Secrets of Memories Chapter 42: The Prophet and the Old Order
" The Gathering…" Kobi mused, his eyes troubled. " Now how do I explain that? Well Aozora, the Gathering is something like a meeting. A meeting of the Unknowns, the members of the Society. And from what we know, there will be some of the elite you would be familiar with."
" Axel, for one," Lorien said calmly, though her voice shook with violent hatred. She then muttered some choice words. " Domitan, too. Damn them both!"
Aozora was quite taken back by her show of anger. Kobi only sighed. " It's over Lorien. Besides, Aozora here is still a bit in the dark of things."
" I know Axel and Domitan," Aozora countered. " They always treated me like dirt."
" And there's Vixen," Lorien input. " Gods, he's as ridiculous-looking as ever. A mohawk and now long hair; a monstrosity."
" But as deadly as ever," Kobi added. " Then there's Roxanne. We all know Roxanne; that evil bh of ice. She looks all nice and sweet but that's one way of deceiving others."
Aozora contemplated asking his friends about their choice of words.
" And Marucia," Lorien said. " He's the quiet one but he's kind of at odds with Axel over the leadership of this group of Elite."
Aozora nodded. Marucia must be new, he thought, letting the foreign name lock onto a place in his mind. Either that or he just wasn't around when I was. The same thing with Maleficent. When I was around, she wasn't around. Either that or I just never was aware of him. I'd like to know who he is for sure.
"Then there's the Elite, the one Marucia's boss of. You should know who is in the Elite. Then we got other Unknowns," Kobi continued to explain the meaning of The Gathering. " They're just busybody nobodies, quite literally, and they do a lot of the usually-nonimportant tasks. They're the foundations of the Society and they do everything."
" Except for jobs and such that are for only the Elite," Lorien added. " Either the Elite or those who are like intermediates between the Nobodies and the Heartless. Either one or both, it's the same thing. Maleficent's an intermediate between the Society and the Heartless. There's someone else that acts as an intermediate between the Society and the Nobodies; he's never revealed himself but from what Eldest has told us, he is a man, a human. As for the leader of the Society itself, we never got to know him personally. All we have are texts and facts and words-of-mouth from Eldest."
" So basically, we've got an evil witch named Maleficent and two shadowy people leading the Heartless, the Nobodies, and the Society, right?" Aozora tried to put two and two together. " Am I right?"
" Well, Maleficent is an intermediate of the leader of the Heartless," Lorien corrected. " Ansem, Aozora; surely you haven't forgotten about Ansem already!"
" Oh right, him," Aozora sighed, then looked up at his friends, his bronze eyes blazing. " Him…so we've got Ansem, the boss of the Society, and the boss of the Nobodies. What do we know about all of them?"
" Ansem's not going to be here," Kobi stated. " This all of us knew, which is why Maleficent's here instead. He'll appear eventually, and in a body all of his own. We still don't know where he's located; I don't think anybody here in the Society knows. I've a feeling he's still somewhere at Hollow Bastion. I've been sifting through all the texts and reports he left behind in the library and man, he's practically devoted his entire life to studying Heartless."
" Or leading the Heartless," Lorien said. " As for the Society, we don't know much about him. He goes around by the codename Crimson and that's what we call him by. They say he was responsible for a surge in Heartless activity some decades ago. He was also said to play a key part in Disney's history."
" King Mickey's kingdom?" Aozora questioned.
" The one and only," Kobi confirmed. " Then there's the other guy, the one in charge of the Nobodies. Eldest knows more than he tells us but its just that he's not willing to tell us. I don't know why. Maybe it's just bad for us to know but from what I do know, it's a guy and he might be here at The Gathering, too."
" They say he goes by the codename Advocate," Lorien said quietly. " Eldest's was Prophet, if you don't remember. If they keep mentioning Prophet, you'll know what they're talking about."
" But why The Gathering?" Aozora persisted in asking. " What exactly are they going to do at The Gathering?"
" Not all the Unknowns will be here," Kobi informed. " Only the biggest, most important guys will be here. Its like a council of kings, except there are like only two real kings, a representative of a king, and some Elite dudes."
" They would probably be talking about Kingdom Hearts," Lorien added. " They don't want Kingdom Hearts closed and Crimson must be quite glad you're stuck here. You're the one who opened Kingdom Hearts with the Oblivion and the one who would close it needs that same Oblivion. I'm guessing you haven't found either the one who needs the Oblivion or the one who needs the Moonbeam, right?"
Aozora sighed and winced at the same time. " I. Haven't. Don't. Remind. Me."
" I think that means " I am royally pissed right now; please shut up", " Kobi informed her.
" Well, not only that but I think they're going to talk about what to do about Pete," Lorien pressed on. " He's like a rogue force. He used to work for the guy who usurped the Disney throne and he's been against most everyone. He does everything to his own advantage but he still makes alliances, if only for his own gain. He's a source of power; he's got Heartless working for him. He's like a separate faction of the Heartless. Maleficent leads one with the others and Pete leads the other. But Pete's more than that. He's one of the main reasons why you and Sora first had some trouble with things. But with you around, he didn't have much of a free hand. Now that the Keyblade Master is alone…he'll probably try and bring down the world that Sora's on right now."
Aozora merely nodded at this. This was a very large intake of information.
" I think they haven't been very happy with the way things were turning out," Lorien continued, as serious as ever.
" Yeah, you guys' been wupping their asses!" Kobi exclaimed rather cheerfully for this cheerless world. " They've been trying to stop you and they've been failing constantly."
" Except," Lorien countered, " for the Old Universe. They've been successful there."
" Then explain how Wonderland popped up near Traverse Town, Lorien," Kobi shot back. " The Princess of Heart's been doing her share of the work, too."
" But they've got something the Light doesn't have," Lorien said. " We've been achieving these sorts of victories but the Society's been doing things the Heartless and the Nobodies have never been doing. First off, they've got the Prophet, Mentor, Eldest."
" Ah…I see what you mean," Kobi said, a bit abashed. His cheerful light had been extinguished by this mere fact.
" Yes, Kobi, they've got Eldest," Lorien said. " I don't know why Eldest hasn't broken out yet; he's got enough power to wipe out at least two-thirds of the Society."
" True, true," Kobi continued.
" Secondly," Lorien said and her eyes turned to Aozora. " They've got you."
" So it seems, my little sweeties," a chilling woman's voice said amusingly behind them, outside of their little prison. " Not only have we got the Prophet, the old filthy traitor, but we've got his three protégés. And one of three grand prizes: the Guardian. Imagine how happy Master would be if he knew that his stray birds had come back to the flock."
" I went astray for reasons," Aozora muttered, while turning around to look at the owner of the voice.
She looked like a doll, almost, with a sweet face, blue eyes, and short blond hair. But he knew that underneath the kind exterior was a fierce, dark soul.
Aozora blinked and looked more closely. Why did she look so familiar…
" Roxanne…" Kobi groaned. Lorien cast her a hateful stare.
" Oh relax, you two," Roxanne said, her blue eyes glinting with cold darkness. " I'm not playing with your man, Lorien. I'm just seeing Aozora as he is now, the pathetic defector."
Lorien colored fiercely at this. Aozora had turned slightly red as well, though he did not know what it was that was between these two. Kobi, on the other hand, had turned hateful and…
" Amusing, isn't it, Roxanne," a voice drawled. " Three best friends, betrayers, doomed to die, and in the moments before their deaths, they get into a fight over who loves who."
" Domitan," Aozora growled while the blue-haired man appeared next to Roxanne.
" Oh I just love this," Roxanne smiled quite pleasantly at the man. " The joy of spreading discord."
" Indeed," Domitan agreed. " Now shall we go, my darling? The others are waiting and then there will be The Gathering. You can mock them later."
Aozora's eyes narrowed as those two sauntered off.
" Spreading discord?" Lorien muttered. " Say that to my ass and my sword."
Kobi, in the meantime, was muttering something quite unintelligible. " She knows…she knows…how does she know…"
" Spread discord…" Aozora was musing. " What would happen…if one of them dies…then what would happen? But first, we have to know of all their relationships with each other. Perhaps there's something here I've always missed out on…"
And his memories fled backwards, crossing over the great wall uninhibited, into the swirling, violent spiral of hateful memories of his time in the Society. There was Axel, Domitan, Roxanne, Lexeus, Vixen, and the young Zexion, who he bonded with quickly because of his young age. Axel and Domitan, best of friends, always focused on Roxanne and power, while Lexeus and Vixen focused on the goals of the Society. And Zexion, the youngest of them and the younger brother of Domitan, was something quite different. Aozora knew he had a sense of justice, unlike the others. And where did Marucia come into play?
Spreading discord, he thought, dots connecting into lines. I wonder…
" I. Don't. Believe. This," Sora growled under his breath along the way. " I. Can't. Believe. THIS!"
" That means " I am royally pissed right now; don't talk to me"," Donald informed Goofy and the people escorting them, who were giving Sora rather curious stares. " Don't worry, he gets in the mood at times. Goofy, why!"
" He asked," Goofy answered." But don't you worry; I told him nothin'!"
" Exactly," Donald shot back. " He wants the information. We just can't give it to him, can we?"
" But…der…Donald, I really don't' get it," Goofy said, scratching his head. " Why can't we tell him?"
Donald was at a loss for words.
In the meantime, Sora chose to ignore his two 'comrades-in-arms' and chose to see where it was they were. As far as he was concerned, they've been walking deep in stone and they've been going down. He was very sure they were far, far away from the lonely volcano and that meant they were deep underneath the sea.
" Where exactly are we going?" Sora asked of one of the people.
" The city of Atlantis, home of our people," was their answer.
Sora scowled. " I know that!"
" Then what is there that you need to know?" he asked curiously.
Sora was very much tempted to say, " Your ass!" in a very scathing voice. However, he decided against it. Not only was it rude but just wasn't very unkindly for a visitor…er, say it to the ones taking them to a king. And all the while, he listened in on Donald and Goofy's conversation.
"…so we've been making him mad for no reason at all?" Goofy demanded of Donald.
" I guess…" Donald was suddenly not the fiery powerhouse he was. He seemed very uncertain, unsure of himself, confused. " I'm not sure, Goofy. I guess there are some things we can tell him but not everything. No Goofy, we can't tell him everything. Imagine how much of a shock that would be on his mind, to find out who we truly are."
" So what DO I tell him?" Goofy asked. " You know he'll always ask."
" Just tell him…maybe you can tell him why we came here long ago," Donald suggested. " That can't be harmful, can it? I mean, it was all business and all…"
" Alright, I'll ask, huyuk!" Goofy exclaimed. " Hey Sora, Donald just said-"
" Goofy!" Donald hollered at him. " Only when he asks!"
" You said something?" Sora asked of them. He had heard their entire conversation but chose to act dumb about it. Perhaps then they would let on more information than they intended to hide. Such as " find out who we truly are."
"Oh no, we didn't say anything at all," Donald answered hastily, before Goofy could have his say.
" Why don't you tell them about the important business you came here for once long ago?" one of the scouts asked of them curiously. " I mean, he doesn't know so why try and hide it from him? Perhaps he can understand the doom that has fallen on this world."
" What doom?" Sora demanded fiercely.
" When the Old Order collapse," the scout told him, " our world Atlantis will fall with it."
He strode onwards but Sora was frozen still, staring at the man in stunned silence.
" The Old Order is what you live in now, Sora," Goofy offered an explanation in case Sora had no idea what 'Old Order' was. " It is all the worlds, Old Universe and New Universe, all the other worlds and universes out there, the state of things, the Heartless and the Nobodies, the rule of King Mickey and the rule of others in their respective worlds…its just the now, Sora. This is Old Order, the one you were born into. What he's trying to say is that you are the one who will bring New Order to all but Atlantis will fall in the process, one of many worlds who many be destroyed in the transition from Old Order to New Order."
Sora stared at Goofy. How'd Goofy sound so smart all of a sudden?
" We maybe some of the lucky ones who will see to the flowering of the New Order and a new peace," Donald added. " No more Heartless, no more Nobodies, no more Society. The Darkness would be silent forever if you find the door."
" Indeed," the scout said. " They, knight and wizard of Disney's court, had come here once long ago with their king to discuss with King Nedakh the fate of Atlantis and its people. If all else, our great and noble king fear for his people. And they had discussed where the people would go, should the fall of the Old Order be successful and our world be destroyed. None of us wants our home destroyed but such is fate. If only the Fates could answer to us, or the great gods of the skies, Oranos, Kronos, and Gaia the most noble amongst them."
This world is doomed to die? Sora wondered with shock and pity. How can that be?
" Wowee," Goofy whistled, clearly impressed by something. " Looks even better with age, I tell ya!"
Sora stared; he must be dreaming.
There were great bridges all around an island nation, where half-decayed buildings still stood retaining the glory of the former days. Waterfalls gushed down into water underneath the bridge and waterfalls flowed around the island, a curtain of glass that kept this realm separate from the rest of the world. Greenery blossomed amongst the ancient ruins and the aura of it all was ancient, ancient, elderly, and of the days bygone and lost to all but memory. And there was power; oh yes there was power. Sora could feel the sleeping power that lay within this great city.
" Welcome to the city of Atlantis, new comers and old," the Atlantians introduced them. " Now come, for King Nedakh is waiting. No doubt he will gladly greet you once more under his roof, Sirs Donald and Goofy. But young child, we shall see of his judgment upon you."
" He's with us," Donald said stiffly. " Period."
" So it seems," the Atlantian scout said. " But we shall see."
"…we will give you one night, and one night only," Sora caught an old, noble voice speaking from what he guessed to be the throne room. " Tomorrow you must go, with no exception."
" We thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty," another voice spoke, a voice rather haughty, if not arrogant. Sora thought it sounded like Clayton.
Sora raised an eyebrow as an unusual troupe of people strode out of the throne room. One looked oldish but was big and buff, too. One was a blond woman, with a very dark look in her eyes. One was an old grandma, who was puffing away on something. One was big, buffer than the first guy, and dark-skinned, not to mention bald. One had a very large black moustache. One was portly, wearing strange glasses and covered in thick clothes. One was white-maned, wearing loose overalls and with a rather insane look on his face. One had thick lips and long black hair, and grease covered much of her clothes. And one looked really odd, completely different from this odd troupe of humans. He was dark blond, with huge glasses with circular frames, and he was wearing a long green coat and toting a leather-bound book inlaid in metal.
" And who are they?" Donald asked one of the escorts.
" We had sensed two disturbances earlier in the day," they answered. " One came from the sleeping volcano, where you had once come with King Mickey; the other came from far beyond, deep in the rock walls that protect us also from the outside world. I believe these outsiders had penetrated our rock walls and had received judgment from King Nedakh."
" Judgment, eh?" Sora said, amused by this. " Interesting…"
The man with the glasses looked back into the room, then stood still and waited, while the others left for wherever they had to go. He then looked towards them and Sora had the impression that the man would've wet his pants if he had not kept to his senses.
" Incredible," he murmured as Sora, Donald, Goofy, and the Atlantians with them approached. " I don't believe this…"
" Why don't you?" Donald muttered under his breath but sadly everyone heard him.
" You talked!" the man exclaimed with astonishment. " A talking duck! Oh my God, this is incredible."
With that the man bent over and scrutinized Donald, looking at him from all around while the others stood to the side, amused and bemused at the same time.
" Stop staring at me, would ya?" Donald snapped and tapped him on the head with his staff.
" Be nice, Donald; he's just never seen a talking duck before," Sora cackled. Donald glared.
The man then looked up to Sora. " And who are you?"
" My name is Sora," the Keyblade Master replied. " And you?"
" Milo, Milo Thatch," the man replied. " And that other – forgive my word for you – thing with you?"
" Oh, Goofy?" he gestured to the knight, who was daydreaming or something.
" Huyuk, someone said something?" Goofy came to attention quite quickly.
" Oh my!" Milo exclaimed with surprise. " This is amazing, incredible!"
" Pardon me, sir," one of the Atlantians broke the bubble of happiness over this man's head, " but the honorable King Nedakh awaits them."
" Oh yes, yes, yes, do take them in; I'll wait and ask later," Milo said happily. " A pleasure to meet you, Sora, a pleasure!"
" And mine, too, Milo," Sora replied a bit more slowly; he was never around someone as exuberant and charismatic as this man.
He followed the Atlantians, Donald, and Goofy into the throne room, struck with silence, staring at the spacious, open building. There was an air of antiquity, an air of ancient bearing, a beauty that belonged only to the haunted ruins of civilizations that had come and gone through the passage of Time. Unusual greenery grew as they chose from outside into the room; a mysterious pool stood in the middle, patterned most beautifully, in the most enigmatic ways. And there, on a magnificently carved throne that could also be made a bed, sat a most noble figure.
His eyes were white now, blind with old age. His beard was silver-white and long; his robbers were in the colors of the blue sea that surrounded them, a most noble blue. Standing next to him was a young woman, with white hair, icy blue eyes, and adorned in simple, spare clothing. She held a spear in her hand and on her neck was a blue-white crystal, a crystal that every other Atlantian Sora had seen so far wore. There were blue marks under her left eye.
" My lord, King Kashekim Nedakh of Atlantis, here are the three strangers that had come from the opening of the volcano," the foremost of the Atlantians spoke aloud. " But not all of them are strangers, Your Majesty. Two have come here before, in the younger days, the companions of King Mickey Disney."
" Is that so?" the king spoke in the same voice Sora had heard earlier. " Pray tell me who you are so I can find you in my memory."
" I am the Court Wizard Donald, Your Majesty King Nedakh," Donald said, bowing though the king was blind.
" And Captain of the Disney Royal Knights Goofy at your service, huyuk," Goofy followed with a more lopsided bow. Perhaps it was best that King Nedakh was blind.
" Is that so?" King Nedakh's voice quickly softened and was kind. " Sirs Donald and Goofy, welcome back to the city of Atlantis. I trust you are well? And any news from King Mickey Disney? I know he travels far and wide now and has not been to Disney in many long years. But have you heard from him recently?"
" A few weeks ago at best," Sora promptly replied.
" And who is this who speaks without being questioned?" King Nedakh asked. " A bright young voice, it is a young child that travels with you, one from the race of Humans, I presume."
Donald jabbed Sora with his elbow. " You weren't supposed to talk out of your place!"
" How was I supposed to know!" Sora protested.
" Fear not, Keyblade Master," the young woman at King Nedakh's side finally spoke. " Indeed I have warned my father of your coming but it is not easy to recognize one that one has never met before but has only heard of. Sora, welcome to Atlantis."
Sora stared at the woman. " And how'd you know my name?"
" We have our ways, those who are of the Order," the woman replied rather slyly. " My name is Princess Kidagakash but you may call me Kida."
For obvious reasons, Sora thought.
" The Order, child," King Nedakh spoke. " If this is the Keyblade Master you speak of, you must tell him of the fate of the Old Order."
" Indeed I must but now here," Princess Kida agreed. " Come you three; there is much we must discuss. For time is growing short even as we stand and breathe, for the day of reckoning is drawing near and there is much Sora Keyblade Master must know of what must happen for him to open the door and what depends on him to do so."
" Him, too?" Sora asked, gesturing to Milo, who was still at the doorway. Princess Kida started.
" He has heard everything," she immediately perceived. " No choice. He will come with us. After all, he seems more knowledgeable of Atlantis than many of my people do."
With that, they followed her to Milo, who seemed rather busy gaggling at her.
" Milo Thatch, will you come with us," Princess Kida asked of him. " There is much we all must discuss and I can see that you can help us in the matters of Atlantis, beloved city that is mine."
" Uh, sure Princess," Milo agreed rather quickly then fell in step with her, Sora, Donald, and Goofy. " And what exactly is it that we must talk about?"
" Have you ever heard of the Old Order, Milo Thatch?" Princess Kida asked quite severely. " Or have you been aware of other worlds out there, other planets, and other people?"
" Are you serious?" Milo demanded. " I'd better note this down. Planets bearing life forms out there somewhere besides our own, incredible -"
" Now is not the time to do whatever you want to do," Princess Kida interrupted. " You have only one day to help my city; the others can stay as long as they want. But we must hurry nonetheless. For your coming, Sora, will bring more than just hope for us of the Order."
" You see, the Old Order is as you see it now. The world you lived in, the worlds you have visited, the people you have met, the governments that reign in each place, they are all of the Old Order. From the birth of Time until now, it has all been the Old Order. However, now the Old Order is in danger. The door has not been opened. The Heartless still roam and with them goes the Nobodies. The Society, you know of the Society. They are our equal but of the darkness. They are part of the Old Order, too. This world, Atlantis, it is connected to the Old Order; Atlantis is part of the lifeline of the ages past. But Atlantis is far beyond its glory days; when you open the door, Sora Keyblade Master, the Old Order will come to and end and with it goes Atlantis. Do you understand?"
" He may but I sure don't," Milo was first to answer. " What are you talking about?"
Sora understood quite clearly. " That's insane. Princess Kida, that is insane! If I open the door, then everything I once knew will be no longer and this world I walk in won't be here anymore!"
" What?" Milo shouted. " What door? What happens if this guy opens whatever door you guys are talking about? Order? What Order? Heartless? I've never heard of Heartless before. Nobodies? Society? Keyblade Master!"
" Clearly this guy is off his rocker," Sora commented. " But so am I. What kind of responsibility is this? I open the door, I destroy a whole world! Are you mad?"
" Such is Destiny, Sora," Princess Kida smiled sadly. " But now, I have a feeling this is when Milo will come into play. Sora, wherever you go, darkness follows. Heartless, Nobodies, Society, all follow you at will. And you can never rid of this darkness, unless you open the door. And the one thing that could have kept you safe, if only temporarily, you have cast aside. And now that one thing, that one power, is beyond our grasp, lost, with only the Prophet to depend on."
" Wait, wait, wait," Sora stopped her talking. " Prophet? Who's the Prophet?"
" Let me explain," Princess Kida replied.
" I trust that you will keep to your word?" Commander Lyle Tiberius Rourke demanded as he counted the fresh green bills in his hands.
" The only one who could keep me from keeping to my word is the certain brat I've warned you of," the being he was talking to replied. " Give me the boy and I'll let you have your way with the Princess and her powers."
" You've yourself a deal," Commander Rourke shook hands. " And your Heartless and Nobodies?"
" Do not provoke them," the being replied. " That is my only advice to you. They will take care of all who gets in our way. But remember, do not provoke them."
" That I won't forget," Commander Rourke answered. " But now tell me, where are you headed?"
" Do deal with the Underworld, the land of the dead," the being said. " There is a matter concerning a certain child of a God and a coal-black lamp that we have finally gotten wind of. Remember, Commander Rourke. Do not provoke the Heartless or the Nobodies. That is all I can say to you."
The being vanished as Commander Rourke turned back to camp, counting the bills again.
" Filthy rich, I'll be getting…"
" How funny, that I haven't seen it before," Aozora was saying to the others. " I suspect strife in the Elite. You think that could help us?"
" The only one who can help us right now, Aozora, is Prophet, Mentor, Eldest," Kobi replied rather lazily. " But I don't know what became of him. As for me, I will wait until I am free to move again."
" If you're not careful, you'll be getting your ass kicked right on," Lorien replied as she sat not to far from the both of them, her eyes never leaving Aozora as she trailed her fingers along the hard ground.
" Of course I'm careful," Kobi answered. " Don't you trust me?"
" Maybe," Lorien quipped. " But Aozora, I – I've been wondering…what have you been doing? All this time, I mean?"
" I've been around and about," Aozora answered, his face downcast, thinking deep. " I've seen, I've done, and I've regret. I can barely recall a day of happiness…until I joined the Keyblade Master, the Court Wizard, and the Captain of the Disney Royal Guards. And until we broke up, I was happy for a time, happy to be with a team, to be with others. But its hard; the Keyblade Master has suffered…he's suffered much…"
And he could recall the dreams, the dreams Goofy had told him about, the echoes of the past that haunted Sora in his dreams.
We suffer, have suffered, and will suffer, he thought. For you and I, we are the accursed Ones and will be until the end of our days.