast, Master Jedi," He said. "I have more plans for you all."
Sora walked up, staring hard at the man.
"Who are you?" Sora asked.
"Why, you have not heard of me?" the dark man smiled malignantly. "I was sure Zur mentioned me when he died."
"Ururl." Sora said.
"Correct," Ururl said. "And I must congratulate on defeating Zur, he was a powerful apprentice, and those two Jedi Heartless you just defeated. Both of them were just slightly less powerful than Zur. Pity about Han."
At this, Leia looked at Luke, who was still on the ground. "No," she started to say but Luke looked away as she did. Tears began to fill Leia's eyes.
"Why have you done all this?" Sora asked. "Why have you tried to destroy us? We have not done anything to you."
"Not directly, no, Ururl said. "I was once a Jedi like Master Skywalker here, well, almost a Jedi. I went through the Jedi training like any other, my skills in the Force were spectacular, as even Skywalker had said. But then it came to knowledge, which is where I failed. No matter how much effort I gave to my studies, I could never succeed in them. It was for that pathetic reason Master Skywalker cast me out of the Jedi training, because I lacked the necessary knowledge!" He stared daggers at Luke.
Afterwards I journeyed on my own, continuing my Jedi training in secret, all the while gaining as much knowledge as I could. I felt myself began to slip away, into an all consuming need for knowledge. It was then I noticed the door, one I had never noticed before. I opened it and appeared here, on this barren rock. And somehow he was already here, as if waiting for me. The one known as Ansem. He introduced me to the Heartless, and for a time I became his apprentice until I learned all I needed. In fact the door I had opened had begun the process of bringing the Heartless to our galaxy, during which time I became consumed with the darkness of the Heartless and the darkside. In my pursuit of knowledge, I finally gained all the answers I needed, by giving into the darkness. It is the one true power in the galaxy."
"So you plotted against us, even trained your own apprentice in your dark ways, all for revenge?" Luke said. "If that's the case you were truly not meant to be a Jedi."
"Quiet." Ururl said menacingly, shocking Luke briefly.
"Sora, of all people you should know of the power of darkness. It consumes all, and within everyone there is always some darkness. Even in you, and is from that darkness the Heartless are born. The Light and Dark side of the Force may coexist, but no matter how much the light grows, the dark is always there, and as of right now, the light is so small the darkness shall soon snuff it out." He sent another wave of lightning at Sora this time.
Sora struggled to get back up.
"You can never win." He tried to say.
"Oh, but I already have," Ururl said. "I have nearly defeated all of you, and once I do, I shall use your power combined with my own to defeat Ansem, and then I shall rule over the worlds." He laughed, his echo booming in the small room.
"And I also hold the final piece of the puzzle," Ururl said. "The part that even Ansem looked over. Princess Leia, please, stand up."
Leia did so.
"Ah, Princess Leia," Ururl said approaching her. "What a beautiful specimen."
"Don't you touch her." Luke said and was given another shock of lightning from Ururl's fingertips.
"Such a strong heart, for one so beautiful." Ururl said. "Your light burns greatly, with a power I have never seen. You must understand something," he started speaking to them all. "When Ansem came to me, he told me all about the Seven Princesses of Heart. I thought at first he was crazy, but then he offered me the power of darkness. Couple with my own mastery of the Force, I have become nearly unbeatable." Dark light sprouted from his eyes. "But now I have found something that can make me even more powerful, to ensure my rule for eons."
Ururl began talking to Sora.
"Sora, you were told that there were only seven princesses, correct?"
"Yes." Sora said, not sure of where the conversation was going.
"Well, you are wrong, who ever told you was wrong, and above all else, Ansem is wrong." Ururl smiled cruelly. "There are Eight Princesses of Heart, and I have found her. The one Ansem overlooked. Now Leia, come face your destiny."
