Chapter 15 - Real

The sun was hanging directly above Sora and Lilka as they worked their way along the roundabout path to Sora's house. Sora had taken a hold of the girl's hand a little overenthusiastically, and was leading her along when she attempted to stop. Sora gave a tug.

"Sora, this place is really creepy," pleaded the girl, shaking her head vehemently. "Something's really wrong here and-"

"Creepy?" spoke Sora, giving her one of the most befuddled looks Lilka had ever seen. "This is my house. I live here. Is it too bright for you here? You might be homesick."

Lilka was genuinely appalled. The brown-haired boy continued to look at her as though she were insane. With a mildly exasperated, and not a little anxious, sigh, she allowed Sora to take her along the pathway.

Sora saw familiar trees, a beautiful pathway. Lilka was seeing a dead, barren wasteland with an ancient, wind-beaten trail carved into it.

Sora entered the house, explaining to Lilka what was where, pointing down the hallway and indicating that the kitchen was behind his super-cool revolving door. Really, how many people had a revolving door going into their kitchen?

"Not many," commented Lilka, who was seeing shattered glass and scorch-marks everywhere. She heard, then, a faint, distant noise, bubbly, subdued. She frowned.

"It's me, Mom. I brought a friend over!" called Sora. Lilka strained to hear what the voice said in return. She made out that it had a happy tone, but when the source of the voice came out of the hall, Lilka released a bloodcurdling scream, backing away against the wall.

Sora's mom dropped the dishtowels in surprise, crying out. Sora whipped around and appeared entirely oblivious to what was happening around him. Lilka screamed again.

"Lilka, it's just my mom!"

The girl shook her head wildly, unbelieving, tripping over some unseen solid object and falling onto her behind, still scrambling to get away from what appeared to be a Heartless in a white suit with that symbol on its forehead-

Her breath was still coming in heaves and her heart was still pounding when Sora moved to help her up. 'Mom' still hadn't moved from its/her place as he did so, and she heard the distant noise, emitting from beneath the creature's zippered-y hood.

"I think she's okay... Lilka, are you alright?"

The girl extended a shaking hand to Sora's, and he helped her to her feet. She looked down, realizing she had tripped over a broken-up coffee table. In fact, the room was now filled with furniture she knew could not have been there before. Even the shape of the monster Sora called Mom was now looking more and more feminine, more humanlike, its spasmic behavior much more controlled. Its long arms had shortened, the head shrunk, the legs lengthened, and it was now in perfect proportion to a human, but the hood and the monstrous face were still there. Lilka did not know what to think.

The creature reached down to scoop some invisible items off of the ground, and shook its head. Its voice, now distinctly feminine but still unintelligible, echoed through the room.

"She'll be alright. She washed up on the beach not long ago, I was just gonna help her get settled in, if that's okay," said Sora, brightly. He noted that both the new girl and his mother were about the same size. "Do you have any clothes that could fit her?"

Sora's mom giggled.

"That's very flattering, Sora, comparing me to such a nice-looking girl like that. I'll see what I have," replied Mom, who turned and headed down the hall.

Sora turned to Lilka and smiled.

"Are you okay with that?"

Lilka's eyes were still locked on the end of the hallway, her eyes wide as saucers. The Keyblade Master snapped to get her attention, and she looked to him, asking the question once more.

"Okay with what?"

"Borrowing my mom's clothes. Just for a little while," added the boy, who looked genuinely concerned. Screaming at the sight of a lady during their first meeting was not a normal thing to do. Something was strange about Lilka's behavior. Was she crazy? Too much time at sea?

"Uh, sure," she replied, the shock having left and her logicality coming back to take hold of the situation. Sora thought that everything around him was real. She really had to be in Memoria. Things were beginning to become more and more real. This realization ignited a surge of panic in Lilka, which she forced herself to restrain. She would have to play along, or they would think she was insane. Steeling herself, she took a breath. She knew she would have to be careful regarding what she accepted as real and what she did not, not knowing whether or not she could 'unbelieve' something she had believed to be real.

Sora looked relieved that Lilka had seemed to steady herself.

"What was that all about, anyway, Lilka?" asked Sora. The girl knew he was referring to her outburst.

"I'm sorry, it wasn't your mom. I just... uh... had a bad memory. From back home," Lilka lied, smiling, though it was an honest smile. She felt relieved in how well she had figured it all out, hadn't lost her mind in the sheer insanity of their situation. Still, she would have to wake Sora up somehow...

"Alright, well, the shower's back that way," said the brown-haired boy, motioning toward the back of the hallway. "Mom and I are around if you need us."

Lilka feigned a smile and nodded, and then stepped over to the hallway. Sora, in the meantime, smiled broadly and fell onto one of the couches, bouncing up and down. Everything would be okay. Still, there was the little twinge in the back of his mind, something making him uneasy, making him not want to get too comfortable...

Lilka lifted up the pair of denim cut-off shorts and regarded them with a bewildered expression. They were short. Very short. They might as well have been her underwear, as far as she was concerned. At the mere thought of putting them on, the girl blushed brightly. She was sixteen years old. Rather improper clothing. Sora's mom must have been a bad girl when she was younger.

Sighing, she clothed herself with what she had been given: said shorts, a white tank top, her own bra (she wouldn't give that up) and a pair of sandals. She draped her brown hair over her shoulders. The girl was more used to having it in the Crest Sorceress' cap than not, so it felt strange to have her hair not curled up in it.

The girl rummaged through her old clothes, wondering if anybody that saw her without Memoria's mask would see her nearly clothesless. The mechanics of this ruined realm were truly alien. Retrieving a small, shiny gem from the pockets of her robe, she smiled, looking into it. It was something she had always kept with her. She slid the small object into her short-shorts pocket.

She turned, opening the door from the bathroom, and stepped out in a very shy manner. Lilka was a very self-conscious person, and the beachwear was very, very revealing. Coming from a land where it was winter more often than not, she was used to having real clothes on.

The world still appeared dead and surreal to her, but the more she accepted, the more lifelike and real it became. She had forced herself to accept the clothes as real, and so the colors of the clothes, white and blue, had begun to fill into the world.

She wasn't given time to think on it because Sora, calmer though he was, stepped into the hall. He appeared to be thinking deeply about something, which was completely unlike how she had seen him earlier. Previously, there was a rash of childishness, of immaturity in him. Now it seemed that he had aged at least year. Mentally, anyway.

He smiled as he watched Lilka, looking her up and down.

"It looks good on you," commented the boy, and the girl saw an goodnatured honesty in him. She smiled back, feeling a little more comfortable, and then looking around.

"So, uh, we're supposed to meet Riku, right?"

"Yeah, over at the other island, where the kids play. Come on, he's probably waiting for us," said Sora, turning to go out of the house. Lilka sensed that he was distracted.

The two left the house, and as they walked down the steps, Sora initiated conversation. His tone was cautious, questioning. The girl knew he was close to seeing past the unreality.

"Lilka... have we met before? I feel like I know you."

"You should! We've met before now."

He was quiet for a moment, his gaze lifting from the ground to level ahead of him. It wasn't far until they would be on the beach again.

"But you said you were from Fargaia."

"I told you that once before, too. But we met even before you found me in the ocean. You don't remember?"

He looked back through his memories, of what he could remember of Lilka. He recalled the emotion attached to Kairi, how he felt about her, but could not see her face, couldn't quite remember who she was.

"Yeah... I think I remember."

"So you know where we are! Do you know how to get out of here?"

"Riku and I... and... you, we're gonna build a raft. It was Riku's idea. We're gonna get off these islands."

"I knew you'd figure it out!" squealed Lilka, diving to wrap her arms around Sora. The boy laughed, being nearly bowled over, and feeling rather good about the situation.

"Let's go find Riku, first. He'll know more about it than me."

They found Riku hacking away at one of the tall palm trees on the childrens' island with a hatchet he had procured from his parents. The boy stood on the small islet connected to the larger island by the bridge, where he and Sora had, a long, long time ago, sparred quite often. He was about halfway through the tree when Sora called a greeting to him. The boy turned, watching both Sora and Lilka approach, offering a cool, collected smile.

"Took you guys long enough. I've been working on this tree for a while now."

"Sorry about that," explained Lilka, rubbing the back of her head, a little embarrassed. "I take a while in the shower."

"It's not a problem at all," said Riku softly, looking into Lilka's eyes with his own piercing turquoise oculars. "So, Sora, have you told Lilka about the raft?"

"I thought maybe you'd explain. It was your idea, anyway," said Sora, wandering toward the paopu tree to lounge upon it.

Riku shrugged, and turned to Lilka.

"We're going to cut down a few of these trees, lash them together with ropes made of the roots from the Secret Place," Riku began, going back to a rhythmic chopping pattern. He had not been there himself, lately, nor had he felt compelled to. That was usually where he went when his family would not leave him alone. "We'll gather some provisions, set up a mast for our boat, and... set sail."

"Wow... how long do you think it'll take, Riku?" queried the girl, who was conspicuously twitterpated with the platinum blonde.

"Not long, if you can get Sora off his butt," smiled the boy in the pantaloons, motioning at the brown-headed boy on the tree. "I'll keep working on this tree."

With that said, Lilka rounded up the Keybearer and left Riku to his chopping. The two set out to gather ropes to lash the raft together. Boy and girl went across the bridge, Sora looking more at Lilka than he was at the bridge ahead of him.

"You remember where the Secret Place is, right, Lilka?" asked Sora, then turning his eyes ahead. He was beginning to feel a little awkward, though he couldn't understand why.

"...Secret Place? No, I don't. I don't think I've ever even been here before."

Sora stopped, looking at her. Lilka slowly came to a halt, and then turned to face him with a questioning look on her face.

"You... haven't? Are you sure you're okay, Lilka?"

"I'm fine. I, uh..."

The girl struggled for an explanation. She didn't want Sora to think she was nuts, and he was so into this illusion, she didn't want to try to wake him on her own.

"I meant I don't remember having gone there before. I'm sorry, the water really played with my memories. It was so... scary, I guess," she lied, sighing, hoping she bought it.

Sora appeared concerned, but a little relieved as well.

"Alright. Well, that's where we're going. The roots of the trees are there in the cave walls, so we'll make rope from them," explained the boy, who began walking again. Soon they had gone into and gone out of the shack, and were on their way up the steps leading to the waterfall- and the Secret Place. They had done so quietly, until Lilka finally broke the silence.

"Sora..."

"What is it?"

"Don't you ever wonder if... any of this is for real or not?"

The boy stopped at the entrance, before pushing the brush aside, and frowned. Was it... for real?

"Real...?"

The girl sensed a sort of sadness emanating from the boy, and took a step forward, wondering if she should say something.

"Sometimes I wonder. But... if this isn't real, then maybe I don't want to know what is. I'm happy here. I can't help but feel like... I have to appreciate this. Like it could just as easily disappear and leave me..."

Lilka's heart fluttered, a twinge of panic she felt welling up from the depths of her heart. Maybe he had known this place was not real at one point, but had slipped in what he accepted as real, or Memoria was more powerful for him than for others, or maybe he just didn't want the burden of being the Keyblade Master anymore...

Without words, the two began working on stripping the bark away from the pliable roots of some of the native trees, harvesting them and breaking them down into strands. For the balance of the afternoon the two sat together, braiding the strands until they had several very strong ropes. There was a constant tension between the two, as if Sora was waiting for Lilka to say something while Lilka either did not know what to say, or didn't have the courage to say anything.

By the time the sun was setting, Lilka (though she did not realize it) was seeing all the colors in the spectrum, and could not longer tell the difference between the dead world of Memoria and the Destiny Islands that Sora had accepted as real.

Riku had disappeared from the island, both Sora and Lilka assuming he had gone back to his house. As the sun hung low in the sky, Sora decided it was best that they sailed back to the main island before night fell and they lost their light.

It was just before dusk that boy and girl arrived back at Sora house, where it was assumed she was going to stay. As quiet as they had been since their last exchange of words, they went up the steps, Lilka not noticing that the trees were alive, that the stars were shining down from the sky above, that everything was fresh and new and a perfect reflection of the place Sora had grown up in.

Sora opened the door for Lilka and she, with a stifled giggle at his boyish charm, entered. Sora's mom was sitting on the couch. And, across from her, there was a boy who looked almost exactly like Sora, save for short, blonde hair as well as the different attire. Dyne was still wearing the Unknown's coat, but it didn't seem as though Sora's mom had noticed. Lilka stood still. Sora's eyes got as wide as golf balls, and he began to stammer.

"I'm so glad you're home safe, honey!" cooed Mom, who picked herself up immediately and went to Sora, throwing her arms around him before he could say anything. "Those waters can get very dangerous at night!"

"What... is he... doing here!" cried Sora, pointing at Dyne.

"What do you mean? He said he was a friend of yours."

Dyne picked himself up, looking at both Sora and Lilka. He then glared at Lilka with one of the darkest looks she had ever received. Sora caught this as his mom let him go, glanced at Lilka, and then back at Dyne.

"What's your problem?" demanded Sora. His mother was already getting out of the way.

"Oh, nothing at all. We need to talk."

Then, something in Sora's mind jarred. How did he know who this guy was? Why did Dyne seem so isolated, a single link in a long chain of memories that he couldn't recall? Panic flooded him, but Memoria's spell held fast.

"You boys can talk later, after dinner. I have it all fixed up! The table's set and everything. You're more than welcome to join us too, Lilka. I made plenty!" said Sora's mother, already on her way through the revolving doors. Lilka gave the two boys an awkward, somewhat bewildered glance, and then proceeded through the revolving doors.

Dinner was fantastic. Mom had tried out a new recipe, she had stated, and had executed said recipe flawlessly. A chicken dish involving plenty of curry and mounds of rice, with small salads on the side. Lilka had not had such good food in... however long, and the boys downed the food immediately.

Dyne, unfortunately for him, had gotten roped into handling the dinner dishes while Mom retreated to her room and Lilka and Sora were left to their own wiles. Why the blonde-haired boy had complied, nobody knew, but he did the dishes anyway.

Sora was fast losing his grip with reality. The childish enthusiasm and hyperactivity were again present in him as he led Lilka around the house, pointing out this and showing her that. Lilka had gone to the bathroom, perhaps to get away from the excited boy, while Dyne was still in the kitchen.

Sora, having no wish to interact with Dyne and left all alone, stood in the hall, thinking. Where had his mother gone? It had been a good day, all told. Maybe he would go and talk to her. The feeling of profound appreciation for his surroundings returned, and Sora entered his mom's room.

When Dyne finished everything up, his black gloves not even wet from having dealt with the fake dishes and the non-existant water, he turned and went through the revolving doors. Going from the den to the hallway, he paused in mid-transit. He could have sworn he had seen something flit in front of the front window. His eyes narrowed.

Dyne made his way down the hall. Lilka was still in the bathroom, though why she was Dyne neither knew nor wanted to know. He continued down the hall, to the back of it, into Sora's mom's room.

There, on the bed, he saw the female figure, perfectly real-looking in a world of dead emptiness. Sora seemed to be asleep on the bed. Dyne's heart began to sink into his gut. Sora was slipping away very, very quickly. His skin had already gone from its pinkish hue to an unreal white. A Nobody white.

"Sora!"

"...shh. Let the boy sleep. Let him sleep for as long as he wants..."

The mother's soft voice had, somehow, made Dyne calm down. He was still connected to Sora, like that other kid was as well, and so it did not come as a complete surprise to him that what would affect Sora would affect him the same way.

"Let me talk to him."

"Shh. Come here," said Mom, patting the mattress not far from Sora. "Sit here. There's something I want to tell you. But don't wake him."

Dyne was compelled to do so. He moved slowly, watching the woman carefully, as though he were regarding an enemy. She was a Nobody. A very dangerous one at that- a reflection of somebody who meant very, very much to Sora.

"Is Sora... okay?"

"Sora's fine. He's very happy. He's happier now than he has been for a long, long time. Aren't you happy here, too?"

Dyne was silent. He wanted to speak little to this Nobody. Already, he could feel the familiar pull...

"Before Sora was born, I used to picture what he would look like," cooed the Nobody, tousling Sora's hair, running her hands through it. Sora 'hmm'ed contentedly, cuddling closer. Dyne felt the need to do something about it, to protect Sora, to do anything, well up within him, but he forced himself to stay restrained. "I wanted him to be blonde, just like his daddy, but he was born with that mop of hair. It's just something that moms do, you know. We wonder what our little boys will look like, and then dream it up and hope it's real. Then Sora was born, and he was just the same, but no blonde hair. Sometimes I wonder what happened to that dream..."

Dyne felt his stomach turn. He didn't know whether to run away, throw up, or tear Sora away from her. The Nobody reached up her slender fingers and caressed Dyne's cheek.

"In time I forgot, because Sora was such a handful. But... what happens to the forgotten dreams? Do they just vanish? Or do they become guardian angels?"

"They..." Dyne began, and then leapt to his feet, swatting the hand away. "Why are you lying to me!"

"What do you mean, lie? Hasn't Sora told you the story himself?" responded the woman/Nobody, appearing so perfectly innocent in her question that the dual wielder found himself instantly disarmed of his anger. "You know, I tried to teach Sora everything I knew... but there was one thing I regret having left out..."

Mom placed the hand that Dyne rejected onto Sora's head.

"I should have told him as soon as he met Kairi, but I wanted to keep him innocent for just a little while longer... just a little while longer... they grow up so fast..."

Sora stirred at the mention of Kairi's name, his body halting in its transformation for just a moment until his fingers began to elongate.

Dyne looked around for something to grab, to threaten her with, but found nothing. He watched, almost horrified, waiting for this Nobody, this reflection, to bring a conclusion to whatever it was she was talking about.

"I never told Sora... that love is a trap. I love Sora, I don't regret bringing him into my life. Still, I'm not dumb enough not to realize that I was trapped into this. Trapped into this role. That's that the feeling does to you. That's what the Light does to you. It traps you into a role you can't refuse. Darkness...? Well, that's just as bad, isn't it? It's better to stay right in the middle, in-between, where nothing can hurt you."

Dyne dove across the bed, grabbing Sora up in his arms and shooting down the hall. The mother-Nobody did not give chase, but instead extended a hand, sadly, beseeching with distant cries for the dual wielder to give her child back.

"LILKA! RIKU!"

The Crest Sorceress, who had then been lounging in the living room, got to her feet, alarmed. Why was that boy screaming?

Dyne came tearing down the hall, tossing Sora onto the couch, moving to the window to look out of it, panicked.

"Dyne? What's going on?" asked Lilka, afraid.

"God, Riku, please don't tell me you've been drawn back in... oh, shit!" cried Dyne, moving to the doorway hastily. He turned to look at Lilka. "Lilka Eleniak, of Fargaia! This isn't the real Destiny Islands! You're in Memoria! Everything you're seeing is fake! Wake up, because Sora and you and I and Riku are all in it deep!"

Lilka froze in place, her eyes wide. The little doorway, which had hung a little cracked open in the back of Lilka's mind, was blown open. Immediately, the colors faded and they were left with the dull twilight instead of the dark of night. She looked around, frightened, and then looked pleadingly to Dyne.

"What's going on?" she asked, kicking herself inwardly for allowing herself to be fooled by Memoria. Was Dyne's mind really that strong? And- "Where's Riku?"

"I don't think we have time for that. We have company!" cried the dual wielder, who threw himself against the door, bracing against it. Lilka moved to the window, looking out it, her eyes fearful as she realized what he meant by company.

Outside, the dull twilight reflected off of the white figures, giving them an ultraviolet glow. They twitched and spasmed and approached, coming out of the dead woods like angry ghosts. She could see a raincoated figure, hood pulled fully over its face, making its way along the path to the house, taking its time.

"We need to get Sora out of here!" shouted Dyne, stating the obvious. "Lilka, can you still use your magic?"

"I can try!" she replied, taking a deep breath and forcing herself to focus despite the deep terror she felt.

"Get ready!"

Dyne was reaching to turn the deadbolt on the door when, from the bottom-right corner of the frame, a bright red energy blade jutted out. It was brought up vertically, brought down on the other side, and one final slash was made on the top of the door-frame. The blonde, somewhat mesmerized by it, did not have the presence of mind to stop leaning on the door. With a loud crack, the bottom of the door-frame came undone, and Dyne was sent sprawling forward, along with the door.

The raincoated figure Mickey knew as Caejan towered over the boy, whose head (after his body had bounced once or twice) now rested on the Unknown's foot. Dyne could not see past the hood, nor was he sure he wanted to. The Unknown would have to have been smirking.

"Hey there, Caejan," eyes raising hesitantly upward. His heart was pounding. The hum of the energy blade that Caejan had trademarked tended to make one nervous.

The Unknown lifted its boot and placed it on Dyne's head, crushing downward with a twist. A cry of pain, so rare in the dual wielder, echoed outward. Caejan's whispery voice sounded in the blonde's head.

"Little bug."

"Why don't you go play with your dolls, Caejan!" Dyne growled through gritted teeth.

"They're not my dolls. They're his..."

"I don't see why you're hanging around here anyway. Sora's not even here! He's... at Kairi's house! You know, with Kairi! The girl he was supposed to give the Oathkeeper to!"

Blondie was fully aware that Caejan would see through his bluff, and it would have taken only a quick look within the house to tell, but he wasn't trying to dissuade Caejan from entering the house. He was trying to keep Sora anchored in reality.

"No, he isn't. He's right here. And he'll stay here, in Memoria, forever. It cannot be stopped."

The black figure stamped down on Dyne's head, and as the child rolled over, groaning and taking hold of his head, Caejan rocketed his foot into the boy's stomach, and then proceeded to glide into the room. The Nobodies did not move from their places outside, only drifted back and forth as though they were underwater.

"You knew the risk. I told you to turn away, but you did not heed my warning, and now the ramifications will be tenfold."

Lilka back away from the door as Caejan moved in, spreading her arms out in an attempt to protect Sora. Her eyes locked on the Unknown, her face an expression of grim determination.

"Leave them alone!"

"LILKA! FIGHT THEM!" cried Dyne, scrambling to his feet and charging headlong at Caejan.

The black figure turned and, with a liquid grace, threw his palm out to face Dyne. The charging boy slammed not into the raincoated man but into an azure wall comprised of several blue plates, which would begin to unfold and fade immediately. Lilka, panicked, was not sure was to do.

Fight them.

The Crest Sorceress reached instinctively into her pocket and retrieved the small summon gem from it. She still stood before Sora, her face angry. The stone emitted a glow much like the glow which came from the sky in Memoria, but this light was different. It was alive, pulsating, powerful.

Caejan quit walking when the hum began. He stood just off the center of the circular living room. Lilka lowered her hand, the power still bursting from it in shining rays, her hair flailing about her head, eyes glowing softly, magical power flowing through her.

The already-tattered ceiling crashed in on the living room. Caejan stood still, watching as the summon spell was cast, while Dyne was already on his way to scooping Sora up off the couch. Lilka stood her ground, fury and power emanating from her eyes.

A massive blade was now embedded in the ground, shining silver and lavender in the dead light, bright gold accenting the surface of the weapon. A black haze rose from the base of the weapon, taking the form of a female warrior who could not have been much older than sixteen. The Sword Magess, Anastasia, gripped the Argetlam blade, drew it from the ground, and faced Caejan, her expression as furious as Lilka's.

Dyne gave Lilka an over-shouldered glance, and the girl made a run for it, allowing the mighty Unknown to deal with the mighty Anastasia. The blonde lunged out of the house, dodging between the claws of the Nobodies, who did not give chase but did not make passage to the beach easy. Lilka was not far behind, hurling small bursts of fire and thunder and lightning at the assailing white monsters, keeping them at bay.

Behind them, the house became a warzone as the cloaked figure dealt with the Argetlam-wielding summon. The walls were being blown apart by the sheer force being exerted between the two, and it was only a few moments before the entire thing collapsed and the black figure, paired with the legendary Sword Magess, went rocketing into the sky, taking their battle into the air.

The Nobodies, perhaps then being commanded by Caejan, began to flood out of the barren woods behind them, an avalanche of reflected or forgotten memories. Lilka and Dyne, Dyne bearing Sora, somehow made it to the dock before the Nobodies had.

"Please, please, please let there be a boat," muttered Dyne, on the verge of collapse. Sora wasn't a light individual.

Fortunately for the both of them, a robed, blindfolded Riku stood at the docks, waiting with oars in hand. The blonde and the Crest Sorceress piled into the boat, Lilka turning to protect them from the Nobodies' onslaught with her magic.

"Riku! Did you... find it? The... keyhole?" spoke Dyne between gasps for breath. The boy leaned back in the boat, heart still throbbing.

"No, I didn't. I think I know who has it, though," replied Riku, paddling like a madman.

Lilka looked herself over, wondering how she had managed to quick-change back into her old Crest Sorceress robes. She had been beginning to like the beachwear.

"Who has it?"

"Caejan."

Dyne was silent for longer than a moment.

"That makes sense, actually. But if he has that keyhole, that means it was Caejan that took it out himself... which means he originated from somewhere beyond Memoria. Beyond the door. That mirror-building."

"I'd assume so. So, Lilka, are you up for mugging an unfathomably powerful Unknown?" asked Riku, smiling ironically.

"Look," replied Lilka softly, pointing into the air, where there was an exchange of silver-purpled and crimson blades lighting the dying sky. It was not long before the purple light faded, and the crimson disappeared shortly after. Lilka looked at the summon gem in her hand as the light within it went out.

"No..."

"You mean he took down that lady with the sword!" stammered Dyne, eyes wide as he looked for the black figure to return to the ground. "Will she be okay?"

"I don't know," responded Lilka, who sat down slowly in the boat. "I..."

Sis would have been able to.

She frowned.

If sis summoned Anastasia, she would have creamed that guy. No, your magic just isn't strong enough and now you can't bring her back.

Lilka was now staring at the bottom of the boat, feeling about two inches tall.

Riku began to stand, leaning down to pick the unconscious Sora up. The transformation had halted, but he still looked like some grotesque image of his former self. His skin was an ivory hue, his face mangled into a rounder, grayer form, the seal of Memoria already having etched itself in his forehead.

"All ashore that's going ashore," spoke Riku as they landed, then hopping onto the dock. Dyne followed, helping Lilka out of the boat. The four of them made their way toward the Secret Place, or near there, to either figure out a plan of action or to face Caejan, who would undoubtedly come to claim Sora.

It was not long before trouble would find them. Out of the stagnant waters of the beach came white forms, sluggish for the moment, like dead bodies. Caejan came down from the air, his descent slow, landing softly on the tips of his boots. The figure lowered itself onto flat feet, and regarded the four of them with equal disdain.

"You hope to escape. You cannot, for I possess the keyhole, and as such, I possess the keys as well."

Dyne stepped away. How could they face Caejan without keyblades, armed with only Lilka's magic, powerful though it was? She had already used up her summon, and so the blonde was unsure of what was going to happen. He found a role to fulfill quickly, though, because Riku handed Sora over to the blonde. The blindfolded Unknown then called the Nail Bat to his hand, facing Caejan.

"Alright. We can deal with this the easy way, or I can deal with you the easy way. Give us the keyhole," Riku threatened calmly, though Dyne could detect an edge of anxiety in his voice. Maybe Riku had simply been waiting for an excuse to fight Caejan.

"No."

Lilka reacted to Riku's instant assault by shrouding the young man in a protective barrier, similar to an Aeroga, less the wind. The original Keyblade Master was now engaged fully in combat with the raincoated figure that he knew had done so much harm.

The black silhouette dealt easily with Riku's blindfolded onslaught, fully aware that the boy was only able to function by sensing the Unknown's power emissions- his energy blades. Within a moment, Caejan had dismissed the blades and quickly dispatched Riku with his bare hands, Lilka's energy barrier proving no good against the physical attack. The platinum blonde screamed in pain at the being's mere touch, and though his words were marred by his cries, Dyne could make out something about betrayal and Sora. Then the man was hurled back toward Lilka and Dyne. The blonde-haired kid had barely enough time to put Sora down and catch the platinum blonde.

He stood Riku up, and the blindfolded unknown straightened himself as well as he could. He could do nothing but acknowledge defeat.

Now Caejan stood facing Dyne and Lilka, Sora unconscious still.

"Leave the incomplete one here, and perhaps I will let you return to your realm. Where you belong."

"Incomplete..."

Dyne looked down at the mutated Sora, shaking his head, beginning to set him down.

The Nobodies had still made no movement, though the beach was peppered with countless white figures.

Then, a voice that made Dyne feel both absolutely relieved and absolutely irritated rang over the beach.

"Dyne, don't let him go," commanded Asher, emerging from the Secret Place, robed in an Unknown's cloak. He moved calmly down the steps, emerald eyes locked on the hooded man. The Xinlong, his crystal sword, was strapped over a shoulder. The tail of the robe flowed about his feet as he came down the steps. "Give us the keyhole or I'll take it from you by force. Think twice before making your decision to resist. I have more than one score to settle with you."

Lilka's jaw dropped, seeing something familiar in the black-and-red-haired young man, but restigering a cold hardness in his voice what chilled her. This could not be the same Kydran- er, Asher- that she had spoken to in the gummi ship, that had held Pandora and seemed remotely happy. No, this Asher was bitter, angry, and prepared for battle.

Caejan turned to look at the young man, and froze. Apparently, seeing the boy was not something he had expected at all. No, he had counted on his destruction at the hands of Nemesis, like that girl had been, or that he had been lost in the Darkness-

"I will not let you pass."

"You don't have a choice," growled the black-haired boy, taking the sheathed blade into his gloved hands. He drew it, the crystalline edge of the weapon singing as he did so. His eyes locked on Rale, burning with the will to avenge a thousand crimes.

"So be it."

Lilka gasped as Asher moved forward. In the blink of an eye he was bearing down on Caejan, utilizing both of his weapons in his assault. A crimson energy-blade extended from each of Caejan's hands, and he used these to defend himself.

The girl made to move forward. She wasn't very strong, but she could help. Before she was able to join the fray, however, Dyne grabbed her arm.

"Don't, Lilka," Dyne advised.

"He can't handle that guy on his own! There's no way!"

"This is Asher's fight. Caejan's done a lot of things to a lot of people, and I hate Asher more than you know, but this is his fight."

The Crest Sorceress paused, watching as keyblade and crystal-sword clashed with buzzing energy in a dying world. She sighed, and moved to Riku's side.

Asher weaved in and out of Caejan's counterattacks, deflected blows and returning with his own, each of them intended to bring a swift end to the being who had given him so much woe.

The boy with hair of black and red forced the Unknown up the small hill toward the dried-up waterfall nearby the Secret Place. Caejan stepped down into the pool of stagnant water, lashing out at the Heart Key-wielder's feet. Asher hopped above the attack and swung, full-force, with the Heart Key at Caejan's head. The Unknown threw up an azure barrier in the last second, and Asher's weapon bounced back with such momentum that the boy had no choice but to fall back, handspring, and somersault into the air.

Asher, having righted himself in midair, hurled the Heart Key at the Unknown, only in time to see Caejan lift into the air, throwing his arms out to both sides, baring his chest. Power exploded from around the Unknown, and the Heart Key bounced harmlessly off. Thick beams of condensed energy burst from the sphere of power engulfing Caejan. As Asher's feet connected with the ground, every one of the beams turned about the sphere and swung in the boy's direction. There was a burst of black power, and Asher was gone, his crystal sword dropping into the sand.

Lilka cried out, and was brought from despair to triumph back to despair as a dark cloud burst into existence just behind Caejan's head; despite the surprise attack, the Unknown had somehow sensed Asher's movement through the Darkness, and his hand wrapped around Asher's neck as he reentered the in-between. The boy gagged, grabbing the Unknown's wrist with both hands for support, and Caejan thrust him up against the walls of he waterfall.

"So you thought you could hide in the shadows, hmm? It fits you well, but lest we forget, this is my realm. You cannot hide from me."

Asher's eyes burned with his fury. Power crackled around Caejan's form.

"Now submit, as your brother did, and serve me."

Asher extended a hand to summon the Heart Key, and choked, no longer having the support of both hands holding him up. The Unknown grabbed the hand at the wrist, shoving it against Asher's chest, and released the built-up energy into Asher.

Electricity crackled about the boy's form, and he screamed. The Crest Sorceress made to move forward, but Riku grabbed the back of her shirt, pulling her back. Her eyes were fearful. Dyne only watched, eyes focused on what was happening.

Asher fought to speak.

"Your... this is..."

The electricty was intensified, and Asher's cries no longer rang out along the dead beach. His teeth clenched, and his emerald eyes burned with righteous fury.

As trails of smoke began to waft off of the black-clad boy's body, Lilka lost hope. There was no way the boy was a match for the man in black. It was over.

And then Asher proved her wrong.

It began as a pulse, though Asher's mouth was wide open. His cry forced Caejan to brace himself, and the scream erupted from the boy, shaking the rocks and the earth with its power. Caejan shoved the boy back up against the wall, only to find that the Heart Key was in the boy's free hand. With as much force as he could muster, he brought the keyblade into Caejan's side, and the man stumbled back, dropping Asher to the ground.

Almost instantly, Asher was gone from sight. Another instant and he exploded from a cloud of dark energy, rocketing toward the Unknown. His path carried him over the dropped crystal sword, which he picked up before plowing into Caejan, slamming him up against the rock face of the waterfall. The boy somersaulted backwards, landing on his feet, and threw himself at the Unknown again.

The two engaged in a furious bout of swordplay in the small waterfall-area, though it soon became clear who was the better. Caejan was sucking Asher into a pattern, and before Asher had realized it, he had already thrust forward with the Xinlong, expecting a connection with Caejan's chest.

He realized, only in time to duck down beneath the head-strike and retaliate, that he had overcommitted. He was now down on a knee, teeth gritted, swords spinning as he tried to protect himself from the enigmatic man's onslaught.

"This is all your fault!" screamed Asher, arms weakening. He couldn't keep it up for long. "The Nemesis, the Heart Key, Clockwork Town, Omega WEAPON, everything! It's all your fault!"

"Aside from the destruction of Clockwork Town, The Nemesis, and the Omega WEAPON, you would be right," responded the voices of everybody Asher ever knew, and if the Unknown had had a face, he would have been smirking. "And now I think that I will kill you, erase you from all four realms. I am sure the Keyblade Master will appreciate it."

The Unknown, forcing Asher into a compromising position, parried both the boy's weapons out of the way and sent a boot into his chin. The boy grunted and flew upward into the air, fighting to regain control of his momentum.

Caejan's hand crackled with azure power. The Unknown extended its fingers out at Asher, and in an instant, the killing power was sent lashing at the airborne boy.

Asher's eyes narrowed, then shut as he focused. His form was surrounded in a cloud of Darkness, and he was instantly righted in midair. Both his arms shot forward, his crystalline weapon braced by his hands. The lightning roiled against the weapon, snapping and licking at the air, and when Caejan had finished, Asher's weapon shone with a brilliance that lit the area around them.

The boy pointed the end of the weapon at the black silhouette. The power lashed out. The lightning connected, and Caejan stumbled back, then froze in mid-fall.

In the Unknown's chest, a keyhole-form began to take shape. The being began to fall back, slowly, as though frozen in time, and the piece of the door which Caejan had taken fell from his chest as did whatever energy-form that had been held within the robe. The black-blue light burst from Caejan's torso, and the clothes then floated, empty, to the ground. The door-piece landed atop the black attire.

The Nobodies all shuddered at once, cringing as though some immense pain had ripped through each of them.

The boy landed on his feet, fighting to stand.

Lilka ran to Asher's side. She helped him get to his feet, watching the Nobodies warily. They all then began to close in on the five heroes. Riku dashed to Caejan's leftovers, snatched up the keyhole, and turned, tossing it to Dyne, who was able to catch it on Sora's chest.

Asher struggled, with Lilka's help, to get to his feet, still jarred by the beating Caejan had dealt him. The party then worked their way toward the Secret Place, and before they had reached it, Riku turned, the Inverse Key in one hand and the Nail Bat in the other.

"Go! I'll hold them off! Keep Sora safe, I'll be there soon!"

Dyne nodded, and charged into the little cave, Sora in his arms. Lilka felt better by the reassurance, while Asher was unable to speak. Riku was a blur of dark and light, keeping the Nobodies at bay, slowly working his way into the Secret Place.

When he finally had the chance to get through, he charged down the hall, looking over his shoulder, legs pumping to carry him as fast as he could make them. The Nobodies flooded the cave entrance, flooded into the cave, some walking, others crawling along the edges and the walls and filling every crack and crevice.

Asher, now able to stand, righted himself as Lilka placed the missing keyhole into the doorway. Riku pointed Mickey's Kingdom Key at the keyhole, a small cerulean beam flowing into it. An 'unlocking' sound echoed in the cave, though it was drowned out by the sound of the Nobodies streaming into the cave. Riku, Lilka, Dyne (still carrying Sora) and Asher all shot through the now-opened door and ran beyond.

The Nobodies flowed out along the sides of the massive wall that the party had run out of. There was a wall behind, and a wall ahead. Beneath their feet was soft green grass, though the light in the sky was still old and worn. Ahead, a pair of massive mirrored doors stood, and as the group approached, the enormous doors cracked open just barely, which was more than enough to fit two people through. The group did not have time to look around and consider the scenery.

They ran across the threshold.