Xigbar shook his head. "Nope, I saw it myself. Your brother, Ansem the Second, is dead."
Damn it. But... "How did he die?"
"Sora came to him."
Sora. A name that sounded innocent had begun to bare its fangs. Xenmas couldn't help but see those fangs. "What did Sora do?"
"Sora made his way through the many fragments of the End of the World, probably taking the same path Ansem took. Heck, I'm surprised Sora could take on a big demon. I mean, I can take down one to, but-"
"Xigbar..."
"Right. Needless to say, Ansem got as far as the remains of some island, then that servant came up to him and trapped him there. By the time that servant fled, Sora managed to catch up with Ansem. Ansem try to sort the whole matter out, but it turns out Sora is hard to convince. It was such a crazy chain of battles happening..."
Xigbar then began to describe the battles that took place. It seemed that Ansem was able to control the Heartless, something both Xigbar and Xenmas were surprised that he could do. Ansem summoned a special Heartless as he charged towards Sora, but Sora and his two strange companions (a dog and a duck), were able to hold their ground. Eventually, Ansem retreated into the partial dome of the island and Sora followed soon after, yet he was too late to erect a barrier to prevent Sora from entering, so Ansem mustered up a lot of darkness to summon forth a giant Heartless as large as the dome itself, eventually joining it in the battle. Still, that did not stop Sora, so Ansem escaped further into the darkness, finding a ship to sail away from Sora. Although the ship protected him well, it did not stop Sora from finding the weakpoints and eventually tearing the ship up. That left Ansem with nothing else, and so he attempted to escape into a door that had appeared out of nowhere, probably where Ansem was headed for anyway. What Ansem didn't count on was Sora managing to strike him in the back just when he got to the handle...
Xenmas was unable to cry since sadness was an emotion he could not feel. He wanted to, but he could not. "My brother..."
Xigbar looked up at him. "You want revenge for him?"
He shook his head. "I cannot feel revenge. My heart is just...empty. What happened to Sora afterwards?"
"Well, he closed and sealed the door, then suddenly, all the pieces within the End of the World were disappearing."
"Disappearing? It didn't just disappear. The worlds were restored."
"That's right. Anyway, Sora and his friends got separated when the worlds reformed. It seems that only the girl went back to the island while Sora and his friends went elsewhere. Don't know where servant boy went, but I have a feeling Sora's searching for him."
Xenmas slumped in his seat. "Damn him...Damn that servant. They've already shed my brother's blood and reputation. What else can they ruin?"
"Well, I hate to tell you this, but before I left, Sora ended up at the crossroads, where Castle Oblivion is..."
"Castle Oblivion..." Xenmas's head jerked up. "I've sent six people there! What have I done?"
"You couldn't have known. Besides, Castle Oblivion is well guarded with its magical cards. Even if Sora knew how to get through the first floor, he'd have to worry about the memories he'll lose."
"You're right...I'm starting to think I can worry. Resume your previous mission." As Xenmas massaged his head and Xigbar vanished with a smile, Xenmas opened another portal. A man with skinny limbs and red hair came out, wearing black robes. This one he knew more than the others; Axel not only combined both the chakrams and flames, but he was also the one who suggested adding Roxas as an Organization member. "Axel, I have several tasks for you."
Axel, who was picking his ear when entering the room, flicked some wax away as he looked at Xenmas. "So, what do you want, oh great leader."
"I want you to go to Castle Oblivion and tell them to be careful of Sora's prescence."
"Sora, huh? Is that all?"
"No, you will also keep an eye on the other Organization members there, especially Vexen and Marluxia. I fear both of them will get carried away with their projects, but I suspsect Marluxia more."
"And you want me to do this because..."
"You're the only one who spars with Roxas everyday, so you should be able to fight someone who uses the Keyblade, is that correct?"
"Ah, I see. I was worried that you wanted to get rid of me."
Xenmas place his hand on Axel's shoulder, staring him in the face. "Axel, I may not be able to feel the ache in my heart, but I suffer for the loss of my brother. Organization XIII is starting to feel like a second family to me, and I don't want anyone else close to me to die. Please, help protect them." A tear dropped to the ground, having dripped from his right eye. "And you have to live as well, not for my sake, but for Roxas. He shouldn't suffer the loss of his friend either. Please...do this for both of us."
Axel let out a sigh, taking Xenmas's hand of his shoulder. "Look, you may be compassionate for your followers if you could feel compassion, but people need to have a strong leader, not someone who mourns for deaths that haven't happened. You're Number One of Organization XIII, got it memorized?"
Xenmas nodded as he wiped the tear away. Perhaps there was nothing to worry about.
