Chapter 17

Neverland 2-The Dark Shroud

"So let's go through this again," Sora said as they sat in the Gummi Ship. "We have four third level spells: Firaga, Thundaga, Blizzaga, and Curaga."

"That just leaves Gravira, Stopra, and Aerora to upgrade," Donald counted off on his fingers. "We should train up those three before we fight Ansem."

"Hey guys, what's wrong with Tinker Bell?" Goofy asked. Sora had let out all of his summons and they were hanging around but Tinker Bell was suddenly flying all over and making those jingling noises.

"I know," Genie came up to them. "I can understand all magical languages. Except Spanish, I don't get that one."

"Okay Genie, can you tell us what she's saying?" Sora rolled his eyes.

"Something about having to get back to Neverland," Genie leaned closer. "Somebody named Peter is in big trouble."

"Peter?" Donald asked. "Okay, set a course for Neverland."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy walked around Neverland but they couldn't find Peter. Tinker Bell was leading them but it seemed they were just getting even more lost.

"Guys?" Peter's voice came from above them and he flew down. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Tinker Bell," Sora waved his hand toward her. "She said something about you being in trouble."

"What? I'm not in trouble Tink," he said. Tinker Bell flew closer to him and started talking to him.

"The clock tower?" Peter asked. "Well, okay. You guys want to come along?"

"We can't fly anymore," Goofy told him.

"No problem! More fairy dust Tink!" Peter told her and Tinker Bell showered them with fairy dust then disappeared back into the Oblivion.

The four of them flew near the clock tower where Sora sealed the world of Neverland but there appeared to be nothing there.

"11:45?" Donald looked at the clock tower. "It isn't that late is it?"

"Shh," Sora held his hand out. "Did you hear that?"

"Sounded like a groan," Goofy said with his dog hearing. "Someone might be in trouble near here."

"Nobody would be on the clock tower," Peter looked around quickly as another groan filled the air but this one was much louder. A dark shape flew past him but it went by to quickly to make it out.

"Look at that!" Goofy pointed up and there was a figure that looked like he came from a nightmare. It was nothing but a black cloak with the bottom flared out and blowing around even though there was no wind. Around where there should have been a waist was a white orb. Two dead and decayed hands came from the sleeves and two yellow eyes shown from under the hood.

"What is that thing?" Peter shouted in a shaking voice. A chilling voice that shook all four of them to their core replied.

"I am Phantom," it said slowly with its voice wheezing. Faster then anyone could have though it could move Phantom burst forward and wrapped its decayed hand around Donald's throat.

"Let him go!" Goofy flew at Phantom but Phantom placed his other hand in Goofy's path and there was a powerful blast of dark energy that sent Goofy flying back.

"The clock is ticking," Phantom wheezed out the number five suddenly formed in a white light above Donald's head. Phantom released Donald and floated back.

"Enough of this!" Peter flew forward and stabbed as hard as he could with his dagger and it sunk right through Phantom's cloak. "Got you."

"No," Phantom chuckled and blasted Peter away before pulling the dagger out only to reveal Peter had simply ripped the cloth and there was nothing under it.

"That's impossible!" Sora yelled when the minute hand on the large clock suddenly went from the nine to the ten and at the same time the five above Donald's head changed to a four. "That can't be good."

Donald flew at Phantom and shot a Firaga at the white orb but the spell simply bounced off. He tried another only to the same effect.

"Fool," Phantom said and blasted Donald away. Sora flew toward Phantom and raised the Oblivion and swung it with all his strength at the orb but at the last second the orb went from white to red and the Oblivion bounced off just like Donald's spell.

"No way!" Sora gazed at Phantom when the clock changed again and Donald's number went down to three. "Stopra!" Sora cast on the clock and he heard the clicking inside slow and then stop.

"You will not interfere with the master's plan," Phantom reached out at Sora but Sora spun around and dodged it.

"Who is this master?" Sora asked.

"Master Ansem," Phantom reached for Sora again but missed. Phantom put both hands above his head a ball of light started to form there. Phantom shot the light forward and Sora was hit but instead of a blast of pain Sora felt his energy being drained.

"Hang on Sora!" Peter shouted and flew back up with Goofy right behind him. Peter spun around and landed a kick to the side of Phantom's head but there was almost no effect at all.

"Firaga!" Donald's blast came from nowhere and crashed into the red orb and the orb exploded. There was a shriek of pain from Phantom and it hunched over before the orb returned but this time it was blue.

"Nice shot Donald," Sora nodded. "I figured if the orb was red then fire might work against it. I'm betting a Blizzaga for this blue one!"

"Right!" Donald nodded back when the number above Donald suddenly changed to two and Sora looked in horror to see the clock had started again. Phantom's spell was still draining his energy and there was no way he could cast a spell now.

"Let's take this thing down!" Peter shouted to Goofy who nodded back and they flew forward and Peter stuck his dagger where the neck should have been and Goofy slammed his shield into where its stomach should be.

"Fools," Phantom said and there was a great blast of dark energy that knocked all of them back. Donald flew back up at Phantom and unleashed three Blizzaga spells but Phantom dodged them all. Donald's number went to one.

"No," Sora tried to scream out but his energy was running dangerously low and he found he was barely staying in the air now. "Ae-ae-aerora!" Sora was finally able to cast a spell no matter how weak it was and the shield appeared and blew Phantom's spell away letting Sora get his energy back.

"Time is up," Phantom said and the number turned to zero and there was a bright flash. Sora blocked the light from his eyes but when the light died down he saw Donald falling toward the ground.

"No!" Sora, Peter, and Goofy yelled at once and they all flew at him but Phantom reached out and grabbed Goofy by the back of his neck.

"Donald!" Sora shouted and he caught Donald. Sora desperately checked but it was no use. Donald was dead. "No!" Sora shouted so loud people on the streets below stared up at them.

"The clock starts again," Phantom whispered in Goofy's ear and the number five appeared above his head this time.

"Stop this!" Sora shouted up at Phantom and flew up as fast as he could, laying Donald's body on the top of the tower.

"Master Ansem's instructions," Phantom wheezed out. "Make Keybearer suffer."

"Donald! No!" Goofy flew down landed by Donald and had tears flying from his eyes as he kneeled at Donald's side.

"Not Goofy!" Sora stared in shock as he saw the number four above Goofy's head.

"I won't let you!" Peter appeared before them flying faster than any of them thought possible and started stabbing Phantom repeatedly.

"Do not interfere," Phantom muttered something else and suddenly neither Peter nor Sora could move. Sora desperately tried to cast Stopra on the clock but he couldn't even make a sound.

"Look what you've done!" Goofy shouted in rage and launched himself at Phantom, his number above his head at two. Sora struggled to move and felt the hold on him start to weaken but he could only slightly wiggle his fingers.

Goofy smashed Phantom in the side of its head with his shield and began to do it over and over. The number turned to one. Sora felt a great swell of power within him and Phantom's hold was blasted away.

"Time is up," Phantom started again.

"Stopra!" Sora shouted at the same time but it was to late. Goofy's stare went blank and he began to fall. Sora flew down and caught him as tears streamed down his face and landed on Goofy's.

"Sora! Help!" he heard Peter yell and suddenly remembered that Peter had not yet broke Phantom's hold and Phantom had flown over and wrapped his hand around Peter's neck like he hand done with Donald and Goofy.

"Not this time!" Sora yelled and flew up, placing Goofy next to Donald but stayed kneeling at his side.

"Do you concede Keybearer?" Phantom asked and floated right behind Sora.

"Blizzaga!" Sora whipped around and the spell hit the blue orb and it exploded like the red one before. Phantom shrieked even louder and the orb turned yellow.

"Forget about me?" Peter flew in and landed another kick on the side of Phantom's head but this one was so strong it sent Phantom crashing into the tower. The number above Peter's head was now a four.

"Stopra!" Sora cast on the clock and it stopped once again. He turned his eyes back to Phantom but made sure to watch the clock. Peter flew forward and brought his dagger down on the orb but it bounced off. Phantom whipped its hand out and put it over Peter's face.

"Time is up," Phantom said and the number started going from four to zero really quickly.

"Thundaga!" Sora blasted the spell forward but Phantom dodged and Sora anticipated this, making Phantom release Peter. But the number had stopped at one. Phantom faced them and the orb went from yellow back to white.

Sora flew forward and swung the Oblivion at the orb but it turned yellow once again. Sora smiled as electricity suddenly wrapped itself around the Oblivion and crashed straight through the orb. An even louder shriek from Phantom followed this.

"Good job So…" Peter was suddenly cut off as his number went to zero.

"No! The clock!" Sora shouted in desperation. "I forgot the clock!"

"Fool," Phantom said as the orb went to white once more. Sora caught Peter as he started to fall and placed him with Donald and Goofy. Sora started crying again and his tears landed on the Oblivion. There was a great blast of darkness from the Oblivion and Sora felt himself being surrounded by darkness again. Except this time it was different, this time he could control it.

"Bastard!" Sora shouted at the top of his lungs. He had never cursed once in his life but he soon felt rage taking over him, making him stronger.

"The clock begins again," Phantom reached its hand out for Sora's neck. Sora just smiled and let the dead fingers wrap around him. The number appeared above his head and Sora looked up at it and the evil smirk formed on his face. He stood still as the number counted down until it had reached number one. "Time is…"

"Stopga!" Sora blasted the tower with the third level Stop spell and it froze right before Sora's number could turn to zero.

"I will wait," Phantom said.

"You'll be waiting for a while. I predict that will last about half an hour. Plenty of time for me to destroy you!" Sora spat out with the rage forming on his face.

"Master Ansem never mentioned such power," Phantom shook his head before blasting Sora with some dark energy. Sora doubled over when it hit him but then straightened back up.

"That tickled," Sora laughed. With amazing speed Sora flew forward and slammed the Oblivion straight through the orb, as it shattered into pieces and disappeared for good this time. "Time is up."

Phantom let out a shriek ten times louder than the last three and light exploded out from his hood. Then Phantom exploded as well with great force, blowing apart one side of the tower.

"No," Sora whispered as he felt the darkness leave him and his body started to ache. He floated down to where Donald, Goofy, and Peter lay. "I can't believe they're gone. We weren't finished with our journey yet. Leon was right, I let them down!"

"Hey, what did I say about sad faces," Sora's head shot up at the sound of Donald's voice to see all three of them starting to stir.

"You're alive! You're alive!" Sora shouted out and tears began coming down his face once again.

"Yeah, so why are you crying?" Peter asked.

"Oh! No reason!" Sora wiped the tears from his eyes and forced the tears to stop. His father always taught him that men don't cry.

"Guess what," Goofy smiled. "There is a God!"

"Really?" Sora laughed as one more tear fell to the ground.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy bid goodbye to Peter and headed back to the Gummi Ship after a good rest.

"Guys!" Phil's voice came over the radio. "Help! Get back here right away! Another Titan is attacking!"